Lasting Change, Starting at Home

Magoon Institute Experts Give Back in Their Communities

Despite long histories of disinvestment and segregation, many Chicago communities are home to countless stories of strength and resilience. With deep roots in the communities they serve, extraordinary professionals at the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities are making a difference in the lives of children, youth and families across Chicago.

Lurie Children’s is fortunate to have such dedicated experts who work in partnership with communities to pave the way to a brighter future.

Cassandra Otoo, MSW, Program Coordinator for the Juvenile Justice Collaborative (JJC), is in the midst of doubling the number of participants (~500) through an enhanced partnership with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Cook County Department of Probation. JJC’s mission is to minimize further involvement of arrested youth in the justice system by providing access to comprehensive support services that meet their developmental needs.

Her empathy runs deep and enables her to identify the economic and emotional supports teenagers and young adults need to overcome difficult life circumstances. Born and raised in the South Side in Chicago’s Roseland community, she feels fortunate that she had both parents actively involved in her life.

“I take this responsibility with JJC very personally because now I am a single mom of two African-American boys, and I know the hardships of being a single mom. If it were not for my education and me being able to advocate for myself, then it could easily be me,” Cassandra says. “I see a young person getting caught up in the justice system to feed their family or trying to help their mom. I do not dare judge that situation, but I want to be the remedy for that young person.”

Jose Munoz, Program Coordinator for the Mentorship & Workforce Development Program, works to improve the diversity of the healthcare workforce by proactively recruiting middle school, high school and college students from under-resourced communities to internship and shadowing opportunities at Lurie Children’s.

Born in Mexico, he grew up in Albany Park and earned his bachelor’s degree in applied science from Northeastern Illinois University. Before Lurie Children’s, he tutored and served as a college facilitator at Roosevelt and Amundsen high schools.

Today, it’s those exact same schools and others throughout the city where he coordinates 17 educational programs that bring promising students to the hospital. In 2015, Jose went through one of those programs, Discovering Healthcare Careers, which made him see all the different roles that were possible at the hospital and where he could fit in.

“I see greatness in you. Let me help you see it,” is what Jose tells students today. His inspiration has brought several students to tears because they never imagined they could have a career in medicine. He values being the one to guide them to their dreams, just like someone did for him when he was in high school.

Aisha Oliver, AAS, Community Engagement Specialist, watched her grandfather, a precinct captain in Austin, knock on doors to meet people when she was young. Her parents were also “community builders” and their home was a well-known safe haven for neighborhood kids. With these examples, she became interested in making natural connections between residents who want to work for good, and started volunteering in high school.

Energized by her past successes, Aisha continues to see herself as an agent of change, especially in her native Austin. There, the need is great for violence and substance use prevention, mental health support and pediatric care, food access and other services. Aisha joined the Magoon Institute last year, but already, her anti-gun violence work has resulted in the Austin Safety Action Plan (ASAP), which was enormously successful in 2021 and is being repeated this year. A village-building initiative, ASAP runs off the ideas from young people about creating safe spaces for planned activities.

Aisha’s goal is to show youth how to change the community where they live. “It’s not often explained to them that they have the power to change the things that need changing. Since no civic engagement is taught in schools, it’s up to us to show them we can be the leaders.”