Chicago Youth Centers

Cool Kids

 

Environmental Education at Camp Rosenthal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elliott Donnelley Drum Troupe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turning 16 is a big deal, and Julie Denison—daughter of CYC board member Charlie Denison—wanted to celebrate her birthday with lots of family and close friends. But she decided it would be an even more meaningful milestone if she shared her good fortune with others in a substantive way. So she invited her friends to regress a bit and shop for the kinds of presents they loved when they were in elementary school. The result was a Santa’s workshop array of games, books, puzzles, dolls, action figures, and much more that found their way to Fellowship House Youth Center in Bridgeport. Julie’s parents helped her deliver the gifts and enjoyed spending some time getting to know the staff and members of Fellowship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Toby Gardner, front row, second from left, was about to turn nine, he gave his upcoming celebration a lot of thought. His mother, Terri, liked the idea of using the nearby Northbrook Park District Leisure Center to entertain the large group of boys he planned to invite. Keep it simple, she thought. Then he told her he wanted to tell everyone what kind of gifts to bring—sports items—and that he wanted to share them with other kids who hadn’t been as lucky as he and his friends. Not quite as simple. But for Terri, who is on the philanthropy committee of Toby's school, organizing the gift giving around her son’s own philanthropic initiative was a task she took on gladly. By partnering with the newly relocated and expanded Centro Nuestro Youth Center in North Lawndale, Toby and his friends were able to provide much-needed recreational items for that growing membership.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biography of 2006 Rising Star

Artesia Strong

 

 

 

 

Artesia Strong is only seventeen, but has already demonstrated her strength of character and her strong resolve to succeed.

 

Artesia is a student at the South Shore campus of the School of Entrepreneurship and has been attending CYC’s Rebecca Crown Center for almost four years. Before describing her achievements, I’d like to look at what obstacles this young woman has already had to overcome in her life.

 

Artesia’s home life was a difficult one. Growing up with a parent who was a substance abuser meant that she had to assume a great deal of responsibility in helping to raise her younger sister. At the age of ten, she and her sister were being raised solely by her grandmother who was also raising three other grandchildren. During those years, Artesia’s mother attempted to rehabilitate herself for the purpose of gaining custody of her children and finally did succeed in regaining custody of her children.

 

In spite of the turmoil in her young life, Artesia excelled at school. She is an honor roll student, a member of the National Honor Society and ranked number three in the CPS regional finals in science. Last summer, she worked as an intern at the University of Chicago’s Cancer Research Center. She has also served as a peer counselor at CYC – Crown.

 

For the past three years, Artesia has been a CYC Watson Scholar and is enrolled in the Associated Colleges of Illinois’ College Readiness Program. In June, she will graduate from high school and will begin college in the fall. She has already been accepted at Jackson State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Wartburg College in Iowa, Fisk University in Tennessee, and Alabama A& M.

 

Chicago Youth Centers is proud to present its Rising Star Award to this remarkable young woman, who has exemplified the will to endure and the strength to succeed.

Everyone has a ball on Toby’s birthday

Sixteen has never been sweeter