LIFT-Chicago is excited to announce the opening of our new office in Bronzeville on the South Side of Chicago. Prior to having this space, the vast majority of our member meetings were taking place at our partner child care sites, such as Educare. As our program doubled in size over the past fiscal year and we expanded beyond our existing partner sites, it was important for us to find a space in the local community where we could meet with all of the parents in our program. Unlike our other office closer to downtown Chicago, we intentionally sought out a new home where we could connect with residents and community partners to strengthen our presence on the South Side.
Over the past several months, we transformed the empty offices into an environment that supports high quality coaching. This included building out a Kids’ Corner with sensory toys, books, coloring pages, and a comfy bean bag chair. As a Program Manager, I have felt even more connected to our two-generation approach by having the opportunity to interact with members’ children: often the primary focus and motivation for their goals at LIFT.
The feedback we have heard on our new office has been overwhelmingly positive. Members have shared that the space is convenient, warm, and welcoming. We greet members by offering them coffee, tea, and snacks to enjoy during their coaching appointment and have added small touches to continue to make the space feel “LIFTy.” These include inspirational quotes from Oprah and Maya Angelou, encouraging milestone rocks (a LIFT tradition to honor when members reach certain steps on their journey towards achieving their goals), adult coloring pages to support mindfulness, and desk lamps to increase warmth and comfort. We have had a successful launch thus far, and I am so excited to see the ways that we can continue to grow LIFT-Chicago’s program in our new Bronzeville home!