■ L’Arche brunch fundraiser PAGE 3
FREE Vol. 39 No. 8
February 26, 2025 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
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Artist talk lk withh Jay Wolke, page 12
Oak Park-based foundation expands reach, focuses on mental health Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation awards $265,000 to 18 organizations in western Cook County By JESSICA MORDACQ COLIN BOYLE/BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
Staff Reporter
Eighteen organizations on Chicago’s West Side and the near west suburbs have received grants from the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation – an organization that helps donors manage their philanthropic assets and give grants for local service programs. Earlier this month, the foundation announced the community organizations that got a portion of $265,000 in grant money. Though the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation gives out community grants annually, for the first time, this year’s chosen organizations all focus on behavioral and mental health for children and young adults. The foundation paused its community grants in 2023 in order to shift focus for its grantmaking strategy. While in previous years, community grants served education, housing and arts organizations, in the coming years, they’ll focus on mental and behavioral See FOUNDATION GRANTS on page 6
631 N. Central Ave., 154 years old, is the oldest home in the Austin community.
There’s more to Austin than what’s on a map Neighborhood Project survey defines neighborhoods and borders By MICHAEL LIPTROT | Block Club Chicago Chicagoans are no strangers to West Side pride, particularly in Austin. From current residents Mayor Brandon Johnson and
former Gov. Pat Quinn to actor Robert Townsend and comedian Hannibal Buress, some of the city’s notable figures have roots in the West Side neighborhood. See NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT on page 4
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