Inaugural Opportunity Day Celebrates the Investment and Collaboration on Chicago’s West Side
Breakthrough celebrated the first Opportunity Day on Thursday, Sept. 12. The
day served as a celebration of the collaborative effort to open doors of opportunity for the residents of East Garfield Park.
During the all-day, digital celebration, Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Janice Jackson, professional basketball player Kyle Korver, former United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, local teachers, outreach workers and many more shared their commitment to the development of opportunity on Chicago’s West Side on social media.
Janice Jackson shared, “I spent 11 years working in East Garfield Park and can speak to the powerful work done at Breakthrough, who partners with over 6,600 residents to build connections, develop skills, and open doors. Today I’m showing support for their #Opportunity4All effort.”
For generations, residents of East Garfield Park have been working hard to break cycles of poverty and violence.
However, Breakthrough recognizes that work ethic alone is often not enough to overcome these forces.
Breakthrough employs the Opportunity Formula, which states that opportunity is the product of not only hard work, but also building relationships and developing skills. The organization has joined these important elements to create
lasting change, and, in recent years, Breakthrough has seen families in East Garfield Park preparing to send their second child to college, first-time entrepreneurs growing businesses, and residents working with their neighbors to
improve the community.
“It’s been said that opportunity is a set of circumstances that makes it possible to achieve a goal,” said Bill Curry, Chief Program Officer. “At Breakthrough, we are working to create a set of circumstances that not only makes it ‘possible,’ but more importantly makes it ‘probable.’ We are excited about our first annual Opportunity Day.”
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