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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
On Friday, March 21, 2025 our team sat down with City of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chief of Faith Engagement Billy Evans and their team for a ‘Lakeside Chat’. The Mayor’s office hosts these conversations with local organizations in an effort...
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...
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...
As the new year begins, one of our focus has been on fresh starts for individuals who have faced significant life challenges. Over the past two months, this commitment to new beginnings has included supporting participants in their journey toward stable employment....
This past Saturday, Together Chicago’s Violence Prevention team won the championship in the One City Basketball League, organized by the incredible team at Noah’s Arc Foundation!We are thrilled to celebrate this victory and the positive impact this league...
How can you make a difference in your community? When you see a need, you can respond to meet that need – and lives can be changed. We’ll hear from several guests who saw needs in their neighborhoods and how they’ve addressed them. Don’t miss the...
On Saturday July 27, 2024, our Near West Side Violence Reduction Team joined forces with the Henry Horner Reunion Picnic for a fantastic community event that drew over 300 attendees! Thanks to our amazing partners and volunteers, including Laprentess Flowers and...
Together Chicago team members, family, and friends participated in the 2024 Race Against Gun Violence on June 6th, organized by Strides for Peace. This annual run/walk supports the work of local nonprofits who are focussed on reducing gun violence in Chicago and...
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...
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...
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...
The story of Lavonas goes against the odds…it’s a story of redemption. Imagine being told by your grandmother, as if being told by God Himself, that death is on you. What do you do with that? The only thing Lavonas knew to do was pray, but his prayer was . . . “Lord,...
For many years, I’ve thought and talked about a theory of change concerning my African American neighbors and friends who grew up in poor and violent communities. The stories of their lives have always intrigued me because they are filled with complex realities that...
Jake S. founder of Shield 616 in Colorado, is a retired Police Officer and SWAT Team member who felt God’s calling to provide better riffle rated protective gear for Police Officers around the country. His approach is to involve churches and other community based...
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...
For seven years now, Together Chicago has been working to reduce gun violence and increase community in Chicago by bringing faith groups, businesses and government leaders together.
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...
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...
Together Chicago reduces gun violence with a five-pronged strategy designed to reduce crime on the streets and improve social conditions on Chicago’s West Side.
![Impacting Your Community [Interview]](https://togetherchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-07-31-Team-on-Chris-Fabry-Show-MBI-1-1080x675.jpg)
