Located in the heart of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, the Louis L. Valentine Club offers a unique after-school experience for the more than 1,200 members it serves annually.
“We have kids come from all over the city,” says Club Director Dawn Jimenez about the Club’s diverse membership. “During the summer months, we have kids from the suburbs as well. Because [the Club] is centrally located and really easy to get to, we find people travel here to receive the services and attend the programs. At pick-up time, you can see everyone is from everywhere. It’s the real-world experience here at Valentine!”
First established in 1938, the Louis L. Valentine Club was originally a Boys’ Club. It is also an architectural landmark in the community, thanks to the two 50-foot totem poles that flank the entrance.
“Mr. Valentine was a furniture maker and he thought of this design with the totem poles,” explains Jimenez. “He wanted to bless every child that came into the Club — or every boy, because it was a Boys’ Club [back then] — he wanted to wish them well, wish them success.”
Unfortunately, Valentine passed away before [the totem poles] were even carved, but thanks to a sculpture on the West Coast, Valentine’s vision became a reality. The sculpture even convinced the railroad to ship the poles for free across the country! “The totem poles really have a lot of meaning, on many different levels,” says Jimenez.
Adding to the Valentine Club’s rich history is the fact that a lot of famous Chicagoans, such as the Daleys, were once members. “The wonderful thing is that because they gained so much [from the Club], we have people constantly coming back, whether they’re giving donations, they’re time, joining the Club Council… we have many people who want to give back,” says Jimenez. “We kind of instill [those ideals] in the kids now. With the opportunities that we offer them — leadership programs, dance lessons — we offer so much, even helping the kids with college applications. You name it, we do it. We just want to help the kids and show them that helping people, that’s the way to go. And when the kids go off and they become successful, we want them to come back.”