BETHEL NEW LIFE INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : s*****r@b***********e.o*g
Mission Statement
Bethel New Life empowers individuals, strengthens families, and rebuilds west side communities through community-driven, solution-oriented, and value-centered approaches.
About This Cause
Bethel New Life is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois. Formed by Bethel Lutheran Church on the West Side of Chicago in response to the devastation and disinvestment that followed the civil rights riots of the late 1960s, Bethel New Life has been in the business of creating social impact and community change for more than four decades. Bethel's main campus sits on the northern portion of the Austin community. The near 9-acre property hosts an early learning center, an independent living facility and a supportive living facility for seniors. Bethel also leases out space to organizations facilitating health and wellness centered programs for youth and families. We service a northern sector of Austin that is not as supported as our more northerly Austin neighbors. Our proximity to other low income, minority communities (Humboldt Park and West Garfield Park) allow us to support additional underserviced populations. Bethel’s second and only additional structure is the Pace Center. A 22-unit senior housing facility with an indoor community space in West Garfield Park. Bethel New Life’s intergenerational campus contains an early learning center serving 90 youth ages 6 months to 5 years of age, out-of-school time youth programs through campus partners I-Care Ministries serving 30-40 youth ages 5 to 19, and 210 units of affordable senior housing. This Fall we will begin new campus partnerships with Project Exploration (PE) and BUILD. The PE partnership will allow us to serve an additional 60 students daily, engaging them in STEM programs focused on health sciences and horticulture. The BUILD partnership will result in supportive services (mental health and academic enrichment) being available on campus for youth. Bethel is currently waitlisted by After School Matters to provide a healthcare career exploration program for 15 teens throughout the school year. All of our programs and initiatives are crafted with serving our campus participants, their families, and community residents of Austin, West Garfield Park and Humboldt Park in mind. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Bethel New Life had an opportunity to look at its work moving forward. We conducted a mini-strategic planning process which included community surveys, senior surveys, and a design charrette. The results guided Bethel to a new vision statement, “provide programs and initiatives that prepare individuals, families and neighborhoods to be healthy and well through all stages of life”. This new vision resulted in the following priorities: Build the Mildred Wiley Wellness Hub to support the programs and initiatives to be created based on the new vision. The Hub facilities are to include: - A community garden - Horticulture Center w/demonstration kitchen - Fitness Center - Indoor/Outdoor Café - A campus arts walking path Implement a capital campaign to raise the money needed for the Hub construction process. The current estimate is $10 million. - Present Hub presentation to potential partners, donors and funders. - Plan and facilitate fundraising events. - Begin construction process. Demonstrate Bethel’s ability to facilitate programs by working through strong partnerships to provide initial programs using the existing campus structures. - Begin career exploration pathway programs for youth in horticulture and healthcare fields. - Begin preventative mental and physical health programs for participants of all ages. - Host community events that allow individuals and families to create strong social networks while forming new health and wellness habits