Moving Forward

With CTA bus and train tracker apps and displays readily available, the Google Maps app taking into account current traffic and suggesting the best routes to get from point a to point b, and weather which has, up until this week, been pretty easy to navigate, it is often all too easy to take mobility in our city for granted. As retreat groups come in and out of the Darst Center, visiting our nearly two dozen partner agencies, moving about the city is made possible only because of the tireless work of those who keep our transportation system running. Today at Darst, we would like to thank and acknowledge those whose work keeps us moving – those who work for the CTA, Pace, and Metra, especially those who do bear the elements to keep the system moving. We would like to thank and acknowledge those who keep our roads available for drivers – from those who fix pot holes and repave streets to those who plow and salt our system of highways, surface streets, and even sidewalks. We would also like to thank our drivers - faculty and staff members at the various schools and parishes who visit the Darst Center each year. Driving in the city of Chicago is often a challenging task, even for native Chicago drivers. Our drivers bear the burden of that challenge for the sake of those entrusted to their care and for that, we are grateful.

As a staff member whose mom has suffered from MS (multiple sclerosis) for over 30 years and who is permanently in a wheel chair, personal mobility is something of which I am keenly aware. We at the Darst Center are also thankful for those accommodations that are put in place in and around the city which make it easier for those battling personal mobility issues to navigate the Windy City. From ramps and elevators to curb cuts and widened right-of-ways, each “step” that is taken to allow people in scooters and wheelchairs to get around more independently is a “step” in the right direction and a “step” toward a more just world.