CHICAGO (WLS) — A celebration got underway at Madison and Central on Thursday.
The official inauguration of the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation took place in Austin, providing a hub where multiple agencies will provide job training, financial advice, and support for small business growth.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
It is meant to help people on the West Side find and maintain good-paying jobs to better support their families and communities.
The building itself was a Chicago Public Schools school.
However, back in 2013, Emmet Elementary was shut down. This closure prompted some Austin residents, including Jacqueline Reed, to begin planning and organizing to address what the community truly needed.
“Aspire Center is the perfect name. It’s all about striving for excellence. We have excellence in our DNA, and we need to demonstrate our greatness to leave a lasting legacy for our children,” she expressed.
It took seven years to bring this concept to life with leaders of Austin Coming Together and the Westside Health Authority.
The idea is to bring solutions to address some of the challenges on the West Side.
“The door was slammed on us when the school closed, but with the support and help of our ancestors and these incredible leaders, we have not only busted this door wide open. We are creating more opportunities,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson.
“It was important to people in the neighborhood that this development is built by community members and from a community plan,” said Morris Reed with Westside Health Authority.
Dr. Jacqueline Robinson was the principal at Emmet Elementary.
“The Austin community, they know their mission and they have their vision. And now, I see, as the world sees, we are implementing our vision. This is a new day and new era,” Robinson said.
This could have become another example of a disinvestment in the West Side. Instead, new trainees from the neighborhood start programs next week.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
