At BUILD, we are proud of our rich tradition of diversity – 80% of our team reflects the background and culture of the youth we serve. To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage month, the BUILDer sat down and reconnected with our first Latino Executive Director, Freddy Calixto. Calixto, who is of Puerto Rican descent, led BUILD…

“It’s not safe like it used to be,” Keshayla said of growing up in of Chicago. “It’s like everybody’s just dying and getting killed.” At 19, she has experienced the violence first-hand, and she is not alone. Now, Keyshayla is one of 60 pioneers in BUILDing Girls 2 Women (BG2W), a pilot launched in 2017…

“Local Program Helps Empower Teens To Escape Community Violence” BUILD Chicago is an organization that helps empower at-risk youth in the Chicago area, helping thousands of teens escape the violence in their communities on a yearly basis. NBC 5’s Anayeli Ruiz reports. (Published Tuesday, Aug 28, 2018)  See news piece here.

BUILD is proud to be part of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation‘s $26 million strategy. Thriving communities require strong, resilient, generative, and compassionate organizations that are tackling barriers and working to increase the confidence, stability, power, and effectiveness of the community as a whole. Community Capital grants provide often-scarce institutional resources to…

Once it was a hot spot for gun violence and drug trafficking, but now Hubbard Park is teeming with drum circles, barbecues and community bonding. What’s happening at Hubbard Park is happening elsewhere in Austin – which has seen a drop in homicides so far this year compared to 2017. As of Aug. 16, there have been…

BUILD’s second annual Summer of Opportunity street festival was a great success as more than 2,500 Austin residents, community leaders, anti-violence groups and community organizations came together for an exciting day of celebration. Activities included live entertainment, art projects, 3-on-3 basketball, a climbing wall, bounce houses, Project Exploration STEM Fair, Loretto Hospital Health Village and much…

When the final bell of the school year rings, some kids flip the switch and power down their brains until autumn – the dreaded “summer slide” sets in. Nine months of mental exercising goes out the window in the blink of an eye. Not at BUILD! With a new school year right around the corner,…

It was a hot day at the ballpark on August 2 when BUILD celebrated its 40th edition of the Peace League Softball All-Star Game. The tradition lived on at Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park this year and served as the culmination of BUILD’s summer long softball league, known as the Donna Dudley Peace Project.…

Chicago Violence Toll Tied to Poor Neighborhoods In an analysis of Chicago crime data, Axios reports that while the city’s homicide rate is not the highest in the U.S., Chicago has consistently had more total killings than any other U.S. city, with 27 people killed since the beginning of the month. Racial segregation, wealth inequality, gangs and…

At age 24, Adam Alonso realized his calling. It was a chance encounter in 1995. Alonso was working at Casa Central, which used the basement of Vida Nueva church near Kelvyn Park. One day, a 15-year-old showed up to the church looking for the pastor. He wasn’t there. Alonso was. The 15-year-old was high and…