Last week, Hoops in the Hood and Playstreets kicked off their Summer programs in Southwest Chicago. The premier was a hit, attracting almost 100 neighborhood residents over the course of the afternoon. The crossover event took place Friday, June 29th, on the 6000 block of South Rockwell. At 11 o’clock, the Playstreets crew loaded up cars and carried over hoops, grills, tents, tables, and more. They then transformed the residential block into a basketball court, wrestling arena, face painting booth,…

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The Teen Reach Program was started nine years ago, originally at Fairfield School for one year before moving to the Morrill School, where it has stayed since. The program works to give students in grades five through eight a productive environment to stay on top of their academic work and provides them with positive mentors and outlets for expressing themselves. The young people can build relationships through the program that last them the rest of their lives. Each day is…

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On Saturday, June 2, Neighborhood Works celebrated its 40th anniversary as an organization in America and 31st in Chicago by cleaning up the 5900 and 6000 blocks of South Campbell Avenue. A group of over 100 people comprised of corporate volunteers, Campbell Avenue locals, and police gathered at 8:30 in the morning to start cleaning. The team worked hard for over three hours mowing lawns, painting walls and fences, planting flowers, cleaning yards, weeding, and more. In total, they were…

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Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) is issuing the following Request for Proposals for the Parent Mentor Program (referred to throughout as “PMP”).  This Request for Proposals is presented by SWOP, in partnership with the State of Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). We expect to grant a small number (8-10) of awards, with a priority of funding community-based organizations that add to the ethnic, racial, and geographic diversity of our current parent mentor network. A letter of Intent…

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Community economic development is a big topic in Chicago.  Everyone is talking about how to revitalize communities and their commercial corridors while also creating family supporting jobs.  It is no wonder then that Jeff Bartow, along with Meghan Harte from LISC, Perry Gunn from Teamwork Englewood, and Carlos Nelson from Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation were invited to speak on this subject to the City Club of Chicago on May 31st.   In his presentation, Jeff outlined SWOP’s work as…

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More than 60 SWOP leaders traveled to Springfield on May 9th to rally for the Parent Mentor Program. They were joined at the State Capital by almost 200 other leaders from 11 other organizations from around the state. All are participants in the Parent Mentor Program in local schools. Through the program, the Parent Mentors spend two hours a day in classrooms working with students and assisting teachers.  Research shows this has been an effective way to improve academic achievement…

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The Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) wants to hire two new organizers.  First, SWOP is looking for an experienced organizer who can take the lead on one or more of our current campaigns.  This is someone who has experience with community organizing and is looking to take on more leadership in an organization.  SWOP is also looking for a community organizer.  Experience is always good, but we will consider someone who has passion, intelligence, an ability to learn, and is good…

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When the Sears store at 62nd ST. and Western closed over ten years ago, it left a big hole in the Chicago Lawn community.  Gone were the opportunities for families to shop at a major department store.  Soon, the Jewel grocery store and the movie theater were gone as well.  Left behind was a large swath of vacant land that neither provided shopping opportunities nor jobs for community residents.   As SWOP’s Reclaiming Southwest Chicago campaign began to show real…

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SWOP is excited about today’s launching of the Chicago CityKey Program. There is a Community Day on Monday! Cards will be printed on Monday, April 30 at Kennedy King College’s W Building located at 6301 S. Halsted Street from 10:00 AM until 7:00 PM.  Their appointment system is currently booked through the month of May and June (Yes, the demand is high!), so we recommend sending residents to the events taking place in neighborhoods across Chicago. Here is the calendar: https://www.chicityclerk.com/chicagocitykey/how-apply/make-appointment/citykey-mobile-sites If individuals need…

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