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By The Hand Club For Kids, Grace and Peace Revive Center, and Intentional Sports joined the Chicago Fire Foundation, Jason and Vedrana Heyward, and state and local leaders in laying the foundation for a professional sports facility of its kind, education and wellness in the North Austin Parish.
The state-of-the-art campus, valued at $ 31 million, will help fill the youth opportunity gap on the west side of Chicago through access to education, leadership development and athletic training, including soccer and baseball programs from the Chicago Fire FC and Jason Heyward Baseball Academy or It has 150,000 square meters of indoor space, new outdoor grass fields and Chicago’s only FIFA regulations grass arena for year-round indoor sports – the largest grass field in the west of the city.
The 10 acre project is transforming a vacant lot in North Laramie to ensure that families in the community have access to the team sports, education, enrichment and all-round services that are the foundation of a strong, healthy and safe community. The campus will host extracurricular programs for more than 400 teenagers and over 100 free community hours per week. Through the work of the Chicago Fire Foundation, the Fire will offer more than 20 hours per week of free football programs to the community.
“It is truly remarkable to see our vision take shape here in the North Austin community,” said Donnita Travis, founder and executive director of By The Hand Club For Kids and lead organizer of development. “The campus and the world class program it will offer will truly be the hands, feet and love of God shown to our children and the church. We are extremely grateful to our partners and to all those who have invested their time and resources to make this campus possible; You are reshaping the future for so many young people in Chicago. “
The project is supported by a capital grant of 1.5 million. The grant provided key resources that enabled community leaders to lay the foundation stone on campus this summer and open it to the community in the fall of 2022. In total, the project will support 75 permanent jobs and 200 temporary construction jobs.
“Our Rebuild Illinois Capital Program is about more than just providing new infrastructure investments for communities – it’s about investing in a better future for our children. We are proud to be able to invest capital that will create hundreds of local jobs with our support for the new community and youth sports center coming to Austin next year, ”said Governor JB Pritzker. “By The Hand’s new facility will provide basic education, after-school programs, and health and wellness services that will benefit the entire community. Working with our leaders in the General Assembly, we are delivering critical investments like this that will improve the quality of life for our Illinois residents, attract additional investment in the area, and strengthen our local economy for years to come. “
“A hallmark of Governor Pritzker’s vision for the state of Illinois is to fund community development projects that improve access to essential amenities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for our residents,” said Sylvia Garcia, acting director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunities (DCEO). “We are proud to support By The Hand and Grace and Peace investments in Austin with a Rebuild Illinois grant that is revitalizing key community space and using it to expand educational and wellness opportunities for children and families in the area. This is one of several key projects ongoing in Chicago and our state today to ensure all of our communities have access to the reliable roads, bridges, schools, and community services necessary to succeed in a 21st century economy. “
By The Hand Club For Kids, the holistic after-school program that takes students by the hand and accompanies them from kindergarten to college, will operate its sixth club in the Chicago area on campus. On 30,000 square feet of indoor space, By The Hand will mentor more than 400 students from the Chicago Public School on-site, promote academic excellence and nourish their minds, bodies and spirits. By The Hand currently mentors approximately 1,600 CPS students from south and west Chicago.
A long-standing cornerstone of the community, the Grace and Peace Revive Center has been operating on the North Laramie property since 2018 and will continue to provide vital all-round education, health awareness and advocacy services for North Austin residents. Boards, advice on domestic violence, temporary housing and advocacy workshops are just some of the services that will be available on site.
“North Austin is our home and we are very proud to invest in its future,” said Pastor John Zayas, founder and pastor of Grace and Peace Church and CEO of Revive Center. “We hope this campus will be a beacon of hope and opportunity and signal to our community that we are committed to improving the quality of life and access to resources for our neighbors to the west of Chicago.”
The anchor of the development will be Intentional Sports, a non-profit organization that works to close the opportunities and access gaps that exist in youth sports. Young people in underserved communities like North Austin are four times less likely to exercise and six times more likely to quit exercise for reasons of cost.
Intentional Sports offers first-class youth sports academies, competition opportunities as well as health and wellness training on an area of 120,000 square meters. The facility expects approximately 25,000 participants per year, with leagues, camps, and national adult tournaments generating revenue to maintain the facility and provide low-cost, free options to local athletes and their families.
“We’re trying to change the landscape of North Austin and the surrounding communities, and we believe equitable access to sport, education and leadership development is the way to do that,” said Andy McDermott, founder and president of Intentional Sports. “We’re not just bringing a unique facility to Chicago, we’re giving young people on the West Side the opportunity to play in a world-class space right in their own neighborhood. It’s a winning combination. “
Intentional Sports will feature several youth sports and leadership academies at the campus opening, in addition to soccer programs from the Chicago Fire and baseball programs from the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy.
The Chicago Fire Foundation
The Chicago Fire Foundation and Chicago Fire FC are committed to expanding access to soccer for youth in the Chicago area and their families. By contributing to the Community Campus, the Chicago Fire Foundation will create a permanent home for its community outreach programs, which include their award-winning PLAYS (Participate, Learn, Achieve, Youth, Soccer) program. PLAYS was founded in 2013 and aims to improve academic performance and the development of key social and emotional (SEL) skills in elementary school students through a sports-based curriculum. To date, it has generated more than 250,000 hours of soccer in 40 Chicago public schools and serves nearly 1,000 teenagers each year.
The proven curriculum and hands-on approach of fire, fostering a love of football and a commitment to athleticism will be an important part of the program at the community center.
“The youth in our Chicago community deserve access to world-class facilities and quality programs in their neighborhood,” said Jessica Yavitz, executive director of the Chicago Fire Foundation. “Investing in our youth through football not only imparts athletic skills, but also social and emotional learning qualities and values. By working with By The Hand Club For Kids, Grace and Peace Revive Center, and Intentional Sports to create the North Austin Community Center, we are able to provide a safe place for the community to come together for years to come and can play. ”
Jason Heyward Baseball Academy
Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward and his wife Vedrana continue their philanthropic endeavors, make a substantial financial donation, and use their resources to start the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy, an athletic training and leadership development program for players of all ages and skill levels. Located on campus, Jason Heyward Baseball Academy will introduce the game of baseball to thousands of teenagers in western Chicago while providing education, leadership, mentoring, and skills training to build strong athletes and community leaders.
“Exercise is critical to developing personality, creating opportunity and transforming the lives of young people,” said Jason Heyward. “Vedrana and I are committed to promoting Chicago’s youth and using our skills and resources to make a difference in our city. We are long-time supporters of By The Hand and couldn’t be happier to be part of this incredible achievement. “
As director, Jason Heyward, along with his personal team of coaches, will take a hands-on approach and lead all aspects of the curriculum for students ages 18 months through to college-age athletes. Working with Baseball Academy, Vedrana Heyward will launch Girls on the Diamond, a holistic collection of programs aimed at helping young women discover their passion, use their talent and develop life skills to become confident, well-rounded and growing up powerful women – up or down the baseball diamond.
Since the Heywards made Chicago their home in 2015, the Heywards have been steadfast in their commitment to improving the lives of Chicago youth in underserved communities by supporting By The Hand and Cubs Charities, the Chicago Cubs designated charity. The Jason Heyward Baseball Academy is the latest demonstration of the couple’s commitment to youth in the Chicago area, and they plan to continue their philanthropic support for both organizations.
The campus is being developed in collaboration with Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and built by ARCO / Murray and GMA Construction Group. For more information about the campus or to inquire about employment opportunities, please email info@bythehand.org.
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