BUILD’s boards of directors have nominated Siobhan Sanders to become the next board chair, and she officially assumed the position on July 1, 2019. Siobhan Sanders has been a member of BUILD’s board of directors since 2012.  Commenting on her appointment, Ms. Sanders said: “I joined the board because of the kids – I have…

Our third annual Summer of Opportunity festival was a great success as nearly 3,000 people came out to celebrate the Austin community on June 28 and 29. The energy was palpable all weekend thanks to a parade, live music, food trucks, carnival rides, games, basketball tournaments, and of course, an abundance of opportunity.   We…

On June 6, BUILD youth and staff put on their running shoes and headed to Grant Park for the Race Against Gun Violence. Nearly 2,000 people participated in an 8k, 5k, or 2-mile walk in an effort to create awareness about gun violence and bring peace to the city of Chicago. The race was hosted…

We appreciate WBBM Newsradio for keeping the important discussion of positive summer programs in the headlines. BUILD is focused and ready to ramp up our community engagement in the coming weeks and months to help make this summer fun and safe for all. Listen to BUILD’s CEO Adam Alonso as he speaks with WBBM Radio about…

As Memorial Day weekend kicked off, BUILD was out in the Austin community working to reduce the violence. On Friday May 24, BUILD, along with other organizations, held a community pop-up event at Friendship Baptist Church as part of the mayor’s “Our City, Our Safety” initiative. “The spirit and enthusiasm you all are exhibiting here…

We’d like to share some great news! We are proud to announce that BUILD is a winner of The Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation’s 2019 Project Innovation Grant Challenge. The Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation is granting nearly $2.5 million this year to non-profits that are strengthening communities through innovative solutions. By winning this competitive grant, we hope to…

It was a record-breaking evening at BUILD’s 50th Annual Gala on Friday May 3 – we raised $1,061,970, the most in the history of the event. The milestone celebration was held at Navy Pier’s Aon Grand Ballroom, and all proceeds will go towards supporting BUILD’s youth programs. During the dinner, BUILD youth dazzled the audience with…

We couldn’t be prouder of our young people for sharing their emotional and heartfelt stories of success during our 9th Annual Public Speaking Contest. We awarded over $2,500 in scholarship prizes and the participants will have a speaking opportunity at our 50th Annual Gala on May 3, 2019 at Navy Pier! We would like to…

At BUILD, we understand the importance of an education. We also want our young people to understand the impact that an education can make in their lives. Our education component, BUILDing Futures, helps our youth see themselves as college bound students firsthand when they attend college tours, not only in Illinois, but around the country.…

Our friends at Starbucks recently came out to spend a beautiful Saturday morning volunteering at BUILD. They helped us with some much needed painting, cleaning the grounds where our kids play and prepping our Iris Garden for the spring. For Starbucks Store Manager Lauretta Williams, it was her fourth time volunteering at BUILD.   Lauretta…