Draft:Family Matters (organization)

Family Matters Chicago is a non-profit organization focused on youth development and community leadership. Established in 1987, it provides a safe space for children after school, offering support to families in need. Family Matters operates in the Rogers Park neighborhood, aiming to support youth academically and emotionally through various programs. It provides community activities to engage with local families and collaborates with other organizations to enhance the Rogers Park area further.

Mission and Values
Family Matters fosters strong relationships and creates safe spaces for children to thrive. The organization operates with intentionality, ensuring that every interaction serves a purpose: to inspire and empower the children it serves. Located in a three-story building within a small neighborhood in Chicago, Family Matters offers valuable experiences and insights to families and children, equipping them for their future endeavors. The organization emphasizes the importance of positive and supportive communication, both among its staff and towards its students.

Since its establishment in 1987, Family Matters has experienced continuous growth, with the community providing new resources and opportunities. Services such as mentorship programs, after-school tutoring, and career development initiatives are among the various offerings provided. Despite this expansion, the core mission and values of Family Matters remain unchanged: to motivate children to support one another and effect positive social change.

Services
Family Matters had initially started as a tutoring program and has since, blossomed into this comprehensive organization dedicated to supporting youth development and community involvement. Their programs caters to over 130 youth and families and they have worked with over 300 individuals through community collaborations. At a community breakfast Family Matters was honored and presneted with a Public Service Award for their impactful contributions to nurtuting youth north, fostering community enegament, and supporting community memebers.

Family Matters offers multiple youth programs, all with a focus on youth development. In their Partners in Learning program, they offer catered tutoring and mentorship for kids during the academic year and in the summer. With their teenager program, Project RISE, Family Matters teaches teens about leadership and provides them with college and career readiness. Additionally Family Matters operates a micro school which offers a unique learning environment for children in grades K-4 to cater to those students who are more successful in non-traditional classrooms.

Community Partnerships
Family Matters has engaged in several partnerships to support its focus on environmental sustainability and community outreach. A significant collaboration is with the Illinois Green Alliance through the Neighborhood Power Project. This partnership has facilitated the integration of sustainable practices into Family Matters' educational programs, aiming to increase environmental awareness among children and the broader community. Specific outcomes include workshops and interactive sessions designed to teach sustainable practices and their benefits.

The cooperation with the Illinois Green Alliance has also spearheaded substantial infrastructural improvements within Family Matters’ facilities. Notable upgrades include installing energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems, solar panels on building roofs, and the introduction of advanced water filtration systems. These enhancements align with broader environmental goals by reducing energy consumption and promoting renewable energy sources.

Additional partnerships with the Environmental Defense Fund and Elevate have been established to amplify Family Matters’ environmental advocacy. These collaborations have supported initiatives to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental footprints in urban settings. Projects under these partnerships have included community-led clean-up drives, energy audits for local homes, and educational programs on waste reduction.

Family Matters’ commitment to community engagement extends beyond environmental issues. It has partnered with North of Howard Together to launch a mobile dental clinic, providing essential dental care to underserved students in the local area. Another key initiative is collaborating with Tapestry 360 to improve healthcare access in Rogers Park, focusing on preventative care and health education.

Furthermore, Family Matters has fostered community solidarity through the Howard Street Ambassadors Program. This initiative, in collaboration with the Rogers Park Business Alliance and A Just Harvest, seeks to enhance local business engagement and community safety. The program trains local residents as ambassadors who assist with community events and act as liaisons between businesses and the community, strengthening community ties and encouraging local economic development.

Family Matters has demonstrated a comprehensive approach to fostering sustainable practices and enhancing community welfare through these diverse partnerships and initiatives. Each of these efforts is supported by ongoing evaluations to ensure they meet their intended goals and provide tangible benefits to the community.

Community Engagement
Family Matters is a youth education non-profit organization that is joined with its neighbors to host a block-wide yard sale in 2021. Family Matters sold school supplies, books, games, art supplies, kitchen items and more, to make room for new equipment and furniture. Proceeds generated from this yard-sale benefited the Family Matters youth organization development programs, including Project Rise. Project Rise helps children develop job and leadership skills. The block-wide yard sale fundraising event serves as a lifeline for Family Matters to continue their amazing work.

Family Matters dedication to influence positive change has impacted the lives of many because this organization provides a safe and productive environment for students to thrive. Family Matters continues to enhance the growth, stability, development, and talent of all students. This block party was an inspiring event that brought the community together.

Family Matters Hosting Block-Wide Yard Sale With Its Neighbors This Weekend. Family Matters hosted a Walk-A-Thon fundraiser in Rogers Park to help raise money for the battle against systematic oppression. Family Matters was founded to help kids rise above institutional racism. All of the proceeds raised from the Walk-A-Thon helps provide tools for the students' to increase their developmental growth. Family Matters hosts a Walk-A-Thon every fall. In 2020 during the pandemic, this event joined members of the community together.

Participants in the Walk-A-Thon transported on bikes or scooters too for social distancing purposes. Due to the Walk-A-Thon fundraiser, Family Matters launched new initiatives, including a community recording studio for students to engage with the arts and express their creative talents. Family Matters also launched an adult learning program which continues to help build meaningful relationships with people in the neighborhood. The Walk-A-Thon invites anyone in the neighborhood to participate. Through fundraising and community engagement, Family Matters strives to assemble connections for positive change.