As we reflect on this past year at RCITY, we are filled with gratitude, pride, and excitement for what lies ahead. This year was one of growth, celebration, and meaningful connection, rooted in our continued commitment to building pathways for youth and families to thrive.
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.
For teens in our community to feel hopeful about their future as adults, they need a healthy sense of competency, a confidence that when they put their hands, minds and effort to something, they can achieve success. Building this confidence requires a deep investment of resources for the hours (and years) spent in job training.
In an interview with Dr. Y’Shanda Rivera, Dorothy details her thankfulness for Harambee crew leaders who made him feel needed, wanted and cared for. She described his reaction to hearing he got the job as a look on his face that was “on the verge of joy” and that throughout his summer experience, she watched him become more open and excited about his work and fellow crew members.
R CITY is thrilled to announce new support from the Chicago Community Trust! This year, the Trust's commitment to Addressing Critical Needs led them to release a funding opportunity entitled Addressing Critical Needs: Promoting Wellbeing.
Through many obstacles, R CITY has experienced a year providing a second home for remote learning, modifying programs for our youth in Print Shop and getting our Harambee teens back into the "grind" of work. As we are already preparing a summer full of fun for our kids, it's been a blessing to look back before we forget all the GOOD we've experienced!
R CITY is thrilled to welcome Dr. Y'Shanda Rivera as the newest member of our directional team, serving as Director of Strategy, Research, and Partnerships. In this role, Dr. Rivera will lead R CITY in setting goals and tracking achievements: important work that equips us to press forward for the good of our youth and tell our story more effectively to funders. She will also facilitate partnerships with churches, organizations, businesses and government entities, fulfilling the first phrase of our mission: "to bring together the best of our city to build a path..."
This year we faced--and overcame--unprecedented challenges together. In the midst of unending obstacles, people from all across our nation and from the heart of our community came together to make things happen. This year, again and again, we shifted directions and pivoted to respond to the needs before us. In each pivot, we looked to find creative ways to love our families, overcoming each new obstacle however we could. Here is the story of those pivots and the unprecedented year of 2020.
To all who joined us this year, we hope you enjoy R CITY's 2020 Annual Report. The victories within it are ours to celebrate together.
We are celebrating. Even in this new year that has proven its difficulty in its first days, we are celebrating. And you are the reason we're celebrating, because at year-end, you gave $83,805. It's an incredibly wonderful total that lets us enter this new year of challenges ready and with the resources we need.
