At 12:04 pm one night in November 2011, shots were fired on South 19th Avenue in Maywood, hitting the driver of a car. The driver veered off the street, plunging headlong into a building where 14-year-old Dominique and her brother were fast asleep on the living room couch. When Dominique’s older brother, Bryant, and her mother ran into the room, they found the car on top of the two children. Dominique’s brother, Levon, was brought to the hospital in stable condition. But Dominique was pronounced dead at the scene. Bryant collapsed on the doorstep when he was told his little sister was gone. “She liked volleyball, all types of sports. She liked cooking. She was just a normal 14-year-old girl,” he said. Dominique made As and Bs in school, doing her very best at everything. Teachers and mentors said she had a beautiful smile and was taking classes in engineering.
“It’s such a shame — innocent kids always seem to be the victims,” Dominique’s neighbor, Anna Enrique, said. (Click here to read the full story.)
This has been the observation of Chicago CEF as well: innocent children always seem to be the victims. This is a large motivating factor in bringing Christ’s love into Good News Clubs—Chicago CEF wants to see God’s love transform and comfort broken communities—and every community has been broken.
As Chicago CEF has asked God for more opportunities to give the Gospel, God gave us the idea of a community center where Good News Clubs could be held, interns/missionaries could be housed, and new ministry ideas could be tested and developed. What better place to do it than the building where Dominique was killed? Chicago CEF wants to see God transform this building into a place where God’s love reaches and transforms lives, especially the lives of innocent children.
As we try to buy this building, we need your help! Will you pray and give to make this happen? God provided a $20,000 donation in seed money to start us out, and raised an additional $20,000 towards the building through our annual banquet! Now, we’re seeking one more $20,000 goal, and we want to do it one person, one twenty dollar bill at a time. Would you give $20, and ask 20 of your friends to do the same? Together we can bring the hope of the Gospel to children who so desperately need it. You can click the thermometer below to give your gift. Thank you for your partnership!
