Posted 4 years ago in Trending
3 MIN READ – Each month, Chicago Loop Alliance highlights a different Street Ambassador who provides enhanced hospitality services, fosters a consistent pedestrian experience, and keeps State Street safe, clean, and beautiful seven days a week. This month, meet Pill Hill resident Chana Johnson.
How long have you worked as a CLA Clean Team Ambassador?
Five months.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is that I get to make an impact in somebody’s life while working here. My job as an ambassador is to provide hospitality service on State Street. The hospitality component is what helps to shape the mood and mindsets of those who navigate the street. If there is no positive hospitality circulating throughout our neighborhood, the neighborhood loses that energy and spirit.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
The biggest challenge for me is to see so many people struggling with homelessness and the many other unfortunate circumstances they face on a daily basis. In contrast, there is no surprise these individuals come to the Loop. The people who struggle with these challenges call State Street their home because they can feel the energy and compassion of the people here.
What’s your favorite part about State Street?
I love the Chicago Theatre building. It gives State Street a glamorous appeal, especially during the evening hours. The lights on the building, coupled with the huge Chicago sign, signify the history of Chicago. There are at least 20 people a day that I witness taking pictures and selfies, using the monument as a background.
What’s your funniest memory from work?
My funniest memory is from my first day of training. I was training with another ambassador when I felt a little dropping hit my shoulder. I knew it wasn’t raining, and when I looked up to see where the dropping came from, I noticed a little bird sitting just over my head. I looked to see what was on my shoulder, and surely it was what I already had in mind. I guess the bird was telling me in an indirect way that I will be cleaning up more than trash on State Street.
What do you like to do with your free time?
I love to spend free time with my family. We do everything from shopping, to watching movies at home together, and even traveling out of the city. Family time will forever be a tradition I cherish, and this same tradition will be instilled in my kids as they get older.
How do you feel your work helps to make the Loop “Everyone’s Neighborhood?”
The work I do on State Street helps to make the Loop Everyone's Neighborhood because everyone who occupies space benefits from my efforts. For example, when I’m on the street conducting a patrol, I surveil the area for the safety and security of everyone who occupies the Loop. I have encountered situations where I had to take the initiative to respond to an event that jeopardized the safety and well-being of those nearby, and I only had a split second to respond to the situation. That's because I see the Loop as Everyone’s Neighborhood, and true neighbors in harmony care for each other.
