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Bring the whole family for an awesome day of free food, fun and resources

Come celebrate all the community organizations and resource providers making a positive impact on young people and families in Greater Grand Crossing at Gary Comer Youth Center (GCYC) 7200 S. Ingleside Ave. Friday, August 11 from 4 to 6:30pm for our annual Greater Together Back to School Block Party!

You don't want to miss the best community block party on the South Side featuring live performances, live DJ, inflatables, community art, games, raffles, food, drinks and much more! Community partners like 5th Ward Alderman Desmon Yancy, CHAMPS Mentoring, Operation Neighborhood Safety, Urban Male Network, Habitat for Humanity, Nike Community Store, Greater Chicago Food Depository, WBEZ, Pigment International with artists like Paul Branton, Dorian Sylvain, Blake Lenoir, and 30+ more orgs will be providing free resources and celebrating all afternoon together! We'll be giving away hundreds of free backpacks and school supplies while they last! Our media partners at Power 92 and 106.3 hooked us up with free radio ads and online promotion to ensure everyone is in the know. The Power 92 Street Team will also be joining us to keep the party pumping. Various health providers including St Bernard, UChicago Medicine, ACCESS Community Health, and others will be offering free health screenings like BMI, blood pressure, glucose & cholesterol*

Register for The Block Party to get FREE BBQ and other food/drinks from our culinary arts team and enter to win our grand prize including a night stay and dinner at luxury hotel The Study at University of Chicago, Chicago Bulls tickets, gift cards, cool merch and much more

PLUS! All attendees can get their GCYC annual youth membership for only $20 (50% discount one day only!) providing access to our wide range of enrichment activities such as STEM/Robotics, digital media, visual, cultural, music and performing arts, sound recording and engineering, urban agriculture at our farm, rooftop garden and hydroponics lab, culinary arts in our professional kitchen and cafe, sports and recreation on our soccer field and indoor gym and much more!

Membership includes a free daily meal, one-on-one tutoring, mental health counseling, mentorship, leadership programs and special events at no extra charge.

Together, we will ensure our young people and families have a great start to the new school year. Thank you for donating school supplies from our Amazon Wishlist!

About Gary Comer Youth Center

We are a leading development and enrichment center on a one-of-a-kind youth campus focused on the well-being and happiness of our young people. Our goal is to help our youth members discover, learn and grow while feeling supported and connected with caring adults and respectful peers. We are a place where our youth members can explore their interests, build new skills, find their passion and forge their personal career pathway. We believe our young people can be anything they want to be and are focused on developing well-rounded youth who reach their full potential while contributing to their communities.

*Subject to availability and applicable state law. Age restrictions apply. Ask your pharmacist for details.

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