Auburn Gresham Welcomes New White House Official
GADC staff members and local Auburn Gresham Communities Heroes posed for a photo.
Eric Young
The Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) participated in Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Chicago's (LISC/Chicago) New Communities Program (NCP) annual conference (Chicago Rising: What a Community Can Be), featuring Adolfo Carrion, Jr.
Recently named by President Barack Obama as the director of the new White House Office of Urban Affairs, Carrion engaged nearly 500 conference attendees about the importance of urban renewal and revival.
White House director of Urban Affairs, Adolfo Carrion, Jr. addresses a audience of about 500 NCP conference attendees with open arms.
Eric Young Smith
Carrion remarks were of much value to attendees as he shared his personal aspirations of "taking urban America out of the desert it's been in for the past eight years."
Previous to his new position, Carrion headed New York's Bronx Borough focusing on housing and development of at least 25,000 dwellings and worked for New York's planning department. He also served on the New York City Council.
Carrion's comments set the stage for the multiple recovery roundtable discussions and a celebration of 43 local community heroes from 16 NCP neighborhoods.
Auburn Gresham honored 4 Community Heroes directly involved in the violence prevention and intervention.
St. Sabina Employment Resource Center's (ERC) Phillip Hunter (c) speaks with White House director Adolfo Carrion (l) and GADC's Carlos Nelson (r) in ERC's computer resource lab.
Eric Young Smith
Saint Leo Veterans parent patrollers Lawrence Burns, Anthony Jones, and Herald Watson, provide Auburn Gresham youth and residents a guarded walking path which allows them the best possible opportunity to walk and return from school safely and focus their attention on academics.
Target Area Development Corporation's founding executive director Reverend Patricia Watkins impresses upon the Auburn Gresham community and other alike the importance of public safety around truancy connecting to criminal justice reform, reducing high school dropout rates and improving education.
The following day after the conference, Carrion toured the proposed Winneconna Transit Oriented Development, the Litter Free Zone piloted area, Oglesby Elementary School Yard Project, foreclosed homes on Green Street, Perspectives Calumet Middle School (Perspectives), Access Community Health Network (ACCESS at Perspectives) , and Saint Sabina's Employment Resource Center (ERC)-Center for Working Families (CWF).
The White House's new Urban Affairs director, Adolfo Carrion (c), shakes the hand of a Perspectives Middle School student (r) while touring the ACCESS at Perspectives Health Center with nurse practitioner, Carol Wardlaw (l).
Eric Young Smith
Carlos Nelson, executive director of GADC led the tour and impressed upon Carrion the importance of White House's involvement in "our local grassroots approach to sustainability and revitalization."
Carrion was able to hear this same message from GADC's workforce development partners at Saint Sabina ERC-CWF.
While at Perspectives, Carrion was welcomed by Principal Tamara Davis and Elev8 Program Director Tenisha Jones. They provided a brief tour of the school and showcased the middle schools latest gem - ACCESS at Perspectives.
Many students were also excited to hear that a White House official was presented in their school and rushed to Carrion for a historic photo opportunity. Carrion was equally excited to see the students' enthusiasm as he reminded of his experience as a public school teacher.
Perspectives Calumet Middle School students warmly embrace White House official Adolfo Carrion (c) and pose for a historic photo with Elev8 program director, Tenisha Jones (r).
Eric Young Smith
In the end, everyone on this tour wanted the new White House director of Urban Affairs to be reminded of the significance of his calling to our community and send word back to President Barack Obama about the importance of partnering with community based organizations and institutions, thus offering extended day academic curriculum, affordable and quality healthcare, and social supports/wrap around services.
Click here to watch Carrion's keynote address. Click here to read more of his historic visit to Perspectives.