Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Open Hearted: Lori Cannon
by Kennette Crockett
2003-06-25

This article shared 5205 times since Wed Jun 25, 2003
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


'Let's go back to the brutally hot summer of 1988 when the steering committee of the NAMES Project was hosting the historic display of the [AIDS] quilt at the old Navy Pier,' recalls 52-year-old Chicago native Lori Cannon about the conception of what was originally known as Open Hand Chicago, an organization that would go on to serve more than three million meals to Chicagoans living with AIDS. Vital Bridges is the new name for Open Hand and the two suburban AIDS agencies it merged with last year.

'After nine months of planning, the display came that very hot weekend in July and I think that following the success of that, and I speak for the committee—many of them have since died and others have moved on to other chapters in their lives—we all looked at each other and it seemed like we were experiencing post-partum blues.

'We had worked well as a group there was very little ego. As caregivers, we knew that we were loyal and devoted to our friends but there were many people in the city of Chicago that didn't have that good fortune; they lived in isolation; they lived in shame and the stigma that was unfairly imposed upon them. We all started bringing to the meeting what we felt we could do, which would be a meals-on-wheels similar to what seniors had been receiving for the longest but these meals would be for people living with AIDS.' One would not think that 15 years had gone by—since almost every recollection is so very present in Cannon's memory banks: 'Some people had a background in social work, in food services and in my case, I was a school bus driver and I knew routing. And by the courtesy and generosity of Tom Tunney [now alderman in the 44th Ward], we had the kitchen at Ann Sather's restaurant on Belmont.'

In that incredible five months between August of 1988 and Christmas Eve of 1988, Cannon and other volunteers were able to create what would become a model for other cities. Cannon still serves meals whether it is through delivery or managing one of six grocery centers located throughout the Chicagloand area.

Here she shares why she was drawn to help people living with AIDS, why she still gives more than 100 percent, and the importance of volunteers.

WCT: How did you decide who would receive meals?

LC: Back then we had decided since our first delivery would be on a symbolic holiday and for many this would be their last Christmas. We reached out to social workers and case managers at various AIDS units of hospitals through out the city and we asked them to recommend their most needy clients (men, women, infants), and the first evening included 35 clients spread out between Rogers Park, Lakeview, Albany Park, Humboldt Park and the South Side, which spanned from Hyde Park all the way to 137th Street.

WCT: When people think of organizations serving people with AIDS, back then I am sure that the majority were gay white males. Has that changed given the spread of AIDS to different groups?

LC: From the very beginning, the services were extended to a rather diverse crowd. True the biggest routes were the Wrigleyville, New Town and Lakeview areas. We have always served all races, families, and transgendered. But in the beginning, yes, and I would say that was probably true of most of the organizations. And it is also important to note that every single AIDS organization in Chicago has been started by the gay community and that these tireless visionaries fought with their dying breath.

WCT: The spread of AIDS has grown tremendously in the African American community. Do you all service the West Side?

LC: We have always served the West Side, that would include Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, and Austin. There are some programs coming that way because it is an undeserved population in the city and it is not as easy to get people to be tested as it is on the North Side. Hopefully that will change. Recently with the new merger, we have expanded grocery service to Oak Park and the deliveries of meals to the western suburbs.

WCT: Tell me about the merger.

LC: We have recently gone through a merger and that was necessary given the nature of the government dollar these days. We are hopeful that the expanded services will reach more people. However, the name might have changed but one thing has remained constant and that is the delivery of meals and providing groceries—that has been constant.

WCT: What is a typical meal?

LC: Our meals are a main course, two side dishes. The box lunch consists of a nice sandwich or a salad, fresh fruit, dessert. Well we have nutritionists and dieticians who consult with the caseworkers about what clients' sensitivities or restrictions are for diabetics or people who have high blood pressure and need a low-sodium meal. However, the majority of the people we serve are taking advantage of our grocery centers, which started popping up nine years ago. They are full-service grocery centers with state-of-the-art refrigeration, all manned by volunteers starting with the unloading of the trucks, the stocking of the shelves, the filling of the orders and everything is self-selection.

WCT: So more clients are able to shop for themselves and prepare their meals. Is that due in part to the advancements made in AIDS research?

LC: Yes. We were once delivering meals to bed-ridden and homebound clients, but with the advancement of treatments many of our clients are healthy enough to use the grocery centers. We give them a list of the food categories of the fresh fruits and vegetables, the frozen meats. It is a very cheerful and pretty place, you know it is decorated colorfully. We don't look anything like a government program, that is for sure, and we have taken great pains to come up with whimsical art.

WCT: So how does a person qualify to use your services?

LC: Our referrals come from case mangers, physicians or social workers and I have to say that in 15 years, we have never had a waiting list and that is to our credit. I do not know how many agencies can claim that if someone is in need and we hear about it that person can get service that same day.

WCT: Where are your grocery centers ?

LC: I'm at 5543 N. Broadway. Then there is Humboldt Park, Elk Grove Village, Oak Park, 75th Street on the South Side and one just opened in Harvey. We are very proud, no other city in America has a network of grocery centers.

WCT: What drew you to volunteer and later work for an organization serving people with AIDS? Why not some other cause like breast cancer?

LC: My life was transformed by the first AIDS death of a contemporary in 1983. I don't think that it had a name back then. He was a close friend and this very mysterious and fatal virus was creeping into my inner circle, people were suffering, and we didn't know what it was. The medical community didn't care enough to find out what it was and slowly as information started leaking out, we knew that we were in the middle of something very frightening and that our lives would never be the same again.

WCT: So you lived through what writer Larry Kramer wrote on?

LC: Exactly. Here in Chicago there were a lot of Lori Cannons out there experiencing the same thing. These young athletic people ended up dying like old men and no one could tell us what was happening. ... If people want to reflect back to the obituary pages of gay newspapers, it was pages and pages of names of people around my age. And aside from the suddenness and severity, you feel even more rage when you know that people were allowed to die. ... It was a disposable population. Who the hell cared if a few faggots or junkies died? In Chicago, we cared.

WCT: Who are some of the more memorable clients and volunteers?

LC: I would say the most memorable people to me … the unsung heroes of the war would be the volunteers. Each volunteer brings a magic to what they do. It is something very basic about breaking bread with someone and you bond with them and these volunteers connect with clients maybe differently than other volunteers doing other things. Like you are entering someone's home and someone is in their nightgown or pajamas; it is very intimate and you don't know what preceded you.

I am happy to say that the people that I know represent the finest of humanity and compassion and to say thank you hardly seems enough. I salute them; they come in from their jobs and years ago we had routes that took hours and hours and everyone made that supreme effort to make sure that everyone got fed through the blizzards, downpours, heat waves, no one missed out. There was a volunteer who was a Friday regular and every Friday he was there and that following Saturday, I ran into his roommate at the Brown Elephant. He said well Lori, you'll be happy to know that your volunteer finally filled out all of the paperwork at the police station. And I said what paperwork? And he told me that his car had been stolen and that he had rented a car to do the route. He was so selfless he wanted to put the route first and he never told me.

WCT: Do you remember delivering your first meal? What was that like?

LC: Oh yes. It was Christmas Eve; I was in a powder-blue pickup with my driver. We were so eager. I took the South Side route because I knew the area very well or so I thought [laughs] and that is when I got into trouble. We have hot meals, some gifts and some groceries and my first client lives on 73rd Place, not 73rd Street but 73rd Place and I knew that I would find it but I didn't right away and no matter which way I turned there was Minister Louis Farrakhan's Masque. Finally, my driver wanted me to call but I didn't want to bother the client and I finally found it.

And I met this man with a beautiful face and he was so kind and in the future he asked me if I minded delivering his meals to someplace else, a drag bar, because he wanted to start a support group and in time he became a leading South Side AIDS activist. Many people were in the closet and it was the old 411 bar on 63rd Street. This client passed away about two and a half years ago.

WCT: What was the saddest experience?

LC: We delivered a meal to a drag queen on the South Side and he had begun to die and we waited with him for the ambulance. He told us about his life and he was so peaceful that my partner who is a playwright decided to write a character about him. He wanted me to give the meal to someone else because he said that he would not be needing it.

WCT: You mentioned that you have volunteers who have been around since the inception of the organization. Why do you think volunteers stick around so long?

LC: They must get the payback they want and they are committed to a mission to serve with dignity and compassion food to people who are struggling. They are removing one burden from the day-to-day life of people who are struggling.

WCT: How has your role changed?

LC: Well like everyone, I was a volunteer and I had a day job. Now I am on staff. I get to work with very fine people at the grocery centers. I just want to feed people.


This article shared 5205 times since Wed Jun 25, 2003
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

After 30 Under 30: MAP Executive Director Naomi Goldberg 2024-03-25
- NOTE: In this series, Windy City Times will profile some of its past 30 Under 30 honorees. Windy City Times started its 30 Under 30 Awards in 2001, presenting them each year through 2019. This year, ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

MOVIES Director Daniel Peddle on the sequel to the classic doc 'The Aggressives' 2023-12-05
- In 2005, Daniel Peddle released The Aggressives—a groundbreaking documentary filmed during the late '90s and early '00s in New York City that profiled several masculine-presenting/transmasculine people of color. Fast-forward to ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ 'Black Adam,' Cyndi Lauper, Sondheim, Oscars, OutFest 2023-03-18
- Cultured Magazine recently profiled Quintessa Swindell—who became the first out, non-binary actor to play a lead superhero in the DC universe when they portrayed Cyclone in the 2022 movie Black Adam. Swindell grew up in Virginia ...


Gay News

Show about trans+ women models to debut Aug. 5 on Here TV 2022-07-29
- The Here TV docuseries Road to the Runway—which focuses on trans+ women models—will debut Friday, Aug. 5. The series profiles the 20 hopefuls competing in this year's annual Slay Model search. Cameras follow the women to ...


Gay News

Local writer from Hillman Grad Productions Mentorship Lab to tell stories about immigrant experiences 2022-06-04
- Growing up on the South Side of Chicago without any sort of U.S. citizenship, Ruben Mendive said he started developing his identity as a writer while he was sitting in front of the TV, devouring "every show that came out ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Writer, attorney, activist Takeia R. Johnson 2021-07-25
- The local organization Affinity Community Services announced the recent passing of Takeia R. Johnson. According to Johnson's LinkedIn profile, she was editor-in-chief and lead writer at Inclusion at Work as well as a Ph.D. student focusing ...


Gay News

SAVOR Talking with new Travelle Chef de Cuisine Qi Ai; Profile of Travelle's breakfast 2021-06-09
- Travelle Chef de Cuisine Qi Ai Travelle at the Langham (330 N Wabash Ave.; https://www.travellechicago.com/) has undergone a major change during the COVID pandemic: New Chef de Cuisine Qi (pronounced "tee") Ai was promoted from sous ...


Gay News

MOVIES Dutch journalist talks about making 'My Friend, the Mayor' 2021-02-17
- In the Amazon Prime Video documentary My Friend, the Mayor: Small-town Democracy in the Age of Trump, Dutch journalist Max Westerman profiles friend Sean Strub, an openly gay activist, activist, long-term AIDS survivor and POZ magazine ...


Gay News

Booksellers launch "Boxed Out" campaign, a look at consumer choices 2020-10-22
--From a press release - (New York, New York) 20% of independent bookstores across the country are in danger of closing. Today, theAmerican Booksellers Association launched the "Boxed Out" campaign to draw attention to the high stakes indie bookstores face this ...


Gay News

Author/academic John D'Emilio on new book, future endeavors 2020-10-01
- Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago's LGBTQ Archives is a new book by Gerber/Hart Library and Archives President and University of Illinois at Chicago History and Women's and Gender Studies Professor Emeritus John ...


Gay News

Out Illinois State coach dives into new position 2020-09-16
- Logan Pearsall, an accomplished college diver who has since transitioned into master's level diving, was competing at the 2017 FINA World Masters Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He was doing a challenging inward dive from a one-meter ...


Gay News

Joseph Baar Topinka preserves legacy of mother: Pro-gay Republican Judy 2020-09-02
- Riverside resident Joseph Baar Topinka is still impressed with the resolve and stamina with which his late mother, longtime GOP politician Judy Baar Topinka, was able to "slug it out" in the political arena. "She got ...


Gay News

'Making Sweet Tea': Out NU dean talks about new documentary 2020-08-18
- Performer and Northwestern University Dean E. Patrick Johnson discussed his new film and the importance of reclaiming storytelling agency in a virtual Q&A Lambda Legal hosted Aug. 9. Johnson, dean of Northwestern University's School of Communication, ...


Gay News

Asha Ransby-Sporn talks building on the anti-racism movement's legacy 2020-08-05
- With anti-racism protests happening around the United States, in what some media outlets are saying is the largest movement in this country's history, demands to abolish the police have increasingly been a part of the rallying ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.