On July 10, 2019, Greenlining Realty USA joined the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago in celebration of re-dedication of the Laura Parks and Mildred Francis Center in West Woodlawn and the grand opening of the Bertha McMorris Innovation & Technology Institute.
The YWCA’s Laura Parks and Mildred Francis Center opened in December 2007 through a generous gift from Cheryl and Zed Francis, who named the center in honor of their mothers. In acknowledgment of the tremendous community impact realized through the center over ten years, the Francis family made another generous gift in 2016 to help sustain the many critical services offered at the Parks Francis Center.
To ensure that the greater Woodlawn community is prepared to compete in high-growth and high-tech career opportunities, Woodlawn-native Lamell McMorris and founder of Greenlining Realty USA helped the YWCA in creating the Bertha McMorris Innovation & Technology Institute, named after his mother. The Bertha McMorris Innovation & Technology Institute occupies 2,000 square feet within the Parks Francis Center and allows the YWCA to run concurrent career, small business development, youth STEM and technology training services in a flexible environment.
Photos by LeVern Danley (LAD4 Creations Inc).