Gretchen Henniger

I had a chance to interview three community heroes in one week, and I chose to write about one of the three community heroes. Her name is Gretchen, she was very friendly, and she had short blonde hair. I think Gretchen is a good person. She is always thinking of people who need help. Gretchen’s interests are listening to music, she hangs out with friends, she does some art, she also likes to rescue cats, and she likes to travel.

            Gretchen created a group called Logan Square Neighbors for Justice and Peace. She created this group after the 9/11 attack. What they do is put out forums for justice issues like health care, jobs, and immigration. Her group also protests war. They go out to the marches and say no to the FBI raids that happened in Logan Square. That’s just one thing she does in the community. She also works in the art community, and she also was a mentor at Kelvyn Park.

            One thing she likes about what she does is the kind of people she meets. “I’m always meeting fascinating, interesting people and people who you know have a lot more experience than I have that I can learn from and people I may contribute to.” Gretchen told me she likes to travel, and she went to a lot of countries. She’s even been to Japan. Another interest she has is listening to music. The kind of music she listens to are the 60’s, jazz, blues, and some rap. Gretchen also likes to do some art. I asked her what was one piece of art she liked and she told me her favorite art piece was Michael Angelo’s “David”.

            I see Gretchen as a community hero because she does a lot for the community. She’s trying to make the community a better place. One way of doing that is by the creation of the Logan Square Neighbors for Justice and Peace. Her idea about the community is to make it a safer place so that people won’t be afraid to roam the streets. Her heroes now in her life are Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., her father, and her older sister. I asked Gretchen if she could give one piece of advice what would it be she replied, “Keep yourself open to life. Never stop learning. There’s always something to learn, there’s always something to learn about a person about a place about something.”

Written By: Martin Roman