Garfield Park (Chicago), IL

Garfield Park Child Health Stakeholder Committee

The Garfield Park Stakeholder Committee is a group of 14 passionate and dedicated residents and professionals who live and work in the community. In partnership with Catalyzing Communities, Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative and Food, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) Initiatives at Lurie Children’s Hospital, the Committee mapped out the interconnected factors and complex systems driving health and wellness in Garfield Park, with a particular focus on the impact of perceived violence in the community and Black Culture Wellness.

Learn more about the Stakeholder Committee’s insights in their newly released report: Revitalizing Garfield Park.

Access full report here!

The Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) is partnering with the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative (GPRWC) to improve health and wellbeing for children in the Garfield Park Community in the city of Chicago.

Together, these two organizations will convene a group of stakeholders in Garfield Park to understand the underlying drivers of child health in the community, and identify and prioritize actions that enable all children there to thrive.

Community Highlights

CLOCC: Working across sectors to create healthy children, families, and communities

The Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) is a nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program, housed within the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, with over 3,000 participants representing 1,500 organizations. CLOCC’s mission is to confront the childhood obesity epidemic by promoting healthy and active lifestyles for children throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. CLOCC’s work in areas like neighborhood walkability and school wellness has contributed to improved outcomes and access for all Chicago children. The Institute of Medicine, the U.S. Surgeon General, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recognized CLOCC as an outstanding community obesity prevention model.

GPRWC: Cultivating wellness through engaged cooperative participation of all residents

The Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative (GPRWC) is a group of residents, faith-based and health care institutions, nonprofits and other stakeholders that work and live in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. The Collaborative was formed to identify, promote and implement strategies to increase health and wellness in Garfield Park. Together, they cultivate wellness by addressing the spiritual, socioeconomic, political and physical needs of Garfield Park through engaged cooperative participation among all stakeholders and residents. GPRWC centers the practice of Black Culture Wellness, which involves the promotion and practice of life affirming values, principles, images and messages that celebrate the best of the Black community.

Helping children in Garfield Park get active and stay safe

To help create safe community space and youth programming opportunities in the neighborhood, the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative worked with the Chicago Mayor’s office as part of the Neighborhood Activation program, designed to provide resources to vulnerable communities around the city. In June 2021, the city broke ground on a brand new Community Plaza and Roller Rink in a formerly vacant lot in West Garfield Park. The temporary Roller Rink and multi purpose space opened in July 2021. The permanent structure is expected to be completed in June 2022.

Thank you to CLOCC and GPRWC for permission to use their photos throughout this website.

INSPIRE CHANGE

“Physical activity is a key contributor to preventing childhood obesity in Chicago and beyond, but kids and families struggle to achieve meaningful activity levels when they encounter barriers to walking and biking and other forms of physical activity. We know that these challenges are more present in Chicago communities with higher rates of childhood obesity, which also include communities of color and neighborhoods with systemic socioeconomic disadvantages. CLOCC engages organizations at the neighborhood level, providing the tools and education to identify barriers and effect positive change in their environment.”
–Adam Becker, PhD, MPH, CLOCC Executive Director

“Children who are healthy have a better quality of life and generally become healthy adults. Healthy adults model healthy behavior that helps children adopt healthy habits that will serve them for a lifetime. This work is not just about creating a healthy today…it’s about creating a healthier tomorrow… for our children, our families and our communities.”
–TJ Crawford, Executive Director, Garfield Park Rite To Wellness Collaborative