Cornerstone Children's Learning Center

Cornerstone Children's Learning Center is a new day care program
established by The LaSalle Foundation in Cornerstone Center and licensed for 140 children ages two through five. The staff is experienced and nurturing, giving individual attention to each child and working within a curriculum especially designed to foster the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and cognitive development of young children and to support their parents in building healthy families.

CCLC is designed to be of such high quality that families of all income levels will be attracted to it -- and made affordable so that families of all income levels can use it.

To assure that the quality is exemplary, The LaSalle Foundation has contracted with the highly respected Lake Shore Preparatory School to manage the new program. To assure that this program is affordable, the Foundation has set a goal of providing scholarships for 50 percent of the children who attend, so that low-income families, too, can provide their children with the best in early childhood development programs.

CCLC occupies the entire second floor in the five-story Cornerstone Center. In addition to large, bright classrooms and an indoor play area, the program has a spacious, well-equipped outdoor playground. Because it is always an issue in child care programs, security has been carefully planned and is supported by a one-way traffic flow through the second floor corridors. Parent take their children upstairs and sign in each morning; to ensure that parents and teachers have a chance to communicate daily, parents pick their children up from the classroom.

Future plans include the introduction of a program for infants and toddlers; a parenting resource center and parent support groups; and an innovative boon for busy families -- affordable, nutritious takeout meals from Cornerstone Center's kitchen.

The location of CCCLC means that participants will become comfortably acquainted with all the other programs at Cornerstone Center, a "range of services" aimed at strengthening individuals and families. The importance of this approach was stressed in the 1993 report, Children, Families and Communities: A New Approach to Social Services, from the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children.

The Chapin Hall report also emphasized that a healthy community is one that fosters regular, informal interaction between privileged and low-income residents, a diversity which is especially notable on Chicagos' Near North Side. "Bounding and defining an isolated community [like Cabrini-Green]," it states, "can isolate it even more." Since a flexible plan permits families to schedule less than full-time attendance at CCLC if desired, more than 200 children and their families could come together in a vibrant mix from a variety of racial and economic groups, for both healthy childhood development and a healthy community.

Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic

The Cabrini-Green Legal Aid Clinic (CGLA) was founded in 1973 by an attorney who witnessed the day-to-day hardships of families in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood; these families often suffered the consequences of not having competent legal assistance.

Since its founding, the clinic has grown from a one-man office into a legal aid center that has provided quality legal representation for more than 7,000 people who live in poverty on Chicago's Near North Side. Its mission is to promote justice for the low-income residents of Cabrini-Green and the surrounding community by providing quality legal services, practical consultation in law-related issues and education.

In addition to its general legal services, the clinic offers the assistance of its Northtown Housing Resource Center, which devotes itself to housing-related issues. The NHRC handles more than 200 housing cases each year including eviction cases, grievance hearings, security deposit disputes, repair cases and back-rent disputes.

To help give young people positive alternatives to self-destructive and antisocial behaviors, the clinic sponsors the Future Lawyers of Chicago. The program offers after-school and summer activities and helps young people understand how the judicial system works. Approximately 50 young people participate in the group annually.

Furthermore, the clinic's internship program for law students has seen 55 percent of its participants pursue careers in public interest law.

The clinic functions with a dedicated team of three attorneys, an office manager, a part-time receptionist and numerous volunteers; the legal services are free of charge. The clinic currently handles more than 500 cases each year, with an annual budget of less than $300,000. It now has a permanent home in a building at 206 W. Division that is owned by The LaSalle Foundation.

CGLA is closely associated with the programs at Cornerstone Center, being yet another service founded by LaSalle Street Church. Located just one block away, it is an active participant in program planning and collaboration at Cornerstone.

Cornerstone Counseling Center of Chicago

Cornerstone Counseling Center of Chicago (CCCOC) is a full model psychological and counseling agency located on the North side of down-town Chicago. CCCOC’s staff are licensed Master’s and Doctoral level Christian professionals.

CCCOC’s philosophy is built around three firm commitments. The first commitment is to Christ and His Kingdom, holding Scripture as authoritative and truthful revelation of God as well as maintaining a deep respect for people and their personal faith no matter what their spiritual background and walk of life. Secondly, we are committed to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct. And finally, we commit ourselves daily to compassion—helping all persons reach emotional healing.

CCCOC strives to reflect Christ’s model as the Great Physician and serve as an agent of healing providing psychotherapy, training, seminars and assessments to the adults, couples, children, adolescents, families, groups, churches and schools of all income levels of our local community. Furthermore, CCCOC is community-oriented; it provides on-site learning opportunities to churches, schools, employers, and community organizations and agencies. Its staff members are frequently in the community offering workshops and trainings.

CCCOC is committed to serving all those in need of services. Underinsured, uninsured, and those unable to pay our full fee for service are able to access service by using our sliding fee scale program. Our program is made possible by generous donor gifts, grants, and donated counseling services.

CCCOC’s professional staff are also prepared to address spiritual issues when appropriate. CCCOC is very proud to be one of only a few counseling centers where human development is understood holistically and includes the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of well being.

CCCOC was founded as a ministry of the LaSalle Street Church in September of 1971, and was originally called the Near North Counseling Center. Later on CCCOC became known as the Center for Life Skills and in 2002 was renamed the Cornerstone Counseling Center of Chicago to more accurately reflect our agency.

In the fall of 2002 CCCOC joined the Chicago Area Christian Training Consortium (CACTC), an American Psychological Association (APA) approved training site for pre-doctoral interns who desire to develop their skills in a Christian context. The internship provides an opportunity for students on the cutting edge of research, development and practice in the last year of their doctoral candidacy in clinical psychology, a professional, academic outlet for research, education, and practice.

If you would like more information about CCCOC’s services or are interested in finding out how to support our efforts please call (312) 573-8860 or email cccoc@cornerstonecenter.net. We are located at 1111 N. Wells Street, Suite 400 Chicago, Illinois 60610.

LaSalle Street Young Life

LaSalle Street Young Life is one of more than 600 Young Life groups in the U.S. and the first of approximately 70 located in urban settings. The program offers personal support, spiritual guidance and character-building activities for high school and junior high school students from the Cabrini-Green neighborhood whose alternatives often are grim -- joining gangs, dropping out of school or taking drugs. Since its founding at LaSalle Street Church in 1975, it has helped hundreds of neighborhood young people make positive choices leading to more fulfilled lives.

The Young Life program centers around weekly Wednesday evening "club" meetings throughout the school year. The teenagers gather in Young Life's offices and meeting rooms at Cornerstone Center for a time of fun, friends, songs, skits and spiritual reflection. For most of them, club is preceded by an hour of academic tutoring. Small groups also meet periodically for Bible studies and discussion. Many of the teens also participate in a basketball leagues well as informal girls' basketball, volleyball and junior high baseball.

Summer camp in August is a high point in the year. The young people go to camps in Minnesota, North Carolina, New York or Colorado. Many teens return from camp saying it was the best time of their lives.

Leadership development is an especially important emphasis in Young Life, with teens gradually taking on more responsibility as they advance through the program. High school students, for example, are offered opportunities to tutor younger students and lead the junior high club.

A college preparatory program known as "Prep Steps" helps the young men and women explore career options, discuss relevant issues and review study techniques. Staff members also arrange visits to colleges and provide periodic cultural and educational outings.

Young Life has become a magnet for entire families, providing job referrals, job counseling and advice for family problems.

LaSalle Senior Center

The LaSalle Senior Center was initiated in 1970 to respond to social and survival needs of isolated older adults living in low-income housing on Chicago's Near North Side. Currently, almost 200 men and women participate in the programs, as well as 60 volunteers.

For seniors who are not homebound, the weekly Wednesday activities in Cornerstone Center's Leslie Hall are a welcome time of social interactions and educational programming. A nutritious lunch prepared by staff and volunteers in Cornerstone's commercial kitchen is often followed by field trips, films or other programs. On Sunday, the seniors gather to enjoy a hearty breakfast; many then attend worship services. Weekly Bible study and prayer circles are a popular activity for several small groups.

The elderly also benefit from the seven weekly exercise classes that are conducted at various seniors' buildings in the neighborhood. The staff-led exercises are designed to enhance cardiac function, improve muscle tone and mobility and combat age-related depression.

Since moving to Cornerstone Center, the Senior Center has been able to add classes in art, cooking and other topics of interest to this diverse group, which now includes residents of Maple Pointe, The LaSalle Foundation's new affordable apartment high-rise for seniors next door.

A significant component of the Senior Center is the Homebound Elderly Program (HELP), which addresses the needs of older adults who are frail and find it difficult to get out of their apartments. Staff and volunteers develop one-on-one long-term relationships with seniors, visiting them at home, in the hospital or in nursing homes. The staff and volunteers also provide transportation for grocery shopping or physician visits, run errands, move furniture, pay bills, read mail and perform numerous other tasks that both homebound and well elderly struggle with on a daily basis.

A Neighborhood Nurse is also a key part of the staff. The nurse provides regular one-on-one monitoring of health needs, including blood pressure and glucose levels, and works with individual seniors to help them achieve personal health goals. The nurse presents monthly programs on topics of particular interest to seniors and educates and equips HELP volunteers to recognize and respond to changes in the health status of the seniors they visit. The convenient location at Cornerstone Center has made it possible to expand health services beyond LaSalle Senior Center to provide special screening, testing and educational programs to other low-income elderly in the community

In 1988, the Senior Center was selected by the Retirement Research Foundation to receive its Encore Award for outstanding service to senior citizens. In 1994, the Center was honored with the Partners-in-Eldercare Award for Excellence from the American Association of Retired Persons.