Polk Bros Foundation

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Polk Bros Foundation grant generously supports Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) programs and growth.  CYC is grateful to have the generous support of the Polk Bros Foundation.  The foundation has been a funding partner to CYC for a number of years; and their support has had a significant impact on our ability to grow both our impact and our outcomes.  We are extremely proud to have this support which allows us to continue to increase CYC’s capacity to help put kids on a strong path to success and impact generational cycles of poverty and violence.  

The Foundation’s Mission

The Polk Bros. Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for the people of Chicago. We partner with local nonprofit organizations that work to reduce the impact of poverty and provide area residents with better access to quality education, preventive health care and basic human services. Through our grantmaking, we strive to make Chicago a place where all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Believe in Kids Dinner

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About the Believe in KidsDinner

The theme for this year’s Believe in Kids Dinner is Empowering Generations. The Honorary Chairs are Prue and Frank Beidler and Jay Beidler and his wife Deborah Witzburg. The Beidler Family represents two generations of one family dedicated to Chicago Youth Centers (CYC), and service to this community. Our dinner is the centerpiece of CYC’s fundraising events.

Held on Wednesday, April 23rd in the ballroom of the Standard Club, the evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail reception and the program and dinner at 7:00 p.m. This year’s program will feature Wes Moore as the keynote speaker. Mr. Moore is the critically acclaimed author of The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. For more information about the dinner or to become a sponsor, please contact Vakarie Christian,Vakarie.christian@chicagoyouthcenters.org, or 312-913-1700 Ext. 424 If you cannot attend the event but would like to show your support, click here to make a donation to CYC.

The event features a Silent Auction. The auction will include vacations, sporting packages and more. It will also feature a unique opportunity to directly support our Program Wish List that includes: sending kids to camp, providing program supplies and helping to support the greatest needs of our kids and centers.

About Our Speaker

Wes Moore is an American success story and a born leader—but he wasn't always on the path to achievement. Raised in a single-parent household in Baltimore with his sisters, Moore was drawn toward trouble as a child, enough so that his mother eventually enrolled him in a Pennsylvania military school. This single, determined choice effectively changed the course of her son's life.
Click here for a preview of Mr. Moore speaking.

About your Investment in CYC

Support for the Believe in Kids dinner will have a meaningful impact on programs at our seven community centers and Camp Rosenthal in Dowagiac, MI. More than 85% of every dollar raised at the dinner directly benefits our kids, families and communities.

About Chicago Youth Centers

Our Mission: Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) invests in youth in underserved communities in Chicago to help them discover and realize their full potential.
Our Vision: CYC helps develop successful kids in Chicago’s underserved communities by helping them break out of the generational cycles of poverty and violence.
Our Pillars: Our strategic pillars are founded on the core principals of surrounding kids with the social capital they need to be successful—safe spaces, family engagement and community engagementand providing them with the skills they need to be successful—knowledge, access, involvement, choices.
1. Match our programming to the true needs of our kids and communities
2. Provide a coordinated continuum of support and programming.
3. Build 21st Century life and learning skills
4. Engage and train parents to support their transitions at critical social/emotional and academic transitions
5. Continuously measure and improve our outcomes
Our Values: To be Fiscally Sound, Maintain the Highest Standard of Ethics, Chicago Centric, Prevention Focused and Develop effective and meaningful Partnerships & Collaborations.

About the Audience

Approximately 400 corporate, civic and community leaders attend this event annually.

Read More

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

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[soliloquy id="1856"]The Bank of America Chicago Marathon was held on Sunday, October 13. CareerBuilder, supported by CYC Board member Brian Donahue, sponsored a team of 23 runners who participated in the marathon and had a goal of raising $30,000 for CYC. Kelly Cass, was the first place finished among the women. Her time of 4:24:22 led her to an overall place of 18,517 in the race and 6,218 among the female runners! Among the men, Scott Laumann completed the course in 2:54:07! He came in 512 overall and 460 among the men. Kelly and Scott and all of the runners deserve a big round of applause for their hard work! The event was a tremendous success and the CareerBuilder team was successful in their goals of completing the marathon and in raising much needed funds for CYC!

About CareerBuilder

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CareerBuilder has the largest online job site in the U.S., but is more than just a job board—it is the global leader in human capital solutions. Through constant innovation, unparalleled technology, and customer care delivered at every touch point, CareerBuilder helps match the right talent with the right opportunity more often than any other site.  More than 24 million unique visitors a month visit CareerBuilder to find new jobs and obtain career advice. CareerBuilder works with more than 300,000 employers around the world, including 92% of the Fortune 1000. Founded in 1995, and with approximately 2,000 employees worldwide, CareerBuilder's mission is to empower employment. It is striving to organize all of the world's human capital data and make it meaningful for society. CareerBuilder powers the career sites for more than 10,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and leading portals such as MSN and AOL. CareerBuilder operates in the United States, Europe, Canada, Asia and South America. Its sites, combined with partnerships and acquisitions, give CareerBuilder a presence in more than 60 markets worldwide.

Philanthropy - It’s All in the Family

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Al-Reid-Group-Shot-1 For four years, CYC Corporate Board member, Al Reid, Divisional Vice President, Corporate Development, Abbott, and his two children, Ariel and Christopher have been providing laptops to CYC members through a program that they started called Laptops for Learning. Through this program, 15 CYC kids, from middle school through college freshman, have received a new laptop to help support their academic progress.

In an interview with Al Reid, he shared the following words about the program, his children’s involvement and the inspiration for their generosity:

What inspired you to provide this support?

“I was inspired to provide this support from my children's high school community outreach program. Since technology plays an increasingly important role in the learning process and is associated with productivity improvements, the Laptops for Learning program was formed. Laptops for Learning seeks to eliminate the digital divide between communities and students that do and those which do not have access to computers.”

What impact has this support had on the laptop recipients?

“The Laptops for Learning program has greatly benefited children who previously did not have access to computers to complete homework assignments or to do basic research on the internet. The recipients have all reported a sharp improvement in their academic performance as a result of having laptops in their home. Previously many of these students did not have access to computers once they left their schools and were not able to venture to public libraries due to safety concerns.”

Your children are involved with the program. What do you hope to teach them through this experience?

“My children, Ariel and Christopher, both college students (Stanford and Vanderbilt) have been touched by the way the laptops have made a difference in the lives of young students. They believe the Laptops for Learning program will allow students to exploit the opportunities from the expanding use of technology.”

CYC thanks Al, Ariel and Christopher for their ingenuity and generosity!

Our Mission

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Our MissionChicago Youth Centers (CYC) invests in youth in underserved communities in Chicago to help them discover and realize their full potential. Caring for Our Communities For 57 years, CYC has steadfastly served communities on the south and west sides of Chicago. Today CYC centers are in seven communities across metro Chicago. We consistently deliver programming to serve the needs of kids, parents and communities—focusing on academic achievement, social and emotional skill development and parent/family engagement. Our centers are characterized by passionate and committed staff and serve as learning centers for our kids, community resources, and safe spaces.

Our Programs Early Childhood Education (ages 3-5) 900+ children served annually

School-Age Child Development (ages 6-12) 1,200+ served annually

Teen Leadership Development & Intervention (ages 13-19) 570+ served annually

Camp Rosenthal (ages 7-15) 390+ served annually

Your Dollars at Work We are proud and careful stewards of the dollars you invest in our work. We are very proud that more than 85% of every dollar raised goes directly to support of our programs.