The mural on the ceiling of the BPNC Service Center was designed by artist Roy Villalobos of Open Center for the Arts.
United Way of Metro Chicago joins BPNC for the Service Center ribbon cutting on April 13: (left to right) BPNC Executive Director Patrick Brosnan, United Way President & CEO Sean Garrett, United Way Chief Strategy & Development Officer Dr. Kimberlee Guenther, BPNC Director of Community Partnerships Maribel Martinez, and United Way AVP of Community Engagement Mariela Estrada.
The Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) is the heart of the community on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Now, that very heart is emblazoned on the high ceiling of the new 13,000-square-foot Service Center on Archer Avenue, a main thoroughfare of the predominantly Latine and immigrant neighborhood.
Designed by artist Roy Villalobos of Open Center for the Arts, the vibrant mural depicts a beating heart with a monarch butterfly, tree branches, and flowing water — symbols of rebirth, growth, and life — and hope for what’s next.
“The mural represents how the work we’re doing is the lifeblood of the neighborhood,” said Patrick Brosnan, Executive Director of BPNC. “We are a proud immigrant community. We protect each other and have a vision for the future, recognizing the past and that we’re going to continue to develop programs and support each other.”
Celebrating its ribbon cutting on April 13, 2026, the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council Service Center will be a “one-stop shop,” Patrick said. Several partners through the Neighborhood Network will be housed in the hub starting in June, including mental health support through Centro Sanar, legal services through Beyond Legal Aid, and workforce development through PODER, plus youth mentoring, housing case management, job training, and more.
The massive project has been “a labor of love,” Patrick said, with planning beginning more than 10 years ago with the launch of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Network — United Way of Metro Chicago’s very first community coalition driving place-based investment and long-term community transformation.
“Today, we’re seeing years of hard work and resident-led vision come to fruition in Brighton Park,” said Dr. Kimberlee Guenther, Chief Strategy & Development Officer for United Way of Metro Chicago. “United Way is proud to stand alongside our partners on the Southwest Side and celebrate this milestone investment that will offer the community the services they need in a beautiful space.”
As the community celebrated this long-awaited investment, Brighton Park families continue to face urgent challenges that underscore just how vital a “one-stop shop” will be.
Brighton Park was targeted during Operation Midway Blitz last fall. Increased immigration enforcement activity separated families, many with legal work status. The ripple effects were dramatic. Many families were already living paycheck to paycheck and struggling with the rising cost of living, according to Sara Reschly, Deputy Director of Community Services for BPNC.
“Increased federal immigration activity really scared families,” Sara said. “People didn’t go to work. Families were afraid to walk their children to school.” Missed work meant missed paychecks — and even greater difficulty meeting immediate basic needs. “We had families who literally did not have food in their house,” Sara said.
The Brighton Park Neighborhood Network responded. The coalition of community organizations and schools immediately “got together to provide wraparound services for families in crisis,” Sara said.
United Way launched our Response Fund in the fall of 2025 to address urgent and emerging needs, including food insecurity during the federal government shutdown and pause of SNAP benefits. BPNC received a Response Grant to support their food distribution events — and help families in crisis put food on the table.
“United Way came in with the Response Fund, which has just been tremendous,” Patrick said. “It has grown our capacity to provide services to families. We were able to triple the number of households that received this support.”
“United Way is instrumental in the work that we do,” said Maribel Martinez, Director of Community Partnerships for BPNC. “Without United Way, we wouldn’t have the Neighborhood Network coalition that allows us to have collaborative partnerships to address the community’s needs.”
That collaboration is now taking visible, lasing shape in the neighborhood through the BPNC Service Center — the heartbeat of Brighton Park.
“We have been able to create this dream come true for our community and for the organization,” Maribel said. “We’re very excited to continue strengthening the partnership with United Way through the expansion of services, community engagement, and the impact that the service center will have for the community.”
Learn more about United Way’s Neighborhood Network Initiative.