• Signup for Email
  • About Children’s Home & Aid
    • Mission & Vision
    • Meet Our Leadership Team
      • Mike Shaver
      • Jan Stepto-Millett
      • Angelica Stapert
      • Sean Soun
      • Paula Corrigan-Halpern
      • Sara Irmen
      • Dawnielle Jeffrey
      • Lynsey Sloan
      • Mendy Smith
      • Renae Storey
      • Amanda Whitlock
    • Board of Trustees
    • License & Accreditation
    • Mission & Vision
    • Financial Information
    • Client Policy and Rights
  • Get Involved
    • Join an Auxiliary Board
      • Join the Young Professionals Board
        • Membership Request Form
      • Hinsdale Auxiliary
      • Lost Dunes Golf Committee
      • Rice Leadership Committee
      • The Woman’s Board
      • Central Regional Advisory Board
      • Northern Regional Advisory Board
      • Southern Regional Advisory Board
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Chicagoland
      • Volunteer Central
      • Volunteer Northern
      • Volunteer Southern
  • Ways to Give
    • Make a Donation
    • Double Your Impact – Matching Gifts
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Planned Giving
    • Make a Gift of Stock
    • Give Through Your IRA
    • Children’s Home & Aid Legacy Society
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Shop Amazon Smile
    • See Your Impact
    • Create Your Own Fundraising Event
  • Policy Center
    • Advocacy
    • Start to Finish Coalition
    • Youth Budget Commission
    • Our Projects
    • The Ahlquist Agenda Podcast
    • Result of the Quarter
    • Get our Newsletter!
  • Events
  • Blog & News
  • Locations
  • Careers
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
    • Equity, Diversion and Inclusion Resources
    • Black History Month 2022
      • Black History Month 2021
    • Self-Care After the Election
    • Hispanic Heritage Month
    • Native American Heritage Month
    • Women’s History Month
    • Juneteenth
    • Pride Month
Children's Home + Aid
Donate
  • DONATE NOW
  • Child Welfare
    Services
    • Intact Family Services
    •  Foster Care
      Services
      • Become a Foster Parent
        • Learn More – Informational Meetings
      • Foster Parent Resources
      • Excellence Academy
      • Specialized Foster Care
    •  Foster to
      Adopt
      • Become an Adoptive Parent
      • Adoption & Guardianship Preservation
      • Adoption Information Request
      • Adoption Resources
      • The PEPAC Program
      • Post-Adoption Services Program
  •  Counseling &
    Treatment Programs
    • Adoption Support & Preservation
    • Choose 2 Change
    • Community Based Behavioral Health
    • Families And Children in Treatment
    • Family Centered Counseling Services
    • Family Solutions
    • Chicago Project Connect
    • Helping Children Heal Through Extensive Therapy
      • The Rice Center
    • The Butterfly Project
    • Family Counseling for Youth in Crisis
      • Redeploy Illinois Children Program
      • Youth Services
      • Host Home Placement
  • Parenting
    • The Butterfly Project
    • The Children’s Room
    • The Crisis Nursery Program
      • Motherhouse Crisis Nursery
      • Bloomington Crisis Nursery
    • Early Start
    • Family Visitation Center
    • Healthy Families Illinois
    • Doula Services
    • Kid’s Turn
    • Parents Care & Share
    • The PEPAC Program
    • Stronger Beginnings for Families
    • Thriving Fathers & Families
  •  Child Care
    & Education
    • Community Child Care Centers
      • Bloomington
      • Carpentersville
      • Englewood
      • Palatine
      • Schaumburg
      • Viva Chicago
    • Early Head Start
    • The Head Start Program
    • Preschool For All
    • Child Care Assistance Program
      • CCAP Request Form
    • Child Care Resource and Referral
      • Southern Region
        • Looking for Child Care
        • Parent Resources
        • Provider Services
        • Statistical Information
        • Training Opportunities
        • CCR&R Staff Directory
  • Contact Us
  • Signup for Email
  • About Children’s Home & Aid
    • Mission & Vision
    • Meet Our Leadership Team
      • Mike Shaver
      • Jan Stepto-Millett
      • Angelica Stapert
      • Sean Soun
      • Paula Corrigan-Halpern
      • Sara Irmen
      • Dawnielle Jeffrey
      • Lynsey Sloan
      • Mendy Smith
      • Renae Storey
      • Amanda Whitlock
    • Board of Trustees
    • License & Accreditation
    • Mission & Vision
    • Financial Information
    • Client Policy and Rights
  • Get Involved
    • Join an Auxiliary Board
      • Join the Young Professionals Board
        • Membership Request Form
      • Hinsdale Auxiliary
      • Lost Dunes Golf Committee
      • Rice Leadership Committee
      • The Woman’s Board
      • Central Regional Advisory Board
      • Northern Regional Advisory Board
      • Southern Regional Advisory Board
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Chicagoland
      • Volunteer Central
      • Volunteer Northern
      • Volunteer Southern
  • Ways to Give
    • Make a Donation
    • Double Your Impact – Matching Gifts
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Planned Giving
    • Make a Gift of Stock
    • Give Through Your IRA
    • Children’s Home & Aid Legacy Society
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Shop Amazon Smile
    • See Your Impact
    • Create Your Own Fundraising Event
  • Policy Center
    • Advocacy
    • Start to Finish Coalition
    • Youth Budget Commission
    • Our Projects
    • The Ahlquist Agenda Podcast
    • Result of the Quarter
    • Get our Newsletter!
  • Events
  • Blog & News
  • Locations
  • Careers
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
    • Equity, Diversion and Inclusion Resources
    • Black History Month 2022
      • Black History Month 2021
    • Self-Care After the Election
    • Hispanic Heritage Month
    • Native American Heritage Month
    • Women’s History Month
    • Juneteenth
    • Pride Month
Return to all blog and news posts

Community Collaboration Empowers Chicago Youth

by Sara Krueger
8/12/2021  |  City of Chicago

“It’s incredibly powerful to watch kids in our programs as they discover they have it within themselves to shape their own lives and make a difference in their own communities. This isn’t a job. This is my life mission.”

~ Michel Quezada, Manager of Family & Community Engagement, Children’s Home & Aid

Michel Quezada is excited to create more opportunities for young people in Chicago. A longstanding partnership with All Things Through Christ Outreach Ministries (ATTCOM), a West Englewood non-profit organization focused on youth success, community outreach and crisis support, demonstrates what Michel, her team and key partners can do with newly allocated Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) federal grant dollars. 

Michel, manager of Family & Community Engagement at Children’s Home & Aid, oversees our youth programming in greater Chicago and is the driving force behind many of our engagement efforts, including the development of our partnership with ATTCOM. This community-centered collaboration kicked off in 2018 during our work with One Summer Chicago, an annual city-wide initiative that links youth and young adults with over 20,000 employment and internship opportunities.   

Rev. Gwen has dedicated time to guide participants from multiple youth services programs at Children’s Home & Aid: R.I.S.E (Restoring Individuals through Supportive Environments), MMI (Mayors Mentoring Initiative) and CYSC (Chicago Youth Service Corps). Her guidance has provided an opportunity for youth to gain work experience, enhance their leadership abilities and serve their community. From working in the ATTCOM food pantry, to beautifying the community garden and developing a comprehensive summer programming curriculum, we are witnessing the growth within participants who are provided opportunities through meaningful collaborations in the community. 

 “ATTCOM didn’t have programs for young men…We have a garden at the church….[so] when Children’s Home & Aid approached us about placing young men in jobs outside, I said, ‘Let’s do it!'” 

~ Reverend Gwen Sampson, Director of Operations, All Things Through Christ Outreach Ministry 

“We are rooted in where we work and are thankful for collaborations like the one with ATTCOM,” reflects Michel Quezada. “Together, we’re connecting the dots between services to create more opportunities for kids to learn, grow, and give back to their communities. This is how change begins.” 

Now, with IDHS funding via its Illinois Youth Investment Program (IYIP), Michel and her team have launched the first, fully comprehensive workforce development program for youth at Children’s Home & Aid. This new opportunity has allowed us to deepen our connection with longstanding community partners and support more youth as they gain practical, paid, on-the-job experience, bond with other kids their age, and learn new skills and career insights along the way. 

 “I love putting a smile on people’s faces, especially my people [in the community]. Doors are opening. My plan at first was to get a job so I wasn’t just doing nothing. But the people I work with, I’m starting to like it. The other day I had a conversation with one of the staff. I got a lot of knowledge from it. I needed that talk.” 

~ Jay, IYIP participant  

Michael Barajas, one of Children’s Home & Aid’s IYIP case managers, mentors and coaches the five youth in our program who are currently building work experience at ATTCOM. Through IYIP, Michael and other coaches focus on nurturing relationships with youth by acknowledging the reality of their day-to-day lives and creating holistic solutions by addressing basic needs – like transportation and healthcare. Adaptive approaches are tailored for each individual participant.  

Currently, Michael works with the four youth who were placed for work experience with ATTCOM. These youth are IYIP “Level 2” participants, meaning that they are working toward a long-term, sustainable employment plan.

 “I tell the guys I work with in the program to just pass the information along. Tell your friends, tell anybody who might qualify, to reach out and learn about resources. We want to get people involved and active.” 

~ Michael Barajas, IYIP case manager, Children’s Home & Aid 

We’re providing more opportunities for youth through intentional collaborations like the one with ATTCOM and removing barriers that make it difficult for communities to thrive. Guided by the voices of families, and with our partners, volunteers, and supporters by our side, we are working to achieve a shared vision of a more equitable future that focuses on family and community well-being. 

“We’re always looking for people willing to partner with us to mentor youth and place them in their businesses for job experience,” Michel Quezada said. “By working with members of the community like Rev. Gwen, who are willing to do whatever it takes to improve the lives of families in our neighborhood, we can break some of the barriers that prevent these brilliant young men and women from excelling.” 

Read our Blueprint for Impact: Living Our Values to learn how our evolution as an organization has informed our mission and vision through the years and drives our aspiration to see every child, every family and every community thriving. 

share
No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search the Blog

Categories

  • 135th Anniversary (16)
    • Hope With Wings (1)
  • Adoption (15)
  • Associate Board (1)
  • Black History Month (3)
  • Blue Bow Campaign (18)
  • Butterfly Project (1)
  • Central Region (24)
  • Champions for Children (11)
  • Chicago Cubs (2)
  • Child Welfare (12)
  • City of Chicago (25)
    • One Summer Chicago (12)
      • Summer Intern Project (8)
  • Corporate Partner Spotlight (6)
  • COVID (1)
  • Crisis Nursery (9)
  • Cultural Competence (2)
  • Diversion and Inclusion (1)
  • Diversity and Inclusion (1)
  • Domestic Violence (1)
  • Donor Spotlight (2)
  • Early Childhood Services (16)
  • EDI (6)
  • Education (9)
    • Literacy (1)
  • Equity (1)
  • Families Thriving Podcast (2)
  • Family Visitation Center (1)
  • Fatherhood (4)
  • Fiscal Scan (4)
  • Foster Care (8)
  • Foster Care Spotlight (2)
  • Foster Parent Mentoring (5)
  • Fundraising (25)
    • Stuff the Bus (2)
  • Graze & Raise (1)
  • Healthy Families Home Visiting (2)
  • Holiday Time (19)
  • Home Visiting (1)
  • In the News (16)
  • Jerri Hoffmann Child & Family Center (1)
  • LGBTQ (1)
  • Memorial Day (1)
  • Mental Health (5)
  • Mission (27)
    • Careers (14)
      • Internship (7)
    • Leadership Spotlight (9)
  • Mitzi Freidheim Child + Family Center (4)
  • MotherHouse (1)
  • Mothers Day (1)
  • Northern Region (13)
  • Philanthropy (9)
  • Power of Fathers (4)
  • Program Results (58)
    • CCAP (2)
    • Choose 2 Change (7)
    • Community Schools (5)
    • Doula (4)
    • Foster Care (19)
      • Intact Family Services (2)
    • Head Start (2)
    • Healthy Start (2)
    • Mentoring (5)
    • Parents Care + Share (2)
    • Redeploy Illinois (2)
    • RISE (1)
    • Safe from the Start (2)
    • Stat of the Month (3)
    • Stronger Beginnings for Families (3)
  • Relative Caregivers (2)
  • Rice Child + Family Center (19)
  • Southern Region (13)
  • State Budget Crisis (6)
  • The Ahlquist Center (29)
    • Advocacy (18)
    • Newsletter (7)
  • Uncategorized (18)
    • Mentorship (4)
  • Veterans Day (2)
  • Volunteer Spotlight (4)
  • Woman's Board (7)
  • Youth Budget (2)

On Twitter

My Tweets

HRC Seal of Recognition

Image
Children's Home + Aid is a recognized leader in supporting and serving LGBT families.
Children's Home + Aid

Corporate Home Office

200 West Monroe Street, Ste 2100, Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 424-0200
+ DONATE NOW!

ABOUT

  • Media / Press Room
    • Press Releases
  • Careers
  • Financial Information
  • Corporate & Foundation Partners
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy

GET IN TOUCH

  • Contact Us
  • Volunteer
  • United Way
  • COA

© copyright 2022 children’s home + aid