All Stars Project of Chicago campaign to establish a Center for Afterschool Development
Published by Christina DiChiara
On June 16, 2016 All Stars Project of Chicago Board member Suzu Neithercut and AMLI Residential CEO Greg Mutz joined All Stars Project CEO Gabrielle Kurlander and ASP of Chicago City Leader David Cherry to announce the launch of a brand-new, $13 million campaign to build a Center for Afterschool Development in Chicago during the annual Partners with Youth Benefit Luncheon. The Chicago Center will be the hub of afterschool development programs in the nation’s third-largest city, and will be modeled after the two beautiful and vibrant Centers for Afterschool Development opened by the All Stars over the last decade in New York and New Jersey.
“Our campaign for an Afterschool Development Center is a new vision and way forward to engage Chicago’s history of divisions and inequality, and the crisis in social development gripping our poor neighborhoods and city,” said All Stars Project of Chicago City Leader David Cherry. “The people of Chicago – black, white, Latino, rich and poor, we are going to solve this crisis.”
The Partners with Youth event brought over 400 Chicago business and community leaders together at The Standard Club to honor All Stars Champions Brian Cook (USG Corporation) and Sabrina Guthrie (Tengelsen Family Foundation) for their commitment to Chicago’s youth and afterschool. All Stars also presented Community Spirt Awards to prominent community and nonprofit leaders, including Pastor Corey Brooks (New Beginnings Church of Chicago), Jennifer Farrington (Chicago Children’s Museum), Alicia Gonzalez (Chicago Run), Phillip Jackson (The Black Star Project), and Audrena Spence (Metropolitan Family Services, Calumet Center).
In addition, three Development School for Youth alumni gave inspirational statements about the impact All Stars afterschool programs have had on their lives, and 15-year-old spoken word artist and All Stars Talent Show Network participant Tamara Reed performed her powerful, self-written piece entitled “We May Not Be Painters.”
The event surpassed its fundraising goal with $507,499 raised to fund further growth of All Stars programs in Chicago in 2016 and to begin work on the Center Campaign.