June 2, 2017

MEDIA ADVISORY

Humboldt Park Community Rallies to End Violence
Through ALSO’s 22nd Annual Walk for Peace

CHICAGO – For the 22nd consecutive year, people from across Chicago will join with the Alliance of Local Service Organizations (ALSO), its partners and community members on Saturday, June 3, 2017 to Walk for Peace.

ALSO is convening this event to promote a safe summer against spikes in violence in Humboldt Park and across Chicago. The theme of this year’s Walk is “Peacing the Blocks,” a concept developed by committed community residents who want to see people come together across Humboldt Park to get to know each other, and to work together to keep the neighborhood safe for everyone.

ALSO recognizes that we are all witnesses to violence or potential violence and have the ability to make positive contributions to community safety. On Saturday, we will come together as residents and supporters alike to celebrate the assets of a vibrant neighborhood, where individuals can join a diverse community collective to counter the upward trend in violence.

The strength of our community increases every time we make new connections and convert our enthusiasm for Humboldt Park into positive engagement and action. We will highlight effective efforts to reduce violence in our city: from civic engagement through community and youth advisory boards and initiatives like ALSO’s subsidized employment program for at-risk youth, to the efforts of inspired individuals who work to create safety for those they know and those who they may not know. Finally, we will share strategies to continue violence prevention and intervention efforts to ensure that the City of Chicago is safe for everyone.

Date:
June 3, 2017

Location:
IFF, Von Humboldt LLC (2620 W. Hirsch St, Chicago, at the intersection of Hirsch and Rockwell)

Time:
10:30 am Participants Arrive
11:00 am Speakers Offer Remarks
11:30 am Begin Walk through the neighborhood
12:00 – 2:00 pm Celebration of Peace

Among the speakers highlighted will be: Cook County Commissioner Louis Arroyo Jr; Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 2nd Ward; Pastor Bruce Ray, Kimball Ave. Church; as well as a variety of other agency leaders and elected officials.

The post-walk Celebration of Peace will include performances by local artists, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, free food, entertainment, raffles, games and activities for people of all ages.

 

 

The mission of ALSO is to end violence in the homes and streets of communities nationwide. Incorporated in 1998, ALSO was created to coordinate services for youth and families in the Logan Square community on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Becoming aware of the devastating impact of community violence on those families ALSO began to take action by implementing prevention programs to end street violence. In 2007, ALSO expanded its violence prevention and intervention efforts to include intimate partner violence. By working to end violence more broadly, ALSO began to see connections between violence on the streets and violence in the home.

Today, ALSO works both locally and nationally to end violence. By expanding its reach, ALSO informs its national work from a local perspective and brings knowledge and best practices from around the country to our neighborhoods in Chicago.