Resource Center Leaves the Door Open to Opportunity
Community member asks a question at the Resource Center Back to School Giveaway and Open House event
Not until 2025 will visitors from around the world be able to walk the halls and grounds of the Obama Presidential Center. In the meantime, Lakeside Alliance’s new in-person Resource Center is open and the place where community members can come to connect with this historic building project and learn about opportunities with Lakeside Alliance.
After a soft opening in August with a back-to-school giveaway event, the Resource Center held its official ribbon cutting on September 28. Located a stone’s throw from the OPC site at 1514 E. 63rd St., the Resource Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents can call (312) 277-2177 to set up an appointment or stop in to get updates and their questions answered. Business owners can learn how they might play a role, and teens and adults can get information about construction careers and how to break into the industry.
“The center is just that, a resource, and an opportunity for the Lakeside Alliance to really speak to community residents and businesses about what the promise of a project like the OPC could bring to the community,” said Pamyla Brown, community & citizenship director for Lakeside Alliance.
Lack of information is a key barrier to working in construction in Chicago and other major cities, she added. Lakeside Alliance was formed expressly to shift the paradigm to embrace transparency and inclusion. “We want to demystify the process and show people how they can connect to it. We want people to feel our passion and drive to make construction relatable,” Brown said.
In the future, Chicagoans interested in the trades won’t have to go to far-out union training facilities to learn about apprenticeship programs. They will be able to access relevant information at the Resource Center. Brown added, “We want to bring those programs or representatives of those programs here to pique the interest of community residents.”
More information on the Resource Center is available here. To learn more about upcoming events held at the Resource Center, subscribe to the Lakeside Alliance event calendar.
Tracy Gary, Resource Center office coordinator, smiles at the welcome desk
Representatives from local unions and workforce groups pose together at the Back to School Giveaway and Open House
Students with their giveaway bags
Handing out Von Poof cotton candy
A representative from IBEW Local 134 discusses apprenticeship opportunities