by Together Chicago | Oct 2, 2025 | Press, Recognition
Jonathan Banks is caffeine-free. Some might wonder how after a quick glance at the array of leadership positions he currently holds. Banks is the Chief Operating Officer at Urban Outreach Foundation, an executive pastor at Apostolic Faith Church Chicago, and Co-CEO of...
by Together Chicago | Oct 1, 2025 | Faith-Community Mobilization, Events
On October 1, Together Chicago’s Chicagoland United in Prayer (CUIP) team gathered with nearly 130 leaders, pastors, and neighbors, as well as 16 organizations around Chicagoland, at New Life Community Church in Little Village for our Next Steps Lunch. It was a...
by Together Chicago | Sep 25, 2025 | Recognition, Violence Reduction
At a recent Chicago Fellowship gathering, Together Chicago co-founder David Dillon interviewed three leaders of our Violence Reduction team: LaVonas Troup, Charles King, and Laprentiss Flowers. Each of them once belonged to rival gangs, even facing one another as...
by Together Chicago | Sep 8, 2025 | Violence Reduction, Events
Our Senior Advisor and cofounder, Michael Allen, has seen firsthand how stepping into unfamiliar places broadens hearts and minds. Travel shaped his Christian worldview and taught him that, as Mark Twain put it, “travel is fatal to prejudice.” Many of our...
by Together Chicago | Aug 13, 2025 | Education, Faith-Community Mobilization
As Together Chicago, we believe change in our city’s schools begins with prayerful presence—neighbors on the corner, standing in agreement for students, staff, and families. Love Your School Prayer Corners (LYSPC) was born from that conviction, and from a long journey...
by Together Chicago | Jul 11, 2025 | Education, Recognition
Together Chicago is proud to celebrate Damien Howard, our Director of Education Initiatives, as he marks his ninth year teaching life skills to youth and young adults through the Summer Youth Employment Program through the Near West Side Community Development...
by Together Chicago | Jul 4, 2025 | Violence Reduction
Starr Park, once a hotspot for gang violence has, by God’s grace, become a gathering place for families and neighbors—a visible sign of progress. On Independence Day, our Violence Reduction team on the Near West Side hosted a community picnic at Starr Park. Over...
by Together Chicago | Jul 1, 2025 | Gospel Justice, Events, Violence Reduction
On Tuesday, July 1st, more than 160 students and Chicago Police officers came together at the CPD headquarters to participate in a JustBRUNCH Conversations event. Organized by Rev. Alvin C. Bibbs Sr., Together Chicago’s Community & Faith Engagement Officer, the...
by Together Chicago | Jul 1, 2025 | Faith-Community Mobilization, Events, Violence Reduction
Since 2018, community leaders across Chicago have been coming together at Building Blocks of Peace to collaborate on taking collective action to improve their neighborhoods. Building Blocks of Peace is a spring workshop series that centers around the idea of...
by Together Chicago | Jun 25, 2025 | Violence Reduction, Press
At Together Chicago, we believe that real change happens when people with a heart for their community step up to lead. One of those leaders is Ed Brown, our Street Outreach Supervisor, whose dedication and presence in Austin has been faithful and consistent. We are...
by Together Chicago | Jun 19, 2025 | Gospel Justice, Events
On Juneteenth, June 19, Together Chicago joined with Justice Journey Alliance, Leadership Foundation of Chicago, and community members for a 2.5-mile Commemorative Walk on Chicago’s South Side. The walk, organized by Rev. Alvin C. Bibbs, Sr. President & CEO of the...
by Together Chicago | Jun 6, 2025 | Recognition
We are proud to share that our co-founder, David Dillon, has received this year’s Legacy Award, which honors individuals who exemplify servant leadership and demonstrate a sustained commitment to the flourishing of Chicago. David’s decades of quiet,...
by Together Chicago | Jun 5, 2025 | Education, Events, Violence Reduction
On June 5, 2025, members of the Together Chicago team proudly laced up their shoes to join Strides for Peace’s 8th Annual Race Against Gun Violence at Grant Park. With hundreds of people running or walking, the event once again highlighted the city’s...
by Together Chicago | Jun 3, 2025 | Education, Recognition
Tonight at Lou Malnati’s in the West Loop, we gathered to honor a phenomenal group of mentors who have poured into students across three elementary schools this year through Together Chicago. From community members to graduate-level interns, this team showed up...
by Together Chicago | Jun 1, 2025 | Faith-Community Mobilization, Events
On June 1, more than 500 people from across Chicagoland came together at Western Springs Baptist Church to obey a vital yet often overlooked command of Scripture: to worship God in spirit and in truth. Led by Roy Patterson, with support from Hannah Thompson, Joann...
by Together Chicago | May 27, 2025 | Faith-Community Mobilization, Events
Historically, the Memorial Day Weekend often witnessed spikes of violence in Chicago. To promote peace, we rallied churches, organizations, and individuals to host united prayer and positive community presence all across the city of Chicago. Local pastors and leaders...
by Together Chicago | May 25, 2025 | Education, Recognition
This past weekend, we wrapped up another incredible mentoring year with our much-anticipated annual trip to the White Sox game, this time cheering them on against the Rangers. But for our 16 boys from Pirie Elementary (grades 3–6), this day wasn’t just about...
by Together Chicago | May 13, 2025 | Violence Reduction
On May 13, Together Chicago’s Violence Reduction Team joined hundreds of community violence intervention (CVI) leaders in Springfield for the 2025 CVI Rally and Legislative Action Day. We stood alongside partners from across the state to call for continued...
by Together Chicago | May 3, 2025 | Faith-Community Mobilization, Events
Building Blocks of Peace is a 3-month training course (Mar, Apr, May) + 3-month mobilization effort (Jun, Jul, Aug) that helps individuals connect with others in their community to get organized, become more equipped, and deploy local faith-rooted mobilization in...
by Together Chicago | Apr 26, 2025 | Education, Events
At the 5th Annual Love Your School Friendraiser, more than 30 mission-driven organizations came together with one purpose: to build the relationships that power real, lasting change for Chicago’s youth. With over 250 participants — including young people from...
by Together Chicago | Apr 7, 2025 | Violence Reduction
One of our most rewarding parts of our violence reduction work at Together Chicago is seeing Chicagoans invest in their own growth and in the well-being of others. That kind of change isn’t easy; it comes with setbacks, doubts, and real obstacles. Our role is to...
by Together Chicago | Apr 5, 2025 | Faith-Community Mobilization, Events
Building Blocks of Peace is a 3-month training course (Mar, Apr, May) + 3-month mobilization effort (Jun, Jul, Aug) that helps individuals connect with others in their community to get organized, become more equipped, and deploy local faith-rooted mobilization in...
by Together Chicago | Mar 28, 2025 | Recognition, Violence Reduction
We’re proud to give a big shoutout to our very own LaVonas Troupe, Director of our Violence Reduction team at Together Chicago! LaVonas recently completed a six-month Management & Supervision Fellowship with The Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, an intensive program...
![[Interview] From Dope Dealers to Hope Dealers: A Conversation on Real Solutions to Gun Violence](https://togetherchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/MA-headshot.jpg)
by Together Chicago | Mar 24, 2025 | Press
Gun violence is often framed as a law enforcement issue, but what if the deeper solution lies not in policing, but in opportunity? Our co-founder, Michael Allen, recently sat down with Unlocked Potential to explore this very question. In an episode titled “From...
by Together Chicago | Mar 20, 2025 | Education
Our Love Your School (LYS) Collective participated in the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Chicago Quarterly Convening, a gathering of educators, advocates, and community leaders united by one vision: to transform how we support boys and young men of color in Chicago....
by Together Chicago | Mar 3, 2025 | Press, Economic Development, Education, Faith-Community Mobilization, Gospel Justice, Violence Reduction
Across multiple visits over the course of several months, writer Anne Snyder and photographer Kory Powell embedded themselves within the work of Together Chicago, getting to know the individuals at the heart of this organization — this news article on BitterSweet...
by Together Chicago | Mar 1, 2025 | Faith-Community Mobilization, Events
Building Blocks of Peace is a 3-month training course (Mar, Apr, May) + 3-month mobilization effort (Jun, Jul, Aug) that helps individuals connect with others in their community to get organized, become more equipped, and deploy local faith-rooted mobilization in...
by Together Chicago | Feb 17, 2025 | Recognition
Since its founding in 2017, Together Chicago has remained steadfast in its mission to reduce violence, foster economic development, and create thriving communities rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ being expressed in issues of justice and mercy. The organization’s...
by Together Chicago | Feb 10, 2025 | Violence Reduction
At Together Chicago, we are dedicated to helping individuals overcome the barriers of their past by assisting with the expungement and sealing of eligible criminal records. This transformative process provides a fresh start, opening doors to new opportunities in...
by Together Chicago | Feb 8, 2025 | Gospel Justice
A new Gospel Justice Center has officially opened at Faith in God Anointed Ministries in Auburn Gresham. For an affordable, $30 co-pay legal fee, those in need can receive legal consultation services (not representation). Led by Senior Pastor Lonney Davis & Team,...
