Center for Changing Lives

South Chicago showed up! ❤️🔥

This past Saturday at the Salud Center was full of big ideas, good energy, new connections, and plenty of sabor as small business owners, entrepreneurs, resource partners, and neighbors came together!

Center for Changing Lives was proud to co-host the 3rd Annual South Side Small Business Fair with Claretian Associates, Inc.. We LOVE seeing what happens when a community comes together to connect entrepreneurs with the people, resources, and opportunities that can help move their businesses forward.

A special shoutout to Jeremy Riegler, CCL’s Director of Small Business EEC, for his leadership in making this day happen and for the relationships he continues to build with South Chicago entrepreneurs and partners. ❤️

And, what a joy to have five local businesses in the spotlight for the TechRise South Chicago Pitch Competition!

🍵 Sensei's Tea House & Asian Cuisine Sensei’s Boba Tea Bar
💻 Litzsey Tech Services
🍲 African Food Palace Chicago
🎨 FEOM Expressions The FEOM
☕ The Brew

Five businesses. Four minutes each. And a whole lot of vision.

Congratulations to Ahava Bey and Timothy Ruther of Sensei's Tea House & Asian Cuisine on taking home the $25,000 grand prize! 🎉 And congratulations to Kenneth Litzsey, Courage Wissink, Fenesha Hubbard, Osceola Muhammad, Nina Askew & Sam Sparks, whose entrepreneurial dream each received a $1,250 stipend to invest in their businesses and their vision for South Chicago.

We’re especially grateful to United Way of Metro Chicago and the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park for putting capital directly into the hands of local entrepreneurs.

And thank you to our judges, Terrence Johnson of Greenwood Archer Capital, Lucero Chavez Diaz of PNC Bank, and Melissa Perez of Miel 85 Collective, for sharing their time, expertise, and encouragement with these entrepreneurs.

Thank you to Angela Hurlock of Claretian Associates for keeping the day moving and the energy high as emcee and to all of our partners, vendors, and resource organizations who showed up for South Chicago’s small businesses.

At CCL, we believe in what our communities already have: creativity, knowledge, vision, resourcefulness, and poder. Our collective role is to connect that poder to opportunity.
And Saturday? We got to see that power in action. ✨

South Chicago is building. We at CCL are honored to be part of it. ❤️

📸 Check out a few photo highlights from the day. More to come!

🚨 EARLY BIRD TICKETS EXTENDED! 🎟️🌱

You now have until Monday, September 21 at 11:59 PM, right before midnight, to get your 2026 Gala tickets for just $225!

🎟️ GET YOUR TICKETS: linktr.ee/cclchicago

After the deadline, tickets increase to $300, so grab yours now!

Our 2026 Gala theme is: ROOTED & THRIVING 🌱✨

Join us Saturday, October 17 at 6:00 PM at the Union League Club of Chicago for an evening of celebration, connection, and fundraising!

👗 **Dress Code:** Cocktail attire inspired by your roots.

Think elegant with a personal touch. Wear clothes, patterns, fabrics, accessories, or cultural influences that reflect what makes you feel rooted. Your roots, your style!

🌱 Rooted in community. Thriving through opportunity.

Your support helps make that vision possible for our neighbors and communities. 💫

South Chicago has so many powerful entrepreneurs ready to build. Five businesses. One stage. A $30,000 prize pool.

THIS SATURDAY, September 19th, is our 3rd Annual South Side Business Resource Fair, from 10am to 2pm at the Salud Center. You can meet one-on-one with local business support organizations, get free 1:1 technical assistance for your business and shop a vendor marketplace featuring local South Side small businesses!

At 12:30pm the TechRise by P33 South Chicago Pitch Competition will begin.
Come witness five South Chicago founders pitch live for funding to grow their businesses right in the community:
⭐ Ahava Bey & Timothy Ruther — Sensei’s Boba Tea Bar Tea House & Asian Cuisine
⭐ Kenneth L. — Litzsey Tech Services
⭐ Courage Wissink — African_Food_Palace
⭐ Fenesha Hubbard Muhammad M.Ed. — FEOM Expressions The FEOM
⭐ Nina Askew & Sam Sparks — The Brew

🗓 September 19 | Small Business Fair from10am-2pm | Pitch Competition at 12:30 PM
📍 Salud Center, 3039 E 91st St, Chicago
✅ Free to attend: https://luma.com/ckcfi27f

Join Claretian Associates, Inc., Center for Changing Lives, Tech Rise Chi P33, SSA 5 Commercial (SSA #5) administered by Calumet Area Industrial Commission, IL Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), and United Way of Metro Chicago for this powerful event!

🎉🙌 ¡Siete años! Seven years of Julio bringing vision, corazón, and a whole lot of sabor to CCL! 🌟
Help us celebrate Julio, our Director of Strategic Partnerships, on his 7th workiversary! 🎊

For seven years, Julio has been building bridges, strengthening partnerships, opening doors, and connecting people and possibilities to create more opportunities for our community. 🔑🤝✨

But anyone who knows Julio knows that his impact goes beyond partnerships. He brings pasión, creativity, humor, and corazón to this work every day. He reminds us that when we build together, we can go further. 💛

With Mexican and Guatemalan heritage, Julio brings the richness of his cultures to his work and his commitment to community. He knows that our diversity is our strength and that building a community where everyone thrives means recognizing the gifts, stories, and power that each person brings. 🌎💪🏽

Seven years is a lot of moments, memories, connections, and community. Just take a look at this collage! 📸✨ We’re grateful for all the ways Julio has shown up, built relationships, and helped CCL grow over the years.
Julio, estamos celebrando 7 años de tu liderazgo, tu corazón y, por supuesto, tu sabor! 🌶️🎉

Here’s to many more years of building bridges, opening doors, and bringing the poder! 🙌✨
¡Feliz 7.º aniversario laboral, Julio! 🥳🎂

✨ ¡Viva México! ¡Viva la Independencia! 🎉🎆
🌹 ¡Feliz Día a todxs nuestrxs mexicanxs! 💚🤍❤️
We are amazed by your 💪 poder in our community and will continue en la ✊ lucha together until we are all liberated! 🌟
🎊 Happy Independence Day to all our powerful community members with Mexican heritage!!! 🎶🌎
¡Viva México! 🎉
✨ 🎆 🕊️

🎯 SMART Goals to Finance: Turn your financial goals into action!

Join Center for Changing Lives for a virtual workshop and learn how to set realistic, meaningful financial goals using the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Together, we’ll break down big financial dreams like building savings, paying down debt, or preparing for homeownership into manageable steps that fit your real life and income.

📅 Monday, September 21
🕒 10 AM–12 PM
📍 Virtual via Zoom

Your financial wellness is possible! 💙

📲 Sign up today: linktr.ee/cclchicago

¡Feliz día de Independencia a todxs nuestrxs ticos, guanacos, chapines, catrachos, nicas/pinoleros!
Happy Central American Independence Day to all our powerful community members with Costa Rican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran and Nicaraguan heritage!
We celebrate your poder today and each day and el poder de nuestra comunidad centroamericana.

¿Necesita una licencia comercial en Chicago? ¡Podemos ayudarle! 🏢✨

Center for Changing Lives (CCL) es un Especialista en Licencias Comerciales de BACP de la Ciudad de Chicago y ofrece asistencia GRATUITA a empresarios y dueños de negocios en toda la ciudad.

PODEMOS APOYARLE A:

✅ Determinar qué licencia comercial necesita
✅ Entender los requisitos de la solicitud
✅ Preparar sus documentos
✅ Navegar Chicago Business Direct
✅ Entender los requisitos de zonificación y otros requisitos
✅ Recibir ayuda con las renovaciones
✅ ¡Y mucho más!

📍 Conéctese con nosotros:
📞 773-342-6210
📧 [email protected]

📍 Visítenos en cualquiera de nuestras dos ubicaciones:
• Logan Square: 1955 N. St. Louis Ave., #101
• South Chicago: 3039 E. 91st St., dentro del Salud Center

Ya sea que esté iniciando un negocio o renovando su licencia, estamos aquí para ayudarle a navegar el proceso. 🤝Nos sentimos honrados de colaborar con Chicago Business Affairs and Consumer Protection

¡Su sueño empresarial puede hacerse realidad!

Need a Chicago Business License? We Can Help! 🏢✨

Center for Changing Lives (CCL) is a City of Chicago BACP Business License Specialist, providing FREE business license assistance to entrepreneurs and business owners across Chicago.

We can support you as you:
✅ Determine your business license needs
✅ Understand application requirements
✅ Prepare your documents
✅ Navigate Chicago Business Direct
✅ Understand zoning and other requirements
✅ Get help with renewals
✅ And more!

Connect with us:
📞 773-342-6210
📧 [email protected]

📍 Visit us at either of our two locations:
• Logan Square: 1955 N. St. Louis Ave., #101
• South Chicago: 3039 E. 91st St. inside Salud Center

Whether you're starting a business or renewing your license, we're here to help you navigate the process. We are honored to partner with Chicago Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to support our powerful community.

Your entrepreneurial dream can be realized! 🤝

✨ BIG things are taking shape at CCL!

The week of September 7th, we spent two energizing days with our Staff and Board asking big questions, digging deeper, and imagining what’s next for Center for Changing Lives. 💜

We’re developing a new strategic plan to guide our work from 2027 through 2029, leading us right into CCL’s 40th anniversary in 2029! 🎉

🙌 Huge shout-out to Alberto and José of Morales Consulting for helping us ask the hard questions, challenge our thinking, find common ground, and move forward with consensus.

But strategic planning doesn’t happen in a room alone. 🫂

We’re excited to continue the conversation with our community, members, partners, and even more stakeholders. Together, we want to make sure our updated Theory of Change and new strategic plan reflect what we’re hearing and help move us even closer to our vision of a community where everyone thrives.

The future is taking shape, and we’re excited to build it together! ✨