Little League Successfully Completes 7th "Season" Stretch
We just finished our 7th season of Little Village Little League! The players learned how to become better players and had fun while doing it. The games challenged them and created a deeper sense of camaraderie amongst the players. We are excited for next season! Registration for 2020 will start at the end of this year, stay tuned and enjoy the pictures!
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NLC Featured in Obama Foundation's Annual Report - Check It Out!
New Life Centers was recently featured in the Obama Foundation's annual report. Click on the link below to see what Benny and our street outreach team is doing on a regular basis!
https://www.obama.org/annual-report-2018/programs-brothers-keeper-alliance/
Summer Kicks Off with Light in the Night Activities!
Summer is here, and our Light in the Night (LIN) programming is in full swing! During the summer we run program in Little Village neighborhood parks three times a week. These events are free to the community and we offer free food, music, games, family activities, movies and sports leagues! We have activities for community members of all ages. Our goal is to provide a safe and fun space for everyone to come out and enjoy the summer. We have Project Play on Wednesdays and soccer leagues for youth on Thursdays and Fridays at the Gary/Ortiz soccer field. You can also join us on Wednesdays at Piotrowski Park and/or Thursdays at La Villita Park for Softball and more activities!
United in Prayer at the Little Village Arch
Chicagoland United in Prayer initiated a prayer event for the wellness of the city. Local churches throughout Little Village met at midnight by the Little Village arch to pray and commune with one another. The arch was created in 1990 and symbolically represents the entrance to the neighborhood with a message on it saying “Bienvenidos a Little Village.” A year later, the Mexican government donated the bronze clock that was placed on top of the arch. There were about 80 members from different church congregations that prayed for the safety and wellbeing of the neighborhood, for the youth and the newly elected leaders of the community. The New Life Centers Outreach team and several mentors were also present and had a chance to have people pray for them and for the work they do in the community to help reduce the gun violence that historically sees a spike during the summer season. This event was a good way to signal the beginning of summer and also represents the work and role that churches play in the community. All of these churches that participated in this event will be collaborating later on this year during the summer to help provide safe spaces in the community and resources for the youth of Little Village.
NLC Boxing Builds Camaraderie Between Neighborhoods
Youth from St. Michael's Social Center located in the neighborhood of Back of the Yards have begun training with youth from Little Village at the Chicago Youth Boxing Club. Through this boxing partnership, youth are able to build community with others from different neighborhoods of the city. The experience has been great and youth from Little Village who have been training longer have taken it upon themselves to train the new members from Back of the Yards. Outside of the boxing gym, they had the opportunity to travel together to Briar Street Theater and experience a viewing of the Blue Man group. They had a blast during this trip and were able to relax and hang out with each other. It’s through sports that New Life Centers is able to bring youth from around the city together and help build camaraderie.
Blessing Mothers On Their Special Day
On Mother's Day, New Life Centers and its participants brought flowers to the mothers of the Little Village neighborhood to show them our appreciation for their support and entrusting us with their children. These flowers were also passed out to the mothers of youth that have been lost to street violence to remind them that they are not forgotten and have our full support.
NLC Youth Engage In Paintball Battle with Alpha Psi Lambda
New Life Centers youth participated in paintballing with the brothers of the intercollegiate fraternity Alpha Psi Lambda. The group of youth that we took from Little Village had never experienced paintballing and were excited try it. It was an evenly matched battle as the teams were mixed with both NLC youth and Alpha Psi Lambda brothers. It was a great experience for them to interact with the men from the fraternity who encouraged them to attend college and experience new things.
McDonald's Works with Youth to Help Them Get Jobs
New Life Centers, La Villita Church and Central States SER partnered with McDonald's to offer a hiring event for Little Village and North Lawndale youth! McDonalds Corporate employees representing 10 locations in the Chicagoland area had the chance to meet Little Village candidates and interview them for part-time and full-time employment. Over 20 youth, prepared, interviewed and now await anxiously to hear the status of their potential employment.
400 Attend Little League Opening Day
Little Village Little League (LVLL) Opening Day was the biggest so far with 400 attendees. During the opening ceremony sponsors were thanked as they made the baseball league possible, mariachi played and parents of players were recognized for their time commitment and support. For the rest of the day, players and families enjoyed games, food and getting their baseball pictures taken.
God provided a beautiful day for the start of a great baseball season!
Bright Colors & Fun for Running Forward First Run of the Season
This was the 2nd year that Running Forward youth participated in the 5K Color Run in Wheaton. Our runners finished looking more colorful than ever. This was the first run of the season; the youth had a lot of fun and are excited for the next race that will be the Cinco de Miler race which will be a 5 mile race. Stay tuned!
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