The “Spirit of Youth Development Award” recognizes people who have made contributions to the overall health and well-being of North Lawndale youth. Contributions to our community’s youth vary in type – no contribution is too small or too large. Recipients of the award reflect the broad spectrum of work in the community.
Ms. Sandra Glenn was nominated by many community residents, business owners, presidents, and teachers.
The following are statements from some of those individuals who nominated Ms. Glenn.
Ms. Armstrong, teacher at Michelle Clark High School said, "It is with great pleasure to work with Ms. Sandra Glenn. Sandra is a good candidate to receive the North Lawndale “Spirit of Youth Development Award”. I have known Ms. Glenn for six years, as the Executive Director of Prevention Force Family Center. She has been working with the students at Michelle Clark High School who live in the East, West Garfield, Austin and North Lawndale community. She has been teaching life skills and job readiness skills to the students who are enrolled in the WECEP program for the past three years. She hired and trained fifty students in the clerical field through her Youth Employment Internship program. Also, she has recruited other nonprofit organizations to hire students in training them in the clerical field. In addition, Ms. Glenn has provided summer jobs for students who did not obtain city summer jobs. Last summer, she worked with the local youths and other youths on the Westside of Chicago on the Smokeout 2005 “Chicago Smokefree Campaign”. She organized youth leaders and provided youths with advocate training. She worked with youths on conducting a press conference, and youth focus groups in the community. She scheduled youths to participate in rallies that brought public awareness about the danger of secondhand smoke.
Ayo Maat, Ph.D., M. HS, CEO and president, Black Network In Children’s Emotional Health community organization said , "I have known Sandra Glenn for 5 years and worked with her on a youth tobacco prevention project. I find her to be extraordinarily dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children once left behind by the human service and education systems. She is dedicated to the positive development of youth and their families at a time when funding dollars seem to dry up and parents often do not volunteer.
Sandra blows the lid off of service when she gives of her energy and time to help families maintain pride, stability, and skills development despite the dismal outlooks they face if they listen to the misperception of social scientists, news analysts and urban planners who have never met the families she serves.
I witness her diligence and love in hosting not only traditional afterschool events, but family dinners and theatric events with youth taking the lead, thanks to her creative training and guidance. Though youth may come with poor reading and writing scores, they achieve amazing organizing and acting skills in prevention.
She has transformed a small part of North Lawndale into a heavenly assemblage of drugfree, violence-free young people and proud parents who have discovered hidden talents and resiliency where they thought none existed.
She is the Spirit of Youth Development as she pours her spirit into developing youth leaders to be community workers now and in the future.
Biography Sandra GlennSandra Glenn is the Founder and Executive Director of Prevention Force Family Center, Inc a nonprofit community-based organization that provides prevention, educational, youth, health, self employment training, job readiness and entrepreneurial training programs to low income individuals, youth and community residents. She also provides technical assistance services to small businesses, churches, community groups and grass root organizations. Prevention Force Family Center specializes in working with low income clients in starting home based businesses in the areas of day care, financial services, technology, direct marketing, retailing, graphic arts, and entertainment. For those interested in small businesses, nonprofit organizations, she offers assistance in the incorporation nonprofit organizations, research grants, development programs, and applying for 501 (c) 3 tax exemption status. In addition, Ms. Glenn also has developed and implemented the Business Networking Action consortium meetings for small business owners and executive directors of grassroot nonprofit organizations to network, obtain business and grant resources including she provides one on one consultation to each member.
Prior to forming Prevention Force Family Center Inc, in October 1996, Ms. Glenn was the founder of her own consulting business, Growing Bosses Enterprise, offering personal business coaching, self development, business startup workshops, marketing seminars, and consulting services to individuals, entrepreneurs, community residents and small businesses.
She has collaborated with the Chicago Public Schools, Douglass Library, Austin Library, Legler Library, and North Lawndale YMCA. Devry Institute, the City of Chicago Mayor Employment Training program, Michelle Clark High School, Healthy Families of Chicago, Youth In Power Inc, Ivy Foundation for Better Living, Embrace Life, Inc, Help2adapt, Inc., BNICEH Inc, Word of Ministries, Umoja Learning Center, St. John Health Center, Inc. Creative Concept & Development Inc, and Overwhelm People on entrepreneurial programs and prevention educational projects.
Through implementing a variety of youth and self employment programs, Ms. Glenn was able to accomplishment the following:
Since 1997, She have trained over three hundred Individuals in starting a business or a nonprofit organization. She has assisted ten nonprofit organzations with obtaining their tax exemption status. She has also helped twenty-five organizations to obtain funding for their programs.
Since 2002, she has implemented the Youth Employment Internship program that provides job readiness training and clerical work experiences to over fifty students from Michele Clark High School. The students are 14 to 16 years of age. She also recruited local social services organizations to assist her in training the students in the clerical field. Also, many students learned how to write proposals and work on community projects. The students lived in Austin, North Lawndale, West and East Garfield community.
In the past five years Ms. Glenn has implemented the Kids Business training program which provides over a hundred youth between the ages of 10 to 14 years training in starting a small business in their community, facilitating youths who were unable to obtain summer employment elsewhere.
This year, Ms. Glenn implemented the Teen Working Toward Entrepreneurship program where twenty youths were trained in starting a web design business in their community. Four of the youths are now enrolled in the TWTE Internship program. The TWTE Internship program assist the young entreprenuers in obtaining their business licences and developing a marketing and financial plan for their business.
Over the past three years, twenty-five youth have participated in the Teen Star Theater program learning how to write skits, acting skills and performing violence skits and vignettes on teen violence issues at the local Chicago Public libararies and youth organizations.
Sandra is also a Board Member of Umoja Learning Center Inc. and serves on the Friends of Douglass Library Advisory Board and treasurer of the board. She volunteered as a speaker on career days and other events at local schools explaining the benefits of being self employed and encourages students to start their own business.
Sandra believes that struggling youth and families need and deserve an opportunity to "get back on track," with qualified programs and services.
She is committed to addressing economic development and social change, youth unemployment, poverty, life skills and teen violence issues that youth face in their life. She continued to help individuals, youths and grass root organizations realize their entrepreneurial dreams that will aid in enriching their community.
Ms. Glenn has a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science and Master of Science in Counseling. Both degrees were received from National-Louis University located in Illinois.
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