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Chicago Sun-Times
15 Aug 2023
https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/pat-nabong
As Chicago gears up for the new school year, hundreds of Safe Passage workers received a boost of motivation during a celebration Tuesday afternoon at Wintrust Arena.
About 20 Safe Passage workers, who aim to ensure the safety of students walking to and from school, received awards for the work they’ve done over the years.
“You all are expressing the beauty of our faith, because you all are the guiding light that our neighborhoods look towards,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “You know when you’re raising a family in the City of Chicago, there are days that are difficult. But to see you all throughout our neighborhoods, around this city, brings me hope because your dedication and your commitment to the people of Chicago, it stems well beyond neighborhoods.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hugs Safe Passage worker Erica Perkins, who introduced him, during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
About 1,200 Safe Passage workers serve 188 schools across the city, according to a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson.
Gregory Adams, one of the recipients of the award, is a Safe Passage worker with A Knock At Midnight.
In the 11 years he’s worked as a Safe Passage worker, he said he learned, “Community safety is a coordinating process. It takes a village to raise all of our students, so what we need is for all social systems — that’s beginning with the church, business, schools, the clinics and even the home and other community businesses — to all do a collaboration project where we all can buy into it so that we can all feel a sense of responsibility and accountability.”
Safe Passage worker Gregory Adams with A Knock At Midnight, said, “Community safety is a coordinating process. It takes a village to raise all of our students, so what we need is for all social systems, that’s beginning with the church, business, schools, the clinics and even the home and other community businesses to all do a collaboration project where we all can buy into it so that we can all feel a sense of responsibility and accountability,” he said.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Safe Passage workers are celebrated at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop on Tuesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Safe Passage worker Levella Wallace with Leave No Veteran Behind receives an award during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop on Tuesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Safe Passage worker Lionel Gaston with Claretian Associates holds his certificate up as his co-workers cheer for him during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop on Tuesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Safe Passage workers cheer for their colleague as he receives an award during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop on Tuesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (right) and Gregory Sain, Chicago Public Schools’ director of community safety and relations, sit together during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena on Tuesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
When asked what she thinks is needed to make streets safer for kids and the community, Varlesha Buchanan, a Safe Passage worker with Claretian Associates who has been working for four years, said, “I just feel like we need more workers, more dedicated workers, not people who just come to work just to get a check.”
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez stands with Safe Passage worker Helen Woods, a worker with Alliance for Community Peace who received an award, and Chicago Public Schools Chief of Safety and Security Jadine Chou, during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez shakes hands with Safe Passage worker Ernest Deforneau, who works in the Bronzeville neighborhood with the Alliance for Community Peace, during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop on Tuesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Hundreds of Safe Passage workers clap during a celebration of Safe Passage workers at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop on Tuesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times