Save the Date: Friday April 11, 2025
We're Back at the Geraghty!
Each year BUILD helps more than 3,200 West Side Chicago youth and families build hope, lives, and futures—disrupting the pipepline of gun violence in our city. With services like gang intervention and mental health care, out-of-school camps and college counseling, studio art and sports—we help youth develop the skills and support network they need to overcome barriers, survive, and thrive. Join us to celebrate these incredible young people, and the power of investing in peace!
BUILD'S 2025 Honorees
Lifetime BUILDers: LEAH AND PAUL BECKWITH
Healthy communities don’t form on their own—they must be built, loved, and maintained. Leah and Paul Beckwith have spent their lives making their communities strong and welcoming, leading in business, health, education, faith, journalism, and more. With neighbors like these, we all rise.
Corporate Community BUILDer: McDONALD’S CORPORATION
There’s a restaurant in almost every neighborhood—but BUILD sees McDonald’s demonstrate the difference between being in a community, and being part of one. BUILD is proud to honor McDonald’s for helping reduce barriers to employment, contributing to bright futures across our city.
Check out highlights from our 2024 Gala
2024 Gala Moments
On May 3, 2024, hundreds of friends and supporters gathered at The Geraghty to celebrate the power and resilience of BUILD youth. We honored John Nitschke for his decades of service with the Lifetime BUILDer Award, and youth speakers Mario and Hillary shared their own powerful stories of persistence. BUILD’s Director of Intervention, Angella Roberts-Smith, recounted her life growing up on Chicago’s West Side and how it prepared her for advocacy work with Chicago’s youth.
We celebrated these lives and raised $840,000 unrestricted funds for BUILD’s greatest needs. Thank you to the whole community!
Hear BUILD Youth Voices tell their stories
Youth Speaker: Damario, age 18
"I hope my journey can be a testament to the power of resilience and determination. It's a reminder that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible. Today I stand before you not just as a BUILDer, but as an example that you can have the future you want."
Youth Speaker: Hillary, age 17
"Not all youth get a second family as good as BUILD! I want to thank my parents, my friends, and BUILD for helping me reconnect with the confident entrepreneur I always was - and will continue to be in the future."
