We Grow Chicago: Uplifting the Community of West Englewood
We Grow Chicago is rooted in the West Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. Founded in 2013 at the corner of 64th and Honore, We Grow began with a bold mission: to help West Englewood move from surviving to truly thriving. After decades of disinvestment and structural racism, the neighborhood had become an opportunity and resource desert, where many were forced into the street economy simply to get by. Children couldn’t safely play outside, and many residents stayed indoors out of fear.
We Grow is transforming this history of violence and trauma through a mission grounded in hope, resilience, and above all, love.
Today, the Peace House serves as the anchor of the We Grow Chicago Peace Campus, a 16-property community hub where residents can learn, heal, connect, and build brighter futures together. The campus brings together a trusted coalition of community-based organizations working side by side to create safe, supportive spaces where Englewood residents can identify and remove barriers to success.
How Spark Ventures Supports We Grow Chicago
We Grow provides comprehensive, trauma-informed services that meet immediate needs while building long-term stability and empowerment. Spark Ventures contributes to this mission through three key initiatives:
Englewood Strong
Englewood Strong is a holistic, community-driven program that meets residents where they are and helps break down barriers to opportunity. Spark supports multiple pillars of this initiative, including:
Frontlines Support Offering free meals, hygiene products, and essential household items to meet immediate needs with dignity.
Customized Case Management Working one-on-one with residents to identify challenges, address critical needs, and connect them with supportive services.
Skill-Building & Empowerment Providing financial and digital literacy workshops, resume-building sessions, and clubs focused on public speaking, mental health, and more. These programs take place across the Peace Campus, including the Spark Inspiration Lab, fostering personal growth and community development.
At its core, Englewood Strong is about honoring dignity, expanding opportunity, and creating pathways for Englewood’s remarkable talent to shine.
The Spark Inspiration Computer Lab
The digital divide in Englewood is significant. Nearly 70% of residents lack internet access at home. To help close this gap, Spark Ventures supported the creation of a fully equipped computer lab on the Peace Campus. This space provides students, teens, and adults with access to technology for education, job readiness, and personal development.
Spark also helps fund the Spark Inspiration Lab Manager, who manages the lab and oversees the programming that happens within it.
Community Event Sponsorship: Unity Day
Spark Ventures is proud to help make Unity Day possible. This annual community clean-up mobilizes more than 200 volunteers across Englewood for what has become “The Largest Community Clean-Up in Chicago.”
Introducing SparkVenture’s Newest Partner: We Grow
We’re honored to support their programming, excited to expand our impact, and for the first time in Spark’s history – have the opportunity to engage with powerful partnership initiatives right here at home.
Support this work!
Empower future leaders.
Consider a contribution to help us provide digital literacy programming & technology equipment for West Englewood residents in the Spark Inspiration Computer Lab.
