JAMES R. JORDAN BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

CHICAGO CHAPTER — Chicago, IL

Big Picture

At Michael Jordan’s retirement celebration in the late fall of 1994, Jerry Reinsdorf and the Chicago Bulls announced their intention to build a new Boys & Girls Club to serve the residents of Chicago’s West Haven community. The Club would be in honor of the memory of Michael’s late father, James R. Jordan.

Thanks to a contribution from the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, the 41,000 square foot facility became a reality in 1996. Today, more than 1,250 club members attend the James R. Jordan Boys & Girls Club and Chicago Bulls Family Life Center weekly.

While the programs and the staff inside are inspiring, the external walls of the club did not embody this inspiring energy.

"We finalized this project right before COVID-19 hit, so it’s really amazing to see it finally come together. We hope Club members, and future Club members, find the mural to be an inviting invitation to join us at the Club.”

—Will Edmondson,
Interim Club Director
James R. Jordan Boys & Girls Club

A Conversation About Color

Through an interactive color seminar, the members learned about the transformational power of color. By sharing how their favorite colors made them feel, the members gained an understanding of how color can influence not only their environment but how they felt about themselves and others.

The Transformation

Breakout Studios crafted mural designs highlighting and reflecting what the members shared. Club members were ecstatic to learn that they were the ones to choose the final design of the mural.

Additionally, PCC’s volunteers and Club members joined together to paint new benches and planters generously donated by Skender Construction. Club members learned how to mix paint to get the right color, when to use a paintbrush vs. a roller brush, and how to properly clean the equipment. Teen Club members and staff also retouched railings near the entrance of the building to complete the space’s transformation.

“It looks so fun!”

“It’s smooth!”

“It’s really nice, it’s so colorful!

“It looks good, those colors are awesome.”

—Members
James R. Jordan Boys & Girls Club