In the midst of 71st Street near Stony Island stands a beautiful structure. If I were an architect and was asked to construct a kid-friendly building, that would have been it. Colorful, creative, “kid-friendly”. That was my introduction to Lawrence Hall.
I parked my car close by and walked to the entrance. Two gentlemen were sitting outside. Their smiles were warm and welcoming. “I’m here to see Sean McGinnis,” I said. The gentleman with the warm smile and long, artful beard stood up. He was expecting me earlier. On Tuesday’s they serve 100 to 200 meals. I was late. All the food was gone, and Sean McGinnis was apologetic. But I didn’t come for the food, I came to hear about this wonderful establishment in the heart of South Shore.
We went inside, and every person that I passed by greeted me with a warm smile.
Sean McGinnis is the Chief Program Officer, and it’s clear that his warm personality sets the tone – anyone without a smile in that setting would be noticeably out of place.
Sean told me a little bit about the history of Lawrence Hall, which was founded in 1865 as an orphanage during the Civil War. Today it has seven core program areas: a residential treatment center, a therapeutic day school, transitional and independent living, foster care, community wellness, workforce development, and creative therapies.
Lawrence Hall has facilities throughout Chicago, on the northside, in Albany Park and Rogers Park and on the Southside in Englewood, Auburn Park, and in the South Shore.
Two of the programs based in the South Shore location are Community Wellness and Workforce Development . The Workforce Development program provides job opportunities, training and job readiness skills to 350 young people annually. The program provides training for careers such as CNA (Certified Nurse’s Assistant), dental technician and other fields of employment.
Within the Community Wellness program the Juvenile Reporting System for justice system involved youth provides youth the opportunity to be at home with family instead of being detained. Youth report to Lawrence Hall, and their counselors at Lawrence Hall inform their probation officer of their attendance and progress in social/emotional skill development.
Lawrence Hall provides this program in partnership with Lost Boyz, Inc.
Sean told me about the “Lost Boyz” Program. “Like the lost boys in Peter Pan?” I asked. He smiled and nodded, “yes.”
It is no secret that Chicago continues to live up to its nickname, “Chiraq” depicting more gun violence on the streets of Chicago than occurs in the battlefields of Iraq, so Lawrence Hall’s violence prevention programming is very much needed, and boasts of successful outcomes, serving 500 to 550 individuals each year in the South Shore area.
I was introduced to a lovely young woman by the name of Narestus Coley, the Community Wellness Manager.
With in the Community Wellness Program two of the offerings that Narestus oversees is One Summer Chicago and the SCaN (Service Coordination and Navigation) which provides extensive case management support for youth from high crime areas.
Eligible participants are youth who missed 50 percent of school, or are homeless, or victims of gun violence. SCaN also pays for their tuition, eye glasses, etc.
Another Community Wellness offering is Journeys Across Communities which services justice system involved youth or youth at high risk of justice system involvement, providing them with a variety of supports like workforce development, peer programming, case management, clinical and expungement services as well as cultural emersion activities.
I also was introduced to Ahmad Sanders, the Program Manager for Workforce Development. Ahmad oversees five workforce development offerings which provide job training and job placement in partnership with local employers bringing together
government institutions, community-based organizations, and companies to offer employment and internship opportunities to youth and young adults ages 14 to 24, youth join the workforce and begin career pathways.
The fourteen- and fifteen-year old’s learn about art and music, and the sixteen-to-twenty-four-year old’s are employed by one of the twenty-five employers that partner with Lawrence Hall. Some are in South Shore, others are in Englewood and Hyde Park. Four youth have been placed in the South Side Health Center so far this year.
Sean gave me a tour of the facility, which is much larger than I initially thought. The Music Therapy room had headphones hanging on the walls, along with various instruments including keyboards, drums, and guitars. Nationally accredited by the American Music Therapy Association, Lawrence Hall’s music therapists work directly with youth to develop healthy
social and relationship building skills, build emotional regulation and awareness, and build confidence and self-esteem through clinical and
evidenced-based music interventions.
Other therapies include Art Therapy, Using the visual arts, art therapists provide individual and group art therapy sessions to help youth explore and process their innermost thoughts and feelings in nonverbal ways, leading to healing and greater confidence in their abilities.
And therapeutic recreation. In addition to their internal services, Lawrence Hall partners with a variety of external organizations to provide our youth with out-of-the-box therapies.
Their partner-based therapies include:
Canine Therapy: In partnership with the Canine Therapy Corps, our Canine Therapy program is a seven-week class that partners each youth with a dog and works with a trainer to build a relationship with their dog. Often struggling in typical social situations, our youth can put aside their fear of judgment and work on anger management, communication skills, and self-awareness through play and dog training.
Performance Therapy: The Shakespeare in the Classroom program is facilitated by theater educators from the Invictus Theatre Company who rehearse an abridged Shakespearean production with students. The program culminates in a final performance for the students’ friends, family, and treatment team. Using a trauma-informed approach to Shakespearean performance, the program’s goal is to teach skills in emotional regulation, healthy self-expression, self-esteem, and how to sustain healthy relationships.
And Wilderness Therapy.
Note that all of the therapies are not available in all of the Lawrence Hall locations.
I left this peaceful, friendly place wondering how the founders of this wonderful organization called Lawrence Hall knew, way back in 1865, that Chicago’s South Shore community, as well as communities throughout Chicago would need these fantastic programs for such a time as this.
