In The News

Oak Parker Alonso heads BUILD, a violence prevention program Although he took a detour from an initial plan to become a doctor, Adam Alonso is saving, or at least changing, lives nonetheless. As CEO of BUILD, a West Side nonprofit focused on gang intervention, violence prevention and youth development, Alonso…

BUILD’s Peace & Justice Center was recently featured on Season 3 of the Change Agents Podcast. Justice that Heals, a piece about Restorative Justice practices in Chicago. Read more and listen to the full episode below. Justice That Heals: Chicago can be cruel to its youth, especially to youth of color living in…

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and Bears Care hosted the organization’s first-ever Scout School Dec. 15, bringing students from BUILD Chicago to Halas Hall to introduce them to the role of scouting in the NFL. As an organization, BUILD helps at-risk youth in the Chicagoland escape gangs and violence while…

As Adam Alonso, CEO of BUILD Chicago, stood out on the turf at Soldier Field during halftime of the frigid Bears-Bills game last Saturday, he made sure to stop, look around and soak in the moment. Alonso, who joined BUILD in March 2015, was receiving the first-ever Inspire Change Changemaker…

A massive community campus will soon welcome hundreds of kids and families from South and West Side neighborhoods.  It’s a major project the organization Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development, or BUILD, is taking on.  It might look like an ordinary gym but for Juvon Crawford it’s more than that. “I know…

A new youth and community center will soon open its doors on Chicago’s west side. It’s a major project by non-profit organization BUILD that could become a game changer for youth in the area. The facility is taking shape on the corner of Harrison Street and Laramie Avenue in the…

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without football. On Wednesday, some Chicago kids kicked off the holiday with a little friendly competition. The annual Turkey Bowl Flag Football game took over Columbus Park on the West Side. The big game was put together by the violence prevention group Build, along with support…

Check out ABC7’s Coverage of BUILD’s 8th Annual Turkey Bowl on Eyewitness News at 4pm – November 23, 2022.

Several Chicago’s West Side organizations – including BUILD Chicago, New Moms and Manufacturing Renaissance – will benefit from $75 million in funding from Cook County that will support programs working to reduce and prevent gun violence. The local organizations were awarded multi-year grants ranging from $1.2 million to $15 million that will be disbursed in…

    CHICAGO (WLS) — The renovation of BUILD, Inc. in Austin is nearly done. Chicago police reported that homicides were down 64.7% and shootings were down 54% in Austin from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Citywide, during the same time, homicides down were 23.3% and shootings were down 24.9%. But,…

The number of people shot this summer is down by almost 72% in Austin compared to last year, Chicago Police 15th District’s Commander Andre Parham said at this month’s 15th District faith-based meeting. The number of people shot in the 15th District is down to 19 from 67, between May 30 and…

Building a Better Chicago is an ongoing series of ABC7 Eyewitness News reports spotlighting the people and groups working toward solutions and improvements across Chicago. On July 25, 2022, Mark Thornton, Manager of Sports Programs, and  BUILD youth Juvon Crawford joined the program to discuss BUILD and the many services…