Where We've Been
Since 2006, Chicago HOPES has been providing educational support, homework help, and enrichment programming to the underserved children of Chicago’s homeless shelters. In the past six years we’ve grown exponentially, not only in the number of sites our program inhabits and the amount of volunteer tutors who work with us to serve our children, but in the mission, vision, and philosophy that guide us as well. We believe in providing a safe, welcoming, and educational environment for our children with trusted adults whose presence is motivated by their desire to see our students succeed. We believe the support we provide will clear a pathway to academic achievement for our students.
Chicago HOPES was conceived as an initiative of The Students in Temporary Living Situations Program of Chicago Public Schools (STLS), the program within CPS that upholds educational rights and provides services to students who are in unstable temporary living situations. STLS exists so that these students may not face any further challenges in maintaining their educations. To this end, Chicago HOPES offices have been housed in the CPS Central Office building alongside STLS offices and we’ve benefited from shared resources between the two programs.
VISTA
Another major contributing factor to HOPES fulfilling its mission has been the contributions and hard work of AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members. VISTA members dedicate a year of service to a program fighting poverty. Since Chicago HOPES inception, teams of VISTA members have ushered the program from a vision of now-retired former STLS Director Patricia Rivera to the thriving source of hope and opportunity for students and volunteers that it is today.
An Independent HOPES
So it is with a wellspring of optimism that we've embarked upon a new direction for Chicago HOPES. In light of the end of the grant that provided us with AmeriCorps VISTA members, we began to prepare to take Chicago HOPES on a new frontier as an independent non-profit organization. While we intend to maintain a close relationship with STLS, we believe this is the perfect time for Chicago HOPES to spread its wings and take flight. We’re flying towards a future where we not only continue to provide the great programming and opportunities our students currently benefit from, but also one in which we are able to serve our students to the fullest extent of the capacity of our staff, donors, and volunteers. We have obtained 501(c)3 status from the IRS and therefore contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
With that said, much progress has been made in this effort and we are operating independently this 2012-13 school year. You may have noticed a decrease in programming sites this year, this is a result of our lessened resources during this transition. However, the future of our program is one in which we will match then exceed the reach we've had in past years.
Over the coming months you will also notice the unveiling of our new moniker, Chicago HOPES for Kids. The future is bright for Chicago HOPES for Kids, our supporters, and most importantly our children!
You can help plant the seed for Chicago HOPES with a contribution.
In the coming months, we will offer numerous opportunities for our dedicated volunteers and donors to contribute to this very exciting time in HOPES' history. Please feel free to get in touch with us at chicagohopesforkids@gmail.com if you want to be part of the process.