LR Contracting, the general contracting affiliate of Related Midwest, began construction this week on Project H.O.O.D.’s Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center. The facility will serve residents of the West Woodlawn and Englewood neighborhoods, including residents of Related Midwest’s Parkway Gardens community, with opportunities to play safely, learn, gather in community, grow skills and embark on new careers.
The center is the flagship project of Project H.O.O.D., a nonprofit founded by local Pastor Corey Brooks as part of his mission to end the cycle of poverty, violence and incarceration in Chicago. Brooks raised funds for the project through a 100-day “Tent-a-Thon,” during which he lived in a tent on a nearby roof and battled the elements through a brutally cold winter. During that time, Related Midwest President Curt Bailey and President of LR Contracting Company Don Biernacki joined Pastor Brooks for an overnight stay to help raise awareness of his cause.
As supporters of the project, Related Midwest and LR Contracting Company are joining forces to donate all the general contracting services for the center. The completed facility will include a vocational school, entrepreneurial and digital technology center, gymnasium, fitness center, swimming pool, theater, health and wellness center, safe social gathering spaces and more. Children will be able to visit the center after school and on the weekends to participate in programming, as well as receive trauma counseling and health and wellness services.
Over the next few months, LR Contracting will build out the foundation and conduct the utility work on the center. The company will also perform excavation and foundation work for the center's swimming pool.
Related Midwest and LR Contracting look forward to continuing to partner with Project H.O.O.D. to bring the community center to life and provide a place for youth and families to thrive.
