Wayne Mitchell & Tony Chung - Transcript

Interviewees: Wayne Mitchell and Tony Chung
Interviewer: Dorothy Nygren
Place: Edgewater Library, 6000 N Broadway Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640
Time: September 8, 2023
Transcriber: Dorothy Nygren
Length of Transcription: 11:33

Copyright © 2023 Edgewater Historical Society

DN: This is Dorothy Nygren of the Edgewater Historical Society conducting an interview with Tony Chung and Wayne Mitchell, our Living Treasures of Edgewater. First of all, let me thank you guys for all the work you do. We are at the Edgewater Library, 6000 N Broadway in Chicago. The date is September 8, 2023. I’d like to start the interview by asking you both…when exactly did you come to Edgewater?

00:28

WM: Well. I’ve lived in Edgewater on and off since the early 90s. But when Tony and I became a couple and started looking for a home, we decided on Edgewater

DN: What was there about Edgewater that you thought was interesting or different than other communities?

TC: Before living in Edgewater I lived in Oak Park for over fifteen years. One thing that’s great for me about Edgewater area is the proximity to the lake and also the affordable housing even along the lake. Now after living in Edgewater for over fifteen years, I would say that I don’t think I would want to move back further inland anymore. So wherever we move I would like to be close to the lake.

01:33

The other thing I like about Edgewater is the diversity – social, economic, ethnic. It is really a wonderful neighborhood to be in.

WM: I would agree. I think that not just the proximity to the lake, but also easy transportation to downtown and the diversity that’s here. The other thing about Edgewater is that we’ve found people here to be very friendly. It has a neighborhood feel..

01:58

DN: What prompted you to do the volunteer work that you do?

WM: Well volunteering is integral to who I am as a person. I work in the social services and that career choice is based on this commitment. I also just enjoy people I need to learn about people and their backgrounds. Volunteering has enabled me to do that.

TC: As a person of faith, like Wayne, I think your faith has to be backed up by action. It’s impossible to have faith without doing something. Also I’m from Hong Hong originally. I came in the 80s to go to college. I went to Oregon. There was a host family that volunteered to receive me as a way to make me feel welcome and also as a way to introduce me to American culture and the ways of an American family. Then over time there were also other kinds of volunteer groups, like churches and so on, that tried to help me as a foreign student. In a way I’m trying to pay forward. So actually since college time if there are opportunities for volunteering and if I think it’s a good match I have volunteered.

03:30

DN: That’s great. I know that faith is important in you volunteer work. Maybe you can talk about how faith inspires you.

WM: Well for both of us, that is probably the core motivation! For me, faith is more than just a personal system or belief. It’s more than directing how I act. It really instructs me that I need to be a part of a community. It could be a faith community or a larger neighborhood that I’m living in. Because part of that is a commitment to making an impact in other peoples’ lives in a positive way.

04:14

DN: You’ve talked about community. What does community mean to you?

TC: I think community is a group of people that support each other. There may be some common interest and ties and some common goals. For me it’s very important that we volunteer. We are not trying to do everything ourselves, but we also want to involve other people. If there are not some people volunteering, there may be a way to get them into doing volunteer work in the future.

WM: I think supporting each other is community. And community can be found anywhere. It could be just the person you live next to; It’s the individual you work with. It’s people you have shared interests. So it’s really a pretty broad definition to me.

05:17

DN: Can you share with me some of the volunteer accomplishments that you’ve engaged in Edgewater? What are some of the highlights of your efforts?

WM: In Edgewater we’ve been involved with Swift [Elementary] School with school supplies and tutoring students. We’ve done refugee resettlement work with new arrivals in the community. We’ve worked with some of the social service agencies that are reaching out to those in need with food and shelter. We’ve been involved in some of the cultural things that go on here, just as a volunteer – that sort of thing.

05:52

DN: Have you worked with seniors at all?

WM: Oh yes. That’s a great one especially since I’m now a senior! During COVID we did some work with seniors in the neighborhood. Just reaching out to them at a time when they were disconnected to let them know they are remembered and they hadn’t been forgotten.

TC: In fact, we’ve also volunteered at a nursing home.

WM: Oh yes, we did that. We’ve also done some activities in some different residences, just going in as part of the community when a new residence would move in, hosting games and teas and things like that.

06:30

DN: You’re talking about involving other people. Maybe you could talk about how you feel not just about volunteering as individuals, but as creating team effort in volunteering.

WM: Well for me team is multiplying your work because five people can get much more done than just I can. It also multiplies the fun because as you are working with other individuals, it becomes more enjoyable. As Tony was saying earlier, it’s a way of playing it forward because there have been teams of people that have supported us over time. So now it’s us that are playing it forward to other people.

07:20

DN: Do you feel people grow through volunteering?

TC: Yes, definitely. I think you actually receive more by giving. There are a lot of opportunities to learn how to do something or just to learn about peoples’ lives.

WM: I think that when you’re involved volunteering with other individuals, in many ways, you start to be challenged about what you believe and how you look at things. Also I can start to see how blessed I am as an individual. The individual is not only a part of the team, but those individuals that I might be helping, I learn from them and I grow as a person.

08:08

DN: What do you think has been left undone with your volunteer efforts?

WM: There’s never a time when things are done. I mean six months ago, who would have thought that a block away from the library that we would have six hundred people that are seeing asylum and all of those opportunities to assist them on that path?

TC: I agree. The work can never be completely done. Whatever areas you are volunteering in, the need is going to continue and there will always be new needs coming up.

08:49

DN: You’ve talked about community and reaching out not only as individuals but more as a team. It would seem that would build connectedness to other people, to other. Can you talk about that a little?

WM: I think that for me as I’ve been involved in volunteering, I’ve learned about people. That does gives me that connection. In Edgewater, because it is a very friendly neighborhood, as you volunteer, you make those connections. They become friendships over time. So it really kind of weaves the community together and you are a part of that fabric.

TC: Yes. When you connect and work with other groups, they also will let you know about opportunities or other needs. That helps expand us the scope of volunteering opportunities.

09:54

DN: What advice would you give to young people about volunteering?

TC: I would encourage them to look at what they are studying. If they are college students, maybe their skills would be something that can be helpful to other organizations. For example, if they are in computer science or technology, they can help some of the non-profit organizations to try to meet their community needs. That’s not only a way of volunteering and helping others, but also a way of helping themselves to gain experience and put what they know into practice.

WM: I would add to that. When you volunteer, you’re engaged with people you learn so much about yourself. In addition you learn so much about the world around you. So if you want to grow as a person and grow just not about yourself but grow in understanding about the world around you, volunteering is the perfect way.

10:57

DN: This is your interview. I’ve come to the end of my questions. Is there anything else you would like to share with people while we are talking?

TC: I would like to thank the Edgewater Historical Society’s work. I think it’s important to document the history of a society or a community.

WM: I would echo that and I would also say that between the people and the location, Edgewater is a great place to be.

DN: Thank you. At this point I’m stopping the interview. It’s been great.

11:33 End of interview