"You've Caught the NET!"

Good Morning, folks!

Another cold winter weekend in Chicago . . . but still lots to do!  From our Team Member Sue Moss, here's an update of some of the things happening this weekend in the City of Chicago.

Snow Days Chicago - a three-day winter festival in Grant Park.  Over 27 beautiful and unique sculptures, made entirely out of snow, will transform the City into a winter wonderland.  Snow sculpting began this past Wednesday with selected Teams and wraps up at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.  Don't forget to cast your vote Saturday between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. for the "People's Choice Award".  The Awards Ceremony, open to the public, will take place Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Chicago Hilton and Towers in the Waldorf Room.

Besides the snow sculpting competition and the high school snow sculpting exhibition, Snow Days also features dogsled racing and weight pulling demonstrations, a snowboard rail jam and kids' activities at the Activities Igloo. So bring your whole family out for a full-day of fun in the cold!  It's free too!!  Click here for further information as to times and any last minute major changes due to unsafe weather conditions.

Did you happen to miss out on the Polar Bear Club New Year's Day Swim at North Avenue Beach?  Guess what - you can redeem yourself this Saturday at the 9^th Annual Lakeview Polar Bear Club's Polar Plunge at Oak Street Beach (1000 N. Lake Shore Drive).  Participants are to meet at 11:30 a.m. for a pre-plunging photo shoot before frolicking in the icy waters of Lake Michigan at high Noon.  After you thaw out, Galway Bay Pub will host an evening after-party from 9:00 p.m. to midnight.  Besides serving up drink specials, raffle tickets will be sold for $2 each to help raise funds for two local families in need of support.  Click here for helpful hints for you Polar Bears as well as information on the two local families.

On a much warmer note, the Windy City Rollers Season Opener is Saturday at the UIC Pavilion (525 S. Racine Avenue).  It's a double-header evening for the roller derby league beginning with Hell's Belles vs. Double Crossers, followed by Manic Attackers vs. The Fury.  Our ladies team reigned #1 in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's North Central league in 2009!  For more details and ticket information, click here.

Lastly, there's the Winter Music Festival at Uncle Fatty's Rum Resort in the Lakeview neighborhood.  This week long bash, along with the adjoining bar The Coach House, features cover bands, DJ's and drink specials.  Click here for the music line-up, and stop staring at your four walls!

Did we miss anything happening in YOUR world this weekend?  Please share!

Enjoy, but  . . . Keep Warm!

Here's a link to Sue's This Weekend in Chicago Blog Archive, via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Good Evening from the North Side of Chicago, folks!

Hope you are a lot warmer where you are, than we are here!

In this week's edition of Chicago Neighborhood News, our Team Member Cathy Mallers focuses on local events geared to generate help for Earthquake-Ravaged Haiti.  Fundraising Events are scheduled in the Lakeview and Lincoln Park Neighborhoods of Chicago, as well as the in the Chicago Suburb of Oak Park IL. 

Also, in the Chicago Neighborhood of Norwood Park, where neighborhood residents are vying for a chance to get a sneak peak of the new motion picture, "Valentines Day."

Have you a Chicago Neighborhood or Chicago Suburban Event you would like us to help publicize?  Please let us know - we'll help spread the word!

Dean's Team offers the Number One Rated Active Rain Blog in the City of Chicago.

NORWOOD PARK

So it's a little early but now is a good time to get in to see a VIP screening of the movie Valentine's Day.  Metromix is sponsoring a special advanced screening based on your submissions of a special play list.

Simply send your email to metromixpromotions@tribune.com containing a link to the completed list titled "My Ideal Valentine's Day Date."  For full instructions click here.

LAKEVIEW

This Saturday, go to the Rink at Wrigley for a skate to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti (proceeds donated to the American Red Cross). The skate will go from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and be open to the public.

The suggested donation is $20 per individual or $40 per family and Congressman Quigley will be matching all donations.

THE LOOP

Hearts for Haiti, live music gives way to a DJ-fuelled party featuring Joe Kollege, Corey Vicious, Steve Bravo, Timbuck2 and 33 1/3. Proceeds and donations (medical supplies and cash) benefit Doctors Without Borders and International Child Care earthquake relief efforts.

LINCOLN PARK

We've all heard about the devastating events in Haiti and now local tavern, Duffy's is hosting a benefit for the Red Cross.

From 7-10pm Duffy's is providing a $30 package to include a buffet, all drafts, call drinks, wine, soda and a donation to Haitian Relief. 

OAK PARK

Hope for Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Get your hair washed and styled with all proceeds to benefit the Red Cross' efforts to help earthquake victims. Cash, clothing and water donations are also accepted.

The fundraiser also takes place at Yehia's locations:    1455 E. 53rd St., 1380 E. Hyde Park Blvd.; 529 S. Dearborn St.; 4001 W. Flossmoor Rd., Country Club Hills; and 328 Madison St., Oak Park.

Here's a link to Cathy's Chicago Neighborhood News Blog Archive, via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!

Hey, you dogs!  You know, I'm getting a bit tired of all the Text Messages my Lil' Sister, Gracie Ella Moss, has been getting recently!  Every time she finds a new boyfriend, there is a constant din of "Luv U Lil' Furball" and "Got Bonz?" over my cell phone.

Geez . . . can't she get her own plan, for crying out loud?

You know, for years, the majority of us dogs, and most humans as well, have become very irritated at those "Early Termination Charges" imposed by the big Cell Phone Carriers.  AT & T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless have had them for years.  So has Chicago Regional Carrier U.S. Cellular.

Now, even search engine giant Google is getting on the Early Termination bandwagon.  Buy one of their new, nifty Nexus One phones, with the super-cool Android Operating Platform, but cancel early?  You'll be hit with a $200 Early Termination Fee from carrier T-Mobile, plus an additional $350 fee from Google itself. 

Woof . . . that's up to $550 in Cancellation Charges if you don't keep your plan for at least two years!

Within the last couple of years, the big carriers have eased off a bit - most have discounted the Termination Penalty a bit, on a pro-rata basis, if you cancel with only a year or less left on your contract.  Often times, however, if you are just dissatisfied with your carrier's service, or want to take advantage of a slick new phone or discounted price deal offered on another Cell Phone Network, you simply have to wait it out . .  or, pay a stiff penalty!

But now, according to Reporter David Sarno in The Chicago Tribune earlier this week,  the practice of charging stiffly for Early Termination has drawn the ire of the Federal Communications Commission.  They have sent letters to each of the major contract carriers questioning the process, and whether it is truly fair to the U.S. Consumer.  The firms' answers will be treated confidentially.

Cell phone carriers contend the Early Termination Charges, along with Long Term Cell Phone Contracts, allow the companies to discount the cell phone handset itself, resulting in wider acceptance and use of the phones.  They contend lower handset pricing ensures consumers can purchase the latest and best phone hardware and technology, without a stiff handset price.

The practice is far different in most countries in Europe and Asia, where consumers pay full retail for the handsets, and later acquire a SIM Card so they can easily swap among carriers.

As the Only IL Dog with a Real Estate Broker's License, I have become quite a heavy cell phone addict.  I would do more texting as well, but for me it is often to hit those tiny keys with my little paws!

But, in my lil' opinion, a balance has to be struck, one which is more fair, to we dogs in the profession, as well as our associated keyboard-punching humans!

You think?

Enjoy the weekend, you dogs!

See my post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,

BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Going back not more than 4 years or so on the North Side of Chicago, strong, annual, unabated appreciation for homes and condos seemed pretty automatic.  Even in neighborhoods on the outskirts of rapid development or vintage rehab, a minimum 3% annual appreciation could be counted on for over a decade.

Before the mid-1990's, and as far back as most in Chicago remember, meteoric appreciation was never a given, but stability in home prices was taken for granted across the years..

Not so today, in modest Chicago Neighborhoods such as Rogers Park, on the Far North Side along Lake Michigan, where rapid construction of new row house units and renovation of 75-year-old vintage homes and apartment buildings into luxury residences seems to have over-saturated the market.  According to some local estimates, more than 50% of these recently-built or improved properties. encumbered by high-leverage mortgage loans, have their left their owners underwater. 

Today, the negative difference between market value and outstanding loan balance exceeds tens of thousands of dollars!

What options do these distressed homeowners have?

Some have investigated taking advantage of the Fed's Home Affordable Mortgage Program.  The program, introduced in early 2009 through the U.S. Treasury, is geared to reducing interest rates, and resulting monthly payments, for qualified homeowners in trouble.  For the most part, successful applicants have their Interest Rates reduced.  Outstanding Loan Balances are typically not written down.

However, in order to qualify, prospective homeowners have to prove they have a good-paying job, and that their estimated market value has not fallen more than 25% below their loan balance - a tall order here in the Rogers Park Neighborhood, and elsewhere.

Further, according to Wall Street Journal Reporter James R. Hagerty, red tape and paperwork has discouraged many from participating in the Loan Modification Program.  Currently, prospective Loan Mod Applicants must provide recent check stubs, a letter detailing the reason for their hardship, and copies of their last two years tax returns.  Until all docs are received by the bank, borrowers are sometimes granted temporary loan modifications, contingent on lender receipt of all required documents.

Delays and confusion caused by lender requirements, combined with sloppy systems for receiving required documentation by some banks, have left many would be loan-modified borrowers out in the cold.  Indeed, as of the end of 2009, out of an estimated 900,000 borrowers offered temporary loan modification, only about 66,000 have gotten their loan modification made permanent.

Nationally, as of the end of September, 2009, roughly 7.5 Million Households - a staggering 14% of all home mortgage loans - were either delinquent in their house payments at least 30 days, or were at some stage of the Foreclosure Process, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.  For some severely "upside down" in home value versus mortgage balance, the decision to simply "walk away" is often seriously considered.

With new changes, effective June 1st, no Loan Modification can be started without necessary documentation already received.  The objective here - to avoid the problem of starting a loan mod program on a trial basis, only to later deny permanent modification on the mortgage loan. 

However, it is unclear whether this procedural change will actually result in more successful modifications being written.

Further, some experts feel the only road to permanent relief to underwater homeowners is to reduce principal balances due, on both the first and secondary mortgage loans, to bring them more into reality with market pricing in today's market.  That, however, is less likely to be adopted on a wide scale.

Please see our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

wasn't that long ago that low-down payment home borrowers, as well as those with less-than-perfect credit, had a number of places to go for their mortgage loans.  As credit markets collapsed, housing values tumbled, here in Chicago and elsewhere, options for these borrowers dwindled.

In many cases, the only option available now is an FHA-Backed Loan, with it's lower overall FICO Credit Score and Down Payment requirements.

Using an FHA Loan, buyers have been able to purchase with as little as 3.5% down for their primary residences.  The FICO Credit Score floor was a very buyer-friendly 500, although most lenders imposed stronger credit requirements for FHA Loans they issued - generally, around 620 Minimum FICO Score.

Buyers could also request a credit toward closing costs from the seller of up to 6% of the negotiated home purchase price, although this often drove the final price of the home higher than if no seller concession had been requested.

To cover the risk of such a loan, all FHA loans required a Mortgage Insurance Premium, paid up-front, of up to 1.75% of the loan amount.  This sometimes-sizable premium could be added to the amount financed by the buyer. 

In addition, new FHA homeowners had to pay an additional 1/12 of the initial MIP on a monthly basis, often adding a couple of hundred dollars to the new homeowner's monthly payment.

For Condo Buyers, New or Existing Condo Projects not having prior approval by the FHA could be Spot Approved for individual unit sales, assuming the project itself had no Right of First Refusal for board purchase in their By-Laws, and the association was fiscally sound and predominantly owner occupied.

Beginning later in 2009, however, according to Chicago Tribune Reporter Mary Ellen Podmolik, FHA Rules are about to get tougher. 

For condo buyers, the FHA Spot Approval option is being eliminated effective February 1st.  To qualify for FHA funding, the complex itself must have been approved in advance of the offer, or before a loan can be closed.  If the condo project is not currently approved, a projected long FHA Approval Timeline could forestall new buyers.

Buyers with lower than 580 FICO Credit Scores will now have to ante up a 10% Down Payment, up from the prior 3.5% level.  This should not impact many new FHA Buyers, however, as most lenders impose a higher 620 Minimum FICO Score anyway.  Some lawmakers, however, have proposed a minimum 10% Down Payment Requirement for ALL FHA buyers, to better stabilize portfolios of FHA loans.

This Spring, the FHA will start requiring 2.25% for up-front Mort age Insurance Premium, a 28.5% increasefrom current levels.  It is not certain at this point how much the additional Monthly PMI Payments, added to Principal and Interest Due each month, would be increased as well.

Finally, the Maximum Seller Contribution to Closing Costs for FHA Loans would be cut in half - to 3%.  In essence, those buyers with little availability money to go toward closing costs will be impacted here.

The FHA plans to impose its new FICO Score requirement sometime this summer.  The Maximum Seller Contribution reduction to 3% will likely be imposed at about the same time.

Do the FHA changes represent stumbling blocks for many potential homebuyers, at a time when the housing market is trying to recover?  The next few months will tell!

Please read our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Is the Chicago Area Real Estate Market beginning to show signs of stabilizing?

Improving numbers for year-over-year Units Sold - the aggregate for sold condos and single-family homes across the Chicago Metro Area - has been on the upswing since last July.  As a result, this resurgent Second Half, 2009 for home sales means overall units sold here fell only 0.2% from 2008.

According to data complied by the Illinois Association of Realtors, as reported by Mary Ellen Podmolik of The Chicago Tribune, 5,752 single-family detached homes and condos were sold last December.  That's one-third better than home sales during December, 2008. 

IAR figures show a total of 69,290 homes were sold and closed last year.

Unfortunately, however, this Chicago Silver Lining also has a dark cloud.

December prices were still down considerably over year-ago numbers.  The Chicago Area Median Price for December, 2009 for condos and detached homes dropped 10.4% over one year earlier - to $183,000.

Looking at the full year, 2009, the Median Chicago Area Home Price tumbled even more strongly - 18.3% versus 2008.  The one-year aggregate Median Price in the area was $196,000 at year end.  One likely culprit - staggeringly-high levels of bank-owned foreclosed properties, as well as homes selling for deep discounts via Short Sale. 

Statistically, a "median" is the level at which half of the units sold were priced above, and half below.

In terms of Units Sold, the strongest year-over-year sales gains occurred in Cook County, the county which includes the City of Chicago. Despite a 10.7% county wide drop in Median Home Price last December, Cook County saw a 43% in units sold versus December, 2008.

Units Sold figures for the Suburban IL Counties surrounding Chicago - Lake, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Will, and Grundy - also showed significant gains in Units Sold in 2009 versus 2008. 

Here in the City of Chicago itself, 2009 totals were considerably more subdued

For the year, Chicago Condos and Home Sales dropped 7.4% , to 19,401 Units.  The 2009 Median Home Price in the city - $225,000 - a 22.4% decline versus 2008.

The extension of Home Buyer Credits to First Time and some Repeat Home Buyers to include properties under contract before April 30, 2010 may spike home sales through early 2010.  However, high IL and Chicago Unemployment Figures - statewide, at 11.1%, considerably above the U.S Average, may temper interest among potential buyers.  Further, IL has shown 24 months of continued job declines through last month.

Across the U.S., according to Wall Street Journal Reporter Jeff Bater, existing home sales fell 16.7% in December, versus economists expectations of an approximate 11.6% fall off.  High rates of unemployment continue nationwide, dampening housing market recovery.  At the same times, lenders continue to tighten credit requirements for new home loans.

Please see our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Good Evening, from Chicago!

This week's edition of Chicago Neighborhood News, from our Team Member Cathy Mallers, is full of juicy information from the Chicago Neighborhoods of Portage Park, Lakeview, The Loop, Lincoln Square and North Center, as well as the Chicago Suburb of Oak Park IL.

Got something happening this winter in Chicago or Any Chicago Suburb you would like us to publicize?  Let us know, and we'll help you spread the word!

Dean's Team offers the Number One Rated Active Rain Blog in the City of Chicago!

PORTAGE PARK

The new year has settled in nicely and now it's time to start thinking about your goals and resolutions for 2010.  It's also the time when parents and their kids start viewing colleges.  There is one location in Portage Park that's of particular interest, DeVry University.

The college has several programs available for those interested in attending the college so you can get a true feel for the day-to-day.  You can Crash-a-Class and shadow a friend, sibling or DeVry Ambassador to view classes in action.  You can choose to take a Passport2College where high school students can earn college credits in business and technology with the only cost for books.  If those two options don't work, make an appointment to take a Tour on Thursdays.

LAKEVIEW

Can you say cabin fever?  Thankfully this current weather is great and you can go outside during the warmer part of the day with the kids.  For those not so great days, there's Toddlers' Playhouse (featured today on Daily Candy).

Toddlers' Playhouse is a location for children ages 6 months to 4 years old.  You can sign up for a membership and enjoy such things as "sing-a-long music, independent play, arts & crafts, festive parties, and programmed group activities."  Children must be accompanied by their care provider and can have a play date with up to 25 kids.  Time to get out of the house...

THE LOOP

Chicago is primarily known as the Windy City and traditionally "The Loop" is where our main government and business happen.  Due to the efforts of the Chicago Loop Alliance, once again the city is making changes in how you perceive our expected norms.

PopUp Art Loop is one initiative that is breaking through these conventional norms and providing a new way to view what Chicago's artistic scene offers.  PopUp Art Loop^TM transforms empty storefronts in the Loop into a movable feast of public art galleries, exhibits and studios.  With a map of installations on the main page, plan a free art walk before going to a show at one of the local theaters.

NORTH CENTER and LINCOLN SQUARE

And the crowd goes wild!!!  Local brewery Half Acre Beer Company is making quite a splash in the North Center neighborhood.  With tours happening every Saturday at 1pm, be sure to call early and get on the list because tours fill up quickly. 

Local owner, Gabriel Magliaro, started the company in October 2006 in Wisconsin and opened a new brewing facility here in Chicago in October 2008.  The brewery space is rented from the Murphy family - as in Murphy's Bleachers across from Wrigley Field.  According to Magliaro, "This company was founded on the basis of having a good time.  But we have times when we work pretty hard. Long hours."

OAK PARK

The new 2010 concert series has been announced by the Department of Music at Concordia University Chicago.  The series will feature choral and instrumental ensembles, faculty and student musicians.

The concerts are free to the public, take place on the Concordia campus and offer free parking.  With a full complement of music from classical to jazz this is sure to be a series not to miss.

Here's a link to Cathy's Chicago Neighborhood News Blog Archive, via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!

Hey, you dogs! 

You know, getting around Chicago, I try to take Public Transportation as much as I can.  Often times, however, riding the Chicago Transit Authority Buses or El Trains, I have to disguise my self as a human - they have a "No Dogs Allowed" policy, service dogs excepted.

But with the new drumbeat of CTA Service Cuts, amidst a major Operating Deficit, I am quite concerned many CTA Commuters here in Chicago might be under served, and many might resort to driving instead!

According to CTA Management, it's the Labor Unions leading the way to service reductions this time.  As reported in the Chicago Tribune by Transportation Reporter Jon Hilkevitch, management asked the Transit Workers Union to give back a recently-granted 3.5% pay raise this year.  If they agreed to the give-back, employee layoffs would be reduced, and service cuts not instituted.

But the union refused to return their pay increases.  As a result, runs will be reduced on 119 bus routes, 41 bus routes will have shorter service hours, and nine express bus routes will be cut. Trains will also run less frequently on seven of eight CTA El Lines.

Further, the transit agency will take 287 of the fleet's estimated 2,000 buses out of service.  Nearly 60% of all CTA Rides are done on buses each business day.

Last Wednesday, Transit Union Leadership reacted with anger to management's proposal for the raise rollback.  They contend management is bloated with bureaucracy, and the budget can be trimmed by eliminating unnecessary management jobs.

If CTA Management prevails, however, over 1,000 union and 100 non-union CTA Workers stand to lose their jobs, as the Transit Agency seeks to close a $300 Million Budget Shortfall.

To bridge the budget gap, instituting layoffs and service cuts could save the CTA an estimated $95.6 Million.  Freezing salaries and increasing furlough days for non-union CTA Employees will trim another $32 Million.  In  addition, $90 Million in funds for capital improvement projects would be shifted to the Operating Budget - not the best option, since many needed repairs could be deferred under this scenario.

Increasing CTA Fares, to as high as $3.00 per ride, as some proposed earlier in 2009, would have netted the agency another $83 Million.  However, such a plan to increase fares met resistance from IL Governor Pat Quinn.  The Governor last year brokered a deal with the area Regional Transportation Authority to help it to issue revenue bonds, with the State of Illinois paying off much of the cost of servicing the debt, in return for a promise of no CTA Fare Increase for at least two years.

Should the Transit Union eventually change its mind and agree to rescinding their raise - the first raise in four years - CTA Chairman Terry Peterson said any service cuts could be quickly reinstated.

However, some business leaders the CTA would still under serve many commuting Chicagoans, especially those on the Far South Side of Chicago.  One South Side Business Leader says the latest round of cuts would disproportionately reduce service by as much as 30% in the area of Chicago south of 95th Street.

One of the main sources of lost CTA Revenue over the past couple of years has been its state-mandated "Free Rides for Seniors" Program.  Instituted in 2008 as part of a compromise on a Chicago-Area Sales Tax Increase imposed by then IL Governor Rod Blagojevich, the Free Rides program cost the CTA an estimated $60 Million in 2009.  During the first 11 months of the year, 68 Million Free Rides were offered to those over the age of 65 - an increase of 16.8 Million Free Rides versus 2008.

To me, as a dog - all this seems like one big political ploy.  The old game of , "Whose Ox Gets Gored."

In the end, however, it seems like it will be those "Just Plain Folk" - Chicago Commuters - who might get the biggest end of the shaft here.

YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,

BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Live in Chicago?  You know, during a Cold Chicago Winter, heating bills can go through the roof.   Especially if you have an older home, with 1920's-era insulation.

Four winters ago, during a spell when Natural Gas Prices spiked here in Chicago, one of our January gas heating bills topped at $640 - for only one month!  And we don't have a huge home - just a modest Chicago Bungalow!

This winter has been comparatively mild, except for several weeks of chill earlier this month.  But our bills for December and January have approached $300 - still quite high, but not quite as difficult to swallow as a plus-$500 bill.

Beginning January 28th, however, area natural gas bills are heading up a bit, according to a Chicago Tribune Report.

In the City of Chicago, Natural Gas Supplier Peoples Energy will boost bills by an average of $4.00 per month for residential customers.  Chicago Northern Suburbs that use North Shore Gas for their heating fuel will see higher increases - averaging $5.50 per month, according to the utility. 

I am guessing older houses like ours will go up even more - but time will tell, I imagine!

NICOR Gas, which serves most other Chicago Suburbs, has not yet announced a gas price increase at this time.

The changes were just approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.  Peoples Energy claims the rate hikes, which will add an expected tens of millions of dollars in revenue to the utility companies, are necessary to offset the higher cost of natural gas delivery and facilities maintenance. 

The Citizens Utility Board opposed the increased gas charges, and plans to appeal the ICC decision.  They called on the utilities to reduce bloat and begin cost-cutting in their own organizations.

Please read our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Did you watch the Internationally-Televised "Hope for Haiti" Telethon  last Friday night?

Aired on all local Chicago broadcast outlets, major cable stations, and simulcast on major Internet sites like YouTube and others, most consider the program tasteful, well done.  It was also very successful, generating over $58 Million in contributions from around the world, according to CNN and Contributing Reporter Alan Duke.

Actors Mel Gibson, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, and many others manned the donation lines.  Performers ranging from Bruce Springsteen, to Alicia Keys,to Bono and U2, to Rhianna and Jay-Z, to Haitian Native Wyclef Jean each gave their musical plea.  No audience, no applause!  Their messages really sank in, to me, to our Team and family, and to millions of others around the world.

Here in Chicago, an all-outlet media drive last Thursday, January21st generated nearly $3 Million for Haiti Earthquake Relief.

In addition, Chicago foster parents are opening their homes to Haitian orphaned children - many of their parents among the estimated 200,000 dead in that impoverished country.  As reported in the Chicago Tribune today by Reporter Cynthia Dizikes, on single mother in the Chicago Suburb of Willowbrook IL has opened her home to five Haitian Children.  A family in Skokie IL also welcomed an earthquake orphan.

Hundreds of Haitian Immigrants call Chicago and the Suburbs of Chicago their home.  Even 12 days out from the initial devastation of a Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake in Haiti, many still do not know the fate of their loved ones back home.

The Huffington Post has compiled a list of several Haitian Charities with Chicago Connections, focusing on those with the ability to make sure donated funds make it to those most in need of it during tragic, unpredictable times for this earthquake-ridden island nation.  Here's their list -

- The American Red Cross Chicago Chapter

- The Haitian Congress To Fortify Haiti, and their Haiti Crisis Relief Fund, based in the Chicago Suburb of Evanston IL

- The Soul Vegetarian Restaurant, on the South Side of Chicago

- The Feed My Starving Children Fund, in the Chicago Suburb of Aurora IL

- The Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, based in Springfield IL

There are several Local Chicago Restaurants also organizing their own fund raising drives.  The Huffington Blog Entry provides this link.

In addition, Keller Williams International suggests contributions to The Salvation Army, and their special fund raising drive for Haiti Earthquake Relief.  Or, text message "Haiti" to 90999 to make an instant $10 Haitian Relief Contribution.

Please see our post via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO