My time at LINC Ministries is quickly dwindling; I am feeling very downhearted towards this memorable chapter in my life ending. I have felt incredibly humbled to be both a CAPS Fellow and an intern for my dream nonprofit. This month I have started a project that has differentiated from the rest of my internship tasks. I have had the privilege of kickstarting a LINC Ministries project called Root to Rise. Saint Philip is a Lutheran church nestled in between the neighborhoods of Logan Square and Rogers Park of Chicago. This region is overflowing with diversity; many of the residents are from different countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The church has an abandoned Early Childhood Center which has been closed for three years now. At one point, learning was cultivated inside these walls for young children through the hands of passionate teachers, however, it is now a desolate and somber building. Thankfully, starting in the fall, the building will be transformed into a cultural arts and community center for families and children in the area. During the day the community center will house a workspace for residents to come and spend time in. During the evening, the building will become an afterschool program for students. It is crucial that these immigrant students have a place to congregate at night because they are unfortunately susceptible to becoming vulnerable to gang-related encounters. The children will be given the opportunity to express themselves individually and culturally during their time at Root to Rise. Classes such as dance, art, yoga, and other similar activities will be offered for the students. These classes will allow the students to learn more about their abilities as well as the abilities of others who may be different from them. This building will soon encourage hope for this flourishing community– the seed will be planted, the roots will firmly create a foundation, and the fellowship will rise.

In the meantime, I have been preparing Saint Philip for this impending project. Currently, the building has been used as a dumping ground for Saint Philip’s items; my job has been to organize and clear out these items. I have found myself in Chicago’s unpredictable summer days; I experienced 90 degree weather in that unairconditioned building and a brisk 60 degree day, preparing the building for renovations. I filled up over thirty trash bins, swept for two hours, hosted two curb alerts, and donated items. I have accumulated sweat and dirt, gained a new knowledge of social work, thanks to Brene Brown’s podcasts, and walked in with far too many iced matcha lattes.

In all seriousness, I have enjoyed the opportunities and challenges that have come out of this project. I have had the privilege of connecting with the community through hosting curb alerts and community meetings. The curb alerts that we hosted at Saint Philip were a joy; residents of the community were able to come out, grab free items, and learn about the upcoming project at Saint Philip. It was encouraging to meet so many community members and learn about their stories. My boss and I were able to develop relationships and make connections for the future. I learned that with any opportunity comes many challenges. Clearing out Saint Philip was not easy; a lot of the time, my thoughts felt clouded and my body felt weak from all of the physical toil. I did enjoy the stillness that came with the building though, I found myself dreaming of the potential of it. What allowed me to keep going was the dreamt up visualization of my end goal. I knew that this cultural arts and community center would not be able to exist without the clearing of the building. I knew that I had a responsibility to fulfill, for the community. Through this experience, I was able to learn that hard work always pays off; nonprofit work is not always pretty but the end result is what makes it worth it. It took strong discipline to work on one project continually, but I am so glad that I kept with it. I hope to come back to Root to Rise years from now and see the impact that it has had on the community. I know in my heart that every long day spent at this building will soon produce fruitful fellowship for a community in need.