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Change the Soil of Chicago
Become a monthly donor, help us restore communities impacted by poverty-induced gun violence to safe, abundant, and liberated sites of Oasis.
JOIN OUR FIGHT FOR A
SAFER WORLD
More than 41,000 Americans lose their lives to gun violence every year. Your monthly donation sustains wellness structures that empower Black women, families, and communities to thrive beyond gun violence.
How is our BLOOM Program changing the soil of Chicago?
We are prioritizing the wellness of Black mothers and women. We know that when they’re well, Black women can lead their families and communities with greater agency to fight against the impacts of poverty-induced gun violence. To make this a reality, BLOOM Cohort participants receive deep care through over 60 hours of in-person support, 20 wellness programs, and 10 hours of free counseling each over the course of 6 months.
More ways to give
Become a Corporate Sponsor
We welcome sponsors for our annual BLOOM Professional Picture Day, Graduation Ceremony, and General Programming. You can make a gift, match/double donations that your employees make to FRO, or support FRO through employee engagement initiatives like starting a team fundraiser.
Become a Volunteer
We often need volunteers to support us in carrying out wellness events ranging from yoga to art therapy. Join our Rooted in Freedom Volunteer Club to be the first to receive opportunities to volunteer with our operation.
Lead a Wellness or Educational Workshop
Are you a leader or wellness expert with skills you’d like to share with our BLOOM Program? Send us an inquiry about leading a wellness or educational workshop
Why are we changing the soil of Chicago?
There are neighborhoods on the Southeast side of the city where Chicagoans can’t garden in their backyards because the soil is tainted beyond repair. Even with a bounty of water, sun, and nutrients—all that grows there is impacted by contaminated soil.
That same circumstance has been reflected in the lives of our constituents as a result of 400+ years of the effects of chattel slavery, the War on Drugs, mass incarceration, and misogynoir. These systems of violence have resulted in communities negatively impacted by the contaminants of injustice. The only way to move forward with the prospect of any growth, any thriving life whatsoever is to change the soil. As we work to create environments in Chicago that are healthy, well, and absent of poverty-induced gun violence—we need champions like you to join us in this call to action.
Who does your donation support?
Your Donation will directly support Black mothers and women. An investment in these untapped leaders is an investment in their communities and a stride toward the end of poverty-induced gun violence.
The BLOOM Program is a 6-month wellness program providing critical care to Black women and single mothers from Chicago’s south and west sides who have been impacted by poverty-induced gun violence (PIGV). Through an educational and experiential curriculum rooted in our own pillars of nourishment, transformation, and self-love—we empower these women, often erased from gun violence advocacy, as a public safety infrastructure. Graduates of the program have greater capacity to confront and defeat the barriers that have held them back from being active agents and changemakers for themselves, their families, and their communities. Thus they go on to change the soil of Chicago and create an environment that is safer from the harms of PIGV.