Turning the Page has a 17 year history in Washington DC, and in 2015 we expanded our work to Chicago after a successful pilot program, where we worked with over 80 Chicago families. After piloting our program in Chicago’s North Lawndale community, we saw both the need and the promise of investing our efforts in North Lawndale over the long-term.
In its inaugural year, TTP Chicago has partnered with four schools in North Lawndale, whose goals are to increase and/or improve family engagement at their schools. North Lawndale is an incredibly interesting Chicago neighborhood with a fascinating past. Despite challenges the community faces, there is a vibrant group of organizations and individuals working hard on behalf of students and their families, and Turning the Page is excited to be a part of the community and contribute its strategies for effectively engaging parents.
What does the TTP Chicago Staff appreciate about Chicago’s North Lawndale Community? Here are a few thoughts from the team:
“I appreciate that members of the North Lawndale community have been so generous in sharing their energy and time with me. I have seen a lot of North Lawndale loyalty, and I am excited to get to know more people here. I am excited to connect with more local organizations and work on supporting each other’s work.” – Jasmine Eshkar, AmeriCorps VISTA, TTP Chicago
“I appreciate the willingness of the residents of North Lawndale to work towards a better change. The sense of community that I have seen and felt is absolutely amazing.” – Astur Tahlil, AmeriCorps VISTA, TTP Chicago
“I have appreciated the welcoming and joyous spirits that all our school partners and families of the North Lawndale have shown so far in our work together. All of our school communities are dedicated to their students and families and are ready to dive into our programs as a way to continue to improve student success.” – Keirstin McCambridge, Partnership Coordinator, TTP Chicago
“I appreciate the commitment of the residents to their community of North Lawndale. Regardless of what’s happening, the residents are able to come together and push forward. I’m excited to meet so many people working toward the same goal that share the same passion of doing everything they can to provide the citizens of North Lawndale with the resources to reclaim their beautiful community.” -Allison Shackelford, AmeriCorps VISTA, TTP Chicago
To learn more about our Chicago Staff, check out our “Who We Are” page!