Awards Event Recognizes People Who Give Back To The Community

Chrishon Lampley, owner of Love Cork Screw, did a wine tasting at the Village Legal and Community Project fundraising gala. Photo by Tia Carol Jones.
Chrishon Lampley, owner of Love Cork Screw, did a wine tasting at the Village Legal and Community Project fundraising gala. Photo by Tia Carol Jones.

Awards Event Recognizes People Who Give Back To The Community

By Tia Carol Jones

The Village Legal and Community Project recently hosted its annual fundraising gala. During the event, three local individuals were recognized for the positive impact they’ve made on the community. Chrishon Lampley, Founder and CEO of Love Cork Screw, was honored with the B.O.S.S. Award; Jasir Bailey, Owner of Stock Boy Chicago, was honored with the Baby B.O.S.S. Award; and Channyn Lynn Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance, was honored with the Village Award.

“I wanted to recognize people in the community whose work mirrors our mission and our vision, which is about empowering our communities. All three of the honorees tonight, their work exemplifies that and we wanted them to know we see you and we appreciate you,” said Joan Clay, Esq., Founder of The Village Legal and Community Project.

Clay founded The Village Legal and Community Project in 2021 because she wanted to empower members of the community to create communities where people have access to justice. The Village Legal and Community Project’s signature programs include a Baby B.O.S.S. program and a resume bootcamp, both geared toward providing necessary workforce skills to young people who want to obtain employment or start their own businesses.

“All three of these people exemplify what we’re trying to do, which is to empower everyone to know that, we share who we are and what we have, in order to empower the community,” Clay said. She added that once one person does better, we all start to do better. She said the goal is to strengthen families, businesses and communities.

It was the first year The Village Legal and Community Project hosted the awards event, which featured a wine tasting with Lampley and Love Cork Screw and desserts from Strugglebeard Bakery. Clay said that it was wonderful for her to see people enjoy the event and enjoy each other. Clay said that Lampley is a phenomenal entrepreneur and has built her businesses from the ground up. She said Lampley’s strength, mentorship and willingness to help others is how she empowers other people.

Clay said that Bailey not only has his own business, he has also shared his knowledge of how to elevate. She said that Bailey also feeds the community and does everything he can to give back to the community. Clay said that Parker works tirelessly, not just for the LGBTQIA+ community, but to ensure everyone’s rights are protected. She said Parker has a heart for people and wants to protect everyone. She said Parker wants to ensure everyone is aware of their rights.

“I think now that recognition of individuals who are doing community work is more important than ever because we’re in a landscape where they’re hyper-focused on dividing us, so the more that we can lift up each other and counter the narrative that this administration is trying to put out there, the better off we all are collectively,” Parker said.

Bailey is set to open the store for his clothing line, Stock Boy Chicago, in October in the Hyde Park community. The store will also be an incubator and a space for creatives. He said the goal is for creatives to bring their brands to life. He wants to uplift the youth through his clothing brand and store. He said he wanted to do it because he didn’t have the resources when he started, so he is providing those resources for other young people. He said it feels great to be recognized for giving back to the community.

“I work really hard to do everything I can for the community and for the city, so to be recognized for it feels really good,” he said. Bailey said it motivates him to keep going when he is recognized for his work, receive awards and get accolades.

Clay said that the community can support the work The Village Legal and Community Project is doing by following them on social media, share the work the organization is doing, sign up for the newsletter and donate. The organization has launched a new campaign called Become a Member of the Village, where people can contribute monthly to help build the Village. Clay also wants people from the community to become a member of its board. She said as the needs of the community continue to grow, the organization continues to grow.

For more information about The Village Legal and Community Project, visit www.tvlcp.org.

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