Southwest Side Youth Center 3919 W 63rd St

The Latino Organization of the Southwest in collaboration with A-STRRONG-U are asking for your support for our new youth center. We are asking for you to sponsor a youth for $35.

A-STRRONG-U is a youth program and it stands for Always Stick Together, Resist Reach out and Never Give Up. If we were to say what this program's biggest success is, that would be the youth and what they have taught us throughout the years. We continue to see how powerful, brave and smart they are regardless of the challenges they face every day. Through this program youth have received therapy services, improved their grades and self-esteem, built new friendships, and found a place where they belong.

The services that we have been able to provide for the past 10+ years are the following: Mental health services, tutoring, youth workshops/parent workshops, community service, STEAM programming, field trips, career panels, college tours, support with job applications and FAFSA forms. We have been able to provide community members with jobs and volunteer opportunities as well. We provide services to at least 250 youth annually. Our job is to empower our youth and families to be successful while addressing their personal trauma and losses, identify their feelings and support systems and learn how to maintain a positive perspective.

Why are we asking for funding from the community? One of our limitations has been space. We have been able to collaborate with Westlawn and Archer Heights library, Westlawn and Archer park, Balzeka's museum, Hurley Elementary, Edwards Elementary, Hancock H.S., Hubbard H.S. and Solorio H.S. We were always looking to see where we could facilitate our programming and they gracefully housed us periodically. We were recently awarded funding allowing us to secure a space for 3 years in the community.

We are taking this opportunity to share that we will be opening an official youth center with a focus on mental health at 3919 W 63rd St. in January of 2023. It is a youth center that addresses youth needs holistically. We will continue to provide the same services from a positive mental health perspective. We are extremely excited to create a calming, relaxing and fun space for our youth. Although we have space secured, we do not have unrestricted funds. With the capacity we have now, we have been motivated to pursue a larger budget to facilitate our program annually.

Our grant money is not guaranteed, and it is restricted. We would like to ask you to consider donating to our youth center so that we can continue to pay employee salaries for the next 3 years. Without our team, we cannot provide services to our youth. We would like to secure a therapist's salary as well for the next 3 years. If we are able to secure the $500,000, we will be able to run this program securely for the next 3 -6 years.

In collaboration with Jose Linares, the landlord of the property, and LOS, we were able to identify this space as a perfect spot being only a block away from Hubbard High School.

We are asking you to consider donating $35 to sponsor a youth, but anything you can contribute will help. All funding will go to the Latino Organization of the Southwest for youth programming, rent, and the youth team salaries. Please help us reach our goal. Follow us on FB: ASTRRONGU Southwest Youth Council. Thank you so much, and God bless.

Funded by Bridges for Success, ICIJA, CYS, Teen Reach, SAMHSA and Chicago Community Grants.

Special thanks to our families, friends, local representatives, local business owners, local schools, our team and especially our youth.