Celebrating the life and legacy of Ken Hartung, R CITY is thankful to receive memorial gifts in his honor. Directed by Ken’s granddaughter Elizabeth, R CITY seeks to glorify God by building a path from cradle to career. The resilient youth served by R CITY are overcoming great adversity, including violence and economic hardship within their Chicago neighborhoods.
Ken entered the world of work at age 5, plowing the fields at his family’s farm in Kansas and working his way through college cleaning the stadium. R CITY is honoring his legacy of determination and grit by establishing a memorial fund within our youth apprenticeship program. Donations given in Ken’s honor will pay stipends (cost: $36,000 annually) and provide transportation (cost: $20,000) for R CITY youth ages 12-18 learning the career of tuckpointing, a masonry skill.
These stipends not only benefit the youth, but their families as well, often making a difference in times of crisis. Practicing their trade through community service, these youth provide free tuckpointing services to low-income homeowners–many widowed–who would otherwise have no means to repair their homes. Until transportation is available, the apprentices are walking significant distances to work sites each day–many after a long bus ride from school.
Gifts may be given online via debit/credit/EFT here or mailed to River City Community Development Center / P.O. Box 51468 / Chicago, IL 60651. Checks should be made to River City Community Development Center with memo to Hartung memorial. For information on donating stock or other types of gifts, please e-mail the directors.
