Claretian Associates named by Bank of America as its 2025 Neighborhood Builder

Angela Hurlock, CEO of Claretian Associates, accepts a check as part of the organization being named a Bank of America 2025 Neighborhood Builder. Photo provided by Bank of America.
Angela Hurlock, CEO of Claretian Associates, accepts a check as part of the organization being named a Bank of America 2025 Neighborhood Builder. Photo provided by Bank of America.

Claretian Associates named by Bank of America as its 2025 Neighborhood Builder


By Tia Carol Jones


Bank of America has named Claretian Associates and Aspire of Illinois as its 2025 Neighborhood Builders. These two organizations join 44 other Chicago based nonprofits who have been named Neighborhood Builders since the program began in 2004.


“Our local nonprofits are crucial to addressing local challenges across Chicagoland," Bank of America Chicago President Rita Cook said in a release.


“Aspire and Claretian Associates are deeply woven into the fabric of our community, providing supportive services that create economic opportunity for individuals and families. Through flexible funding and comprehensive leadership training, the Neighborhood Builders program will help them expand, addressing even more critical needs and helping more families access the support they need to thrive.”


Claretian Associates was founded in 1991 as a faith-based community development corporation, started by the Claretian missionaries in the South Chicago community. Started as a program of the local parish in the 1970s, Claretian Associates will be celebrating 35 years since its incorporation. Since 1991, it serves about 3,000 families a year with housing and other quality of life services. It has built about 250 units of housing and has about 100 units currently in construction orpredevelopment.


Angela Hurlock is the CEO of Claretian Associates. She said that Claretian Associates is excited about the partnership with Bank of America and to be named one of the Neighborhood Builders. As part of the program, Claretian Associates will receive a $200,000 grant over two years, as well as leadership training for its executive director and an emerging leader, and access to a national network of peers in the nonprofit sector.


Claretian Associates will use the grant money to grow its real estate team. Hurlock said that South Chicago is on the brink of a great opportunity with the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. She said it will put South Chicago on the map in a different way than its history as the site of the U.S. Steel Company. She said with IQMP coming to South Chicago, there is an opportunity to create more housing, both for current residents who desire new housing and those who will be coming. Growing its real estate team is essential for Claretian Associates to meet the demand that is on its way.


Currently, Claretian Associates has an 81-unit building called Sacred. It includes 81-units of affordable rental housing and 6,000 feet of commercial space. The goal of the Sacred project is to provide safe and affordable housing, along with the kinds of amenities families need in order to thrive in the community.


Sacred will be located at 92nd and Burley. Hurlock said that people in the community know that Claretian Associates has been building up the community and working to support the families there for many years. She said with being named a 2025 Neighborhood Builder brings more attention to the work the organization has been doing for people who might not be familiar with South Chicago.


“It’s been a lot of years that we’ve been working on improving the quality of life and improving to make our community a community of choice, not one of last resort. This allows us to have greater visibility to be able to garner greater partnerships and resources and opportunities to be able to continue to take our work to the next level,” Hurlock said.


June Cimino, Market Executive for Bank of America, said the Neighborhood Builders program is a way for Bank of America to have a targeted focus in the communities that it serves. She said the comprehensive leadership development program is unique and helps those leaders build further partnerships. It is tailored to topical issues for nonprofit organizations, anything from strategic planning to storytelling and fundraising.


Cimino said the organizations that are part of the Neighborhood Builders program really enjoy connecting to their peer network. She said while the grant funding piece is important, there was a need for leadership development, as they wanted to be successful fundraisers. The leadership development piece gives the leaders the tools they need to be successful. She added that the selection committee, which is comprised of Bank of America executives and nonprofit partners, were familiar with the work of Claretian Associates and Aspire of Illinois and could attest to their impact.


For more information about Claretian Associates, visit claretianassociates.org.

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