Community Focus
Refurbished Basketball Courts Create a Safe Space For Community to Play
Rob Castaneda founded Beyond the Ball in 2006. Growing up, sports was always a big part of life. He always loved being at the park and being outside. He wanted to be involved in sports as an adult, so he decided to become a coach. After a couple of incidents where his home was set on fire and wanting to move, girls on the basketball team that Castaneda’s wife coached encouraged them not to leave the community. Naturally, he went back to sports and founded Beyond the Ball as a way to improve the quality of life and make young people safe in the neighborhood.
CHICAGO SCHOLARS CEO NAMED OBAMA FOUNDATION LEADER
Jeffery Beckham, Jr., CEO of Chicago Scholars and Co-CEO of Reach Pathways, has been named an Obama Foundation Leader.
Hammond’s Promise Land Shows The Results Of Hard Work And Dedication
Tina Hammond and her husband bought a vacant lot in West Englewood in 2014 for $1 across the street from their home. They fixed up the lot and created an oasis and safe space. They named the space, which is located at 6832 S. Paulina, ‘Hammond’s Promise Land’ to reflect their intention to make it a place where people can experience beauty.
UNCF CHICAGO RAISES MORE THAN $100,000 AT THE 41ST ANNUAL WALK FOR EDUCATION
More than 1200 supporters attended when UNCF (United Negro College Fund) held its 41st Annual Walk for Education recently along Chicago’s lakefront at South DuSable Lake Shore Drive at 39th Street in Burnham Park. The event raised more than $100,000 and the donation link to the Chicago Walk remains open through Sept. 30.
Black Harvest Film Festival Celebrates 30 Years
The Black Harvest Film Festival is celebrating a milestone and continuing its legacy of showcasing films from the African diaspora that highlight the African American and Black experience.
QUILT Corporation Provides Digital Literacy And Affordable Internet To Communities
Dwayne Douglas founded QUILT Corporation and NODE Networks in 2020 after realizing that there were people that are disconnected from the internet and didn’t understand the value of engaging in the digital economy. Prior to founding QUILT and NODE, Douglas was working in IT and Telecommunications, but wasn’t aware there were communities that were experiencing digital equity issues. He knew what was needed was a nonprofit that would provide digital literacy skills and an ISP that would provide affordable access to the internet.
Austin Harvest Continues Its Mission With Permanent Market
Residents in Austin have a permanent place to buy fresh produce. The Austin Harvest hosted a ribbon cutting for its permanent location at 423 N. Laramie Ave.
Local Students Honored at Cub Scholars Event
Ellis Alexander is a senior at Jones College Preparatory High School. He heard about the Cubs Scholars program through his participation in the Cubs Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) and Career As Sports Executives (CASE) programs.
Take Back the Block Comes To Grand Crossing
On a sunny Friday afternoon, the sounds of a band playing The Jackson’s “Can You Feel It,” filled the air as community members walked down the blocked off street by St. Moses the Black.
PhD Project Aims To Diversify Business Leadership
A national nonprofit organization is aiming to improve campus diversity by promoting diversity through increasing the representation of faculty of color at colleges and universities. The PhD Project provides support to people from diverse backgrounds as they pursue their PhD, with the hope they can inspire and teach business leaders in the next generation.
Chicago Football Classic Set For September 21st
The Morehouse College Tigers and Kentucky State University Thoroughbreds will hit the grid iron going head-to-head in the Chicago Football Classic Annual Game which is set for Saturday, Sept. 21st, at Soldier Field.
NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race Added Another Page To Our History
Before NASCAR’s Grant Park 165 took to the streets of Chicago, Bubba Wallace hosted his annual Bubba’s Block Party at Douglass (Anna and Frederick) Park, located at 1401 S. Sacramento, on the city’s West side.
My Gun’s Been Moved is Available For Pre-Orders
With My Gun’s Been Moved, Kayla Austin gets to combine two of her passions: Activism and Entrepreneurship. She has been able to create a product that includes social justice, technology, media and entrepreneurship. It has been a blessing for her to see business, entrepreneurship and technology as an opportunity to solve an issue that can save lives and prevent injury.
MR. FASCINATE INSPIRES YOUNG PEOPLE’S INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Growing up, Justin Shaifer had a natural fascination with planets and the aquarium. He remembers living in Chicago and going to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium.
