In The News

In 1995, Adam Alonso met a 15-year-old who changed his life. Alonso was working at Casa Central, an afterschool program operating out of a church basement. The teen came looking for a pastor, but there wasn’t one available. As the young man walked away, Alonso felt moved to call out and…

CHICAGO (WLS) — BUILD Chicago celebrated the opening of its new center in the city’s Austin neighborhood with a ribbon cutting Saturday morning. Residents and community leaders also got a tour of the new space that includes a computer lab and a peace and justice center in the 5100 block of…

Although he took a detour from an initial plan to become a doctor, Adam Alonso is saving, or at least changing, lives nonetheless. As CEO of BUILD, a West Side nonprofit focused on gang intervention, violence prevention and youth development, Alonso and his team serve more than 2,500 vulnerable youth…

CHICAGO (CBS) – In a time of crisis, admitting that you need help to manage your mental health is often the first step, but from there, without knowing where to go or who to contact, that is often where things stop. A community group in the Austin neighborhood is working to…

CHICAGO, February 25, 2023 – BUILD, a youth development anti-violence agency, today opened its renovated Austin campus to the public, bringing to life a long-time community dream. Over 18 months, BUILD’s former 10,000 square foot offices were transformed into a city block haven where youth on Chicago’s west side can…

CHICAGO (WLS) — Building connections between young people and prominent community leaders was the focus of ‘Build’s’ Black Table event Monday.  As we celebrate Black History Month, 20 of Chicago’s most prominent African American leaders engaged with young people over lunch to share what it takes to be successful and make…

Austin Coming Together held its annual summit on Saturday to highlight successes and goals for the final year of the five-year quality-of-life plan. Over 200 people gathered at the By the Hand Club for Kids‘ Austin campus for the first time since 2019, when the plan was in its first…

Oak Parker Alonso heads BUILD, a violence prevention program Although he took a detour from an initial plan to become a doctor, Adam Alonso is saving, or at least changing, lives nonetheless. As CEO of BUILD, a West Side nonprofit focused on gang intervention, violence prevention and youth development, Alonso…

BUILD’s Peace & Justice Center was recently featured on Season 3 of the Change Agents Podcast. Justice that Heals, a piece about Restorative Justice practices in Chicago. Read more and listen to the full episode below. Justice That Heals: Chicago can be cruel to its youth, especially to youth of color living in…

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and Bears Care hosted the organization’s first-ever Scout School Dec. 15, bringing students from BUILD Chicago to Halas Hall to introduce them to the role of scouting in the NFL. As an organization, BUILD helps at-risk youth in the Chicagoland escape gangs and violence while…

As Adam Alonso, CEO of BUILD Chicago, stood out on the turf at Soldier Field during halftime of the frigid Bears-Bills game last Saturday, he made sure to stop, look around and soak in the moment. Alonso, who joined BUILD in March 2015, was receiving the first-ever Inspire Change Changemaker…

A massive community campus will soon welcome hundreds of kids and families from South and West Side neighborhoods.  It’s a major project the organization Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development, or BUILD, is taking on.  It might look like an ordinary gym but for Juvon Crawford it’s more than that. “I know…