Who We Are
Where community ideas become community action.
For more than 50 years, the Brookins family has served Auburn Gresham and Chicago’s South Side — as volunteers, community leaders, and residents ourselves, we care deeply about the future of our community. Over the years, we’ve built relationships, supported families, and created opportunities for people to come together. Along the way, we learned something important: the folks who live in our community often have the best ideas about how to make it stronger. Brookins Charitable Living was created to help turn those ideas into action.
Our communities are filled with talent, creativity, leadership, culture, and potential. We believe people shouldn’t have to leave their community to enrich their lives. Every neighborhood deserves meaningful opportunities, community investment, and places where people can gather, celebrate, learn, and grow close to home. To help create that future, we don’t start with programs. We start with people. By listening to community members, working together on solutions, and bringing the right people and resources to the table, we help communities create the change they want to see.
We believe every person in our community deserves the opportunity to thrive: to feel connected, supported, valued, healthy, and hopeful about the future, with real access to opportunity and economic stability. These experiences don’t happen in isolation. When we come together across generations, share our experiences, and look out for one another, our communities become stronger and more people have the opportunity to thrive. That’s why we listen first, invite people into the conversation, and work alongside community members to help bring ideas to life.
Rooted in Auburn Gresham. Serving Chicago’s South Side. Building for future generations — one relationship, one idea, at a time.
Every neighborhood has people who know its strengths and challenges. We start there.
Neighbors, organizations, and partners collaborate toward common goals.
We connect people with resources, partners, and expertise to make good ideas real.
Meet the people behind BCL.
Get to know the board members guiding our work in Auburn Gresham.