On Saturday, October 25, the Major Adams Youth Center came alive with laughter, costumes, and community spirit as Light in the Night (LIN) hosted a Halloween party for local families. Around thirty children joined in for an evening filled with games, candy, food, and...
On the afternoon of November 1, approximately 300 people gathered in the heart of Little Village for a prayer and worship event dedicated to supporting and standing with Chicago’s immigrant community. Amid growing fear and uncertainty surrounding recent ICE...
Together Chicago is thrilled to welcome senior consultant Patrice Neely as our new Director of Economic Development. A second-generation serial entrepreneur, Patrice brings over fifteen years of experience shaping thriving economic ecosystems through innovation and...
We’re thrilled to celebrate an inspiring moment for education and innovation in our city! At the recent TechRise Chicago x The EdTech Institute of Chicago Pitch Competition, ideas that can shape the future of learning took center stage. We’re proud to...
Together Chicago is proud to announce that our Co-Founder, David Dillon, has been honored with the prestigious Gutenberg Award, presented by the Chicago Bible Society. The Gutenberg Award is presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional service...
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...
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...
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...
Together Chicago had our Faith & Service Initiative’s Partner Convening, a vibrant gathering of organizations, leaders, and community advocates committed to walking alongside young people as they grow in faith, purpose, and service. This event was an example...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
![[Interview] From Dope Dealers to Hope Dealers: A Conversation on Real Solutions to Gun Violence](https://togetherchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/MA-headshot.jpg)