 ProgramsWinter Festival
Claretian Associates, South Chicago Neighborhood Network, Communities Partnering 4 Peace, Special Service Area #5, and other community organizations hosted a Winter Wonder Festival, on December 19th at the SALUD Center. Families enjoyed a holiday dinner, hot chocolate, music, and pictures with Santa Claus. The festival included a toy giveaway and children were gifted a bag with winter gear and toys based on their age. Families also received a bag of donated baked goods from Bimbo. This year, with community organizational collaboration, the event served 200 families.
SALUD Fitness Center Highlight Still Exercising For the past two years Edith Fornes, a South Chicago SALUD Center resident, faithfully exercises three times a week at the SALUD Fitness Center. In 2011, when Edith moved into the former YMCA building, she exercised regularly. After the reopening of the SALUD Fitness Center, Edith became a member because she likes exercising. At the age of 80, Edith thinks it’s important to exercise. “I like to exercise, it's good for your health to exercise,” said Edith. She sometimes has pain in her knees and exercising helps her relieve it. Since exercising Edith has also lost a lot of weight. Edith’s weight used to be 160, and now she weighs 130. When Edith became a member of the fitness center, her goal was to stay active, strong, and have energy by exercising. Edith likes exercising on bikes and is a regular participant in the Git Fit classes. She likes walking in the gymnasium for the Senior Walk, on Tuesdays. Edith does at least 25 or 30 laps around the gymnasium and then continues with the Get Fit Class. About 25 years ago, another form of exercise for Edith was dancing every weekend. Edith used to dance to any type of Latin music, it was a huge part of her life. When the former YMCA pool was operating, she took water aerobics classes. She looks forward to the reopening of the pool. Edith is thankful for the fitness center because it keeps her active. AnnouncementsFitness Center
If you have not joined the fitness center, take advantage of our memberships: Classic $14.99, Classic Plus One $25, and Classic Paid in Full $150. Our January special includes a 3-month membership for $39.99. The fitness center will be closed Christmas and New Year’s day and will operate on a holiday scheduled through January 2nd. Staff HighlightsCompany Holiday Party
Claretian Associates held the Staff Holiday Party at Harborside International Golf Center. Staff enjoyed a brunch with holiday music and games. Staff were entered into a raffle and had several chances to win a holiday gift throughout the brunch. The Claretian team was wished a happy holiday and thanked for their hard work and dedication throughout the year.
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  Support the Salud Center This Giving Tuesday This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to join us in making a difference right here in our community. Claretian Associates is proud to operate the Salud Center – a vital resource for bringing health, connection, and opportunity to everyone we serve. But we can’t do it without your support. The Salud Center is more than just a building. It’s a lifeline for so many in our neighborhood. From deeply discounted fitness center memberships to affordable room rentals and no-cost programming, we work hard every day to make sure the center remains accessible and welcoming to all. We believe no one should be turned away due to cost—and that's why we're committed to keeping prices low and opportunities open. However, providing high-quality services while keeping costs affordable comes with challenges. To keep the center running, we rely on the generosity of individuals like you to help cover operational expenses. Your donation will go directly toward ensuring the doors of the Salud Center stay open, the lights stay on, and the programs thousands of community members depend on can continue to thrive.  Every dollar makes a difference. When you give to the Salud Center, you’re not just helping to maintain a fitness center or meeting space; you’re making it possible for families, seniors, and youth to stay active, for neighbors to connect, and for dreams to come to life. You’re investing in the heart of our community.
Together, we can ensure the Salud Center remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for years to come. Will you join us this Giving Tuesday in strengthening our community? Donate Today and help us keep the Salud Center accessible and affordable for all. Thank you for making an impact right here at home. – Your Claretian Associates Team  Programs The South Chicago Neighborhood Network hosted the annual Trauma-Informed Symposium The South Chicago Neighborhood Network (SCNN) held the annual virtual Trauma-Informed Symposium, Addressing Misconceptions, United, and Strengthening the Black and Brown Community. Each day featured a different topic, including mental health among Black men, building bridges with new arrivals in our community, and leveraging data and research. This year SCNN wanted to focus on critical issues that the community was facing. “A key critical issue was men's mental health. It was important to me that men had access to a safe space where they can discuss and receive resources,” said Program Manager Tiarra Owens. The second day of the symposium was about bridging the gap between the Brown and Black community and building relationships with the new arrivals. This day was a collaboration with the University of Chicago Grand Rounds. “As an organization, we just started offering new arrivals events to provide resources,” said Tiarra. This day informed the community about the resources South Chicago has to offer new arrivals, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) services, mental health support, and health care. It also provided the community with actuality versus the myths about new arrivals. The final day addressed the importance of data and research. “I noticed people do not want to fill out surveys or leave their name and number, or demographics. The data and research workshop was for people to understand what we do with their information,” said Tiarra. This workshop taught the community the importance of collecting data. SCNN thought if people understood data and how it is used, they would have a better understanding of its importance. The symposium offered Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through the partnership with Metropolitan Family Services. If you did not have the chance to attend the symposium, you can view each day on our here. Turkey Basket Giveaway
On Friday, November 22nd the South Chicago Neighborhood Network, Claretian Associates, and Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) hosted a Turkey Basket Giveaway at the SALUD Center. The giveaway included uncooked Thanksgiving sides such as stuffing mix, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and vegetables of string beans or corn. The Turkey Basket Giveaway was in collaboration with the Office of Senator Robert Peters, and the Office of 10th Ward Alderman Chico.  Chicago Civic Orchestra Concert at the SALUD Center The Chicago Civic Orchestra had its annual concert at the SALUD Center, themed the Bach Marathon. The concert was for the South Chicago Salud Center Senior Residents and for the community. Seniors enjoyed light refreshments and the company of each other while the orchestra played Bach for 30 minutes. Afterward, there was a small Q&A session where seniors asked the musicians about their experience and background in music. The seniors enjoyed the event and thanked the orchestra for their performance and for visiting South Chicago.  Financial Banking The Safe Passage Community Watchers attended a financial literacy workshop at the SALUD Center from the South Chicago Fifth Third Bank Branch. Attendees learned about banking, budgeting and how to check their credit scores. We're Building SACRED Approved By City Council Funding for the Sustainable Affordable Commercial Real Estate Development (SACRED) was approved by City council. The affordable apartment development is a partnership with Claretian Associates and Interfaith Housing Development Corporation. SACRED will have 81 units of affordable housing, a parking lot, and 6,500 square-foot commercial space. It will be located on the southwest corner of East 92nd St and South Burley Ave. Announcements Thanksgiving Community Dinner Enjoy a Community Thanksgiving dinner on November 28th, at the SALUD Center from 11 AM – 1 PM. Registration is not required. The dinner is sponsored by Claretian Associates, AMTUCA Consulting, Indigo, and other community organizations.  Communities Partnering 4 Peace The next series of Light in the Night events will this evening, November 27th, in the neighborhoods of South Chicago, South Shore, and South Deering. Each event will have food and clothing distributions. We hope to see you there! Fitness Center
If you have not joined the fitness center, take advantage of our memberships: Classic $14.99, Classic Plus One $25, and Classic Paid in Full $150. As a member, you can take advantage of our free Get Fit Class every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 11:00 AM. During the first week of December, members can bring a friend for free. Interested in more challenging exercise classes? The fitness center offers a Spin Class every Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:00 PM for $10 per class. For more information contact us at [email protected] Fitness Center Congratulations
Claretian Associates CEO Angela Hurlock was appointed interim CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). Prior to her appointment Angela has served as Chairwoman since 2019. Claretian congratulates Angela for taking on the interim role. Her leadership and expertise in housing will be invaluable. Angela will serve in a dual role and will remain as Claretian Associates CEO, continuing to serve the South Chicago community and surrounding neighborhoods. “I’m excited about this opportunity to able to serve the Chicago Housing Authority as interim CEO. Spending the last 20 years as the CEO of Claretian Associates has really allowed me to serve the families in South Chicago. We serve 3,000 families in South Chicago, whereas CHA serves 65,000 families across the city in every neighborhood throughout the 77 neighborhoods. I definitely still look forward to being involved with Claretian Associates, and the great work that continues both there and across the city with CHA," said Angela |
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