Helping Children Return to Learning
With fall quickly approaching, Children’s Home & Aid needed to get creative to ensure kids and families in our programs were ready to return to virtual or in person learning settings. With the support of our volunteers, donors, staff and partners across the state, nearly 1,000 youth were supported by our Returning to Learning efforts, […]
Choose 2 Change Program Forges Ahead
For most children and teens, the end of the school year means long lazy days soaking in the sun, hot food and cool treats. But for many others, especially young people on Chicago’s south and west sides, it’s the start of a dangerous three months. Add layers of fear and isolation from the COVID pandemic, […]
Making the Holiday Season Brighter in Chicago
Children’s Home & Aid is so grateful for all of the support we received in our Chicago Metro Region this holiday season. Read below for all the details of our holiday events! In our Chicago Metro Region… Holiday Gift Drive – In Chicago, Children’s Home & Aid partnered with 39 companies and numerous individual donors […]
A Bright Holiday Season for Chicagoland Families and Kids – Thanks to You!
Thanks to our generous donors, we’re entering a new year and a new decade on a great foot! Children’s Home & Aid staff statewide were busy this December working with kids, families, and partners to ensure every child we serve had a bright holiday season. This year in our Metro region we partnered with 39 […]
Men of the Roundtable: Engaging Fathers at the Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child & Family Center
In the world of child welfare agencies and the services provided, specialized care and available resources are oftentimes targeted toward mothers. This can potentially lead to leaving fathers without the knowledge of how to become more involved in their child’s life. Derrick Dukes is the parent engagement coordinator at the Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child & […]
The University of Chicago Crime Lab – Honoring 10 Years of Innovative Strategies
The University of Chicago Crime Lab recently celebrated 10 years of work spurring innovative crime reduction strategies. The results of Crime Lab and Education Lab work have developed into centerpieces of Chicago’s anti-violence strategies. One such success is Choose to Change (C2C), an intervention designed to help youth at risk of violence victimization and school disengagement. Developed […]
Englewood Community Mural Unveiling
Over the summer, children and youth, elected officials, Children’s Home & Aid staff and more came together with the Englewood community for a mural unveiling at Ogden Park. Over 40 youth involved in the One Summer Chicago program worked hard in preparation for this unveiling with a local artist. Ogden Park is home to a […]
Summer Intern Damani Hood’s Experience in Washington D.C.
Damani Hood is one of 15 summer interns at Children’s Home & Aid. His internship, through the Bank of America Student Leaders Program, consists of two months working in the agency’s Resource Development department and the Ahlquist Center for Policy, Practice & Innovation. We’ll be introducing our interns through the summer, sharing their experiences at […]
Thriving Families Podcast – Episode 1 – Power of Fathers
Children’s Home & Aid communication specialist Isabella Rodriguez sits down with Power of Fathers director Ed Davies and public policy intern Haley Aubrey to discuss how the program successfully supports and engages fathers and what plans they have for the future on the public policy and legislative front.
Meet Andre, One Summer Chicago Participant
One Summer Chicago is a summer youth work program for youth ages 14 through 24 that allows teens and young adults to get employed and work throughout the hot summer months in Chicago. The program was started by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and is open to residents of Chicago. A couple of weeks ago, I went and joined […]
Meet Jabari, One Summer Chicago Participant
A few weeks ago, David T., another One Summer Chicago participant, and I met up with other youth at a worksite in Englewood. David and I are working at Children’s Home & Aid this summer on the communication team as interns. The youth were helping reconstruct the community garden next to the church they met […]
Meet Julian, One Summer Chicago Participant
A few weeks ago, David T., another One Summer Chicago participant, and I met up with other youth at a worksite in Englewood. David and I are working at Children’s Home & Aid this summer on the communication team as interns. The youth were helping reconstruct the community garden next to the church they met […]
Meet Terrence, One Summer Chicago Participant
A few weeks ago, David T., another One Summer Chicago participant, and I met up with other youth at a worksite in Englewood. David and I are working at Children’s Home & Aid this summer on the communication team as interns. The youth were helping reconstruct the community garden next to the church they met […]
Meet David: Children’s Home & Aid Communications Team Intern
David T. is another intern from One Summer Chicago working at Children’s Home & Aid on the communications team with me. We’ve been working together for the past six weeks and we sat down together to talk about our experiences growing up and working this summer. David was born and raised in Chicago. For David, it […]
Meet William, One Summer Chicago Participant
Meet William, a One Summer Chicago participant. One Summer Chicago is a summer youth work program for youth ages 14 through 24 that allows the youth to get employed and working throughout the hot summer months in Chicago. The program was started by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and is open to residents of Chicago. A couple […]
Meet Jaylen, One Summer Chicago Participant
Meet Jalen Word One Summer Chicago participant. One Summer Chicago is a summer youth work program for youth ages 14 through 24 that allows the youth to get employed and working throughout the hot summer months in Chicago. The program was started by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and is open to residents of Chicago. A couple […]
Employment Opportunities for At-risk Youth
When Louis Blake found himself homeless at age 15, he made his way to a shelter that works with homeless teens, which in turn referred him to Children’s Home + Aid. Louis was initially served by the Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services (CCBYS) program, which provided support for teens who are homeless. Sadly, the program that […]
Opportunity Youth
Children’s Home + Aid’s Director of Youth Services, Jimi Orange, Youth Mentor Avery Sterling, and client Lewis Blake spoke with Chicago Tonight recently to discuss the City of Chicago’s efforts to reengage youth ages 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor currently working. The Chicago Tonight story is a follow up from the Thrive Chicago Opportunity […]
MSNBC Comes to Chicago For Town Hall on Gun Violence
MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes” arrived in Chicago today to hear directly from residents how the city’s violence has affected their lives. Children’s Home + Aid’s Director of Youth Services, Jimi Orange, and Youth Mentor Avery Sterling were invited to attend the event. The town hall-style program was taped this afternoon at the Paul Robeson Theater in […]
National Conference of Mayors
As a teenager growing up in Englewood, Avery Sterling often believed he had no future and that no one cared. A few years ago, Avery came to Children’s Home + Aid and with the guidance of a mentor, he got a job through the One Summer Chicago program. Today, Avery is employed full-time with Children’s […]