Englewood residents began raising funds to create  programs to benefit their community with college scholarships, sports equipment and career support programs. 

Teamwork Englewood, a nonprofit organization, launched the Quality-of-Life fund online Nov. 29 connected to #GivingTuesday, according to a Nov. 17 press release from Resident Association of Greater Englewood. The Quality-of-Life Fund is a vehicle to transform the Englewood community, the press release said.

Asiaha Butler, president of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, said the fund was created to support early action projects that implement the Englewood Quality-of-Life plan to create lifelong learning, career success for teens and other community-driven goals. 

The funding group has already received a $10,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor to jumpstart the fundraising effort, according to the press release. Teamwork Englewood is responsible for collecting the donations. 

Cherice Price, Quality-of-Life fundraising champion, and lifelong Englewood resident who raised $505 through her campaign efforts, said the collection is a great opportunity for the community to get involved and help out. 

“I do a lot of business in Englewood,” Price said. “When I heard about the Englewood Quality-of-Life fund, I thought it was a great idea for Englewood residents to get together and collectively raise money for the organization.” she added. 

Price explained that residents getting together to raise money for the community has never happened before.

“It’s something that’s going to point us in the right direction,” she said. 

Price added that she is excited to see what the future for Englewood holds because it shows what happens when people donate and are able to give back to the community.  

The Quality-of-Life program has earmarked the funds it collects for various community projects and plans such as a college scholarship for children who are victims of gun violence in Englewood during 2016, a “Welcome to Englewood” sign and billboard, community beautification projects, support for  Englewood Codes students and the purchase of new equipment and uniforms for the 2016 Champions of the Junior Bears Football Team the Ogden Park Vikings, according to the press release. 

Keith Harris, assistant coach and community liaison for the Ogden Park Vikings Football team, said the fund will help purchase new uniforms and equipment. In the past players had to share equipment and uniforms, he said.

“On average, we have a minimum of 75 kids in the program, and for the last few years, we have been having to piece together equipment and uniforms to make sure that all the kids are equipped” Harris said. “We do what we have to do, to make things work.”

As of press time, 251 donors have raised $12,968, according to ilgive.com.

Bill Koll—director of the Communities Program for The McCormick Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens —said the foundation wanted to help the Englewood community and believe in the changes that are being made throughout the Englewood community. The McCormick Foundation has supported the process and committed $25,000 to the fund.

“To make changes in communities, it needs to be driven by the community itself,” Koll said. “We firmly believe it has to be community-driven, and that is what has been happening in Englewood.”

……..CORRECTION Monday, Dec. 12 2:30 p.m.: Cherice Phillips did not donate $505 personally. She was a fundraising partner and the money was raised through her campaigning efforts. The Chronicle apologizes for this misunderstanding.