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Read the press release here.

New After School Matters Hub In Portage Park Boasts Kitchen, Dance Studio

By Alex Nitkin | June 12, 2017 4:55am
 Students showcase cakes they made in an After School Matters baking class.
Students showcase cakes they made in an After School Matters baking class.
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CHICAGO — Officials on Sunday celebrated the opening of a 36,000-square-foot building in Portage Park renovated and managed by the nonprofit After School Matters, which runs arts and academic programs for students when they're out of school, according to an announcement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office.

The Michael and Karyn Lutz Center, 3435 N. Cicero Ave., features "art studios, a dance studio, vocal booths, tech labs and a full commercial kitchen, as well as numerous concrete canvases on which teens can create their own murals and display their art," according to the announcement.

Over the course of the summer, nearly 600 teens will participate in 28 programs at the new center, "including architecture design, Latin dance and underwater robotics," it continued.

After School Matters leaders expect the site to accommodate up to 1,500 students every year, the annoucement said.

Emanuel said he expects the facility to "open up opportunities for Chicago youth to discover their passion and unlock their full potential."