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  • Location
  • Cicero is a suburban town located about seven miles west of downtown Chicago and is bordered on the north and east by the city. In the 19th century, Cicero contained the land that is now Oak Park, Berwyn and the Chicago neighborhood Austin.
  • Demographics
  • Cicero is home to about 83,000 people, primarily of Latinx descent. Despite facing an 18% poverty rate, Cicero is experiencing a community revival as residents come together to continue building a stronger community around shared goals.
  • Looking back
  • Cicero took shape in the 1850s and 60s, primarily serving as a manufacturing hub for much of its history. Once considered a Czech town, today most of the European-style restaurants and shops on 22nd Street have been replaced by Latinx and immigrant-owned businesses. The 1980s and 1990s saw an increase in Mexican residents to Cicero and now 90% of the town identifies as Latinx.
  • History of the Neighborhood Network
  • In 2004, members of the Cicero community created the Cicero Youth Task Force (CYTF) to address the root causes of gang violence. Over the next decade, the group engaged parents, schools and the local police department in their efforts to create a safer community. United Way joined with CYTF in 2016 to create the Cicero Neighborhood Network, renaming to become the Cicero Community Collaborative. In 2018, Cicero was selected as one of four communities nationwide to receive the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize.

Cicero Community Vision

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Cultivating homegrown leaders to improve lives through trauma-informed community health and safety.

Neighborhood Network in Action

The Cicero Neighborhood Network/Cicero Community Collaborative seeks to improve student academic success.

To achieve this community vision, the Neighborhood Network recruits parents to become involved in the school system at all grades and conducts leadership trainings to cultivate sustained community

Coalition Highlights

The Cicero Community Collaborative is committed to building upon its community-fueled success.

Select “next” to read more about our coalition highlights.

 

Community Initiative Success

  • National recipient of the 2018 Culture of Health Prize Winner from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
  • Launched COVID-19 Rapid Response Community Hub, providing immediate and direct relief via cash assistance, food distribution, and PPE supplies.
  • 30 Community Ambassadors work for the Early Childhood Committee and Cicero School District 99, supporting community outreach, parent training, and classroom support to increase student academic achievement and parent involvement.
  • 170 referrals were made to early childhood services, with 29 enrollments in early childhood education services.
  • To create a community that understands trauma and provides appropriate care, Cicero Community Collaborative’s Safety Committee members conducted a seven-hour trauma training with 136 Cicero Police Department officers and 72 high school staff members.

Hear from your neighbors and supporters

Mariana Osoria

Vice President of Centers for Family Focus; Co-Chair of the Cicero Community Collaborative

“It’s been inspiring to see Cicero residents, social service organizations, schools and the town come together to create lasting change for our community. We’ve all experienced the impact this collaboration has on our community...”

Richard Besser

MD Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President and CEO

“The 2018 [Robert Wood Johnson Foundation] Culture of Health Prize winners understand good health requires far more than access to good health care. It requires a thriving community with access to quality education, good jobs, and safe, affordable housing. Cicero is engaging community members in decision-making to give all residents the opportunity to live well.”
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