Programs
Kroc Center Programs Already Underway The Salvation Army isn’t waiting for the Kroc Center to open to begin making a difference. They are already on the ground, working with schools on the South Side, teaching band, percussion, choir and sports, all laying the foundation for programs that will be vastly expanded once the Kroc Center opens. Many of these programs are seasonal and some are pilot programs. If your child attends any of the schools listed below and is interested in participating in any of these programs, please contact The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center Project Office at 773-995-0151. |
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Music Instruction The Salvation Army is the largest instructor in music in the world with 25,000 trained musicians and instructors worldwide. The Army provides courses in percussion, choir, keyboard, music lab, and beginners and advanced band. These courses are taught by gifted music instructors with years of experience and are overseen by Salvation Army Divisional Music and Fine Arts Director Vernon Lawson. |
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Green Club Higgins Community Academy’s Green Club is an after-school program for students to explore environmental issues, science and agriculture. Each year, the Green Club kicks-off the school year by hosting a Farmer’s Market for the West Pullman community, working alongside local farmers to sell fresh produce grown in their community garden to fellow students and neighboring families. |
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Sports Clubs The Salvation Army offers golf, soccer, flag football and basketball to kids on the far South Side of Chicago. The Salvation Army-sponsored sports programs allow kids to pursue recreation that enriches the mind, body and spirit and provides a constructive outlet for positive after-school activities. |
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Sunbeams The Salvation Army Sunbeams and Adventure Corps are fun-filled, character-building programs that help elementary school children develop socially, mentally and spiritually. During the course of the program, the students earn emblems in a variety of areas, including Friendship, Personal Safety, First Aid and Patriotism. |
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Girl Guards The Salvation Army Girl Guards is a program designed for girls in grades 6-12 to help young women build self-confidence, explore positive options, look at potential careers, learn about the world around them and volunteer. Girls participating in the program have the opportunity to earn emblems in various areas of interest, while developing healthy friendships with other young women. |
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Women’s Health Classes Held at the Kroc Center project office, The Salvation Army’s Women’s Health Classes gather each week to learn about leading a balanced life as it relates to health. Meetings include health and nutrition education, weigh-ins, Bible study and prayer support. The classes build the health and esteem of the women who are participating and give them a forum to talk about challenging issues that effect their families and neighborhoods. |
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Family Workshops Open to all schools in the area and the general community, The Salvation Army’s Family Workshops helps families with issues including anger, addictions and finances. |
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Art and Music Integration The Salvation Army’s after-school art and music integration program teaches children the basics of art, while cultivating their talents in music. Components of the class include drawing, painting, and instruction in brass and choir. |
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Hook A Kid On Golf National Program The Salvation Army has partnered with the Illinois Kids Golf Foundation to bring the renowned Hook a Kid on Golf, SNAG and First Tee school programs to Higgins Community Academy. In addition to teaching kids the fundamentals of golf, these programs provide access to golf learning facilities and experiences that help kids to develop life enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. |
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EnergizaBulls Powered by HOPSports, EnergizaBulls is a unique interactive video exercise training system that teaches the Chicago Bulls Fitness Program, a broad range of athletic and physical skills created by the Chicago Bulls. The EnergizaBulls program is currently being incorporated into physical education programs and offered as an elective at Higgins Community Academy. |
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Summer Programs Sports Day Camp For two weeks every summer, Higgins Community Academy sponsors The Salvation Army Sports Day Camp, a camp that gives boys and girls in grades 4 through 7 a safe place to play sports such as soccer, basketball and golf. The two-week-long camp is run by Higgins Community Academy physical education teacher Ernastine Davis. |
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Green Day Camp The Salvation Army Green Day Camp is a two-week-long summer day camp during which campers in grades 4 through 7 plant and tent their annual community garden. Campers build raised beds; prepare the soil; and plant vegetables, herb and flowers while learning about science and agriculture. Various field trips are also incorporated into the camp, including visits to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the Lincoln Park Zoo. |
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Annual Back-to-School Health Fair and Gospel Concert The Salvation Army Back-to-School Health Fair is a free community fair that provides back-to-school physicals for kids and a variety of free health screenings for adults, including blood pressure, diabetes and HIV testing. In addition to health screenings, the day-long fair also features a rousing and inspirational line-up of gospel performers, a backpack and school supply giveaway, free food, carnival games, raffle prizes and entertainment for the whole family. |
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CORPS (CHURCH) MINISTRY The Salvation Army currently rents Higgins Community Academy on Wednesday night and Sunday morning and offers ministry, prayer and recreational activities for the general public. Opportunities include the following: Wednesday: 6:00 – 7:00 Music instruction includes rehearsals for children’s choir, brass band instruction and praise dance. 7:00 – 8:00 Bible study for adults, Bible & leadership training for pre-teens and teenagers, and Bible club for children 4- 11. 8:00 – 8:45 Recreation time for youth which includes participation in various activities such as golf, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and dodge-ball. Sunday: |
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