News

CCO Sponsorships

Posted on by Nathan

Sponsor services and events at CCO

Become a sponsor for our many services and events that CCO provides to our clients. We have sponsorships available for services such as laundry, transportation, toiletries, bedding, and meals. CCO also hosts several events and celebrations throughout the year that provide joy and encouragement to our residents. We need your help to purchase food, decorations, prizes, gifts, and other supplies.

Donate Now!

Sponsorship Tiers

Choose what level of sponsorship that fits in your budget and with a tax deductible donation, you can partner with CCO by providing funds towards a specific event or service.

Diamond Sponsors

Become a Diamond Sponsor with a tax deductible donation of $10,000 or more. Diamond Sponsors receive:

• Recognition in our E-newsletter to volunteers and donors
• Your Logo or name on ALL printed material for events that calendar year.
• Personalized plaque recognizing your organization or an individual.
• Organization or individual name on sponsorship page with clickable logo linked to your website.
• Social Media “Thank You!” Post

Platinum Sponsors

Become a Platinum Sponsor with a tax deductible donation of $5000-$9999. Platinum Sponsors receive:

• Personalized plaque recognizing your organization or an individual.
• Organization or individual name on sponsorship page with clickable logo linked to your website.
• Social Media “Thank You!” Post
• Recognition in our E-newsletter to volunteers and donors

Gold Sponsors

Become a Gold Sponsor with a tax deductible donation of $2500-$4999. Gold Sponsors receive:

• Appreciation gift
• Recognition in our E-newsletter to volunteers and donors.
• Organization or individual name on sponsorship page with clickable logo linked to your website.
• Social Media “Thank You!” Post

Silver Sponsors

Become a Silver Sponsor with a tax deductible donation of $1000-$2499. Silver Sponsors receive:

• Recognition in our E-newsletter to volunteers and donors.
• Organization or individual name on
cornerstone sponsorship page.
• Social Media
”Thank You!” Post

Bronze Sponsors

Become a Bronze Sponsor with a tax deductible donation of $250-$999. Silver Sponsors receive:

• Organization or individual name on
cornerstone sponsorship page.
• Social Media
”Thank You!” Post

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on by Beth

Happy Thanksgiving from the staff, volunteers, and shelter guests at CCO!

We are deeply grateful for your support, financial generosity, involvement, time, energy, and efforts on behalf of CCO’s mission and shelter guests. CCO families and individuals will be enjoying a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. CCO staff and volunteer groups make this holiday delicious and unforgettable for guests. You’re involvement helps provide safe shelter, nutritious meals, and essential wrap-around services to those who find refuge at CCO. Many thanks!

Would you like to read a CCO Success Story? Click here.

Would you like to learn more about Team CCO & the Bank of America Chicago Marathon? Click here.

Would you like to read the CCO 2024 Christmas Letter? Click here.

Run the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon with Team CCO

Posted on by andrew

Applications for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon have just opened and we have Charity Guaranteed Entries!

Each year runners challenge themselves to achieve their marathon, and bring others along in support of them and their passion! As a Team CCO charity runner, you make it possible to help a family end their cycle of homelessness.
Our fundraising goal will provide 1,500 nights of shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

Find out more on our 2025 Team Page

Fund Forward Campaign Letter

Posted on by Beth

$2,400 will cover the cost of one person for an entire shelter stay.

$520 will cover the cost of one person for 20 days and nights of shelter and care. 

$260 will cover the cost of one person for 10 days and nights of shelter and care

$130 will cover the cost of one person for 5 days and nights of shelter and care.

$26 will cover the cost of one person for 24 hours of shelter and care.

Click the button below to donate to provide shelter and transform lives!

Download the 2024 FU

Statement on CTA Murders of 4 Unhoused People

Posted on by Beth

It has grieved Cornerstone Community Outreach to learn of the murders of Sean Jones, Simeon Bihesi, Adrian Collins, Margaret Miller, and one unnamed person on the CTA Blue Line. All of the victims were unhoused and sleeping on the train. Two were seniors over the age of sixty.

The crime has sent shockwaves through Chicago’s community of unhoused people and those who are committed to providing shelter and care. We want to offer our enduring sympathy to the friends and families of those who were lost.

Pages: 1 2

Back-to-School Party Photo Album!

Posted on by Beth

The CCO Back-to-School Party was a hit! Children at CCO enjoyed games, art projects, new books, high-energy dancing, face painting, and academic motivation! Parents and children alike were thrilled the kids got new backpacks, shoes, school supplies, and support to start the academic year off right. Each year, staff, volunteers, and donors go all out to make the B2S party memorable. Scroll down to enjoy the 2024 Back-to-School Photo Album & Sponsorship logos!

Sponsorship is an integral part of making CCO events remarkable. This year’s generous sponsors were Baird & Warner, Tiny Giants Early Learning Center, Twinkling Stars, and Lakefront Roofing Supply. Thank you to these fabulous local businesses who put their time, energy, and financial support behind kids sheltered at CCO! We couldn’t do it without you!

Thank you!

Do you want to learn how CCO cultivates every child’s potential? Click here to learn more.

Many thanks to our generous and dedicated donors!

Click on the logos below to learn more about these generous local business that support CCO’s mission, shelter guests, and events.

Click the link below to give a gift that will improve the lives of unhoused children while supporting CCO’s mission to Address Homelessness, Provide Shelter, Accept People,
and Help them find a Home.

CCO Community Spotlight

Posted on by Beth

CCO is honored to be chosen for the September Community Spotlight for the University of Illinois in Chicago Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships (OCEAN-HP). OCEAN-UP “fosters partnerships to bring together the expertise, resources, and wisdom from the community with that of the university to strengthen the quality of life for all beneficiaries. The OCEAN-HP mission is to promote health equity, actively participate in revitalizing historically underserved communities, and build leadership capacity through service, education, and research.”

We are grateful for the invitation to share CCO’s mission, work, and background in the September publication. Thank you, OCEAN-HP!

Pages: 1 2

Child at CCO to Medical Technician!

Posted on by Beth

This story is from the CCO Archives.

When Lillian’s* family came to CCO, she was 12 years old, but she wasn’t new to the homeless experience. For years, she and her family had shuffled from one extended family member’s house to another. At each new destination, disputes erupted, and she and her family were again displaced, forced to move on to the next couch, floor space, or basement. Lillian grew up with a front-row seat to the destabilizing effects of homelessness but she found hope.

“It was always the same, every day after school. I would make up a story to tell my friends why I was walking the other way. ‘I’ve got to go to my uncle’s house.’ I didn’t want them to know I was homeless. I was ashamed of it. I never shared it with anybody, and they never knew.

Pages: 1 2

CCO Nominated for the Chicago Innovation Awards

Posted on by Nathan

CCO is honored to be a part of The Chicago Innovations Awards! Thank you Chicago Innovation for recognizing CCO’s work of bringing medically integrated and non-congregate shelter to Chicago’s homeless population.

On September 12, we will be celebrating with 350 other organizations who are all nominated for their contributions to their individual fields. Thank you Chicago Innovations for accepting our nomination for our work with people experiencing homelessness.

Click here to learn more about CCO’s plan for non-congregate shelter for families.

Cultivating Every Child’s Potential

Posted on by Beth

In 2023, 244 children called CCO home; over half were school-aged. Education has a powerful influence on the life of a child. CCO aims to equip children with confidence and support to begin and maintain an exceptional school year. The Back-to-School Party and its Sponsors ensure children receive backpacks, supplies, and other essentials to start the year right. Academic support is part of each child’s experience at CCO. Through one-on-one tutoring, specialized family support, dedicated open-air play spaces like the CCO Rooftop Playground and Garden, computer labs, and advocating for children’s academic rights, we work to ensure children at CCO have every opportunity to learn and grow.

In the 2023-24 school year, Chicago Public Schools identified 26,800 students as experiencing homelessness, a more than 50% increase from the previous year. The data reflects a shocking acceleration in homelessness among school-aged children. Research studies in the U.S., U.K., and beyond say that homelessness leads to adverse educational outcomes.

Pages: 1 2