Four Decades, One Consistent Need for Youth Development

From the Beginning

The Carole Robertson Center for Learning was founded in 1976 following the closing of the Saint Mary’s Center for Learning by the Archdiocese of Chicago. For families on the West Side, this loss was deeply felt. Their children could enroll at other schools, but it was the youth development programs that Saint Mary’s provided that families found most invaluable. These families often worked shifts that did not align with the school system’s hours, creating the continued need for high-quality afterschool care. Several families banded together to save the programing by forming a new organization. As they looked for a name for this new center, one student suggested it honor Carole Robertson. They had heard the song “Birmingham Sunday” in church and were inspired by its retelling of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four young Black girls in 1963: Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair. They felt naming the Center after one of the girls was right—it was thanks to the Center’s care that its students would get the opportunity to achieve their full potential, a chance denied to the four girls killed.

Inspiring Bright Possibilities

Decades later, we can see the impact of the Center investing into its youth development programming when we look at our students, such as alumna Gissell Garnica. Gissell first encountered the Center as a student at our North Lawndale site when she was only 6 years old. Now a senior at Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy, Gissell was named the 2024 Carole Robertson Memorial Scholarship Recipient and was able to secure a paid summer internship with our partner UI Health. There, she gained hands-on experience in health advocacy, college prep, and job readiness. From learning to suture and perform dissections to becoming CPR certified, Gissell is well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming a sonographer.  When accepting her scholarship at our E3 Gala in May, Gissell said, “The Center taught me that it’s important to develop my legacy—not only to make the people who care about me proud but also to make myself proud.” 

A Lifelong Passion for Community

However, graduation from our programming does not mean the end of our alumni’s connection to the Center. Board Member and Alumna Christine Brambila, inspired by her earliest learning experiences at the Center, began her career in direct service before transitioning to working in public policy. She dedicated herself to understanding advocacy, the power in community voice, and forging ahead to create change through collective efforts. Most recently, Christine served as the Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Manager at the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development. As her career soared, Christine did not forget about the Center. She was appointed as a Board Member for the Carole Robertson Center for Learning in 2013 and continues to guide the Center as our impact and service footprint grow.  Today, Christine serves as Co-Chair of the Board’s Programs & Impact Committee and was recently named a Notable Nonprofit Board Leader by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Strengthening Tomorrow’s Leaders

Now completing our 48th year, the Center has not wavered from our original commitment to children’s development. We continue to offer and build upon our innovative, high-quality programs so that our students can achieve their dreams and live out their full potential. One such example is our Restorative Justice program with elementary school students led by Kendale Hamlett. Piloted in our Chicago Public School partners Herzl School of Excellence and Lawndale Community Academy, this program combines research into mental health and behavioral health to teach students conflict resolution skills. Whether by learning to lead peace circles with their peers to repair harm or transforming spaces within their schools to serve as relaxation stations to recharge, students are putting important social-emotional skills into practice. As Kendale notes, “I’m seeing conflict resolution skills come to life in real time.” This work’s impact creates a positive ripple effect, changing the lives of those enrolled in our programming while benefiting their schools and communities at large. 

As we look to 2025 and beyond, we need to sustain and expand these supports to more sites.

Sustaining our Commitment to Chicago’s Youth

To ensure the Carole Robertson Center for Learning can continue empowering students, we invite you to support our mission through our Year-End Appeal. Your gift will enable us to sustain and expand programs like our youth development initiatives and restorative justice work, ensuring every student has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Join us in honoring the legacy of the families who founded the Center by investing in the dreams of the next generation. Together, we can continue building a brighter future for our students and communities.

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