A New Development Project At The Former Independence Bank Site

Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Network has partnered with Malcolm X College to turn the former site of Independence Bank into a business office for Gift of Hope and a location that will have healthcare programs in connection with Malcolm X College. Photo provide by Gift of Hope
Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Network has partnered with Malcolm X College to turn the former site of Independence Bank into a business office for Gift of Hope and a location that will have healthcare programs in connection with Malcolm X College. Photo provide by Gift of Hope

A New Development Project At The Former Independence Bank Site

By Tia Carol Jones
The former site of Independence Bank, located at 7936 S. Cottage Grove Ave., will be renovated to house the Gift of Hope community outreach and operations.  It will also house a healthcare and skills training program through Malcolm X College.

The Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Network purchased the building in 2019. Independence Bank was the nation’s largest Black-owned bank. The site was the former home of Shore Bank and Urban Partnership Bank.

The Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Network has served Illinois and Northwest Indiana for 35 years.  They have worked with hospitals, families, partners, and community leaders to facilitate organ and tissue donations.

The 48,000 square foot building will include a new allied healthcare training program for recent high school graduates and second career seekers.  Programs such as Community Health Workers, Medical Assistant, Personal Fitness trainers and Emergency Medical Technicians certificate programming. Also, they will offer general education and continuing education courses. The building will also house the Gift of Hope business offices, backup call center and community outreach; and ‘Movement’, which is an entrepreneurial training and support program for teens, supported by the Chicago’s Third Horizon Strategies.

The initial Construction on the building was set to begin on Oct. 1. It is scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2022. The renovation is set to cost $10.9 million.

Dr. Harry Wilkins, president, and the CEO of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Network, spoke about the transformation it will bring to the Chatham neighborhood. Wilkins talked about growing up in Chatham and how he opened his first bank account at Independence Bank. The Gift of Hope purchased the building in 2019 as a location for the backup call center and a Chicago base.

“The vision that this building could become even more and produce an even greater impact for Chatham began with three people at the Gift of Hope,” Wilkins said.  He named Jack Lynch, Marion Schuck and Ross Raspopovich. “Those three, over the past two years, have enlisted partners who have shared our vision for this site.”

The programs to be offered by Malcolm X College will enable students that qualify for careers in the healthcare industry that offer livable wages.

“This clinic will help all members of this community access much needed quality physical therapy in their own neighborhood,” said David Sanders, president of Malcolm X College. “We’re doing this now because the demand for these careers are skyrocketing and we must train individuals from the community to service the community and expand access to confidence in and the quality of healthcare overall.”

Illinois State Representative Marcus Evans said that planning and purposeful thought and meeting must happen for things to come together. He credited the 8th Ward Alderman Michelle Harris and the 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer with coming together and having a plan for this building.

“It was emotional for me, because I’m tired of vacant buildings. I saw the work Alderman Michelle Harris and Alderman Sawyer were doing, the planning and purposeful meetings. So, of course I advocated very very hard to get those State dollars, along with my other colleagues to make this building become a reality,” Evans said.

Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter’s relationship with the Gift of Hope goes back 19 years when she was first in the legislature. She began working with the Gift of Hope to pass the organ donor legislation.

“Today is so important because all of these different entities are coming together to expand the vision for the Gift of Hope. They’re bringing in the education and the training, they’re bringing skills to this community,” she said.

The goal of the partnership between Gift of Hope and Malcolm X College is to save lives and educate residents so they can take better care of themselves, with proper nutrition and proper healthcare, as well as address the inequities in healthcare.

“We decided to name this the Miracle Mile. You know we have the Magnificent Mile downtown, but this is actually the Miracle Mile, because we’re going to change lives. We’re going to change the trajectory of this community,” said Marion Shuck, vice president of governmental relations and external affairs.

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