Centers Opens New Technology Center, AT&T Partnership

We recently held our official ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new AT&T Connected Learning Center. This is located on the second floor of our Pan de Vida Fresh Market building. Our students from La Semilla will be the first beneficiaries of this technology center. We are so excited to be able to provide additional safe space for our participants. This center is part of AT&T’s mission to bridge the digital divide and the homework gap.


Hundreds Run El Grito 5K Despite Heavy Rain

September 11, 2022 was very special. We held El Grito 5K Family Run/Walk for the first time since the start of the pandemic. We were blessed with a lot of rain and got soaked. Hundreds of runners came out to enjoy Zumba, dance to tamborazo, tamales and jarritos! We are so thankful for all the volunteers and sponsors who helped make this race happen!

Following the race, our organization participated in the annual Mexican Independence Day Parade. We had a couple of floats! Matt DeMateo, our executive director, was honored to be a Grand Marshal. Centers was recognized for the work done during the pandemic through the food pantry.


Participants Land in Field of Dreams

We are so proud of our 5 baseball programming participants who have made it to the Cubs RBI team. This is MLB’s Cub’s development team. Through this opportunity, they were able to play a televised game at the Field of Dreams event in Iowa. They actually won 12-7! The youth were MVP guests at the Field of Dreams MLB game and had first-row seats next to the Cubs dugout and even met some famous athletes! It was an experience of a lifetime.


Young Little Village Residents Compete at Copa La Villita 2022

Copa La Villita 2022 came to a close for the under 20’s division tournament. We enjoyed gathering some of our community at the Little Village Academy soccer turf field every week as co-ed teams competed against each other. Afterward, spectators were able to take part in pick-up soccer. Most importantly, it became a safe space for our youth during the summer.

Massive shout out to Chicago House AC pro soccer players who come out to volunteer as referees every week.


Creating Safe Spaces in Little Village Throughout the Summer

We kicked off our Family Friday Nights last week at McCormick Elementary School's courtyard! It was an evening full of carnival games, food, a bounce house, basketball and prizes! Our staff will continue to create a safe space in this area for the remaining of summer!

This is part of a city-wide initiative called Light in the Night. The purpose is to help community members reclaim public areas as safe spaces and take back their communities to build peace.

 

 

 

 

 

West of McCormick Elementary School, we had various youth compete at a basketball tournament Hoops in the Hood! This was launched many years ago as a response to Chicago's violence by providing young people a place to play basketball safely.


Celebrating Graduations with Youth in Little Village and Humboldt Park

In the past couple of weeks, our mentors have been attending graduations and organizing celebrations for the youth. The core of our work is to accompany them through life's highs and lows. We are so happy students felt comfortable enough to include their mentors during this very important milestone.

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of every school year, staff at our Humboldt Park location plan a graduation celebration on a Sunday morning during church! It is an awesome time to recognize the hard work and resilience of our youth in front of their families and our local church members. We can't wait to see what's ahead for them!


Pan de Vida Fresh Market Opens in Little Village

We are so happy to finally say our Pan de Vida Fresh Market building is open! We had a series of celebrations with over 500 friends, partners and neighbors last week, as we anticipated this date. We were able to reflect on the past, what God got us through and His provision with this new space.

Pan de Vida is here thanks to those who started it and have passed the baton to the young people who responded in times of crisis and decided to love and serve their community.

 

 


Moms Experiencing Mentoring Program

Some of our GEMS girls' mothers had the opportunity to come and experience what their daughters do weekly. They spent time self-reflecting, expressing themselves, participating in a peace circle and enjoyed a delicious meal as they shared their stories.

"It was a pleasure participating and meeting other mothers. Thank you for sharing what you do with my daughter. I felt so relaxed! I loved hearing fro m other moms about how this program has impacted their daughters. May God give you patience, wisdom and blessings as you continue to walk with them," said a participant's mom.

 

 


El Grito 5K is Back after 2 Years of Canceling Due to COVID-19

After canceling for 2 years due to COVID-19 restrictions and surges, our annual El Grito 5K Family Run/Walk is finally happening this year! The race is taking place in Little Village on Sunday, September 11 preceding the Mexican Independence Day Parade.

Registration is open! You can sign up individually or with your family at newlifecenters.org/elgrito5k . There is a special Early Bird registration fee of $25 for the month of May only.

About the race: El Grito 5K runs along 26th Street, Chicago’s second magnificent mile, in the culturally rich Mexican neighborhood of Little Village. The race will precede the annual Mexican Independence Day Parade. We invite runners of all fitness levels to participate in the event!


New Life Centers is Awarded Mayor's Medal of Honor

 

New Life Centers was awarded the Mayor's Medal of Honor last Tuesday, for our “heroic work during the pandemic". During this season, we were able to expand mentoring to 400 additional youth through C2C, sports, after-school and mentoring programs. Our Juvenile Justice Project Coordinator, Amy Williams, was able to expand programming to incarcerated youth in IYC Warrenville. Our Street Outreach and Resiliency Services teams grew and continue to walk life, love and mourn with youth and their families. Our youth-led Pan de Vida food pantry distributed fresh produce to over 2 million people. Most importantly, our staff love people deeply in the name of Jesus.

"So thankful for our amazing staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to love on the young people of Chicago. We did this together. Love you guys!," said Matt DeMateo, Executive Director.

We are also thankful for everyone who supports the work, prays, volunteers and gives. We are excited to see all that is going to happen in 2022!