2022 Lenten Appeal

 

Last Spring the Holy Spirit connected St. James Cathedral with LaTanya and the Youth of Englewood. As I was going through Summer in the City (SitC) camper registrations, I began to notice that several campers had one thing in common: they were referred to SitC by a woman named LaTanya Johnson. In my curiosity I reached out to LaTanya to figure out who this woman was who was helping to connect youth on the southside of Chicago to SitC. In that very first phone call I knew this woman was special.  

 

LaTanya, sometimes known as the Mother of Englewood, formally began her youth center (a 501(c)3 non-profit organization) in 2013 to provide a safe place for youth ages 5-13 to spend their time after school and during the summers. LaTanya has worked with hundreds of children and families from the Englewood neighborhood to provide strong relationships with capable, caring, and positive adults, a key component of helping children succeed in a dangerous and violent environment like the Englewood neighborhood.

 

With a desire to stay in relationship beyond Summer in the City and blessed by a grant through Episcopal Charities, we expanded our Meals Among Us ministry to provide LaTanya and her youth a bagged lunch once a week. It has been a joy to get to know LaTanya and her youth over the past year. We pray this is just the start of a beautiful partnership for years to come. We are honored to have LaTanya and the Youth of Englewood as the recipients of this years Lenten appeal. LaTanya is no doubt changing lives and doing so comes at a cost. We hope through your generosity we can help lessen that financial burden for LaTanya and her staff this year, freeing them up to do the transformative work that they have been doing for almost 10 years. Please give generously! 

 

Anna Broadbent