Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC)

We are CPS teachers in the Back of the Yards community who know that many of our students' families are struggling -- especially the undocumented families who are not eligible for Federal emergency financial assistance.  We call on State and local leaders to establish funds to support these members of our community, and as we await their action we are are passing along some of the Covid-19 stimulus funds we have received to create an emergency assistance fund.

We will give $500 each in cash assistance to as many families as we can -- our initial goal is to raise $15,000 to support 30 families who live or attend school in Back of the Yards, are unemployed due to Covid-19, and cannot receive Federal aid.  We are working with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council to securely distribute these funds to selected families.

If you are able, please contribute generously to provide some relief to families who are struggling during this crisis and excluded from much-needed government aid.

The 2018-2019 Solorio DREAMers Scholarship Drive marks the sixth consecutive year that the Solorio community has come together to raise money to help fund scholarships for its graduating seniors who are undocumented. Now more than ever, funding for undocumented students has become more limited, which make our efforts more necessary. To date, the fund has awarded over $15,000 in scholarships to twenty different students who in turn have used the money to pay for tuition, books, and fees.

In addition to all of the obstacles that any other Solorio student faces in making college a reality, our undocumented students are faced with the additional hurdles of being ineligible to receive any state or federal financial aid. For many, the DREAM Team Scholarship means not having to take out loans, being able to pay for books/student fees, or being able to even attend college at all. The scholarship criteria is mostly need based and focuses on the overall contributions the student to the community over the course of their four years at Solorio. This year we are trying to raise $20,000, which would mean that we can provide financial support to all applicants and alumni. Thanks again for your donation - as an advisor to our school’s Dream Team and having personally taught many of these recipients, I can’t really think of a better direct cause to support.

Know that your assistance will be the difference between students having the ability to close the gap to attend a 4-year institution. That means closing an already large financial gap without access to over $10,000 in grants and additional low interest loan opportunities open to their peers. With your help, students have been able to attend local 4-year institutions like Dominican University, North Park University, and Saint Xavier University. Other have had the opportunity to away as far as Eastern Illinois University, Connecticut College, and Pomona College (California).

Testimonies:

I am extremely grateful for the support that I received from the DREAM Team my senior year of high school. I would like to thank those who donated to support the team through the GoFundMe page. The scholarship that I received contributed to my educational expenses, which is one thing that I will always appreciate. -Cynthia Espino, Dominican University

Being eligible for the DREAM Team Scholarship can open doors that you previously had shutdown. Now that I am in college, I realize that senior year actually mattered. Having the money to pay school or any other school expenses. My senior experience was not the best. I allowed my house problems to take over my mentally, which only lead to a bad outcome. After I found out my mom was diagnosed with cancer everything drop. I ended up dropping volleyball and soccer because I had to take care of my mom. Senior year ended and my grades and GPA was not the best when I graduated. I was upset because that was not the way that I wanted it to end. However if I would have separated my problems with school and kept them where they belonged I would have been eligible for the STAR scholarships. But I took a different route.

-Lorena Ortega, Malcolm X College

Being undocumented has caused many doors to close but because of the DREAM Team I can continue to educate myself and expand my knowledge further by attending college. I usually put others before myself and that made me realize that I want to major in Nursing. I want to help people as much as I can which is why I decided to attend Malcolm X College and study to become a nurse. The DREAM Team scholarship has given me the opportunity to strive to become better than the person I was yesterday, to appreciate the unique opportunity that I receive because not everyone has a chance to attend college and I am very thankful and blessed for this opportunity.  

- Sheyla Pena, Malcolm X College

The Dream Pursuers Club provides a space for undocumented students at Back of the Yards College Prep to support each other as they navigate unique challenges in high school and the college application process.  One especially great barrier that students face is access to funding for college: ineligible for State or Federal financial aid and with increasingly limited access to scholarships, undocumented students often struggle to fund their college goals.  


When the club’s first members approached graduation two years ago, students joined together to raise funds and establish our own scholarship for the undocumented Seniors graduating from BOYCP.  In that first year, we gave away $5000 in scholarships to two graduates. Last year, for the second graduating class, we surpassed this goal, awarding a total $8000 among five graduates. This year we have an amazing class of graduating Seniors who have been with the club and supported our fundraisers since the very beginning -- and we are aiming to again surpass our donations from last year and raise a total of $10,000  between cash and online donations.


Our scholarship sends our students off to college with the confidence that comes with knowing that their school and community are invested in their success.  We hope you will join us in supporting our soon-to-be-graduates as they pursue their dreams in college and beyond.