About UHC
Andrea Bentley
Volunteer
Andrea Bentley has been volunteering for Urban Habitat Chicago (UHC) since February 2008. She attended Evanston Township High School where she volunteered her time as an office assistant her freshmen/sophomore year before graduating in 2000. She carried forward her love for helping non-profit organizations, and volunteered at the Chicago Sinfonietta and at the Chicago Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), both located in downtown Chicago. In September of 2008, she stepped out of the office and helped with MDA’s annual Jerry Lewis Telethon, which raises money to help children with neuromuscular diseases.
During the summer of 2009, she has been learning more about urban agriculture and has played an active role in maintaining several UHC garden plots at 2613, Juneway, James Park, as well as working with talented landscape artists and students at the new Joy Garden at North Side College Preparatory High School. Due to the opportunity to garden in community gardens provided by UHC, her love for gardening has grown! She also is now certified to install pervious concrete and couldn’t be more proud.
For almost nine years she has been tirelessly battling fibromylasia flair ups. After her major flair up in February 2009, she reluctantly left her job at the Lakeside Café and has been able to volunteer more on a regular basis. She has done service work at a couple of places including at the Bodhi Spiritual Center, formally the Center for Spiritual Living. She has also kept herself busy by going to a women’s support group for women with chronic illness, periodically attending the Bodhi Spiritual Center for her love of singing, joining meditation groups, and spending time with her beautiful mother Jennifer, talented and smart sisters Natasha and Erica and equally as talented and smart brother Michael.