BRIGHT STAR COMMUNITY OUTREACH CORP
4518 S COTTAGE GROVE AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60653 www.brightstarcommunityoutreach.com

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Organizations Filed Purposes: OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER RESIDENTS TO SHARE IN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH POOLING RESOURCES AND FORMING PARTNERSHIPS. WE WILL ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION BY DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE PERFORMANCE-BASED PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION, CHILDREN/YOUTH AND FAMILY.

THE ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATES IN CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS' (CPS) SAFE PASSAGE PROGRAM WHICH IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SAFE ROUTES FOR STUDENTS IN ORDER TO INCREASE ATTENDANCE, DECREASE VIOLENT INCIDENTS INVOLVING CPS STUDENTS, AND INCREASE STUDENT PERCEPTION OF SAFETY WHILE TRAVELING TO AND FROM SCHOOL. IN 2020, OUR SAFE PASSAGE PROGRAM COVERED 7 SCHOOLS, EMPLOYED 53 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS AND TOUCHED THE LIVES OF NEARLY 1,800 STUDENTS.

TRAUMA HOTLINE - SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE ORGANIZATION (BSCO) DEVELOPED THE URBAN RESILIENCE NETWORK (TURN) MODEL TO ADDRESS THE VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA THAT WAS EVIDENT IN THE BRONZEVILLE COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO. AS THIS PROGRAM HAS DEVELOPED, BSCO HAS PARTNERED WITH THE UNVIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL, UNITED WAY AND CIGNA FOUNDATION TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM. DUE TO THE STIGMA SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH, MANY PEOPLE IN UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES WILL NOT UTILIZE COUNSELING. BSCO TRAUMA COUNSELING PROGRAM UTILIZES TRAINED FAITH AND COMMUNITY LEADERS AS PARAPROFESSIONALS ON A HELPINE. THESE LEADERS DEVELOP LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH CALLERS TO ADDRES THE CALLER'S TRAUMA AND GRIEF. ADDITIONALLY, THEY WILL REFER CALLERS TO MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND CASE MANAGEMENT, AS NEEDED, FOR MORE INTENSIVE SERVICES. AMBASSADORS SERVE ANOTHER CRITICAL ROLE WITHIN BSCO'S TRAUMA COUNSELING PROGRAM. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDE TRAINING IN HEALTH ARENAS, SCHOOL SETTINGS, BUSINESSES, FAITH INSTITUTIONS AND WITH FIRST RESPONDERS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, TRAUMA, VICARIOUS TRAUMA, COPING SKILLS, SERVICES AVAILABLE, ETC... IN 2020,THE TRAUMA HELPLINE HAS RECEIVED OVER 800 CALLS AND OUR AMBASSADORS HAVE TOUCHED THE LIVES AND EDUCATED OVER 5,000 PEOPLE.

THE CHECK & CONNECT PROGRAM PROVIDES CASE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT TO YOUTH THAT HAVE EXCESSIVE ABSENCES AND/ OR LATE ARRIVALS, HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED, AND/OR EXPELLED. CASE MANAGERS WORK WITH YOUTH ONE-ON-ONE OR IN SMALL GROUP SETTINGS TO IDENTIFY THE ISSUE, CREATE A PLAN FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS, AND PROVIDE REFERRALS AND FOLLOW UP TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THE PLAN. 100% OF THE SCHOOLS THAT UTILIZE THE CHECK & CONNECT PROGRAM FEEL THE BENEFIT OF THE PROGRAM AND HAVE REQUESTED THAT THE PROGRAM RETURN TO THEIR SCHOOL THE NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR. IN 2020, CHECK & CONNECT HELPED OVER 70 STUDENTS.

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