Urban Initiatives had the great privilege of celebrating 600 amazing and committed families and coaches, on Thursday, March 23rd at the 2nd Annual FAM & Coach Appreciation Night!
The event featured delicious fare provided by Limelight Catering at the gorgeous Revel Fulton Market event space The Revel Group hosted UI families and coaches for an unforgettable evening that captured what Urban Initiatives is all about – developing powerful relationships built on fun, trust, and working together to positively impact lives and communities!
Urban Initiatives took this opportunity to recognize several key players who have been instrumental in the growth and impact of our programs. Yulonda Hawkins, parent extraordinaire from Providence Englewood Charter School was presented with the Parent Leader Award for supporting every UI student at her school. Coach Cynthia Gonzalez from Marquette School of Excellence was named the Most Outstanding Coach because of her unwavering commitment to UI students at her school. Coach Gonzalez goes above and beyond in always ensuring her students are constantly learning and gaining new experiences. Urban Initiatives was also privileged to honor Illinois Secretary of State Jessie White with our Kickstarter Award! Secretary White was a key supporter in the early days of Urban Initiatives in the Cabrini-Green community. It is no wonder Urban Initiatives has seen such growth and success with teammates like these!
This event was a vibrant celebration of Urban Initiatives parents for the tireless effort they put in as impactful adult role models in the lives of their children. Urban Initiatives would not be what it is today if it had not been for the countless hours of care and commitment poured in by parents over the years. At this spectacular event, we were able to thank nearly 500 family members and coaches from across Chicago for their consistent partnership. It is an even greater pleasure to think about the many years of partnerships that are yet to come as even more parents join Urban Initiatives as advocates of teamwork, respect, healthy decision-making, and community empowerment. Urban Initiatives’ partner parents and coaches are the true leaders carrying this message to their communities and reinforcing it in the lives of their children and families.
We couldn’t put it better than one of the parents present, who eloquently summed up the spirit of the event: “Urban Initiatives makes you feel like you’re part of a bigger family. You have support from different people, it helps me feel like my kids can do anything.”
We could not be more grateful for our Urban Initiatives parents and coaches. We are truly fortunate to have them as our biggest fans, and we are theirs. UI parents and coaches, we thank you, and we love you!
UI would like to give the BIGGEST THANK YOU EVER to Britt Whitfield, Revel Group and Limelight for hosting and donating everything to make this event possible! We also want to thank Jamie Hitch and Pepsico for providing refreshments for our families along with Revolution Brewing for providing their fine quality craft beers.
Thank you and see everyone next year!
