/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23390526/merlin_105183396.jpg "Union League boys and girls clubs spend spring break preparing for Earth Day")
Malachi Louis spends his afternoons shooting hoops at the Barreto Club in Humboldt Park, one of the boys’ and girls’ clubs in the Union League. He goes to the club almost every day and considers it his second home.
“If I don’t want to be home, I’ll come here,” said 12-year-old Malachi. “There are a lot of people here that I can trust and appreciate. I come here to play ball and vent my anger and stress.
On Thursday, Malachi and 20 others went beyond their normal activities at the Barreto Club, 1214 N. Washtenaw Ave., and spent time cleaning up the yard, planting vegetable seedlings and painting flower pots in preparation for Earth Day next week.
“Earth Day is meant to be a day when we help the Earth,” he said. “A lot of people have been littering, but on Earth Day we can start cleaning up and making our world more beautiful. It’s our world, and we should want it to be clean.
Malachi Louis, 12, holds a windmill as others plant new flowers in the garden and trees near Union League Boys & Girls Clubs in Humboldt Park.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970, is celebrated annually on April 22. In recent years, the day’s global events aim to raise awareness of global climate change and sustainable, eco-friendly practices.
Kim Hawkins, vice president of club development, said with rising vaccination rates among youngsters aged 5 and up, it was a good week to hold the event, which coincides with spring break. of the CPS.
“Our gardens got a little neglected and we wanted them to have fun over spring break,” Hawkins said. Some students also decorated Easter and spring themed cupcakes.
The children were joined by representatives from the gummies company HARIBO. The company announced a $60,000 prize to Union League Boys & Girls clubs on Thursday. According to HARIBO spokesperson Lauren Triffler, $50,000 will be used to expand youth programming and $10,000 will go to scholarships.
“When we donate to organizations, we always like to make sure there’s an educational component because we believe everyone should have access to quality, affordable education,” Triffler said. “This club will now be able to expand programming here, and we want the money to go directly to that.”
Young children stand around the table decorating cupcakes at Boys and Girls Clubs of the Union League as part of an Earth Day celebration.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
For Hawkins, the donation comes at a time when more students have expressed a need for the club’s services, such as homework help and addressing food insecurity. The clubs also provided support for social and emotional well-being and learning, as students returned to classrooms after two years.
“We strive to be an extension of their families, people they can turn to no matter what,” Hawkins said.
This message was clearly received as 8-year-old Angel Duckins carried a cupcake in his seat and exclaimed, “This is one of the best spring breaks I’ve had!”
Cheyanne M. Daniels is a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times viaReport for America,a non-profit journalism program that aims to strengthen the newspaper’s coverage of communities on the South and West Sides.
