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New By The Hand Club Building is 'Just the Beginning' for Austin: Alderman

By Mauricio Peña | January 30, 2015 5:22pm
 By The Hand is funding the construction of a new facility that will house a charter school in Austin.
By the Hand Club
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AUSTIN — Vontesha Stanfield, 22, was falling behind in school as a seventh-grader when she started attending the By The Hand Club in Cabrini Green.

But she credits the afterschool program with helping make college an option for her, and last year, Stanfield graduated cum laude from Indiana University with a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

For Stanfield, By The Hand offered her "a little push" to jump start her academics.

On Friday, Stanfield joined Gov. Bruce Rauner, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, Ald. Emma Mitts (37th), community members and faith leaders at a ground-breaking ceremony for a new $11 million building that will house an expansion of the afterschool program. The new building will eventually allow the club to nearly double the number of students it serves to nearly 2,000.

The three-story, 55,000 square-foot building at 416 N. Laramie Ave. will sit across the street from the By the Hand Club's current location at 415 N. Laramie, which opened less than two years ago. The new building will include 18 classrooms, three computer labs, a gym and an art room.

By The Hand, which raised money for the building through private donations, is leasing space inside to Moving Everest Charter School. All students at the charter school, which is opening in the fall, will have the option of enrolling in the By The Hand Club for free.

"This new facility will allow us to serve 810 more children who will attend Moving Everest Charter School during the day," said Donnita Travis, executive director of By The Hand.

Travis founded the faith-based club in 2001. It now works with 1,000 kids in four "underserved" communities: Altgeld-Gardens, Englewood, Cabrini-Green and Austin, Travis said.

The program offers tutoring, medical and dental care, counseling, spiritual guidance and hot meals, Travis said.

"Our vision is to help kids experience abundant life, our mission is to take children in critical need by the hand in the first grade and walk them all the way through college," Travis said.

Charday Nelson, who has been sending her five children to the afterschool program, plans to send two children to the new charter school when it opens.

The By the Hand staff is really involved and keeps kids on track, Nelson said.

"The program keeps them off the street and focused," Nelson said. "The new school will be a great benefit to the Austin community."

Michael Rogers, executive director of Chicago Education Partnership and founder of Moving Everest, said that his school will work with By The Hand to ensure children of Austin are given a "compelling educational choice that will prepare them for academic success."

The Rev. Michael Ross shared his enthusiasm with the project.

"We give them education, we give them hope. We want to give them a chance. This new building, this new school starts that process," Ross said.

Ald. Mitts was excited for the new addition to the neighborhood.

"I am speechless because this is history-making," Mitts said. "We've been overlooked for a long time. In a few short months, you will see some changes. This is just the beginning."

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