$31 million sports, education and wellness campus coming to North Austin
Cubs Player Jason Heyward will bring the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy to the campus. Photos by Tia Carol Jones
John Zayas is the Senior Pastor at Grace and Peace and CEO and founder of the Revive Center. Zayas discovered with the pandemic and riots on the West side there were not enough resources. The Revive Center has been located at 1856 N. Leclaire for 14 years. The surveys showed that there weren’t any activities for community residents ages 15-22.
The 150,000 square foot campus was the opportunity to bring the wraparound services that Grace and Peace provides, along with the educational services, By the Hand Club for Kids, and with the sports training of Intentional Sports together in one place.
“We felt like if this campus can be done right, where it looks toward the future and helps people, we can make an impact on the West side,” he said. “We believe that this partnership is the key to everything. Too many organizations are doing it by themselves, and they can only reach a certain destination or destiny.”
Donnita Travis, founder and executive director of By the Hand Club for Kids, is always looking for opportunities to have a greater impact on the lives of children and their families. By the Hand Club for Kids has five locations throughout Chicago, including a location at Kinzie and Laramie, where they serve 800 children. The new campus will be by the hand Club for Kids’ sixth location.
“Two miles in a city like Chicago is like going into a completely new neighborhood,” she said. “Our goal is to serve thousands of kids and we have the opportunity to serve more kids at this location.”
Andy McDermott, of Intentional Sports, was brought in last summer to build the sport program for the campus. There will be football, volleyball, baseball, basketball, esports, character building and leadership, as well as external programs – Adult Night Leagues and camps.
“None of us are here to just create a sports center and charge people and make money. That’s not why we’re all here. We’re all here because there’s a need, where kids around here and other cities and urban centers around the country aren’t getting the same opportunities as kids in Lake Forest or Barrington or Scottsdale …,” he said. “I just feel like all kids deserve to learn a sport, to fall in love with a sport and learn the lessons, I did when I was five years old.”
McDermott has started doing soccer clinics in the neighborhood and through talking to the children who participate found there is a need for a safe space for the young people in the community. He wanted to bring a professional level training center that is a safe space the young people could come to everyday.
Chicago Fire Foundation will build a permanent location on the campus. It will offer 20 free hours of soccer programming each week, regardless of their socioeconomic status. It will include training from professional level trainers and coaches.
“For us as a club and a foundation, it’s extremely important to give back to the community. We are looking to serve all 77 neighborhoods across Chicago. We knew this would provide more access and safe places to play for a community that needs it,” said Jessica Yavitz, executive director of the Chicago Fire Foundation.
The Jason Heyward Baseball Academy will also be located on the campus. Heyward who plays for the Chicago Cubs wanted to serve as an example of what baseball looks like and where baseball brought him, to Chicago.
“It looks like people are coming together out of nowhere. If you would have told me when I started playing this game at 5-years old that I would have an opportunity to reach back into a community, to leave a legacy off the baseball diamond. Yes, winning a championship on the field, but I feel like this is a life championship,” he said. “Thank you for taking me in as your own. I love this city.”
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