The Marcy-Newberry Community Youth Choir was founded in 1985 by Ethelyn Taylor. The choir has
performed in the Chicagoland area and beyond. Performing at worship services, programs, special events, annual conferences, City of Chicago functions as well as at educational institutions, nursing homes and major functions at the Lexington House, Mardi Gras benefits and a performance tour in Minnesota. The choir is made up of 35 – 50 community youth in the Near West community that are
supported by parents and volunteers.

Young Men At Their Best

Young Men At Their Best (YMATB) is a program designed to assist young men in their beginning stage of adolescence to transition to the next stage of young adulthood by developing their moral and ethical foundation which will enable them to effectively negotiate obstacles faced by the everyday struggles of urban life. Services are provided to young men between the ages of 13-16 in a safe structured group setting. Many of our young men who have aged out of the school-age program have no other alternatives for activities and structure at the end of the school day. The activities will focus on teaching young men through mentoring, group or one-on-one sessions a range of life skills including
how to cope with stress, set goals, be aware of and control their feelings, solve problems, deal with peer pressure and communicate better.

Newberry 13

The program started in July 2009. Since the inception of the program the girls have been engaged in a variety of workshops and activities including team building classes, grooming classes, etiquette training, cooking classes, art’s and craft’s and rap sessions. The purpose of the program is to provide a safe place for the females age 13 thru 17 to come to engage in positive social activities that will assist in building their self esteem, moral character, and self awareness to aid in making better choices when approached by gangs and other negative elements of the community. The program was created for females that aged out of the School Age Program. Female youth are most vulnerable during this age span and require positive role models to guide and support their growth and development. It is our mission to structure a program that offers a safe haven, a nurturing learning environment and opportunities that would build positive self-esteem, and promote healthy lifestyle choices, as well as becoming productive citizens.