Better Boys Foundation - Chicago, Illinois

After BBF outgrew its facilities at 1512 South Pulaski Road, the buildings were razed and the Joseph Kellman Family Foundation erected the new BBF Community Center.

Designed by famed architect Lucien Lagrange and constructed by FCL Builders, the new Center materializes the hopes and dreams of residents who have long awaited real and sustained/sustainable community renewal. The new Center also represents the culmination of the work Joe Kellman started when he shifted agency focus away from sports and toward comprehensive youth development programming.

Increased Resources

With the resources available to us at the new Center, we intend to increase service numbers across the range of our programs and to enhance those programs to prepare children and youth for success in the 21st century. Among the many features of the new Center are the following:

25,000 square feet of indoor office and programming space
Administrative offices of both BBF and the Kellman Family Foundation
Three spacious program rooms for our elementary school aged children
Separate programming areas for tweens and teens
Common areas for group activities and meetings
Confidential counseling rooms
A bright and sunny outdoor courtyard
An outdoor recreation area
A state-of-the-art wireless computing system

The BBF Community Center will serve not only children and youth enrolled in BBF programming, but the larger community as well. BBF will offer leased programming space to other nonprofit agencies committed to the continued development of the North Lawndale community, thus serving as a hub for community organizing and as a catalyst for urban renewal.

BBF relocated from its temporary program space at 4220 West 18th Street to the new BBF Center in December 2007.