The year was 1956, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower had successfully transitioned from the head of an army at war to the head of a country at peace. By the mid-fifties, many Americans had gotten quite comfortable with the new post-war prosperity ….

This is how Chicago Youth Center’s upcoming 250-page history book celebrating 50 years of serving low-income at risk children and teens in Chicago begins—during what have become known as the years of remarkable post-war growth and prosperity.

Unfortunately, the economic growth and other social improvements did not reach into those Chicago neighborhoods where the median income levels were at or below poverty level and the commerce and industries were minimal, resulting in a low tax base and underfunded schools and social programs. These communities were consistently plagued by joblessness, single-parent families, deteriorating housing, gang activity, drug use and trafficking, and increasing levels of violence.

Chicago Youth Centers: The First 50 yearstakes the reader from the birth of CYC—on an elevator in the Community Fund building—on a decade-by-decade tour of the people, places, programs, and policies of CYC within the larger context of life and politics in Chicago and the country. The story begins with two men and three foundering programs in three rundown buildings that became Chicago’s largest locally based youth development organization. Today 5,000 low-income youth ages 3 to 19 and parents are provided annually with safe havens and the resources, guidance, and encouragement they need to gain an education and break out of the poverty cycle and lead successful lives.

 Funded in large part from a generous grant from the Sappi Paper Company and gifts from CYC Board Chairs and designed pro bono by Faust Design, the book is due out in late December or early January. Watch the Good News box on the front page for the upcoming book launch. To reserve a copy, contact Esther Warren at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (supply is limited).

Click here to read the preface