Chicago Insight May 31st 2026

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
These in general, Men, Ultro Sema, Father besides double one
for hip hop and r B.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hello and welcome to Chicago Insight. I'm your host, Daryl Dinard.
This show is all about informing you about the institutions
as well as the individuals who are doing extraordinary things
in our cities and communities. With June being National Men's
Health Awareness Month, we'll tell you about the Black Men's
Wellness event taking place in Jackson Park, and we'll discuss
Strives for Pieces run to end gun violence, as well

(00:28):
as learn about the Chicago Urban League's entrepreneurship and economic
development programs. But first up, black Men's Wellness. Here's the
question for you, what do you consider to be the
most important aspect of your life. If you're like many,
you would say it's family and loved ones, and maybe faith.
Yet when it comes to health, black men in America

(00:49):
would put it as a concern that is at the
lower rung of the latter and many times, far too
many times often ignored well. June is Men's Health Awareness Month,
and join us this morning to discuss a must tend
event that is targeting black men's health and wellness. Is
LeVar How He's the director of Communications with the National

(01:10):
Censor for Urban Solutions to talk to us about the
national with local impact Black Men's Wellness Day. LeVar, how
are you doing.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
Doing pretty good? Man? How about you good?

Speaker 2 (01:22):
First of all, I want to commend you guys in
terms of bringing awareness to the necessity of Black men
considering their health. Talk to me about what is Black
Men's Wellness Day.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
So, Black Men's Wellness Day is a national initiative under
the African American Male Wellness Agency that focuses on improving
the health and life expectancy of Black men. So we
bring the community together for free health screenings, a five
K run and walk resources and really just encourage black
men to take charge of their physical, mental, and overall wellness.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
And when it comes to dealing with wellness, the statistics
are staggering in terms of Black men's denial as well
as ignorance when it comes to taking care of their health.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
It's important for us black men. I mean, I'm a
black man, so it's important for myself as well as
all of us to take charge of our health, and
especially when it comes to Chicago. So a lot of
black men in Chicago, they need to come to Black
Men's Health Black Men's Wellness Day, because from.

Speaker 3 (02:25):
What we're seeing, the health disparities are very alarming.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know, last year we had a Black Min's Mother's
Day event in Chicago and eighty seven percent of the
men who were screened at Black Missueona's Day had elevated
or high blood pressure. And men between the ages of
thirty and sixty four made them seventy five percent of
those cases.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Now that's incredible. And when we talk about African American
male health, seventy percent are more likely to die finitive
diseases than white men. You know, we're talking about diseases
like hypertension, diabetes, arthritic condition, unfortunate dependents on mood altering substances.

(03:04):
So talk to me about specifically what is going to
happen during these free comprehensive health screenings.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Black men as well as any men, anybody who wants
to attend. They're going to be able to get their
blood pressure checked, They're going to be able to get
their spine checked just in case if if they're having
any type of flexibility issues. They're going to be able
to get their height and weight, their the biometrics. They're
going to be able to get a holistic health and

(03:34):
wellness check just to make sure that they're indeed healthy
or if they need immediate access to care.

Speaker 3 (03:41):
That tells us that too.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
Many black men are walking around with serious health risks.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
It can lead to depths.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
So through Black Men's Wellness Day, they're essentially just saying
not on our watch.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
So by viding black.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
Men opportunities for those free health screenings, they're going to
know their numbers and they're going to have that access
to immediate care because we want them to live longer.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
This really is a national movement when you look at it.
I'm looking at all of the cities that are going
to be participating in this Wellness Day event. You have Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Columbus, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, Detroit, Louisville,
Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Saint Louis, Tampa, Youngstown. It really is

(04:21):
almost like building a national coalition for wellness.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
I mean, and to be honest, our community partners are
the healthcare organizations, are sponsors. They play a very pivotal
role in this movement. You know, community partners and sponsors
like Pfizer, Jena Tech, Johnson and Johnson Eli Lilly, our
partners in Chicago, you know, and all of our other
partners across the.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
Whole entire movement.

Speaker 1 (04:48):
We help them reach and engage a population that is
often underserved, while they help us scale access to screenings
and resources.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, and we want to tell people that they can
get all the information they need at AA Wellness dot
Org Forward Slash Chicago. Once again, that website is AA
Wellness dot Org Forward Slash Chicago. And the event itself
is also going to celebrate black men's health. It's not
just about an examination, but it's also about a celebration

(05:21):
in terms of a day that's going to be filled
on Saturday, June twentieth with numerous activities.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
We want thousands of black men to, you know, one
take the proactive step and focus on their health. I mean,
we really call this event it's the it's the most
thing you'll ever have at a doctor's appointment where we're
literally bringing the clinic to the community. And that's been
our approach as we started. And the success doesn't for us.

(05:48):
It's not based on the thousands of people that are
going to be at the event. You know, we're going
to have vendors, we're going to have a kid's own,
We're going to have a senior pavilion, We're going to
have it's going to be an event where everybody in
the family, the whole entire community could come out.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
And that's great.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
But the long term success that we look at, that
we measure is the behavior, is the behavior and change
and outcomes, because we want to see more Black men
going forward, going from crisis driven to preventive care.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
And that is the key is to know ahead of time.
It's the adage that says an ounce of prevention is
worth more than a pound of cure. And I just
want to commend you guys, because you couldn't be more
precient in terms of forward thinking than having it at
Jackson Park, which is the hot spot because during June

(06:41):
we're also going to have the opening of the Obama Center.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
I mean, it's definitely a trifecta. As you said, you know,
we celebrate Men's Health in June and Black.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
Men as Wellness Day.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
It's a movement built specifically for black men.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
So by being at Jackson Park, we're meeting men.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
Where they are to build and continue to build a trust,
you know, being able to turn awareness into real action
and long term care.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
And the wonderful thing is that all of this is.

Speaker 3 (07:11):
Free, Yes, one hundred percent free.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
I love what you talked about meeting people right where
they are. And it's not just the event itself, but
you have several activities leading up to the event, like
the Chicago Faith Leader's Breakfast that takes place on May thirtieth,
and I know that for those that are listening right
now and it's already June first, that was an event

(07:34):
that was overwhelming.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
It was a great event.

Speaker 1 (07:37):
And then moving forward, we have another event, the Leadership
Legacy and Wellness Mixture that's focusing on Black Men's Wellness
Day here in Chicago.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, and it's free, and it's something that has taking
place right at ten five hundred South Halsted Street at
a spot called Lyre's Cafe that is an excellent spot
for people to get together and to also talk about
the importance of men's health. But also if you want
to be involved in these committee meetings, these meetings at

(08:06):
least once a week leading up to the event that
has taking place on Saturday, June twentieth at Jackson Park,
so you can build momentum. It's a momentum that we
want sustained throughout the entire year.

Speaker 1 (08:19):
Absolutely, we don't stop after the event is over. You know,
the event is from seven am to twelve pm, and
at twelve pm, it's not like, you know, everybody packs
up their bags they go home.

Speaker 3 (08:29):
Mission is complete.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
This mission is you know, it's going on twenty four
to seven, three sixty five, three sixty six, an elite year.
So even after we're done with the event, we're starting
to look at the impact. We're starting to touch base
with those individuals, especially that needed immediate care, they needed immediate.

Speaker 3 (08:48):
Access to care. We're touching base with them, We're conducting
those follow ups.

Speaker 1 (08:52):
We are organizing the next Black Mansuelta's Day in twenty
twenty seven, and we are engaging with those committee meeting
committee members and typically during those events. Right after those events,
we have dozens of people that want to be a
part of the event that's going to take place the
following year.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
And you're also building up information, which is the most
important tool in dealing with health, that you're going to
be able to disseminate to people who visit the website
throughout the year.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
Absolutely, you know, like I said last year, you know,
eighty seven percent of men screened at black Manzueana State
in Chicago had elevated or high blood pressure, and men
between the ages of thirty to sixty four they made
up seventy five percent of those cases. So those numbers
are staggering. At eighty seven percent is extremely high. I mean,
if we round it, it's down there one hundred percent.
And then we have the ages, you know, thirty to

(09:43):
sixty four, that's a bulk of that of those of
those men being screened having the elevated or high blood pressure.
So even at thirty, you know, thirty still is considered
you know, a young man's age. But that goes to
show that the individuals who are younger, they are creeping

(10:04):
into that demo, They're creeping into that segment where they.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
Are likely to have that elevator or high blood pressure.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
So and when it comes to high blood pressure, man,
it's the silent killer because you don't know you have
it exactly.

Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yes, yes, So we just we stress the statistics, we
stress the stories of the individuals who have sought immediate
access to care just because they are our biggest advocates,
Our sponsors are our biggest advocates. Because with their impact
on these events, they are able to elevate these stories

(10:41):
when you see them in the commercials that are affiliated
with the African American Mail Wellness Agency, when you see
them engaging directly with the community. And that's honestly, that's
one of the main reasons why a lot of our
sponsors and healthcare organizations like the ones that I mentioned,
those you know, billion dollar companies, they really engage with
us because we have that.

Speaker 3 (11:00):
Us with the community.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
Because it saves lies. But it also saves money, yes,
because it costs a whole heck of a lot less
to help catch a disease in its early stages and
maybe in many cases be able to correct it than
trying to treat it when it becomes terminal or more severe.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
Exactly, we're focused on preventative healthcare.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
Sounds good, Well, it's a call that I'm going to issue,
and it's a call to join the movement. The movement
is taking place in the Black Wellness event that is
taking place on Saturday, June twentieth from seven to twelve
pm at Jackson Park. All you have to do is
visit their website. It's Aawellness dot org. Forward Slash Chicago

(11:48):
once again, AA Wellness Dot Org, Forward Slash Chicago, LaVar.
We thank you so much for joining us this morning.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
Thank you, I appreciate it, and everybody please come through.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
When we look at violence prevention, particularly gun violence, we
have to take a holistic approach and that means that everybody,
all hands need to be on deck, but also it
requires some of the foot machines to come into play.
And to that end, it is my pleasure this morning
to talk about an exciting event that has been around

(12:19):
for over a decade. It's called Strides for Peace. And
joining us this morning to talk about the thirteenth annual
Strides for Peace Run to End Gun Violence is Ruby Lane,
who is the communications director. Ruby a pleasure to talk
to you this morning. How are you doing.

Speaker 4 (12:37):
I am doing wonderful. Thank you so much, Daryl. We
appreciate this opportunity in the platform.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
So talk to me in terms of what exactly is
Strides for Peace.

Speaker 4 (12:48):
Strides for Peace is a nonprofit organization that was founded
back in twenty fourteen. It was founded by our founding
executive director, Aggie Baskowski simply to organize organizations across the
city who were doing work in gun violence prevention and
community violence intervention. After doing some research, we felt that

(13:14):
the organizations that are actually doing the work and that
are closest to the neighborhoods are the ones who actually
have the answers, and so this organization was founded as
a way to amplify their message and foster collaboration.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
And the wonderful thing about being in the game, so
to speak, for at least a few years, is that
only recently have you really been able to see the
results in the fruition of your labor, because for so long,
just three or four years ago, we were dealing with

(13:49):
also as a result of the pandemic, but we were
dealing with these extraordinary high numbers with regard to violence
and gun violence. And then if we just use as
a barometer, last year we had the fewest amounts of
gun violent incidents that take place not only Memorial Day
but really throughout the whole year in decades. So that

(14:12):
that has to make you feel good.

Speaker 4 (14:14):
Absolutely. That's a testament to the work that the outreach workers,
the community leaders, all of the organizations south west Northeast
that are working tirelessly trying to intervene where there's conflict
happening and trying to sort of be an intermediarya when
it comes to any sort of retaliatory shootings. And so

(14:37):
these organizations that we work with have been doing this
work for over two decades and so it is their
work that is obviously being amplified right now, and that's
why we're seeing, you know, obviously some reduction in crime,
and of course obviously with you know, law enforcement uh
there as well. But I think that we have to

(15:00):
give credit to the workers, the outreach workers, all of
those community based organizations who are out there on a
daily basis who are really trying to intervene and that
in some cases, you know, their lives are at risk
when they're trying to mediate conflict. And so we're just
thankful that Strides for Peace has a platform where we

(15:20):
can kind of bring all of those organizations together to
come and help them fundraise, because fundraising obviously has been
really critical. There have been funds that have been cut,
and so the Race against gun violence is that opportunity
for them to come together to raise unrestricted funds so
that they can keep on doing the work.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
Let's speak specifically about this year's event, which has taken
place on Thursday next Thursday, June fourth.

Speaker 4 (15:48):
That is correct, Yes, they're all Thursday June fourth. We'll
probably have close to two thousand individuals in Grant Park
Upper Hutchinson Field for a day of community and unity.
This day brings together all of those organizations that have
resources from you know, as far south as Houtgel Gardens

(16:08):
to you know as far west as Austin, to come
together and to really see the work that is being
done across the city. This is a movement. It's not
just a race to raise fund but it's showing that
communities can come together and organize themselves to try to
tackle this violence that has obviously afflicted our communities.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
And so we're.

Speaker 4 (16:30):
Excited to share that there'll be an a k race,
a five k race, a two mile walk, and a
Kids for Peace sprint where individuals can sign up to
run in the race and all of the funds that
they raised for the race go directly back to these
organizations which are serving the communities. So it's a fun day.

(16:53):
We have food trucks out there, there's entertainment, we have
a resource fare. It's a good race for a great cause.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
Now, when does all of the action start, So the race.

Speaker 4 (17:07):
We open the grounds at five pm on Thursday. That's
when our vendors start moving in setting up everything. The
race kicks off promptly at six point thirty.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
It will take a.

Speaker 4 (17:16):
Course along Lakeshore Drive, Columbus Raw.

Speaker 5 (17:20):
It's an evening.

Speaker 4 (17:21):
Race because we found that what better way to come
together on a Thursday evening in June in Chicago doing
Gun Violence Awareness Month to come together as one community
to just you know, race along Lakeshore and see Chicago's
beautiful skyline.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
I think that that is a fantastic idea and it
couldn't be done without some very very supportive sponsors. Talk
about them because I think they need credit.

Speaker 4 (17:49):
Here, absolutely absolutely. This year's race is made possible thanks
to the generous support of our sponsors, the University of Chicago,
Medicine Rays, Coca Cola Bottling, the Cook County Trauma Recovery
and Injury Prevention, our Way Long Growth Confections, and the
Cook County Justice Advisory Council, just in a few. I mean,

(18:11):
everyone really wraps their arms around this race because this
is something that we all realize as a need, and
so we're just happy to continue to host it. This
is our thirteenth year. Some of the organizations walk away
from this event raising over thirty five thousand dollars, and
we know that those funds are critical in these times

(18:31):
when you're trying to keep your doors open or if
you're trying to cover programming.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
For the summer.

Speaker 4 (18:36):
Chicago obviously has had a history of you know, the
summer months can be very challenging, and so all the
funds that are raised for the race go directly back
to these organizations which are serving our community.

Speaker 2 (18:49):
You know, there's been this talk, of course and the
reality of so called team take or wull spread. This
is an opportunity to take your team to an evening
event where hopefully they can be surrounded by other teams
and engaging in something positive to shed a positive light

(19:10):
on what they're all about.

Speaker 4 (19:12):
Absolutely, we have a number of teams that come. Some
of the male organizations that are there, Champs, Mentoring, My
Brother's Keeper, Youth Guidance, Creative Ferries, Mentoring cred. Yes, all
the organizations come out with their young men and their
young women and they run and so to see that
sea of humanity you know of Chicago, it really celebrates

(19:37):
what Chicago is and who we are, and so I'm
just excited to be a part of this event and
I just can't wait for everyone to come out next Thursday,
June fourth, to see it in action.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
And what is the best way for people to find
out not only to participate but also to support the organization.

Speaker 4 (19:56):
Yes, you can go directly to our website Strides for
Piece dot org that strides s t R I d E,
S f O r P E a CE dot org.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (20:09):
There you can look at a number of charities who
are raising funds. These organizations have this healthy competition going
on because they're trying to raise funds for programs and
for operational costs and things of that nature. But if
you go to our website, you can register. We're still
taking more individuals who want to run in the race.
It's going to be probably a beautiful Thursday next week.

(20:29):
I'm hopefully predicting that. But it's an opportunity for us
to come together as one community and show unity in
this race against gun violence. We appreciate your support. This
couldn't be possible without our media partners, so we thank you.
I heard media. CBS Chicago is back again this year
with j're Moon Terry hosting it, and so it's just
a beautiful celebration of what we can do as a

(20:51):
city when we come together.

Speaker 5 (20:53):
Thank you so.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
Much, Darryl.

Speaker 4 (20:54):
I appreciate this love by now bye.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
The Chicago Urban League's purpose and visioning includes a thriving
future for Black Chicago built on wealth, equity, and generational impact.
Now to that end, it is tiresly focused on entrepreneurship
and innovation and achieving those goals. Here's our intern with
Northwestern University, Evan Blake with more.

Speaker 6 (21:16):
Evan Blake reporting for Chicago Speaks and Chicago Insight. The
Chicago Urban League Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is on
the front lines of building black economic power, helping entrepreneurs launch, grow,
and sustain businesses right here in Illinois. Today we're hearing
from the leaders driving that mission forward. This is Evan
Blake reporting.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
Thanks Evan, and joining us this morning to talk entrepreneurship
and innovation at the Chicago Urban League is Kelly Evans,
who is the vice president of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
for the League. Kelly, talk to me specifically about what
is the Urban League doing when it comes to entrepreneurship
and economic development.

Speaker 7 (21:57):
Good morning everyone, and thank you darro Evan for having
me on today. My favorite topic is to talk about
what we do in entrepreneurship at the Chicago Urban League.
So our goal at the Urban League and the Department
of Entrepreneurship is to really support small black businesses that
come through our doors in our communities to make sure
that they solvent, that they are strong, that they are

(22:20):
at sustainable businesses.

Speaker 5 (22:21):
And we do that in a multitude of ways. We
do that through.

Speaker 7 (22:24):
Support of one on one counciling and business advising, technical
assistance if they're applying for grants, and then we have
cohort programs that target specific areas of concentration and really work.

Speaker 5 (22:35):
With businesses just to make sure that they're.

Speaker 7 (22:37):
Sustainable, that they're becoming bankable investable businesses.

Speaker 2 (22:41):
So let's break this down in terms of two examples.
The first being somebody that has started a business. They
actually have a little bit of brick and mortar going
on with their business and they're seeking to take it
to the next level. What would you offer them in
terms of helping them to achieve that goal of reaching

(23:02):
the next level.

Speaker 7 (23:03):
Sure, so we have a couple of cohor programs that
are designed just for that. One is it's called our
Next Level ex Change Program, which is a really really
cool program. It's a program that we do in collaboration
with WBDC and with Sunshine Enterprises, and it's a twelve
month mentoring program where businesses are partnered with mentors who
have experience in the area or who have been long

(23:26):
time entrepreneurs, retired entrepreneurs sometimes, but it is a twelve
month mentoring program that really walks with them for twelve
months to make sure that they are addressing any issues
that they have, that they are getting the support that
they need from real life experiences. Then our other program
that we have is called our Next One program, and
it's an accelerated program for businesses with revenues of two

(23:48):
hundred and fifty thousand dollars and more.

Speaker 5 (23:50):
They usually have.

Speaker 7 (23:51):
To have at least two employees, and that is a
six month program that really really accelerates learning. We focus
on finance, marketing, operations, HR and all those things to
really help businesses scale. That program is designed for scaling.
We're trying to get you to your first million. If
you're not there, and if you are there, we're trying
to get you to your next million. That program, we

(24:13):
have experts come in. It's once a month. We have
experts come in to talk about, you know, how they
can support and things that are that entrepreneurs need to know.
And also we want those businesses to ultimately be able
to get into contracting positions with.

Speaker 5 (24:28):
Corporate partners or you know, or public partners.

Speaker 7 (24:32):
And so those are two of the business two of
the cohorts that we have for businesses in order to
scale them.

Speaker 2 (24:37):
So let's go to the opposite end of the spectrum
in terms of somebody that just has an idea that
they would like to see hit the stores or to
hit the marketplace. What are you offering them?

Speaker 7 (24:51):
So we offer them our next one program, so we
have something for everybody. Next one is for businesses that
are in ideation or pre red or startups, early businesses
under two years old. And actually I shouldn't say it
in two years, because some businesses are still start up
and they've been around for a while and they just
have it, you know, moved to that level. And so
that cohort is designed to really really talk about how

(25:14):
to startup. You know, what do financial records need to
look like, how do you do your marketing? What is
your social media? Do you have a website? If you don't,
will help you build one. And so those cohort participants
really really get foundational help and support to actually start
and launch successful businesses.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Now on both of these programs, many of them are
rather extensive in terms of the year long program that
you have and than the monthly one for those that
are already established. Is there a particular fee that is
associated with participating in these programs?

Speaker 7 (25:46):
So that's the beauty of the Chicago Urban League. We
don't charge anybody anything. We are funded and supported by
corporate partners. We have some public dollars that also support
our work. But all of our services are free to
anybody who wants to sign up. And even if you
don't want to go through a cohort program, you can
just sign up for one on one counseling and have
ongoing counseling with our business advisors as far as long

(26:08):
as you needed.

Speaker 5 (26:09):
So all of our programs are absolutely free. We just
asked for your commitment.

Speaker 2 (26:12):
Evan, I know that you have a question for Kelly.

Speaker 6 (26:14):
I was wondering, are there any ideas or businesses that
have come through a program that have genuinely inspired you
or that surprised you.

Speaker 5 (26:22):
Man, that's a great question, Evan. So I'm gonna tell
you this.

Speaker 7 (26:25):
I am and Daryl might know this because he knows
this about me.

Speaker 5 (26:29):
We've been friends for such a long time. I am
really a voyeur.

Speaker 7 (26:32):
I love to hear what people do, and that's why
this role is like, that's why I love my job,
because all of these businesses inspire inspire me most of
the time, because people have such magnificent ideas and to
see them being born and launched into.

Speaker 5 (26:47):
Something just really really just really really makes me happy.

Speaker 7 (26:50):
But I will tell you that there is one in particular,
and I know we were going to be talking about
success stories, so I hope I'm not jumping the gun
on this. But we have one business and it's like
full circle moment because he came through our Next Startup
program as a startup company and he was creating this platform,
this digital platform to.

Speaker 5 (27:08):
Help other small businesses.

Speaker 7 (27:10):
Well now he's gotten his platform to the point where
we're buying his services, and so that.

Speaker 5 (27:16):
That makes me so happy.

Speaker 7 (27:17):
He doesn't even know what I'm talking about him today,
but that makes me so happy because we saw somebody
start off with an idea and now get it to
a place where we can actually financially support him by
buying it to support other businesses.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
And so now, is there any formal program that is
getting ready to start that you want to tell our
listeners about.

Speaker 7 (27:37):
So we do well, they kind of already started because
we usually have spring and fall cycles. But our Next
one program just kicked off last month. It's in our
it's just in our second month. We still have openings
for people who want to slide in. If you have
revenues of two hundred and fifty thousand or more and
you want to apply, there is an application process for that,
but we are still taking application because of the class

(28:00):
is not full.

Speaker 5 (28:01):
And so yeah, I want to talk about that, but
I also want.

Speaker 7 (28:03):
To highlight our Digital our Next one Digital, not Next one,
our next Digital program.

Speaker 2 (28:09):
Talk about this digital initiative.

Speaker 7 (28:11):
So our next Digital it started out just helping businesses
build websites, right because one of you know, one of
the things that we found coming out of COVID is
that a lot of our businesses suffered because they did
not have a way to reach customers if they were
not in person, and so we made it our mission
to make sure that we were infusing technology into all

(28:34):
of our business operations.

Speaker 5 (28:35):
And so it started out like, let's let.

Speaker 7 (28:37):
Us help you build a website. And of course with
all of the new technologies that are born every day,
we are just really really digging into how now we're
doing AI innovation right, and so we have a whole
next digital program that actually just started.

Speaker 5 (28:51):
This is we're in our second.

Speaker 7 (28:53):
Second week of how do we use AI technology.

Speaker 5 (28:57):
To help enable our growth? Right?

Speaker 7 (29:00):
So we know that this AI technology is helping us
do all kinds of stuff, you know, write emails and
apply for grants and all the things.

Speaker 5 (29:08):
That AI is really really supporting.

Speaker 7 (29:10):
And a lot of people are still afraid at AI,
and we're like, look, AI is here to stay, you
might as well learn about it. And so we are
really really focused on AI enablement of our businesses.

Speaker 5 (29:20):
And so that is one of the most.

Speaker 7 (29:22):
Exciting things to me going on right now because we're
infusing these technology infrastructures into all levels of our businesses.
So the best way to join any of our programs
is just to go online, but through our form to
contact one of our advisors and somebody will reach out
to you, find out what you are trying to get into,

(29:42):
and we'll put you into those classes.

Speaker 5 (29:43):
So no, it's not too late.

Speaker 7 (29:45):
Leslie Williams is the teacher in that class and he
is just absolutely magnificent soul both. So our technology classes
are all virtual, Our next one classes are in person.
Our next we haven't talked about our next deal class,
which is our certification program, and that is a hybrid.
And so however you need to get the information, we'll

(30:06):
give it.

Speaker 5 (30:06):
To you that way. But it's most a lot of
it is.

Speaker 7 (30:10):
You have a virtual option for most stuff and next
next startup is in person as well. That's right, We're
going to be at another Black Wall Street before this
thing is over.

Speaker 2 (30:19):
Kelly Evans, Evan Blake, we thank you so much for
joining us this morning.

Speaker 5 (30:22):
Thank you, guys, thank you so much. I appreciate you.

Speaker 6 (30:25):
Well.

Speaker 2 (30:25):
That wraps up this edition of Chicago Insight and closing.
Please take advantage of the useful information presented today. I'm
Gerald Dinard. Always remember to use informed insight in everything
that you do, and be sure to take care of you.

Speaker 4 (30:38):
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Speaker 8 (30:42):
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Speaker 8 (30:51):
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