Michael Romain
Communications Director
Kenn Cook Jr.
Communications Specialist
Kamil Brady
Circulation Manager/Sales
Paul Goyette
Photographer
Shardonae Williams
Contributor
Morris Reed
Westside Health Authority/CEO
Karl Brinson
Westside Branch NAACP/President
Bernard Clay
Introspect Youth Services/Executive Director
Michael Romain
Village Free Press/Publisher
CONTACT US at stories@ourculture.us
VISIT US ONLINE at ourculture.us
Dear Friends,
Fulfilling a central goal of the Austin community’s Austin Forward. Together (AFT) quality-of-life plan, Austin Coming Together, in partnership with Westside Health Authority, have joined forces to transform the shuttered Emmet Elementary School into the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation.
The Aspire Center, one of 50 Chicago Public Schools closed in 2013, is a dynamic hub for opportunity, education, and economic empowerment. In collaboration with Jane Addams Resource Corporation and BMO U.S., the Aspire Center will offer a range of integrated services and resources designed to meet the evolving needs of the community, including:
• Workforce skills training in high-demand economic sectors;
• Job placement and ongoing retention support;
• Financial literacy counseling and training;
• BMO U.S. retail bank provides financial services and advising support for small business development and entrepreneurship.
The Aspire Center will catalyze change, equipping residents with tools for self-sufficiency and growth. By providing pathways to education, employment, and financial stability, the Center will empower individuals and families to thrive, transforming lives and strengthening the Austin community for generations to come.
We invite you to join us in making the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation a reality!
In partnership,
Darnell Shields Executive Director
Austin Coming Together Co-developer
Morris Reed, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer
Westside Health Authority Co-developer
We provide a place where people can imagine beyond barriers, develop creative approaches and solutions for equitable wealth creation, and become economically empowered residents. We are combating the legacy of disinvestment, limited training opportunities, and fragmented services in Austin.
To enable Austin residents to imagine making the impossible possible, going beyond their limits, and achieving their highest potential in building wealth.
The once-bustling intersection of Madison Street and Central Avenue will be revived by repurposing the former Emmet Elementary School into an anchor for commercial revitalization and a destination for top-notch workforce training.
The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation is a centralized hub where Austin’s unemployed and underemployed adults can access career training and support. The Center will connect individuals to a spectrum of outcomes ranging from seeking stability through wealth creation, offering a comprehensive scope of services specifically tailored for Austin, expanding and supporting local resources for skills training in high-demand sectors like advanced manufacturing, and supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The Aspire Center is two things – it’s a building, a destination that Austin residents, service providers, and workforce development partners all gather; it’s also a new organization with its own leadership and governance, and autonomy from tenant organizations, which allows it to focus on the day-to-day management of the building and the success of the programming model. The building and the organization are
A significant share of Austin’s population is young: 15% of residents are between the ages of 25 and 34, and 13% between 15 and 24. Many of the community’s young residents lack a high school diploma and are unemployed. Across Chicago, almost half of the city’s young Black men are both out of school and out of work.
Many of the community’s older adults have been displaced from the workforce. In Austin, rising living costs, stagnant wages, and rapid technological changes have created economic instability, making it increasingly difficult for residents to adapt and thrive in today’s evolving job market.
responsive to the different dynamics of being a location catalyst, being a place-based community, and ensuring we meet all of the residents we serve where they are.
The Facility:
The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation is a formerly unused community asset converted into a beacon of economic mobility for the Austin community. It repurposes existing classrooms, creating dynamic spaces that meet residents’ needs for essential career training and support services, making the center a key hub for workforce development.
Programming:
For the Aspire Center to fulfill its mission, it will activate a holistic model that addresses both residents’ immediate and long-term challenges. By implementing this holistic model, individuals will connect to a comprehensive array of services, many of which will be offered onsite or through service organization partners in the ACT network.
The Objectives:
Aspire will create linkages among initiatives and shared facilities, expand and support local resources for skills training in high-demand economic sectors, and support small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Natalie Goodin comes to the team with a background in architecture and community development. With a strong foundation in strategic thinking, she is committed to ensuring that community needs are not only heard but also reflected in the spaces and places they inhabit. She has made full use of this experience in supporting the development of the building and leading the mobilization efforts for operations. She is currently managing the launch of the ACWI team, serving as the Interim Director of the Aspire Center. She is excited to usher in this new team and continue supporting the Austin community in her role at Austin Coming Together.
Dearra Williams is a collaborative leader and strategic project manager dedicated to advancing community-driven development on Chicago’s West Side. In mobilizing for Aspire’s operations, she supported the development team’s coordination with partners and led the planning and project management for the Grand Opening celebration. In her role at Austin Coming Together, she regularly supports executive leadership in aligning operations, communications, and organizational priorities. With a background in community engagement and systems-building, Dearra brings a people-centered approach to her work, focused on equity, alignment, and lasting impact.
Rosie Dawson leads West Side Health Authority’s real estate development and property management operations. She has supported the development of the Aspire Center and will continue to support the Property Management needs of the building. Rosie leads a team ready to support ongoing maintenance, contractor solicitation, and vendor contracts and agreements, to ensure the building is best-positioned for successful operations.
Robert Born is on staff with JLL, a leading global professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. With experience in managing a portfolio of properties, including Chicago Public Schools, Robert comes to the team with the technical expertise to support the facilities and operations teams.
For over 30 years, Westside Health Authority (WHA) has been providing support to residents through community reentry, youth development, and employment services. They focus on economic development projects that revitalize and rebuild the Austin community by leveraging the power of its citizens. In 2018, WHA purchased the property of the former Emmet School, now Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, in a continued effort to create opportunities for the citizens of the Greater Westside on the recommendation of community stakeholders who desired to see the site redeveloped into a safe, attractive space for residents to access commerce and community services.
a proposal for the Chicago Prize called the ASPIRE Initiative. While it was ultimately not selected for the prize (it was one of six finalists), ACT became a co-developer and anchor tenant of the project to raise resources for the Aspire Center’s construction and mobilization.
WHA has sought out to revive the oncebustling intersection of Madison and Central, and the repurposing of the Emmet School is a giant step in that mission. The Aspire Center will serve as a centralized location for Austin’s youth and unemployed and underemployed adults seeking career training and support. WHA is moving their reentry work to ACWI, in addition to their main operations and media and property management teams to make their work more accessible for the community.
While mobilizing the center for operations, anchor tenants identified ACT’s role as lead for service coordination, community organizing, and evaluation. The Hub @ ACWI will play a central role in guiding the implementation of the Aspire Centers’ Operating Model, coordinating with all Anchor Tenants to connect residents, and enhancing their awareness of available services and resources. In addition, The Hub @ ACWI will also continue to support service providers and organizations in strengthening their relationship with one another and with the community. Meanwhile, ACT’s P&I team will leverage the center to facilitate high-quality action planning sessions and host trainings that will build our collective power to realize the Austin Forward. Together. Quality-of-life plan.
As a result, they hope to bring more wealth opportunities to Austin through their FOC work and continue reshaping the manufacturing industry’s relationship with its workforce.
Since 2010, Austin Coming Together (ACT) has facilitated collaboration among its member network to collectively impact education and economic development outcomes in Austin. ACT assisted the community in creating its first-ever quality-of-life plan and manages its ongoing implementation, in addition to engaging with residents to get them connected to resources.
As the lead for the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan, ACT supported Westside Health Authority (WHA) in working with community leaders to make the Emmet School building a focal project of the plan. This led to partnering with WHA and other organizations to submit
Since 1985, Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) has trained low-income adults in manufacturing, and will continue its free on-site skills training at the Aspire Center. Austin residents will have access to Computer Numerical Control machine operation, welding, and mechanical assembly.
JARC has served as a Strategy Lead for the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan since 2019, on the Economic Development task force. They have sought to disrupt the traditional manufacturing industry by investing in workers, targeted skills training, comprehensive support services, and industry collaboration. JARC helps low-income workers, job seekers, and community residents achieve financial self-sufficiency through manufacturing skills training and wrap-around supportive services.
JARC will move their main offices to ACWI, allowing them to have a prominent and easily accessible location in Austin for the first time.
Through its partnership with United Way of Metro Chicago, BMO was a legacy investor in the Aspire Center and United Way’s ongoing work in supporting the Austin community. Through BMO’s initiatives, the bank partners with organizations that drive social change, celebrate and support our local communities and families in providing financial wellness, and bring communities together. Through their community outreach sponsorship program with Aspire, their Zero Barriers to Business program, and Bank at Work Initiative, Austin residents have a clear path to equitable and sustainable wealth creation.
In conjunction with the organizations located within the Aspire Center, as well as those in ACT’s expansive member network, a partnership with BMO will ensure residents have access to integrated services of income support, financial coaching, and other banking products/services.
The Freedom Defense Center of Austin fosters accountability and trust between the Public Defender’s Office and the community it serves. The Freedom Defense Center was planned in direct partnership with Austin
residents, standing with and advocating for this community to reduce the impact of the carceral system and fight for justice. It works to change the narrative around harm and safety by honoring community members’ experiences and prioritizing their autonomy. The Freedom Defense Center provides services aligned with their values: Collaboration, Transparency, and Courage.
Legal Aid Chicago addresses legal areas that cover basic human needs. They have a vision that poverty will not be an impediment to justice in Cook County. Legal barriers that perpetuate poverty and inequality will be dismantled. Laws and legal systems will be open and equally effective for all who need their protection, especially those who experience unfair and disproportionately unjust treatment due to personal or community characteristics. Their involvement with ACWI began with a partnership with Westside Health Authority in 2020, focusing on re-entry work. They offer an array of legal services and provide high-quality civil legal aid to people living in poverty and other vulnerable groups. Their move to ACWI will allow them to help even more people in the community.
BY JONATHAN WIDELL Austin Coming Together
Programming at the Aspire Center will foster strong connections with the community, strengthen partnerships with industry leaders, and develop innovative solutions to address gaps in small business development. These efforts will also create pathways into high-demand economic sectors, advancing our workforce development goals. As we pursue this work, our approach to engaging individuals must be as robust, thoughtful, and comprehensive as our strategy for collaborating with high-level partners.
In our commitment to meeting people where they are and providing the most effective support, we recognized a broad spectrum of stability among residents. This ranges from individuals in crisis, facing unemployment or urgent basic needs, to those who are gainfully employed and actively investing in their long-term success and the well-being of the broader community.
At the heart of our programming model is a holistic approach to equitable wealth creation, which focuses on individuals. This approach is not only comprehensive but also intentional, ensuring that each resident is met with the resources and strategies most relevant to their journey toward self-sufficiency and success.
Through this lens, we identified six core components that comprise our Comprehensive Scope of Services: job/ career, financial, legal, emotional, life/ family, and aspirations. These components reflect the full range of needs for individuals striving to reach their highest potential, aligning directly with our vision for the Aspire Center.
While we recognize the importance of all six, we have prioritized job/career, financial, and legal services as foundational. These priorities guided our initial partnerships and shaped the commitments from
tenant organizations at the time of our Grand Opening, laying a strong groundwork for meaningful, long-term impact.
Alongside the development of the building, tenant teams spent more than a year working together and collaboratively building this holistic programming approach. The team built a coordinated intake system to be used at the center, overhauled existing processes and procedures to streamline referrals, and together, collaboratively evaluated partnerships positioned to meet the more outlying needs of the comprehensive scope. In areas without a clear program or service to connect residents, we successfully identified new opportunities and forged new partnerships, ensuring pathways for residents.
The true innovation of this holistic approach, and the comprehensive scope of services we offer, lies in its power to inspire. It instills a sense of worth in every individual who walks through our doors, encouraging residents to envision more for themselves, their families, and their community. It provides the motivation to dream boldly and the support to turn those dreams into reality.
We have a beautiful facility, a dedicated team, and a trusted network of partners committed to delivering impactful programming. Through this integrated and person-centered model, we aim to see more than just higher incomes and stable employment. We envision residents progressing through career pathways, setting and achieving aspirational goals such as homeownership, long-term financial planning, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement.
This freedom to dream, this freedom to aspire, can ignite a renewed sense of value, purpose, and determination. Our holistic approach represents more than a set of services; it embodies the intention and commitment behind the Aspire Center: to catalyze transformation in the Austin community.
9:30 a.m. | 30 min | Networking and welcome reception | Music interlude | Breakfast Provided by Cajun Cafe Chicago
10:00 a.m. | 10 min | Drum Roll Processional: Moya Cultural Arts
10:10 a.m. | 3 min | Welcome Remarks: Reesheda Graham-Washington, founding executive director of the Kehrein Center for the Arts
10:13 a.m. | 3 min | Prayer: Pastor Steve Epting, Hope Community Church
10:16 a.m. | 3 min | Libation: Arewa Karen Winters, Community Leader
10:19 a.m. | 5 Min | Lift Every Voice and Sing: Chief Habiba
10:23 a.m. | 3 min | 1865-2025 Juneteenth: Arewa Karen Winters, Community Leader
10:26 a.m. | 3 min | Drum Call: Moya Cultural Arts
10:29 a.m. | 10 min | ACWI Journey and Reflections: Darnell Shields, Executive Director, Austin Coming Together
10:39 a.m. | 10 min | ACWI Journey and Reflections: Morris Reed, CEO, Westside Health Authority
10:49 a.m. | 5 min | Remarks: Toni Preckwinkle, President, Cook County Board of Commissioners, 1st District
10:53 a.m. | 5 min | Remarks: Commissioner. Tara Stamps, Cook County Board
10:58 a.m. | 2 min | Remarks: Alderman Taliaferro, 29th Ward, City of Chicago
11:00 a.m. | 3 min | Remarks: Sean Garrett, President and CEO, United Way of Metro Chicago
11:03 a.m. | 3 min | Remarks: Eric Smith, Vice Chair, BMO Commercial Bank.
11:06 a.m. | 3 min | Remarks: Regan Brewer, JARC
11:09 a.m. | 3 min | Remarks: Max Komnenich, Lamar Johnson Collaborative
11:12 a.m. | 3 min | Resident Testimonial: Cassandra Norman, Community Resident
11:15 a.m. | 10 min | Presentation and Coronation of Grand Marshals: AFT Leader
• Jacqueline Reed (Community Ally)
• Max Komnenich (Corporate Ally)
• Quiwana Bell (Community Ally )
• Dywane and Cata Truss (Early Supporter)
• Cata Truss
• Sean Garrett (Major Ally) (DS)
• La’Shawn Ford (Government Ally)
• Darnell Shields and Morris Reed
11:25 a.m. | 5 min | Remarks: Commissioner Ciere Boatright, Department of Planning and Development
11:30 a.m. | 10 min | Remarks: Mayor Brandon Johnson, City of Chicago
11:40 a.m. | Program closing and transition to ribbon cutting
11:45 a.m. | Ribbon cutting and photo op
Noon | Closing Finale: Drum and Dance: Moya Cultural Arts
Noon to 2 p.m. | Culinary Walk | Food Truck Experience
1 to 5 p.m. | Culture Programming and Guided Tours
1 to 6 p.m. | Freedom Village (Youth + Family Zone)
All Day | Live Music + DJ Set
Aspire’s
journey from an empty school to a vibrant community hub
BY SYDNI HATLEY
Austin Coming Together
For change to truly benefit the community it impacts, the people affected need to be involved. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. The year 2023 marked the tenth anniversary of the closure of 50 Chicago Public Schools by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel due to a “lack of enrollment.” Of those 50 schools, four were in Austin, including Emmet School.
The low-income areas where these schools were located already faced disinvestment, crime, and dwindling opportunities. The closures made matters worse. The four schools in Austin were taken over by outside forces that wanted to redevelop them for personal gain.
“The proposal to turn currently vacant Robert Emmet Elementary School, 5500 W. Madison St., into a medical facility and a community center was met with apprehension and skepticism by most of the Austin residents who attended an Oct. 11 town hall meeting organized by Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th),” a 2016 Austin Weekly News article stated.
“The proposal to turn currently vacant Robert Emmet Elementary School, 5500 W. Madison St., into a medical facility and a community center was met with apprehension and skepticism by most of the Austin residents who attended an Oct. 11 town hall meeting organized by Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th). While many said that they liked the proposal in theory, they were worried about how it would affect the neighborhood residents and businesses.”
sion of a thriving community.
The AFT plan’s goals include a range of priority areas—from public safety to improving job access. Many efforts were birthed from the plan, such as the $121-million-dollar ASPIRE Initiative, a collection of four projects that will create a cradle-to-career pipeline for Austin residents, all strategically clustered around existing assets in an area bound by Madison, Chicago, Central, and Laramie Avenues: the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation; a new early learning, health and recreation center called The Aspire Education & Wellness Campus; new programs and support to increase enrollment at the Austin College and Career Academy; and Aspire Housing, a multitiered approach to provide homeownership assistance, plus new or renovated units for sale.
The first Aspire effort to begin was the transformation of the three-acre Emmet School and site into the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation. Aspire will help residents access living-wage careers by exposing them to manufacturing skills; attracting major commercial anchors, creating paths for youth interaction with mentors and role models, and much more. Now, Emmet is the only one of the four Austin schools closed in 2013 that meets the community’s needs.
By offering economic and career development opportunities, the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation is adding to the momentum that has been building over the last decade.
The northeast corner of Madison and Central Avenue is no longer a reminder of Austin’s inequitable past, but an engine of new opportunities for generations of Austin families.
Dear Austin Community,
It’s with deep joy and gratitude that I share this moment with you.
I’m honored to serve as the Grand Opening Lead for the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation. This isn’t just another event for me—it’s personal. I grew up just a few blocks north of where the Center now stands. Growing up in this neighborhood, I saw firsthand the strength and spirit of our community. I also dreamed about who I could become and how we could build on that foundation with even more opportunity, joy, and wealth rooted here in Austin.
resources, and imagine new possibilities for generations to come.
And now it’s here—real, active, and rooted in the brilliance of our people. The Aspire Center proves what happens when we believe in each other, when we organize, and when we pour into our community with love and care.
As a result of negative opinions and pushback from the community on the city’s initial plan, Westside Health Authority acquired ownership of the property in 2018. Around the same time, Austin published its first-ever quality-of-life plan called ‘Austin Forward Together’ (AFT), a roadmap to achieving the shared vi-
The Aspire Center symbolizes a turning point in Austin. It isn’t just about renovating a building; it is about leveraging Austin’s unbeatable spirit and limitless potential.
Learn more at AustinComingTogether.org/ The-Aspire-Center
The Aspire Center represents those dreams coming to life. It’s more than a building—it’s a bold step toward reclaiming space, reclaiming power, and investing in our future. It’s a place where residents can come to learn, grow, and thrive. A place built for us, by us. A place where our community can build, grow careers, access
This grand opening is more than just cutting a ribbon. It’s a tribute to the leaders who came before us, a celebration of our resilience, and a bold step into a new chapter—one where we unapologetically claim our power, creativity, and our right to build wealth for ourselves and our families.
So join us—bring your family, friends, and neighbors. Together, let’s celebrate a vision brought to life and a future full of possibilities. With love and solidarity,
Dearra Williams
Grand Opening Lead Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation
BY DARNELL SHIELDS Austin Coming Together
Alongside Westside Health Authority, Austin Coming Together (ACT) is co-developing Austin’s former Emmet Elementary School into the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation (ACWI), a central location for resourc es and high-performing on-site workforce development training.
ACWI is located at Madison and Central, one of the most important intersections in our community because Central Avenue is the spine that connects Austin’s other smaller neighborhoods. Developing existing assets in this densely populated area directly addresses many of the community’s needs and is a visible symbol of the investment our community deserves.
We understand that it is essential for the center to address both residents’ immediate and long-term challenges. Therefore, we have established a holistic model to approach serving residents along a spectrum of outcomes, ranging from economic stability to wealth creation.
"Completing the project will be a milestone in the community-led renaissance that’s been underway in Austin for years."
Just as ACT’s Austin Community Hub currently does, the Aspire Center will support individuals by connecting them to a comprehensive range of services, many of which will be provided at the Center or by local service organization partners. Whether it be mental health, housing, or even steady employment, we will help residents overcome the barriers holding them back from thriving. However, we know that simply connecting an individual to a job will not allow them to build wealth unless that job is a career opportunity that pays a living wage. That’s why the Aspire Center will provide linkages and pathways to high-demand economic sectors such as healthcare, transportation, distribution, logistics, information technology, and advanced manufacturing so Austinites can truly have the chance for upward mobility.
When you visit, you’ll find a welcoming environment with various spaces designed for community engagement, including reservable conference rooms and even a rooftop terrace!
The Aspire Center will be a place that offers so much more than just services; it will help aspirations take flight. We want the center to inspire everyone who walks through the doors to reach for their dreams and ambitions!
Completing the project will be a milestone in the community-led renaissance that’s been underway in Austin for years. It will catalyze economic development and represent how the community is rising above a history of disinvestment, limited opportunities, and underfunded services.
The story of the Aspire Center is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when communities come together to build their future. It exemplifies how grassroots efforts can successfully transition into impactful and well-funded initiatives that honor the voices of
those they serve.
How we operate the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation will be guided by these principles:
• Focus on the individual
• Infuse humanity in all we do
• Commit to meeting a person where they are and inspire
• Address all related barriers
• Help a person imagine goals they never thought possible
• Help residents remain in Austin and thrive
• Use our collective experience with who we serve as our primary source of research at the outset
• Design for possibility, not necessarily services that exist
BY SYDNI HATLEY Austin Coming Together
The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation stands as a testament to the power of community organizing and collective vision. Built on the efforts of passionate advocates and community trailblazers, this project reflects a legacy crafted by and for the people it serves. Here are some highlights from the journey to revitalize the site at 5500 W. Madison.
2013 | CPS closes Emmet School, but Austin steps up and fights for it to be repurposed to continue addressing community needs, holding ground while other government agencies proposed alternative uses that residents did not agree with.
2018 | Over the next several years, the former school building remains vacant and at risk of being demolished until Westside Health Authority (WHA) officially acquires the site. At the same time, Austin Coming Together is stewarding a grassroots effort for the community to create its first-ever quality-of-life plan called Austin Forward. Together. (AFT). Recognizing an unique opportunity to partner, WHA and ACT collaborate with AFT
leaders to reimagine the closed Emmet school space, which is included as a focal project of the AFT plan.
With support from LISC Chicago, planners at Teska Associates lead a visioning session to brainstorm ways the community could address critical needs through property redevelopment, and the concept for the Aspire Center Workforce Innovation is born.
Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) also joins the partnership, bringing additional design expertise and resources to realize the community’s vision.
2019 | Austin releases the AFT plan and starts implementation. In partnership with ACT and By the Hand Club for Kids, WHA submits a Letter of Inquiry in response to the $10 million Chicago Prize opportunity through the Pritzker Traubert Foundation and is awarded a planning grant to develop a full proposal for submission.
2020 | After being named one of six finalists for the Chicago Prize, ACT helps convene AFT and other leaders who collectively create The ASPIRE Initiative. The $121-million-dollar effort
initially supported by United Way of Metro Chicago, IFF, Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, Krista Inc., and Purpose Built Communities incorporates several goals and ideas from the community’s AFT plan and outlines how Austin can build a stronger cradle-to-career pipeline through four investments strategically clustered around existing assets in an area bound by Madison St., Chicago Ave., Central Ave., and Laramie Ave.: The Aspire Education & Wellness Campus; Aspire Austin College & Career Academy; The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation; and Aspire Housing.
2021-2022 | Community engagement continues with two in-person grassroots events occurring, as well as virtual engagements to garner input from Austin residents, in addition to ongoing AFT leader involvement. ASPIRE begins to attract investment. Financial and pro-bono services support from private philanthropy, government, and technical
assistance partners help generate over $40 million in capital from 2020 to 2023.
2023 | Financing closes on the project. The Aspire Center’s groundbreaking event is attended by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Followed by a community celebration that includes free food and a chance for residents to learn about the services that will be available at the Center directly from the groups who will provide them.
2024 | Community engagement and participation are still underway as we continue mobilizing the Aspire Center for operations. ACT is excited to expand our services and be part of the vibrant hub that the Center and the intersection of Madison and Central will become!
We’d like to give special thanks to the partners and thought leaders who are making the Aspire Center possible
• Austin Forward Together
• Austin Coming Together
• Westside Health Authority
• Good Neighbor Campaign
• City of Chicago
• State of Illinois
• United Way of Metro Chicago
• Chicago Community Trust (We Rise Together & Sullivan /Turke)
• Pritzker-Traubert Foundation
• Lamar Johnson Collaborative
• IFF
• Krista
• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Joyce Foundation
• BMO
• CHASE
• Chicago Community Loan Fund
• Chicago Development Fund
• Cinnaire
• Cinnaire
• Crow Island Community Capital
• Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C.
• Sargent Blinderman
• PMA
• Jane Addams Resource Corporation
• LISC Chicago
• Teska Associates, Inc.
• Purpose Built Communities
• By the Hand Club
• City Open Workshop/Borderless Studios
• ITW
• Meta
• Every Block a Village Church
PHOTOS BY KENN COOK JR.
Westside residents enjoyed themselves at the Summer Time Chi Community Carnival at PopCourts, 5249 W. Chicago Ave., on June 8. "We're kicking off the summer the right way with bouncy houses, games, prizes, music, and a lot more," said Joseph Green, the Westside Health Authority (WHA)'s Workforce/Job Development Director, who coordinated the event. The Community Leadership Fellows funded the Carnival.
Along with WHA, the Carnival had the full support of the residents of Lockwood Avenue and many sponsoring organizations, including the Community Leadership Fellows, the Chicago Police Department's 15th District, Rep. La Shawn K. Ford's office, and the Chicago Community Safety Coordination Center.
In the run-up to Father’s Day, the Culture offered community mem bers an opportunity to thank the fathers in their lives publicl y.
To: Minister “JB” Stevenson
From: Briuna Amos
Thank you for reintroducing me to Christ and preaching the word of God to me even when I didn’t want to listen. Thank God for saving my father’s soul. Nobody is perfect, but you saved him. GOD DID.
To: Henry Tolliver, Jr
From: Patrisse Tolliver
To my daddy, you are my protector, you are a good father to my sister and me. I miss you so much—happy Heavenly Father’s Day. Enjoy your day, love you always, from your daughter Patrisse.
To: Jessie Jones
From: Katrina Jones
Happy Father’s Dad! You are an amazing father! Superman’s got nothing on you! Dad thanks for always saving the day!
To: Joe McWane
From: Akeem Jones
Happy Father’s Day to a wonderful father, love you you are the definition of a true father. Today is your day.
To: Frank Brady
From: Kamil and Tana Brady
Dad, thank you for setting the ultimate example of what it means to be a man, husband, father, provider, protector, and active member of the community. Oh, and you can be a lot of fun too!
To: Randall K. Owens
From: Your Palm Tree
Happy Father’s Day to one of the best, hard-working, truly dedicated Father I know. You’re an amazing father to your daughters, no matter the situation. You are always there to support and encourage.
To: Ronald Owens
From: Danni Brisco
Thank you for being the reason behind your family’s smile. Thank you for your wisdom, acceptance, and welcoming Heart. Most of all, thank you for loving Randall unconditionally. Happy Heavenly Father’s Day, Sir.
To: Charles Betts
From: Deuce, Steve, and Rachel
What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’? Your Love, your Flair, your Smile and your laugh have been a part of our lives all of our lives. You loved our mama, and we love you! We thank God for You! Stay Happy!
To: BB
From: Angel
Thank you so much for gifting me with the opportunity to carry life and bring our daughter Earth side. We appreciate your daily sacrifices for us and we couldn’t do this without you.
To: Robert Ezekiel Ervin
From: Robin Johnson
God really has had his hand on your life. And by being your namesake and favorite child, God also favors me. You are the BEST DAD a girl can ask for, and I’m grateful for all that you are.
