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The volunteers from BMO spent their work day in the new gym at BUILD, Inc., a West Side youth center that specializes in gang and violence prevention and building paths toward a hopeful future. When kids are working through their personal trauma, hunger can be a big obstacle. 

BMO and the United Way addressed the needs together Tuesday on the West Side.

Darrel Hackett, CEO of BMO, said the financial institution has been partnering with United Way for 11 years, making the first corporate gift to BUILD to start the fundraising for the new center, 

“It’s something we all do together at BMO, our purpose is to boldly grow the good in business and in life. This is an example of doing just that,” Hackett said.

BUILD is the anchor to the community, where kids can gather safely, study, work out, create and play. 

“This is what it was build for, not only to serve kids and families but for community and to host events like this as well. All this matters. These little bits of contributions, what they’re doing today matters to organizations like ours,” BUILD’s Executive Director, Adam Alonso said.

Read and watch the full story from Fox 32 Chicago here!

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The students traveled to Lake Forest to participate in talking circles with Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, defensive tackle Justin Jones and defensive end Khalid Kareem and received a tour of Halas Hall. Along with the group conversations, Johnson, Jones and Kareem spent more time with the students taking pictures and signing autographs.

“This has been an amazing experience for our young people,” Youth Guidance chief of staff April Curtis said. “To have an opportunity to engage with players and to see the facility, for them, is a dream come true. For some of them, they want to be football players, baseball players, they want to go off to college and to see it here rather than just see it on TV, has been amazing. Just listening into the circles, the young people are definitely empowered and engaged and being able to speak truths about their experiences here and outside of here.”

With the Bears’ Salute to Service game landing on Thursday Night Football, Amazon brought members of their Warriors program that supports veterans and military spouses in their transition to the workforce.

Amazon also surprised both Youth Guidance and BUILD with $25,000 donations and gifted each student with a tablet.

“The contribution for the organization helps us do this work and do more with it,” BUILD CEO Adam Alonso said. “It was a complete surprise and grateful for that because our work is hard and we don’t always know where all the funding will come from so these kinds of gifts and surprises are inspiring for all of us.”

Read more from the Bears website here.

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“Expanding support for youth organizations in our city is critical – by uplifting young people, providing tools and resources they need to succeed, we’re creating opportunity for the next generation of Chicago,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “And it’s with the help of companies and businesses like McDonald’s that we’re able to make a true, and lasting impact when it comes to Chicago youth opportunity in our communities.”

“And it’s with the help of companies and businesses like McDonald’s that we’re able to make a true, and lasting impact when it comes to Chicago youth opportunity in our communities.”

Addressing inequities and empowering the communities we serve is integral to building the change we want to see. The program will continue to benefit nonprofit organizations that are actively advancing safe, healthy and thriving community support systems while working to reduce barriers to employment and education opportunities for Black and Latinx youth in the South and West sides of Chicago. We have been committed to Youth Opportunity for a number of years around the world and this is one hometown example of how that comes to life.

Want to know more about the organizations McDonald’s is supporting through the latest Chicago Community Impact Grants Program? Take a look below at the local nonprofits who are helping us break down barriers to employment. 

Read more here: https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/mcd-relaunches-grantprogram-benefitchicago-basedyouthorganization.html

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BUILD staff and supporters were warmly joined by community members, local elected officials, and other partners to celebrate the new space, a first-of-its-kind in South Austin, “This [building] is the realization of your investment and your belief that all youth deserve to thrive,” said CEO Adam Alonso.

Complete with several features, including a full-sized gym, art and music studios, and the “Soul Center,” the heart of BUILD’s community mental health programs, the new 51,000-square-foot campus serves as a home base for staff members and their violence prevention work, which allows BUILD to expand their capacity and programming in the Austin community. 

Read the full article from Shorthand by clicking here.

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DEERFIELD, Ill., October 25, 2023 – The Lundbeck US Charitable Fund announced today that it is providing two grants for a combined $1 million to organizations focused on improving health care access for people in the Chicagoland community. CommunityHealth and BUILD will use the funding to expand programs aimed at removing access barriers and coordinating quality health care, and in particular, mental and behavioral health care services.

The Lundbeck US Charitable Fund proudly supports organizations in Chicagoland advancing patient care. Through the support of community-led interventions, the Fund looks to make a measurable impact on community health within this large and diverse community, particularly among communities with significant unmet needs.

“We are proud to partner with organizations that are changing lives every day through localized outreach, interventions and connections to health care for some of our most at-risk communities,” said Molly Poarch, President of the Lundbeck US Charitable Fund. “CommunityHealth and BUILD are incredible organizations advocating for vulnerable adults and young people within the Chicagoland community. Their efforts to improve access to mental and behavioral health care for Chicago residents is admirable.” 

Read more from the Lundbeck Newsroom here.

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The mural on the northwest side of BUILD Inc.’s headquarters, 5100 W. North Ave., depicts the hopeful faces of children, images that Rick Miranda, BUILD’s manager of arts academy programs, said resonate with the nonprofit’s mission to prevent violence among West Side youth. 

“If only three or four kids get something out of this, we did our jobs,” Miranda said. “It’s important that we teach them there’s so much more to life out there and ways to express themselves.”

The mural’s creator, Chicago artist Dwight White, said he seeks to inspire and liven up the West and South sides of the city through his work, celebrating the legacy of the neighborhoods.

Read the full story from Block Club Chicago here.

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“I wanted to put up youthful faces looking inspired, looking determined, looking passionate,” said Chicago artist Dwight White at the mural unveiling on Oct. 12. “I feel like that’s what is inside of that building.”

Later that evening, about a dozen middle school participants in BUILD’s art program demonstrated their passion and determination during a master class in mural making led by White.

BUILD’s arts programs were initially created to divert young people from participating in gangs, offering them a space to learn new skills and be creative, said Rick Miranda, manager of the arts academy.

Today, they continue to provide free opportunities for nearly 70 local middle and high schoolers to learn, incorporating art and STEM with classes like fashion design, podcasting and music, woodworking and culinary arts. Program participant Ky’miarra said these programs are an opportunity to “learn new things and see new things in the community they’re in,” an opportunity kids in other neighborhoods take for granted.

Read the full story from Austin Weekly News here.

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Last week, around 45 asylum-seekers, mostly single men, used BUILD’s showers, an increase from a couple of days before. By this week, the number of asylum-seekers sheltered at the station doubled. On average, BUILD serves groups of 15 to 20 asylum-seekers sheltered at the police station at the intersection of North Central and West Grand Avenues.  

Sudden changes in the number of asylum-seekers at police stations have been the norm for the past few months. From one day to another, it is common for volunteers and nonprofit representatives to find new asylum-seekers who just arrived at a police station. Often, the newly arrived individuals or families do not have any personal items or clothes beyond what they’re wearing or carrying in a small bag. They also do not have appropriate clothes for the upcoming winter season.  

Also, most of the migrants sheltered in the 25^th District are now single men. In earlier months, families sheltered there, but now they are relocated to other shelters, volunteers said. The station is one of four police locations citywide serving people with sex offenses who must register with the Chicago police. 

When possible, BUILD provides free clothes for asylum-seekers who visit the nonprofit’s facilities. It coordinates transportation from the police station to their Austin campus twice a week, providing free access to the shower rooms and laundry facilities, although laundry capacity is limited. It also provides food and coffee if available.  

Like many local volunteer response groups that assist asylum-seekers, BUILD is juggling the influx of arrivals with limited support from city agencies. Most of the items provided to migrants have been collected by staff or purchased by the nonprofit, which considers migrant support as an extension of its violence prevention work.   

As more asylum-seekers are expected to arrive, unprepared for Chicago’s winter, BUILD now accepts in-kind and financial donations to support migrants. They also need items for its new population. 

The items needed include: 

• Men’s clothes: winter coats and jackets sizes small through extra-large, underwear, socks and winter clothes sizes small through large. Items must be new.  
• Women and children’s clothes: winter coats, jackets, winter clothes, underwear and socks, all sizes. Items must be new.   
• Meal donations: one-time or recurring catering or meal donations for groups of at least 15 people.   

The Austin-based violence prevention and youth development nonprofit started supporting local volunteer groups back in May. In the summer, access was restricted so it would not interfere with BUILD’s summer programs.  

To make a financial donation, visit BUILD’s website. When making a donation, indicate it is for migrant support.  

In-kind donations can be dropped off at the front desk of BUILD’s campus at 5100 W. Harrison St. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

Those who wish to make meal donations can contact Rosa Rios or Emmayoli Silva at rosarios@buildchicago.org and emmayolisilva@buildchicago.org  

Read the story from Austin Weekly News by clicking here.

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The newest branch of Momentum Coffee opened last week inside BUILD Inc.’s West Side headquarters, 5100 W. Harrison St. BUILD is a community hub that provides programs and a safe space for kids and teens to explore their passions for sports, cooking and the arts. 

The coffee shop at BUILD is open to the public and offers lattes, cold brew coffee, tea and other drinks as well as breakfast sandwiches and pastries. 

Momentum Coffee co-founder Tracy Powell previously said he and co-founder Nikki Bravo want to bring more development and commerce to the West Side. 

They want their cafes to be forward-thinking spots that encourage collaboration among people who do their work there, and they want to empower communities of color through celebrating Black culture, Powell has said.

Read the full article from Block Club Chicago here.

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