It’s just 12 days until Giving Tuesday, the time when we put our thanks-giving into action by sharing our abundance with others. At R CITY, it’s all hands on deck--and you can join us! You can help our youth pack care kits for friends on the streets, donate winter wear for our neighborhood giveaway, or give to our $50,000 year-end match. No matter what you do, it will bring light and life to our beloved community in Chicago, standing in solidarity with those who overcome so much.
As a new school year begins, R CITY would like to thank the many interns and staff who blessed our community this summer. Bryanna, Jesus, Sanrenity and Zarriona all brought dedication and expertise that built up our programs and inspired our youth!
Every February, R CITY honors one person who has been heroic to the work of R CITY. Awarded at the Black History Celebration, R CITY's Distinguished Award for Foundational Contributions recognizes an individual whose work has been integral in the success of R CITY. This year's awardee is Pastor Antoine Taylor.
A published author and educational consultant, whose work with R CITY extends back to its beginnings, Dr. Rivera conducted research through R CITY's very first programs and was integral during our founding. She continued her investment in 2020 as a board member and joined the staff of R CITY serving as the Director of Strategy, Research & Partnerships from 2021-2023.
Dr. Rivera exemplifies the absolute best of OUR CITY and we are honored to celebrate our 2024 recipient of the Distinguished Award for Foundational Contributions.
In January 2024, I will step out of the Executive Director role, remaining with R CITY as Finance Lead to continue managing R CITY's grants and finance. At that time, the Executive Director role will be filled by the magnificent Charnesha Collier. She will be supported by myself, our board of directors, and Michelle Johnson, Director of Administration. This role is the culmination of years of leadership development for Char, who began as a youth in the Harambee program. Having served as R CITY's Director of Programs for the last year, Char has shown herself to be an excellent leader for both staff and youth. It is my great honor to place the role I love so much in her hands.
It’s just 12 days until Giving Tuesday, the time when we put our thanks-giving into action by sharing our abundance with others. At R CITY, it’s all hands on deck--and you can join us! You can help our youth pack care kits for friends on the streets, donate winter wear for our neighborhood giveaway, or give to our $50,000 year-end match. No matter what you do, it will bring light and life to our beloved community in Chicago, standing in solidarity with those who overcome so much.
At R CITY, “from cradle to career” doesn’t end with high school–it ends when young adults are ready to launch the career of their dreams! The Successbuilders Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance for River City-affiliated youth to attend college, trade school, post-graduate training, or any other adult accreditation programs.
Since its inception in the fall of 2018, this fund has awarded over $100,000 to 33 students–notably including Charnesha Collier, R CITY’s current Executive Director. More than just financial assistance, the Successbuilders Scholarship aims to meet the varying needs of youth in our community. Successbuilder Scholars have access to a team of responsive mentors who can help manage crises and consistently provide support and encouragement along the way.
This school year, we are thrilled to announce 12 Successbuilders Scholars! This list includes one current R CITY staff member, TEN former Citybuilder Apprentices, five were attendees of a weekly Thursday night pizza and bible study nights during their high school years, and two are attenders of River City Church.
Gian Borrero, Ranken Technical College studying IT
Leya Smith, Northern Illinois University studying Social work
Teshawna Childs, Northern Illinois University studying Political science
Sajai Solid, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Undecided Pre-law
Jazharia Taylor, Graceland University studying Criminal Justice
Zarriona Hudson, City Colleges and Illinois Carpenters Union, Accepted in the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Apprentice and Training Program
Taniya Heath, Southern Illinois University Carbondale studying Architecture
Shanyce Johnson, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University studying Criminal Justice, minor in Visual Arts Design
Cristina Galván, City Colleges- Harry S. Truman studying Early childhood development
Sanrenity Davis, Howard University studying Biology
Daria Wilkins, University of Illinois Chicago studying Nursing
Olivia Taylor, University of Illinois Chicago studying Applied Psychology
Every February, R CITY honors one person who has been heroic to the work of R CITY. Awarded at the Black History Celebration, R CITY's Distinguished Award for Foundational Contributions recognizes an individual whose work has been integral in the success of R CITY. This year's awardee is Pastor Antoine Taylor.
A published author and educational consultant, whose work with R CITY extends back to its beginnings, Dr. Rivera conducted research through R CITY's very first programs and was integral during our founding. She continued her investment in 2020 as a board member and joined the staff of R CITY serving as the Director of Strategy, Research & Partnerships from 2021-2023.
Dr. Rivera exemplifies the absolute best of OUR CITY and we are honored to celebrate our 2024 recipient of the Distinguished Award for Foundational Contributions.
In January 2024, I will step out of the Executive Director role, remaining with R CITY as Finance Lead to continue managing R CITY's grants and finance. At that time, the Executive Director role will be filled by the magnificent Charnesha Collier. She will be supported by myself, our board of directors, and Michelle Johnson, Director of Administration. This role is the culmination of years of leadership development for Char, who began as a youth in the Harambee program. Having served as R CITY's Director of Programs for the last year, Char has shown herself to be an excellent leader for both staff and youth. It is my great honor to place the role I love so much in her hands.
R CITY is proud to be part of the amazing collection of organizations receiving funds from Cook County's Justice Advisory Council’s Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Grants, thanks to additional funding from the State of Illinois through the Department of Human Services. These funds utilize ARPA federal funds to reduce the impact of violence in our community
In West Humboldt Park, far too many youth have experienced violence in a deeply personal way, losing friends, classmates, and family members repeatedly throughout their lives. While the community's capacity and resilience are great, no community should carry that burden alone. This funding provides real, tangible support from the county, state, and country to show families that they are not alone. West Humboldt Park's youth are deeply needed in the future of our world; this investment provides integral services to move them forward on their path.
February 21, 2023: R CITY Lead Mentor and Peace Advocate Shawn Childs, and Dr. Y'Shanda Rivera, Director of Strategy, Research, & Partnerships were on hand to meet and celebrate with the officials who have worked to increase the funding available to organizations bringing supportive services to communities that experience high levels of gun violence.
At R CITY our mission is to bring the BEST of our city to build a path for families to walk from cradle to career to the glory of God. As we prepared for our very first Black History Showcase, we knew it would be a great evening to celebrate our beautiful children and youth but also, we didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to celebrate and honor some of the VERY best of R CITY whose contributions support our youth, our programs and our community, and this year we had the immense privilege of bestowing our first Distinguished Award for Foundational Contributions to Phaedra M. Leslie from ALL Construction.
