Strides For Peace - 2021 Race Against Gun Violence Fundraiser

Our vision is a Chicago where all can thrive and live free of the fear of gun violence. Our mission is to increase the collective impact of community organizations working to END gun violence, save lives and build a stronger Chicago.

To do this, we seek to address investment and proximity gaps in efforts to end gun violence, by funding and seeding growth for a diverse collaborative of organizations throughout the city. Strides for Peace intentionally engages different sized organizations with a spectrum of interventions and responses – gun violence is too complex to be solved by only one or two approaches: we must work together.

Our partners, who are trusted and respected in communities most impacted by violence, inform all our work. We listen to and learn from them and they listen to and learn from each other. Together, we build individual and collective capacity so we all grow more effective in addressing the impacts of, and ultimately ending, gun violence.

A Project for Us from Strides For Peace on Vimeo.

The Advocate Trauma Recovery Center is a health care-based violence intervention program that provides quality services and resources to survivors of intentional trauma with compassion, respect and care. Our purpose is to aid individuals who have experienced trauma in rebuilding, restoring and strengthening their sense of safety by ending the cycle of violence. We provide access to trauma-informed care by acknowledging how past and present traumatic experiences and stress may impact the individuals and families we are serving. Our team is specially trained to support the unique needs of survivors and their families to foster hope for a better future.

After School Matters is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to provide Chicago public high school teens with opportunities to explore and develop their talents, while gaining critical skills for work, college and beyond. In 2019, After School Matters provided nearly 19,000 teens with high-quality after-school and summer programs in arts, communications & leadership, sports, and STEM.

The mission of the BASE Chicago is to leverage the power and passion of sports to empower youth (ages 8 to 18) on Chicago's west side to achieve their full potential by choosing to stay in school, graduate and get assistance to enter college or other career based training. BASE Chicago will prodice the city's best baseball and softball players, most importantly BASE Chicago will build some of the best citizens in Chicago.

BUILD’s mission is to engage at-risk youth in the schools and on the streets so they can realize their educational and career potential and contribute to the stability, safety and well-being of our communities. Since 1969, BUILD has been a second family for Chicago’s marginalized youth, helping thousands of young people facing the steepest challenges—like poverty, involvement in the justice system, and chronic exposure to violence and other sources of trauma—escape gang violence and become leaders in safer, stronger communities. BUILD now reaches 6,500 youth and families annually in six challenged Chicago neighborhoods—Austin, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Belmont Cragin, and Fuller Park.

Catholic Charities is fundraising for The Peace Corner Youth Center, which is located in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago's Westside. Originally established to provide the neighborhood youth a safe haven from gang violence and drug dealing, The Peace Corner has grown into a community center that provides employment services, GED class referrals, basic skill development, recreational programing, legal counseling, mentoring, tutoring, and hope for all that are willing to take a step in a positive direction. Through the Peace Corner, Catholic Charities offers a wide variety of services to the youth and families of Austin, and hopes to expand their capacity to work with the people there to continue to make it a safer place to live and grow.

The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation envisions a community free from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual violence, including sexual assault and the commercial sex trade. CAASE addresses the culture, institutions, and individuals that perpetrate, profit from, or support sexual exploitation. CAASE is excited to be demonstrating our commitment to holistic violence prevention throughout Chicago by participating in this year's Race Against Gun Violence.

Using outdoor adventure sports like paddling, orienteering, cycling, camping and rock climbing, Chicago Adventure Therapy (CAT) works with Chicago youth to have a lasting positive impact on their communities and become healthy adults by teaching effective social skills and strong leadership skills, increasing participants’ sense of possibility, and fostering a sense of empowerment and personal responsibility.

The Mission of the CHAMPS Male Mentoring Program is to Educate, Empower, and Expose African-American and Latino Young Men beyond the four walls of the school in order to help them to achieve their dreams and goals.

The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to honoring the lives of fallen Chicago Police heroes. The Foundation provides support and financial assistance to the families of Chicago Police Officers who were killed or catastrophically injured in the line of duty. 

Chicago Run is a nonprofit organization that provides children and youth from pre-K through high school with fun and engaging physical activity programs regardless of age, neighborhood, or athletic ability level. We serve over 18,000 children and youth with high-quality enriching physical fitness programs. Our goal is to improve the physical fitness and social/emotional well-being of all our participants by following a Sports Based Youth Development model and using Trauma Sensitive coaches.

Chicago Survivors is a non-profit organization that provides a range of services for surviving family members of Chicago homicide victims. Chicago Survivors staff members work to ensure families receive early crisis intervention, supportive counseling, advocacy, and referral services from the moment of the death notification for a period of at least six months. Chicago Survivors also supports an ongoing Community of Survivors as a means of peer support and as an avenue for constructive engagement in anti-violence efforts.

Christ the King Jesuit College Prep, a Catholic school on Chicago’s West Side and a member of the Cristo Rey Network, challenges and inspires its young women and men through the integration of academics, work experience, and extracurricular activities to lead lives of integrity, faith, and servant leadership for the greater glory of God.  

Now is the time for students and activists to come together as one and share ideas on how we can make schools and communities safer from gun violence.

The Crater Big Brother Mentor Program (CBBMP) is a mentoring program endeavoring to make a difference in the lives of youth between the ages of 8-18, as well as the community, by providing mentorship, educational opportunities and life skills.

ConTextos uses the power of education and personal narrative to promote healing and reflection, and to foster critical thinking and dialogue. We seek to lift up the voices and insights of people affected by trauma, to challenge assumptions, and to provoke change.

The Firehouse Community Art Center has served as a safe haven for young people in the Chicago area for over a decade and has been coordinating various events and art programs dedicated to preventing and interrupting youth and young adults caught in violence. The Firehouse Community Art Center was birthed from youth and young adults in North Lawndale who attended an all youth and young adult Saturday night Hip-Hop worship service in 2003, started by Pastor Phil Jackson. Youth and young adults came from all over the community and city to engage in the arts. This prompted Pastor Phil and several partners to incorporate The Firehouse Community Art Center as a 501(c)(3) in 2006, and in 2007 they purchased the 100 year old Chicago Firehouse in North Lawndale. The Firehouse now offers year-round, multi-disciplinary cultural arts programming, mentorship, leadership and workforce development centered around the prevention and interruption of violence.

Gun violence is a reality in our city and it's important that, as a community and a team, that students of Whitney Young support a good cause.  As the students reflect on how this may have directly (or even indirectly) affected our lives, we will use this race to bring this issue to the forefront of our minds and decide how we can be responsible citizens of Chicago and lend a hand in ridding our community of violence.

Gary Comer Youth Center was established in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood in May 2006. Our mission is to ensure students graduate from high school prepared for college and careers. We provide a safe and supportive environment for youth after school, on weekends and during school hours. We are committed to developing the full potential, talent and skill of young people from 5th grade through college graduation. We offer programming in three primary categories: academics, enrichment and college success.

Our mission to enable every girl to find her voice, discover her strength, and lead with confidence through sports, health, and leadership programs is amplified and as critical as ever. Empowering these voices to speak up is a step towards generational change and a step towards creating a level playing field.  Our commitment to a diverse, inclusive and just society is an active one, embedded in 26 years of programming that now seeks to improve through a greater commitment to active listening, a resolute commitment to those diverse voices that help to inform it and to stand up for those who need us.

Guitars Over Guns aims to empower youth from Miami and Chicago's most vulnerable communities through a powerful combination of music education, public performance opportunities, and mentoring relationships. Our mentors are all local, professional musicians who are trained in Social Emotional Learning best practices designed to help youth overcome hardship, find their voice, and reach their potential as leaders. During the 2019-20 school year, our team of 55 mentors served nearly 1,000 students across 20 school- and community-based sites in Chicago and Miami. 

Healing Hurt People-Chicago (HHP-C) is a hospital-based violence intervention program (HBVIP) launched in August 2013 as a collaboration between the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County (Stroger), The University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital (Comer) and the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice at Drexel University in Philadelphia (Drexel).

HelloBaby from HelloBaby NFP on Vimeo.

HelloBaby is a not for profit organization whose mission is to support, empower and inspire families raising young children in underserved neighborhoods in Chicago.

The mission of I Grow Chicago is to grow Englewood from surviving to thriving through community connection, skill building, and opportunity. 

Once abandoned and up for demolition, I Grow Chicago's Peace House now serves as a community center with events, after-school tutoring, summer camp, community yoga classes, Peace Garden, and a food and donation pantry. Nearly 15 different programs assist every generation of West Englewood with every aspect of their lives, from learning to take a deep breath before reacting to learning how to use computers. Since the Peace House opened, what was previously one of the most dangerous blocks in West Englewood has become a symbol of hope and transformation.

Intonation kids explore their limitless potential by learning to play instruments and forming their own rock bands. Offered in partnership with schools, park districts, and community organizations, our year-round classes make music accessible to children by providing them with instruments, instruction, mentorship, and the chance to perform on stages across the city. Each Intonation student takes part in a personal and team approach to practice, setting goals and problem solving; and over time, they gain the confidence to take charge of their direction and seek out new experiences.

Kids Off the Block (KOB) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2003 by Diane Latiker who opened her home to youth in her community to help them steer away from the negative influences they saw daily.  KOB works with youth, teens, and young adults ages 12-24 years old, offering homework help, mentoring, activities and a “safe place."

The Kindness Campaign creates local leaders, involved community members, engaged businesses and at-promise young adults through leadership of impact initiatives.

The mission of M.A.S.S. is to ensure our children are able to go to school, play outside their homes, and return safely without fear of being a victim of gun violence.

Metropolitan Family Services empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive. Part mentor, part motivator, part advocate, since 1857 Metropolitan Family Services has been the engine of change that empowers Chicago-area families to reach their greatest potential and positively impact their communities.

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) serves as the conscience of law enforcement by being committed to justice by action. NOBLE has nearly 60 chapters and represents over 3,000 members worldwide that represent law enforcement officials of all ranks from federal, state, county, municipal law enforcement agencies, criminal justice practitioners and concerned citizens.  The Chicago Chapter focuses on promoting positive interactions with the community in the greater Chicagoland area, providing educational, recreational and social outlets, especially for youth and the elderly.  From skating parties; athletic events; senior brunches; father-daughter dances; poetry slams; plays and golf outings to training sessions for those hoping to become police officers and our Law in the Community program; NOBLE CHICAGO is there to fill the need where we find it while offering guidance and support to our members who seek advancement in their careers.

NeighborScapes is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to strengthen the physical and social fabric of neighborhoods, while creating a covenant of care, enrichment and development for young people.

One of our main projects for 2021 is our Innovation House Program. Innovation Houses are repurposed vacant homes occupied by Community-Building Fellows (CBFs). CBFs rent rooms in Innovation Houses and commit to 10 hours each month in community or civic service. The goal is to transform neighborhoods of concentrated distress by participating in community change.

Neighbor to Neighbor Literacy Project, (N2N), is a 501(c)3 entity that promotes equal access to free books and sparks neighborhood engagement around the joy of reading.  We do this by installing book exchange boxes in Chicago's parks and neighborhoods and offering interactive programs and creative activities to advance literacy development.  With our citywide book sharing network we encourage collaboration and interaction between neighborhoods as a means to break down barriers and nurture hope and resiliency in Chicago. 

New Community Outreach creates restorative spaces for healing, reconciliation and flourishing. We are a community based, non-profit organization committed to Bronzeville’s youth and community. We collaborate with residents and organizations on the South Side of Chicago to provide programs, host events and respond to community-identified opportunities. 

Our work prioritizes partnerships with organizations and schools, such as Jackie Robinson Elementary, Dyett High School, the Bronzeville Community Action Council, Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention, and other local and city-wide organizations. Building on the relationships of our leadership and board of directors as well as the ministry of New Community Covenant Church, we lead restorative justice programing for high school students, maintain a community garden in order to provide fresh produce to our neighbors through distributions, and host a community-wide back-to-school fair annually among other neighborhood initiatives!

We envision a Bronzeville where youth and other community members meet trauma with restorative justice in order to renew the relationships (with ourselves, our neighbors, and our environments) which lead to our individual and collective flourishing.

We are neighborhood based centers that connect youth and young adults with Christ and Community through mentoring, education, sports, street outreach, and food distribution.

New Life Centers of Chicagoland was established in 2005 to provide mentoring and advocacy to guide youth toward a new life and a new direction, out of the school to prison pipeline and providing meaningful paths to lives of nonviolence. We walk with about 5,000 families across 4 historically disinvested neighborhoods of Chicago. We aim to see youth and families transformed by hope, becoming young adults of character creating a flourishing, unified neighborhood.

The Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church's "Paving The Way Project” serves as a voice for the Washington Park community, as an outreach program for violence prevention, and as a bridge between public service personnel and the public in hopes of building a safer and stronger community. 

Pep Rally Takeover was created to target the youth, addressing a variety of topics that concern & effect students in their school environment and community. Our goal is to bridge the gap between students and teachers through music.

Our mission is to end violence in Chicago by refining those at its core through integrated, trauma-informed Passages.

Purpose Over Pain is a nonprofit advocacy and support group for parents who have lost their children to gun violence.

We relentlessly engage men who are most highly impacted by gun violence, and connect them to paid transitional jobs, cognitive behavioral therapy, and support services.

Ring of Hope serves roughly 20 youth through its programs each school year. Our programming currently takes place in a building owned by Just Christ Ministries in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. The boxing and double-dutch afterschool programs run three times a week during the school year, from 4 pm to 7 pm. Mentoring curriculum is integrated into these two programs, mentees learn self-discipline, conflict resolution, anger management and peer pressure, as well as the downside of alcohol and drugs.

Strengthening Chicago's Youth (SCY) is Chicago's largest violence prevention collaborative and a catalyst for innovation convened by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Our mission is to connect and mobilize our community around a public health approach to violence prevention. We encourage partnerships that strengthen existing efforts so our youth can reach their full potential.

Here at Target Area, we are awakening the spirit of leadership as a regional grassroots social justice organization with two offices in Illinois and sister organizations in Indiana, Michigan, and South Africa. We are building power in communities to solve stubborn problems using Research, Organizing, Mobilization, and Education (ROME).

The mission of Timothy Community Corporation (TCC) is to strengthen the community by Connecting, Sharing and Serving; providing the individual opportunities to grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Timothy Community Corporation will be an incubator for resources. This incubator will serve as a warm, inviting environment that drives individuals to impact the community. Those touched by TCC will be strengthened through a process of learning, healing, and serving.

West Town Bikes aims to promote bicycling in the City of Chicago, to educate youth with a focus on under-served populations, and to foster and serve Chicago’s growing bicycling community. Year-round bike based youth programs offering instruction in bike building and mechanics, bike safety and nutrition and active lifestyle choices. The program also teaches science concepts, environmental awareness, personal responsibility and citizenship.

We are providing athletic training, academic support, & social emotional invention to student-athletics that will prepare them for the next level.

At Youth Guidance, we believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have many caring adults in their lives. Our highly trained staff works directly with schools, parents and families to meet kids where they are—physically within schools, socially and emotionally—and help them break cycles of violence, overcome life and academic obstacles, make positive choices, and remain on the right path towards life success.