Hundreds of locals will gather in Garfield Park later this month at the corner of West Madison Street and Central Park Avenue for the first get-together of the year hosted by the community outreach nonprofit To Walk in My Shoes.
They will dance to music played by DJ Chillins and Tyrone, and shop with local vendors selling food and clothes. There will be no alcohol, drugs, weapons or fireworks at the event.
“We want to show our children, the children of the community and the community, that we can all get together, listen to music, dance and have a good time without any violence,” said Shrone Conaway, co-founder of To Walk in My Shoes.
The May 26 event marks the first of similar semi-monthly ones this year and will come with the announcement of a new To Walk in My Shoes facility and the launch of a new organization, Girl Get Up.
Conaway, who lives in the Austin-West Garfield Park community, co-founded To Walk in My Shoes in 2016 as a community outreach organization to connect locals with resources and bring West Siders together.
At 3 N. Cicero Ave., To Walk in My Shoes offers free programs for substance abuse, violence prevention and money management. Plus, it helps with resume writing and HIV/AIDS testing. When the nonprofit doesn’t offer the resources someone is looking for, it connects them with the appropriate organization.
To Walk in My Shoes also holds regular family-friendly events for the community throughout the second half of the year.
What started as a monthly affair in 2016 quickly became weekly in the summer months. And although about 100 people attended some of the first To Walk in My Shoes get-togethers, in recent years, Conaway said that number has been over 500.
“We’re trying to get this thing as big as Riot Fest or Taste of Chicago,” Conaway said. “I want people to look at it like a family reunion.”
The Nelson Mandela Community Center and Girl Get Up
At the event, Conaway will soft launch the new To Walk in My Shoes Nelson Mandela Community Center, located next door to its existing facility at the intersection of West Madison Street and North Cicero Avenue. The site will allow the nonprofit to expand its services and will be open June 10.
On May 26, Conaway will also launch Girl Get Up, a new organization she started plans for late last year.
“You’re lying around, you’re not doing anything, and the first thing your grandparents say to you: ‘Girl, get up and do something,’” Conaway said. “Girl Get Up is just a lot of self-love. Get up and do something for yourself. You don’t have to just sit in a bad situation.”
Through Girl Get Up, Conaway hopes to provide motivation and support to local women, from those who have lost a job or are getting bad grades to those dealing with substance addiction, domestic violence and poor mental health.
In addition to providing these women with, or connecting them to, local resources, Conaway plans to schedule herself for monthly speaking engagements and hold monthly get-togethers with women on the West Side.
“Just like To Walk in My Shoes, we want to provide whatever service one may need,” Conaway said. “The goal is to tap into as many resources as we have in our community. That’s why it’s so important that we network with each other,” like at the event May 26.
“I want people to come out and enjoy. Bring the family, bring the kids,” Conaway said. “I love my community. I see so much potential in my community.”
The event is also sponsored by HOPE Coalition organizations and Black Men United. It will take place at Garfield Park from noon to 7 p.m. Interested vendors can email Shrone Conaway at Shrone36@yahoo.com or visit the To Walk in My Shoes facility at 3 N. Cicero Ave.