WHEN GOD SAID, “IT’S YOURS. GO FOR IT,” I BELIEVED HIM.

My name is Keona Owens, Founder and Executive Director of Touch Gift Foundation, NFP®.

When the opportunity came for Touch Gift Foundation to take responsibility for a former workforce center at 640 E. 79th Street, I prayed about it.

And when I heard God say: “It’s yours. Go for it.”

I believed Him. I believed in the promises of God. I believed this building could live again.

I believed an underutilized workforce center could become a vibrant community hub where people could access food, education, technology, workforce opportunities, resources, creativity, connections and hope.

So we said YES. What happened next was incredible.

IN 69 DAYS, OUR COMMUNITY BROUGHT A VISION TO LIFE.

We didn't do it alone; Our community showed up. Within just 69 days, community members, businesses, partners, volunteers and supporters helped Touch Gift Foundation furnish and activate virtually the entire approximately 11,000-square-foot facility.

More than $125,000 in donated and in-kind support, including computers, technology, training tables, furniture, equipment, supplies, professional services, and countless volunteer hours.

Then, our friends from New York came to Chicago and did something extraordinary. 15 murals. 10 days. They transformed the former workforce center into a warm, vibrant and welcoming environment filled with messages of:

THEME: LOVE IN ACTION - UNITY, LET HOPE TAKE FLIGHT, GROW, LOVE. PURPOSE. OPPORTUNITY. CREATIVITY. COMMUNITY. Jeremiah 29:11

The building came alive. And then the community walked through the doors.

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Since taking responsibility for CTI, Touch Gift Foundation has worked diligently to secure the resources needed to sustain this space. We have pursued grants, corporate and philanthropic investments, anchor partnerships, sponsorships, facility revenue, and other funding opportunities while strengthening our financial oversight.

Several opportunities remain pending. The challenge has been timing. Funding and partnerships take time to secure, while rent and operating expenses continue every month.

We are learning, adapting, and restructuring CTI around multiple revenue streams so its future is not dependent on any single funding source.

WHY $250,000?

Taking on CTI in the middle of our fiscal year added approximately $202,000 in new annual facility expenses that were not part of our original operating budget.

Our $250,000 SAVE CTI campaign is designed to address outstanding facility obligations, stabilize CTI, and provide the financial runway needed to execute our long-term sustainability strategy.

FOUNDER'S NOTE / THIS IS PERSONAL FOR ME!

This work is personal. I grew up in Englewood and attended Hirsch Metropolitan High School. I understand many of the barriers facing the families we serve because I bring my own lived experience to this work. I know what it means to have determination and potential while still needing access to the right education, resources, relationships, opportunities, and someone willing to help you navigate your next step. Those experiences ultimately led me to establish Touch Gift Foundation in 2018. Since then, TGF has served more than 140,000 individuals through education, workforce development, food and essential resources, technology, youth programming, community outreach, and other supportive services. But 140,000 is more than an impact number to me.

It is the mother trying to keep food on the table.
The young adult trying to figure out what's next.
The adult returning to education.
The senior learning technology.
The person searching for employment.
The entrepreneur with an idea but limited resources.
The family experiencing a difficult season and simply needing somewhere to turn.

I understand those moments because I have had moments of my own. That is why CTI means so much to me.

I HAVE SPENT MY LIFE SHOWING UP FOR PEOPLE. TODAY, I'M ASKING PEOPLE TO SHOW UP WITH US.

This is one of the hardest parts for me, because I am accustomed to being the person asking, “How can we help?” But leadership also means recognizing when you cannot carry something alone and having the courage to ask others to stand with you. Right now, we need our community.

Too much love, work, and investment has been poured into CTI for us to quietly walk away. Volunteers have given their time, donors have invested their resources, partners have believed in the vision, and families have walked through these doors seeking resources, opportunities, and support. There is simply too much community investment already made, and too much possibility still ahead, for me not to fight with everything I have to preserve this space.

When I believed God said, “It’s yours. Go for it,” I stepped forward in faith, and I still believe in what CTI has become. But faith has never meant to be still. It required us to work, to submit the grants, make the calls, knock on doors, build relationships, strengthen our financial structure, pursue new revenue streams, seek partnerships, and keep showing up even when the path forward has been difficult.

We are doing that work every day. And now, faith and leadership require something else of me: the vulnerability to say plainly that we need YOUR help. We need donors, investors, corporate and philanthropic partners, anchor organizations, advocates, and community members who believe that what has been built here is worth preserving.

We are not asking you to rescue us; we are asking you to invest alongside us in the future of CTI and the community it serves.

SAVE CTI | HELP US RAISE $250,000

Waiting on Funding. Our Community Can’t Wait.

Team Members