The Neighborhood Bridge (TNB), a not-for-profit providing services to families in five schools located in the Austin neighborhood, is seeking a volunteer to Chair its Communications Committee.

The Communications Chair provides strategic oversight and coordination of all communications for TNB. This role ensures that TNB’s messaging is clear, consistent, and aligned with organizational goals, while supporting fundraising, program visibility, and community engagement. The Communications Chair supervises the work of Communications Committee members managing email communications, website content, social media, and external messaging.

Communications are tailored to a broad group of stakeholders including school partners and parents, volunteers, donors, human services organizations, faith communities, and other prospective supporters. The Chair reports to TNB’s Executive Director and works closely with the Development Director.

This role offers the opportunity to shape the voice and visibility of a growing, community-centered organization doing the vital work of connecting families in need to essential resources across Chicago’s West Side. External communications executed effectively are essential to achieving our mission. If you are interested in learning more, please send an email briefly outlining your experience to [email protected].

The mission of The Neighborhood Bridge (TNB), located in the former rectory of Saint Catherine of Siena-Saint Lucy is to connect Austin neighborhood families to existing high-performing human services providers. In our Advocate Program, trained volunteer Advocates accompany families in need (called Participants) and help connect them to the services and aid they need.

We began training and certifying our volunteer Advocates in January of 2025 and started offering our services to the families at our five partner schools late last spring. To date, we have over 30 trained and certified Advocates. The liaisons at all five partner schools have collectively referred more than 25 families to TNB so far. And those Participants have been matched with a volunteer Advocate to help them address their stated needs. Participants’ needs are centered on addressing housing crises, employment issues, and mental health challenges. Some of the Participants have also taken advantage of placing an order for household goods offered in TNB’s Essentials Pantry.

One of our many success stories involves a young single mother from one of our partner schools. The building she was living in suffered a fire which resulted in significant water damage to her apartment. When referred to us, the family was staying with a friend, but temporarily since the friend’s living situation could not accommodate her children. So, she needed interim housing immediately and help navigating the restoration of her apartment. And, as always, it was TNB’s goal to ensure the children remained in school while the family was dealing with this crisis.

Our Advocate reached out to the single mother, and they agreed to hold their initial meeting at the Austin Public Library. TNB’s Advocate had done some research and was aware that the Red Cross provided several potentially helpful resources for families displaced from their homes due to a disaster like a fire or flood. As soon as TNB’s Advocate sat down at a table with her, the Participant broke down in tears, so thankful for a helping hand in her moment of need.

The Advocate helped the Participant prioritize her family’s needs – the most important ones (finding housing immediately and beginning the restoration of her water-damaged apartment) and the most urgent ones (access to food and medications and obtaining paid leave from her place of employment to deal with this crisis). The first meeting lasted two hours and resulted in a plan for engaging Red Cross for all the services and resources it could provide, as well as other details like securing food and necessary medications and dealing with ComEd and People’s Gas to alleviate charges during the time her apartment would be uninhabited.

With the support of Red Cross, the family found new housing relatively quickly, along with other vital resources. As a result, the family has been able to adapt to a more normal routine from the crisis mode they were in when the school referred the family to TNB.

Prentice Butler, Executive Director of The Neighborhood Bridge, has been named the recipient of the Archbishop James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award for 2026.

This is the 32nd consecutive year the Male Image award has been given by a local Ladies’ Auxiliary of a national fraternal organization founded in 1911 to allow men of color membership in a Catholic fraternal society.

The Archbishop James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award recognizes outstanding African American men for their leadership, Christian values, community service and dedication to the African American community.

Prentice will be recognized at the annual Awards luncheon hosted by the Ladies’ Auxiliary on Sunday, February 22 in Orland Park. Honoring Prentice at a table hosted by The Neighborhood Bridge will be Prentice’s family, Father Carl, and members of the Board of The Neighborhood Bridge. If you want to congratulate Prentice on this distinguished honor, you can contact him at [email protected].

We wish to thank Father Carl for inviting a representative from The Neighborhood Bridge to speak at all Masses on the weekend of January 31 and February 1 at the three churches of our two parishes. Our speakers briefly highlighted the significant progress we achieved in 2025 and invited all parishioners who want to learn more to come to the Open House we host every Friday morning from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the offices of The Neighborhood Bridge at the former rectory on the campus of Saint Catherine-Saint Lucy (38 N. Austin). Please make plans to come visit on an upcoming Friday.