On a brisk Friday evening last November, guests received the actual red carpet treatment as they entered the new Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub. Complete with Hollywood lights, the warm and friendly staff from the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC) opened their doors to the community to tour all four floors.
GAGDC held the grand opening for their Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub on November 11, 2022. Located on the south side of Chicago, GAGDC strives to foster and promote the revitalization of Auburn Gresham and the surrounding neighborhoods by designing and implementing programs that improve the community in various areas.
GAGDC’s work comprises the five pillars of community economic development, housing and senior services, health and wellness, community and family engagement, and education and youth development. In 2010, the ISU National Center of Urban Education began a partnership with GAGDC to support their education work, particularly in their AG GOLD partner schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that serve predominately Black students and their families with the goal of building community teachers.
Jennifer O’Malley and Dr. Apryl Riley from NCUE attended the grand opening event, along with other partners, to celebrate as well as share information about NCUE programs and our commitment to GAGDC and the Auburn-Gresham community.
GAGDC’s original office sat on the corner of West 79th and Racine streets on the south side of Chicago. While the location housed staff and provided various resources to serve the community over the years, the organization had far outgrown that space and was ready to expand.
“I remember when we visited the neighborhood with a group of ISU faculty almost seven years ago,” Jennifer O’Malley, director of NCUE Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline said. “Carlos Nelson [CEO of GAGDC] showed us a shuttered building and proclaimed their organization would be housed in this future location.”
After many years of fundraising, including the 2020 award of the inaugural Chicago Prize from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation and funding from the city’s Invest South/West program, GAGDC realized its dream and will now occupy the top floor of the four-story terracotta building at 839 W. 79th Street that once served as a furniture store for the community.
The first floor will be home to Bank of America along with Mikkey’s Retro Grill, a cafe, and the Chicago Bears Community Room & Teaching Kitchen. The second and third floors house health clinics to serve the community including pediatric, dentistry, and comprehensive health services for seniors. The fourth floor will house GAGDC’s offices as well as meeting spaces for community groups and flex office spaces for partner organizations to utilize including NCUE.
Close to 600 community members and guests enjoyed catered food by local restaurants along with live music, demonstrations, and much more. The event was covered by local news stations that noted the significance of the renewal of Auburn Gresham. The Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub will serve as a consistent resource for the community for years to come.
“I’m looking forward to the connections that will be built at The Hub. It will not only provide access to a wide range of services that will build up the community, but also a safe place where community members can come and find fellowship together. They’ll be able to meet new people and learn what they can offer to each other,” GAGDC Education Program Manager and community liaison for NCUE, Melanie Christion said.
