Cleanslate Chicago

We are sad to share the news of the passing of a dear staffer and member of our community, Rufus Grandberry. His unexpected loss is deeply felt by all of us at Cara and Cleanslate, and our hearts are heavy as we come to terms with the profound void this leaves within our community.

Rufus had a way of brightening every morning for staff and participants alike. His warm personality, joyfulness, and engaging spirit touched everyone who walked through our doors. He served as a mentor to so many—constantly helping others dive deeper into our mission.

His kindness and presence were felt by everyone who had the honor of knowing him, and he will be greatly missed by our entire team. Rest in peace, Rufus. You will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. 🕯️

Congrats to July's Cleanslater of the Month, Kim! This award is determined each month by their peers, and Kim was praised for her professionalism and work ethic. "She helps out any and everyone on the team and even refers to the other participants as her 'teammates.'" Way to go Kim!

Congratulations to Ebonie, our latest ! Thank you, Ebonie, for your dedication to keeping our neighborhoods beautiful.

It's a great day to be launching a new crew in Calumet Area Industrial Commission Special Service Area (SSA) #5! We look forward to doing our part to keep the Commercial Avenue shopping district in South Chicago thriving.

Cara Collective's offices and Cleanslate's operations are closed today as we commemorate Juneteenth Freedom Day. In honor of this day of liberation, we’re highlighting our core values of community and equity.

While we have a long way to go to unravel systemic racism, we want to celebrate the progress achieved while continuing to reflect on the work that still needs to be done. We wish our entire community a safe and contemplative day.

This we're celebrating Marcus, whose grandkids motivated him to make a change in his life. With the help of the Cara Accelerated Program (CAP), and his dedicated work at Cleanslate, Marcus was able to celebrate graduation with his family. Read his transformative story on our blog.

https://caracollective.org/cap-helps-marcus-stay-involved-with-his-grandchildren/

Join us at Cleanslate on Friday, June 21 for our Health & Wellness Fair! We couldn't do this without the support of our partners, who will be joining us to offer free services ranging from eye exams, STI testing, to financial and legal services. We can't wait to welcome you to a joyful afternoon of food, games, prizes, music, health, wellness, and community. Supplies are limited, use the link below to register today!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXO0P9cvZQqf40Rlj6bXjsK2hgLIciiYgGwa09LKcTSCYH_g/viewform

Equal Hope
Optic Visibly
Illinois Secretary of State
R.A.G.E - Resident Association of Greater Englewood
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)
Fifth Third Bank
Nourishing Hope

Congratulations to Keith Nelson, April's Cleanslater of the Month! Please join us in recognizing the exemplary impact Keith and his crews have on our neighborhoods and across our great city. Thank you Keith!

This week, we're celebrating our first group of participants to complete forklift certification training at Cara! We want to extend a very special thank you to our partners in this work, Jane Addams Resource Corporation With your partnership, we are expanding the services available to our job seekers. Thank you!

We're 15 minutes away from the livestream! Join us live on YouTube at noon to unlock fair chance talent in your organization.

Beyond the Case: Unlock Fair Chance Talent to Strengthen Your Organization As part of our Beyond the Case series, we’re unpacking how employers can take the leap to invest in fair chance talent — job seekers impacted by the justice ...

Last week, we hosted the Cara Executive Council and Associate Board at Cleanslate! They met our staff, toured the building, and learned how they can further deepen their impact. We are so grateful to our dedicated auxiliary board members for continuing to support all aspects of our mission.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Cara Collective! We are so grateful to have you in our community. Get ready for more hope, jobs, and opportunity in the new year!

Our Downtown and South Side Campuses will be closed for the holidays starting next week from December 27 - January 1. We will reopen on January 2.. Have a happy and safe holiday!

Michael was facing challenges after a felony charge. He struggled with inconsistent freelance work and unstable housing. Once referred to Cleanslate by a friend, his life transformed for the better.

Because of his hard work and initiative, he got recognized as Cleanslater of the Month, gaining more responsibilities in property management. After finding this stability, Michael has successfully secured housing, moving into his own apartment and achieving a positive turnaround in his life.

You can help more lives like Michael's with a donation this holiday season. Support more job seekers at www.caracollective.org/give.

A big congratulations to our Cleanslate crew member, Aleskei, who was named 2023 Crew Member of the Year by the River North Residence Association at their Annual Meeting & Gala. This award was given to Aleksei for his hard work keeping the streets of River North safe and clean. Way to go!

Today, we are humbled and grateful to share that Cara Collective has been given a historic $8M investment from noted philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This gift, in part, will allow us to significantly increase our reach and impact, while creating long-term financial sustainability for our next 30 years and beyond.

You can read more about how we plan to utilize this funding at https://ow.ly/AfLo50Q0a9w.

This gift is a testament to the spirit of what our founder, Tom Owens, created more than 30 years ago; to the dedication of the staff of Cara Collective (past and present); to the perseverance of the job seekers we serve; and to the power of this community. Thank you for helping us reach this incredible moment.

Cara Collective Announces $8M Gift from MacKenzie Scott - Cara Collective Cara Collective today has announced a historic $8M investment from noted philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This gift is the largest donation in Cara Collective’s 30+ year history and will help the organization, in part, dramatically increase its reach and impact, while creating long-term financial s...

Today we asked our community about a time when life took on a new direction. Today we celebrated the positive changes in our . We shared our stories, laughed together, cried together, and sang together. Today was Tribute to the Stars.

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the magic from this morning. Stay tuned for more to come, we’re just getting started.

Thank you J.P. Morgan for developing a Cleanslate app and providing us with brand-new tablets. Because of your help, we can now streamline our processes, freeing up staff to focus more of their time and energy on supporting our participants.

Our Cleanslate crew had a great staff outing yesterday at Accelerate Indoor Speedway & Events - Chicago/Mokena, IL!

Thank you City Club Of Chicago and Robert R. McCormick Foundation for hosting today’s discussion on Englewood Economics. It was inspiring to hear from friends new and old who are leveraging Englewood’s creativity and resilience to increase wealth and economic development – as well as how community and capital can come together to drive even more resurgence.

Teamwork Englewood, E.G. Woode, Grow Greater Englewood, and Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce.