Alum Highlight: Overtis Sykes

In early 2023, Overtis Sykes was living in a halfway house after having been released from incarceration after 16 years. At 55 years old, he wanted to learn skills that could lead to a career with the potential to provide enough income to retire someday. His resource officer at the halfway house connected him with Greater West Town Project (GWTP).

When he started at GWTP, he remembers, “I thought it was just a forklift job, but when I got into the program it was way, way more than that. I took math, English, warehouse management, shipping/receiving software, logistics, and much more.” 

He was overwhelmed at first, but with the support of GWTP staff, he finished training and only needed to pass his final tests to earn his completion certificate. On the test, there were math questions he hadn’t learned before and became upset to the point where he thought about quitting. He communicated to a GWTP staff member, Linda Thomas, that he was struggling and thinking about quitting, and Ms. Thomas responded, “You didn’t learn this math problem, but I taught you everything you need to do it.” Overtis completed his finals and earned his certificate, and on his first job interview they required a math test, which he also passed and was offered the position. “Employers were very impressed with the scope of what I learned at GWTP,” said Overtis. 

Overtis passed on the position because he was also offered a position at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) where he could apply his skills in forklift and warehouse management. After nearly a year at CTA making $15/hour, he was just recently promoted and is now making $29.65/hour. Overtis wants to continue growing at CTA, and hopefully use his skills in logistics that he learned at GWTP to shift into that field.

Overtis has been paying it forward by helping out with job fairs at GWTP and going to his local Salvation Army to sign people up for job training at GWTP. “It’s been nice to have someone to lean on, someone you can count on,” Overtis remarked about GWTP, “GWTP has been like a family.” Congratulations on all of your success, Overtis!

Community Partner Highlight: BUILD

The students and participants of Greater West Town Project (GWTP) face numerous barriers to succeeding in education, securing and maintaining employment, and building wealth. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, GWTP has heavily invested in wraparound services to ensure our participants’ success, including stipends during job training, emergency financial assistance, and hiring a full-time social worker. While these efforts have greatly improved the wellbeing of our participants, there remains additional needs in our West Side community, especially around mental health care.

Towards that end, GWTP partners with BUILD to offer both intensive one-on-one and group therapy services. With locations in Austin and Humboldt Park, BUILD works to enact its mission to inspire hope and offer opportunities so youth facing systemic obstacles can achieve positive futures. Starting in 2021, BUILD launched their Mobile Mental Health Program and began serving participants at GWTP. Amanda Cimaroli, Community Mental Health Manager, in an interview for this blog said, “The idea behind [BUILD’s Mobile Mental Health Program] was to make mental health services more accessible and normalize getting support and help.” Accessing mental health care can be particularly challenging for residents on the West Side who may not have reliable access to transportation or flexibility in work and family schedules to consistently attend mental health services.

In their partnership with GWTP, BUILD offers regular mental health workshops on-site. Workshops cover a range of topics including community violence, trauma, and grief to build an understanding and appreciation of mental health care. “When you give young people the words for what they’re going through they can better cope,” said Amanda. When asked about what stood out among GWTP participants during workshops, Amanda noted, “[GWTP participants] are engaged, they take notes, and they take the information they learned and they implement it into their real life.”

Going forward, BUILD is looking to continue growing and offering services to youth across Chicago. They seek to create more partnerships, like the one with GWTP, to meet clients where they’re at. GWTP’s partnership with BUILD has been critical to the success of participants. As Amanda said, “[Participants] are already on the path towards making their lives better through GWTP programs, and BUILD helps to make that journey a little easier and overcome any challenges along the way.”

Alum Highlight: Santos Borges

In the early 2000s, Santos Borges was struggling in high school, making poor decisions, and regularly getting into trouble. He eventually dropped out of high school and wasn’t sure what to do next. That was until his sister told him about the alternative high school she had recently completed. She thought the smaller class sizes and attentive teachers would suit him much better than the traditional public school in their neighborhood. Santos thought it was worth a shot and he enrolled at West Town Academy at Greater West Town Project (GWTP).

Santos thrived in the structured environment and the closeness of the students and staff, saying in an interview for this blog, “[as students] it felt like we were one big family. Everybody knew each other, and we were always able to talk with the teachers.”

After graduating from West Town Academy, Santos had a son and began working as a part-time bank teller at JP Morgan Chase. 18 years later, Santos has remained in the banking industry and is now the Vice President Community Manager at JP Morgan Chase. In this role, Santos is working to increase financial education in Black and Latinx communities around Chicago. “There’s a huge need for financial education in underserved communities across Chicago. And I get to work around the communities where I grew up and talk about credit, becoming a homeowner, and other ways to build wealth,” said Santos. He has also been paying it forward by putting on financial literacy trainings at Greater West Town Project for our participants multiple times per year.

Santos offered some advice to folks thinking of joining GWTP, saying, “Make sure and create a 3-5 year plan and set goals, and the first goal should be to graduate high school!” Santos has been an outstanding example of GWTP’s potential impact in our shared West Side community. “The combination of banking and GWTP has been great for me in my life and I have had a lot of success because of them.” Congratulations on all of your success, Santos!

Donor Spotlight: Emily Easton

Emily Easton has supported Greater West Town Community Development Project (GWTP) since 2021. Emily first learned about GWTP from a friend who was working there. As she learned more, she wanted to support the work being done at GWTP. “I love that there’s a clear pathway to connect directly to industries,” said Emily in an interview for this blog. Building pathways for tomorrow’s workforce has been central to Emily’s career, having spent 15 years in higher education.

Emily is now the Director of Education and Workforce Development at the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) at the University of Chicago. The mission of the CQE is to connect leading academic talent, top scientific facilities, and prominent members and partners to advance the science and engineering of quantum information, train the quantum workforce of tomorrow, and drive the local and national quantum economy.

While higher education has been a pillar of her career, she is quick to acknowledge that there ought to be many career paths that lead to success. “Professional experience is often more important than a formal credential,” said Emily. This is illustrated by the occupational training programs at GWTP that focus on wood product manufacturing and shipping/receiving; the kinds of hands-on skills that Emily seeks to tap into to grow the field of quantum science and engineering in Chicago. Growing the future workforce of Chicago is something that Emily shares with GWTP, especially for the Black and Brown communities that have been historically left out of such technological and workforce advancements.

Emily sees GWTP as an excellent steward of donations, commenting, “Every dollar counts towards doing the great work y’all do.” You can join Emily in supporting the crucial work of GWTP by visiting gwtp.org/donate. And you can learn more about the Chicago Quantum Exchange at chicagoquantum.org/.

Community Partner Highlight: Georgia Nut

The Georgia Nut Company's partnership with Greater West Town Community Development Project (GWTP) exemplifies economic empowerment. The collaboration began almost a decade ago and has resulted in 85 graduates of GWTP being placed at Georgia Nut in that time. Recently, GWTP met with Georgia Nut's recruiting team to reflect on our partnership.

According to Georgia Nut, GWTP's unwavering commitment to the participants that they place is key to the partnership's success, saying, “[GWTP] always followed up with employees placed at Georgia Nut, they’re a great role model, they helped candidates with whatever they needed whether it was boots or transportation.” The impact of this collaboration is evident in the success of participants like Dali, Carlos, and Perry. These individuals have become valued members of Georgia Nut's Quality Assurance and Warehouse teams for over five years. GWTP's training championed their strong work ethic, eagerness to learn, and dedication to their jobs.

Georgia Nut and GWTP share a vision beyond mere job placements; they aim to nurture fulfilling careers. Through personalized coaching and mentorship, GWTP equips participants with essential skills such as crafting impressive resumes and enhancing communication abilities - qualities Georgia Nut highly values in GWTP program graduates. Georgia Nut's hiring team thereafter goes the extra mile to set GWTP referrals up for success, thoroughly exploring each candidate's diverse skill sets and backgrounds. They identify alternative roles beyond the warehouse, paving the way for a more customized and rewarding career path for the candidates.

Beyond the workplace, Georgia Nut maintains a strong connection with its community through its foundation. Employees contribute to the foundation, which in turn, supports charitable causes chosen by the employees themselves. This commitment is further exemplified through Georgia Nut's partnership with local organizations like Link 2 Community, Dreams Academy, and Evanston Township, demonstrating their dedication to building a stronger community.

The GWTP-Georgia Nut collaboration is an inspiring testament to the positive impact that meaningful partnerships can create. It showcases how economic empowerment and community involvement can drive significant change and foster a more inclusive community.

Donor Highlight: Cheers to Revolution Brewing!

Revolution Brewing, located in Avondale, proudly stands as Illinois's largest independently owned brewery. Since its founding in 2010, the brewery has been committed to positively impacting the community, and its partnerships with local organizations typically materialize organically through the passionate involvement of its employees. 

A unique aspect of Revolution Brewery’s community support is its creative approach to creating beers tied to specific local causes. By releasing beers that highlight local nonprofit organizations' stories, they not only raise awareness but generate funds for worthy causes. 

GWTP’s partnership with Revolution Brewing began when they decided to re-introduce their first-ever created beer, aptly named “Working Man.” Revolution Brewing saw the relaunch of this beer as an opportunity to forge a new alliance with a nonprofit that truly resonated with their values. This is when Revolution Brewing contacted GWTP because “we’ve all gotten unhealthy messaging about how the traditional college path is the only path to a fulfilling career,” said Revolution Brewing Director of Communications, John Carruthers. Whereas GWTP’s nontraditional educational and economic empowerment demonstrates “you can have a productive and healthy career without following the traditional gameplan,” added Carruthers.

Furthermore, GWTP’s commitment to breaking down barriers to employment and making opportunities accessible to everyone strongly aligned with Revolution Brewing’s worker-focused branding, social impact priorities, and desire to promote the value of healthy, fulfilling careers.

As the landscape on Chicago’s West Side continues to evolve, Revolution Brewing remains steadfast in its mission to drive positive change through authentic partnerships and community-driven initiatives. Through its support of GWTP, Revolution Brewing has provided vital resources to help folks in securing stable jobs, proving their commitment to making a lasting impact in the community.

Alum Highlight: Daniel’s ‘Destiny’s Water Ice’

“[GWTP] offers a lot, but you might not take everything in the first time, so key in on your strongest points, whether that’s math, reading, or writing, and learn the most about that because that’s what you will connect with in your job.”

Many participants learn about GWTP’s programming through word of mouth, and Daniel’s story is an incredible example of GWTP’s training program’s impact. In 2017, Daniel started our Shipping and Receiving program and returned in 2019 to complete his training. Looking back on his time in the program, Daniel reflects, “training went excellent, I learned a lot from the program, and it helped me get a job at Georgia Nut.”

At Georgia Nut, Daniel’s business skills blossomed. As with all GWTP participants, Daniel received job placement and retention support. He remained at Georgia Nut for two years, making significant professional strides: he advanced to a leadership position, was selected to serve on a safety committee, and managed 36 machines simultaneously in 6 different rooms. Daniel remarked that he was grateful for his time at Georgia Nut, where his personal and professional growth laid the foundation for his future.

Daniel worked in several other jobs in the trades, and with each job experience, he picked up valuable skills that would lead him to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. Inspired by his favorite childhood Italian ice company, which had closed down, Daniel founded Destiny’s Water Ice in 2022 and grew it into a thriving Italian ice company. Beyond selling Italian ice, Daniel now franchises out the carts, teaches entrepreneurship locally, works with the Chicago Park District, and often partners with Breakthrough Urban Ministry.

GWTP takes immense pride in Daniel's accomplishments and impact on his community. We are rooting for his continued success as his business grows and gears up for distribution to grocery stores in the fall.

We see our participants as standing at the gateway of a transformative opportunity, and we work with you to focus on your strengths and seize every chance to grow and learn. Here at GWTP, we would be honored to be a part of your journey and champion your success!