CREATE Program Partners Celebrate their Education Commitment’s 5th Year with over $700,000 in STEM Contributions to Southside Schools and Educational Institutions


CREATE Program Partners Celebrate their Education Commitment’s 5th Year with over $700,000 in STEM Contributions to Southside Schools and Educational Institutions

April 29, 2024 – The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program partners have continued their commitment as part of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (75th St. CIP), to bolstering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education within Chicago Public Schools, Leo High School, the Museum of Science and Industry and Chicago Public Library through the Library Foundation. For the 2023-2024 school year, the Program partners donated $25,000 across eight recipients, totaling $200,000. This marked the fourth time that the CREATE Program partners have provided grants as a part of their education commitment to communities within the 75th St. CIP corridor.

The CREATE Program partners education commitment continues for the 2024-2025 school year with their fifth announcement of another round of grants totaling $200,000 ($100,000 directly from the CREATE Partners and a matching $100,000 was donated by Norfolk Southern), to Chicago Public Schools, Leo High School, The Museum of Science & Industry and The Chicago Public Library Foundation. This announcement of funding was made at Englewood STEM High School on April 29th highlighting success stories from the past five years, the announcement of recipients for the upcoming school year, and remarks from CREATE Program stakeholders and supporters.

“A thriving future relies on the foundation we build today. STEM education isn't just about equations and experiments,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “It's about empowering our youth to innovate, to solve problems, and to shape a world that's increasingly driven by technology and scientific discovery.”

"Norfolk Southern is committed to the long-term growth and vitality of Chicago, understanding the critical role STEM education plays in shaping the future workforce," said Norfolk Southern Director Corporate Giving Kristin Wong. "We're proud to partner with Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Public Library Foundation, investing in the innovators and leaders of tomorrow within our communities."

The CREATE Program partnership comprises the U.S. Department of Transportation, State of Illinois, Cook County, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak and the Association of American Railroads which includes the nation’s six Class I railroads. This partnership has garnered more than $2.1 billion to modernize the Chicago region’s rail infrastructure along with adjacent roadways. While individual railroads have provided grants to community groups in the past, these grants are unique and grow out of agreements made by the CREATE partners to provide community benefits throughout work on the 75th St. CIP, which will remove conflicts between rail and pedestrian/vehicular traffic.

The 75th St. CIP is the most complex piece within the overall CREATE Program and is a group of four projects that were advanced as a singular project due to their logistical and environmental similarities. This rail and roadway improvement project is on the south side of Chicago in the neighborhoods of Ashburn, Auburn Gresham, Englewood, and West Chatham along two passenger and four freight rail lines. The project area is roughly bound by Pulaski Road, 63rd Street, Interstate 94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) and 103rd Street. To learn more about the status of the 75th St. CIP, please visit the project construction page: Construction Update - CREATE 75th (75thcip.org).

As the 2024 school year began, CREATE partners worked with several south side Chicago elementary and high schools to fund engineering and urban planning activities for students to engage with the transportation and infrastructure industries. Partnering with Children First Fund (CFF): the Chicago Public Schools Foundation, CREATE is providing CPS schools with resources and learning activities related to elements of the 75th St. CIP. Partner investments in the 2024 – 25 school year will continue STEM programming, allow for the creation and improvement of STEM clubs (rocketry, cybersecurity, 3D Printing, bridge building and physics), makerspaces and STEM Programming. In addition, funding to CFF also covers an internship program for high school students, where students have the opportunity to intern for a CREATE Partner or contractor for a six-week period. This summer will be the program's second year.

Program partners from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) and the Program’s railroads will continue to visit classrooms to demonstrate building structure, street design and railroad crossing design.

“As a dedicated advocate for education and workforce development initiatives in Cook County, I support the CREATE program and its efforts to foster STEM education for our students,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

"The Chicago Public Library Foundation celebrates the immense impact of the CREATE Program and Norfolk Southern Foundation's generosity,” said Brenda Bui, President & CEO of the Chicago Public Library Foundation. “CREATE’s support has ignited a passion for informal STEM education among countless Chicago children and families, breathing life into cherished programs like Summer @ CPL and ScienceConnections. Together, we're fostering a love for learning that transcends the classroom, shaping brighter futures for our communities.”

With support from the CREATE Program, the Museum of Science and Industry was able to amplify their MSI Curiosity Kits: Observation Edition. The Summer Brain Games kit encourages young people to discover their neighborhood and explore STEM in the city, a theme that is closely related to the CREATE partner’s efforts to engage local students with the 75th St. CIP. Take-home activity kits were made available at several Chicago Public Library locations near the 75th St. CIP during the 2023 summer, with most kits (84%) went to underrepresented geographic communities.

“By bringing science activities directly to students during the summer, we're nurturing a crucial interest in science outside the classroom. It's vital to keep children engaged, excited, and motivated about science even when school's out,” said Octavia Hooks, Director of Development of the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. “This curiosity not only fuels their learning but also instills the belief that science is accessible to everyone, fostering a lifelong passion for exploration and discovery.”

The CREATE partners are committed to supporting programs in the neighborhoods around the project area to encourage students’ interest in transportation, engineering and technical fields throughout the design and construction of the 75th St. CIP, which is anticipated to last through 2027.

About the 75th St. CIP and CREATE Program: 

The CREATE Program is a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership to improve the rail and roadway transportation network within the Chicago region through the completion of 70 interrelated infrastructure projects. The CREATE Program is a partnership that includes the U.S. Department of Transportation, State of Illinois, Cook County, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, the Association of American Railroads along with freight railroads BNSF, Belt Railway Company of Chicago, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian National, CSX, Indiana Harbor Belt, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. The Program is designed to eliminate freight rail and motor vehicle bottlenecks, boost the economy of northeastern Illinois and improve the overall safety and environment of the region. 

To date, 33 projects have been completed out of the 70 that are a part of the CREATE Program. 

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