God's Love Along the Path

We began a new calendar year with new routines in Dreambuilders- our after school children's program. We have been reading and sharing from the Jesus Storybook Bible with a goal of making sure our kids know that God loves them with a "Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love."

Each time I've shared a story- I prepare myself for constant interruptions- some that you would expect given that our kids are often squirmy after a full day of school - but more often the interruptions are incredible comments showing they have been listening with spiritual ears and are eagerly wrestling with eternal questions. One little guy even drew me a really great picture that's I think is a mashup of Minecraft and Genesis! ;) 

We have been so blessed to witness their engagement- and blessed to have the opportunity to remind them of how lovable and valuable they are. Thank you for continuing to love our youth through your prayers and support! If you are available to love our kids in person, we are looking for additional volunteers as we ramp up into Monday-Friday programming.

Blessings, 
Michelle Johnson 
Director of Apprenticeships and Communication

Originally posted in our 2019 February Email Snapshot

Happiness Along the Path

At the end of any summer working with Harambee, I'm often asked how the summer went by friends, families and supporters of our work. I usually try to share one of my favorite stories. This summer there's no contest as to my favorite story.

This summer our Harambee teens ate lunch everyday next door to a Walgreens. On occasion a staff member would accompany a few youth to purchase a bag of chips or a gatorade to supplement the free lunch program's meal. One day as I was in line with two of young men, both 17 years old in our Harambee Citybuilders safety vests. The cashier asks me, "What do these kids do all day? I see your kids in and out of here all summer and they are just SO HAPPY!" Surprised, I gladly shared they they spent their days doing heavy construction work in the heat, dirt and sweat.

I love working with my hands, but I'm usually filled with a feeling closer to "satisfaction" as I work, rather than "happiness." This summer I saw smiling, happy teenagers at work. Of course different teens had their moments of unhappiness- but as I shared in our July snapshot there was a surprising spirit of JOY among our youth. I know it wasn't the dirt, sweat or heat that caused their smiles, but meaningful work done together with safe adults who delight in them and a team who they grew to love. Teens get a bad rap for moodiness and attitude, but in my opinion there is nothing more life giving than being around happy, exuberant teenagers.

We're so thankful for ways God developed a sense of team and family, and of laughter this summer among the youth in all our programs, and we're so thankful for how you prayed for and supported this work this summer. In this snapshot- find out ways you can support us as we start our fall season. 

Delighting in God's goodness, 
Michelle Johnson 
Director of Apprenticeships and Communication

Orginally posted in our 2018 September Email Snapshot

Work and Play Builds the Path

Anyone with kids knows the difficulty of filling those out-of-school summer months with positive activity. Finding the right balance between activities that are "good for" our kids and things that they think are the most fun can be tricky. This summer the programs of R CITY run the length of the continuum between work and play. 

Our youngest friends are kept busy at Dreambuilders: active play, creative work, time reading, playing outside, nurturing character traits of kindness and respect. When you enter our space the energy of JOY surrounds you- dancing, singing, laughing, and reciting our summer catchphrase: "I have a HOPE! I have a FUTURE!" (From Jeremiah 29). The prayer of our children's staff has been that God would bring us the neighborhood children who would otherwise have nothing else positive to do- children that for whatever reason might be spending their summer days inside without much enrichment. God has definitely answered that prayer bringing many new children into our program.

Our teen apprentices are mostly on the other end of the spectrum from work to play. Our oldest teens (Age 16-18) are busy Monday-Friday in the heat, dirt and sweat as they tuckpoint and repair buildings. It's so great that even in the midst of the hardest work, they find ways to make their work fun. They sing, they laugh, they tell stories and cheer each other on. At the end of the day when you would imagine them at their most tired, they are all noise- laughter, singing, funny stories and JOY! Nothing fills my heart more than when teenagers love their work and love their teammates. 

As we pass the halfway mark of the summer and the days start cruising by with all the activity, we are so thankful to all of you who have made this work possible. When I started preparing this e-mail, we were still in need of $30,000 to complete our summer work, and it's great news to announce that we're now only in need of $20,000. If you are still considering a summer gift, I can't think of a better way to spend our resources- producing JOY in the children and teens of Humboldt Park! 
 

Michelle Johnson 
Director of Apprenticeships and Communication

Originally posted in our July 2018 Email Snapshot

Join us for Summer!

Summer Benefits Build the Path

Summer in the city. Even for our kids living amid Chicago's violence, summers are filled with happy memories. Pickup games and playgrounds. Ice cream from a truck. Sparklers and fireworks. Splashing in the open fire hydrant spray. Family barbecues and birthday parties.

And yet we know that while our kids experience so many of summer's quintessential childhood memories, they face its shadow side as well. Playgrounds they've been warned to avoid. The constant question of "fireworks or gunshots?" Evenings too dangerous to play outside. Birthday memorials that should have been parties. And for our teens, an awareness of the cost of living--rent, food, clothing--and the weight of finding a way to earn it.

Summer, with both its light and shadow sides, is right around the corner. And R CITY's response--your response--is right around the corner as well. 

This summer, over 120 youth will engage at R CITY. We'll push swings and tie-dye t-shirts with 50 children in Dreambuilders.

We'll play ball and process trauma with 30 junior high mentees in Peacebuilders.

We'll build scaffolding and teach tuckpointing and practice working with 40 teen apprentices in Citybuilders.

It will cost $135,000 in salaries and supplies and stipends, and every penny will be worth it. 

To earn this, we're using one of the best things summer has to offer: the sun. On June 24*, we'll gather on the terrace overlooking a sparkling Humboldt Park lagoon for happy hour and dinner. We'll laugh, eat, drink, and be inspired, and we'll find a way in our common generosity to make summer bright and beneficial for these 120 youth. 

Will you join us--and bring a friend? Come take a moment to celebrate your own #summerbrightandbeautiful, and to make one equally brilliant for Chicago's youth.

Click below to RSVP or to give your gift today.

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* Are you a Minnesotan? Your benefit is August 1. We can't wait to see you there!

Ozinga Field Trip Builds the Path

At each level of of our programs, it's a delight to expose our youth to careers in as many fields as we can. Last month, our Citybuilders Apprentices from both Dreambuilders and Harambee spent a Friday they didn't have school on a field trip to Ozinga's Chicago Offices. 

It's easy for our youth to think of the construction industry through the narrow lens of bulldozers and cranes (although this was overwhelmingly their favorite thing to see). They saw career paths with so many different levels of education required- from dispatch managing logistics and customer relations, quality control, management and research & development- from high school only all the way to PHD's. It was so good for all of us to see how every talent and skill was used to make the whole team function.

I love being able to share with our teens how their skills and passions can come together in such a diversity of career paths- and that even though every employee we met had a different story, the character traits that make them successful are the same: a care for their work, paying attention to details, caring about safety, striving for their best- all traits they work on every day in their apprenticeships at R CITY. Thank you for all you to do help us build this path for our teens and giving them the opportunity to develop all those positive traits.

Building the Path over Spring Break

The last week of March brought the start of our Harambee CItybuilders semester during Chicago Public School's spring break. We had two crews hard at work- one on our tuckpointing site, and one continuing our partnership with Neighborspace and completing another phase of the renovation of Children's Garden of Hope. We lucked out with some manageble weather- and were so excted to get back to work. 

Our Harambee Citybuilders had several new apprentices to train and all of our youth got back into the groove of setting scaffolding, grinding out old mortar, and tuckpointing for a homeowner on the 1000 block of Drake Avenue. We were delighted to have three long-time Harambee apprentices return to us: James, Mariah and Josiah all who are now available for after school programming. It was an incredible blessing to have their experience as we added several new apprentices for this spring semester. 

Our garden crew did a great job with some minor demolition, spreading mulch, building raised beds, and then filling them with wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of soil. We enjoyed special guest helpers from the neighborhood from time to time, and also had the privileged of having InterVarsity students from UCLA join us on Tuesday afternoon. 

Being Holy Week, Anthony led us in devotions considering Jesus as the curse breaker. Our youth can give ample evidence of the presence of the curse of sickness, death and toil- as simple as the difficulty in our daily work to the tragedy and trauma they have known. Easter was exactly the reminder we all needed- that our work to restore houses, or gardens, our neighborhoods or our relationships is not in vain as Jesus brings restoration into all those places that will have eternal impact. Continue to pray for our apprentices as they work hard and learn to hope for lasting restoration. 

Famous Stars Build the Path

During January and February a special group of our middle school Peacebuilders with the help of a dedicated volunteer named Debbie, committed themselves to a special project of creating products and showing their teachers at Cameron Elementary some much needed pampering. 

Debbie mentored these four girls through the process of branding and brainstorming products they could create that would be appreciated by their hard working teachers. They named themselves the "Famous Stars" and printed their logo on matching sweatshirts they wore when they presented teachers with their gifts: face scrub, homemade lotion and brownie mix in a jar.

For 6 weeks, they found so much excitement in being able to create something that would express their gratitude to their teachers, and their excitement has spilled over causing them to dream even bigger. While our mentor Debbie's time with them was limited because she has left Chicago for a bit, our youth are looking forward hoping to continue what they see they have just started and use all they have learned. 

They have had great conversations on what it looks like to welcome new girls into their special group and how they can possible earn money from creating high quality products. They are envisioning ways to show gratitude to neighborhood moms this Mother's Day and our staff is jumping right in to respond to their excitement and praying for a special female volunteer who would like to work with these young ladies in the next phase. We are so excited they have been exposed to the early work involved in entrepreneurship and are developing a dream that is drawing out their passion- and even modeling for the little ones in their schools the importance of gratitude for all those who help you walk along the path from cradle to career and along with these Famous Stars, I'm excited for what's to come. 

Michelle Johnson, 
Director of Apprenticeships and Communication