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Philanthropy - It’s All in the Family

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

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.

Day of Caring

On July 25, 2013, volunteers from the Chicago Tribune participated in a Day of Caring at CYC’s ABC Polk Bros. Youth Center. Volunteers helped to facilitate games, assisted with face painting, and served food to our youth and families at our Annual Carnival Day. The cotton candy machine and variety of game prizes were quite a hit! Volunteers had such a great time that they are interested in coming back for other group projects as well as on an individual basis. Our Annual Carnival Day was a huge success thanks to the service and financial support provided by the Chicago Tribune and its staff.

A Tree Grows in Pilsen

Gabriela Torres is Chicago Youth Centers’ (CYC) Sid and Sondra Epstein Believe in Kids Scholarship recipient and is paving a “green” path to success. “As a child looking out of my small bedroom window, there was a villain I could not stop. I felt as if I could see its dark cape swooping over my neighborhood with no regard. This cape still lingers over the neighborhood and obscures the beauty of local parks, museums and churches,” Gabriela Torres writes in her scholarship essay, and her community’s antagonist can’t remain much longer. That is because Ms. Torres is determined to defeat him by achieving her goal of becoming an environmental scientist, ensuring communities’ safe ecosystems, particularly in underserved urban areas, which are more prone to environmental hazards.

Her unwavering conviction to lead an environmental care initiative to eliminate permeating smog and waste in her community of Pilsen is just one of the very many reasons CYC has named Ms. Torres the 2013 Sid and Sondra Epstein Believe in KidsScholarship recipient. Each year, CYC awards the $5,000 college scholarship to a Chicago high school senior to be applied to the tuition of his or her selected college. The recipient demonstrates strong leadership characteristics, personal integrity and commitment to community service and serves as a role model for younger children. In addition, he or she holds a high school GPA of 3.2/4.0 or higher, serves on teen councils and actively mentors in CYC programs.

Ms. Torres was recognized and presented the award at CYC’s Believe in Kids Annual Dinner on May 2. Having recently graduated from Young Women’s Leadership Charter School, one of the seven locations at which CYC implements its 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, she is attending Loras College this fall.

In her essay’s conclusion, Ms. Torres states, “This villain that has terrorized many communities will soon be stopped as I will take all that I learn from my education and experiences and apply it to all those innocent communities like mine.”

Strategy. Legacy. Purpose. Love.

by Barbara Mosacchio, President and CEO, Chicago Youth Centers A formula for successful nonprofits. The Board and the staff of Chicago Youth Centers (CYC), throughout our 57-year history, have developed a unique care-centric community services model that blends the essence of head and heart. We know there are four critical components that equate to a well-balanced formula for success: strategy, legacy, purpose and love.

Strategy Objectives are reached when there is a solid plan crafted to achieve them. Without a map, there is no direction. A good strategy serves as an organization’s North Star, guiding you to respond to needs, optimize opportunities and rise to challenges. CYC is embarking on its next strategic planning process, and as we do, I am continuously reminded that while important, strategy alone will not determine our success.

Legacy At the core of everything CYC is and does, is the vision and heart of our founders, Sid Epstein and Elliott Donnelly — what they saw, felt and responded to 57 years ago —what they aspired to for the kids of Chicago — is also our North Star. Each member who has served on our board, each donor who has contributed to our work, and each staff member who has made the choice to be part of CYC, are still today the rich legacy that we celebrate and honor, and the second critical component for our continued success.

Purpose Deeply embedded in our current work and in our legacy is our sense of purpose. It is a fine thread woven through the fabric that is and always has been CYC. We clearly understand and respond to the reason we do what we do — children, families and communities. Our purpose defines us, guides us and inspires us. It is the third critical component for our continued success.

Love The intangible but essential element of this work and in some ways perhaps the most important is love. When I joined CYC just over a year ago, what was clear to me is that this is an organization that is well loved and guided by love. We have Board members and staff who have dedicated their lives to CYC. If you ask them why, the answer is always easy—"I love this work. I love the kids, families and communities we serve. I love knowing I am changing lives." Perhaps this is the most critical component for our continued success.