The Kenwood Oakland Community Organization

04/23/2026

03/12/2026

Seniors in Bronzeville will soon have a permanent home to kick up their heels and socialize with their set, thanks to an $820,000 grant from the Neighborhood Capital Fund, which supports real estate development in underinvested Chicago communities.

The Silver Fox Cafe, an endeavor conceived by the seniors in the South Side community, will be a mixed-use space where, during the day, folks can eat breakfast and lunch in the on-site restaurant, and seniors can partake in exercise classes, art therapy, and other enrichment activities, in the rear of the building.

In the evening, the site at 4242 S. Cottage Grove Ave. will serve as a live music venue for blues, according to Shannon Bennett, executive director of the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization (KOCO), a grassroots group for which Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., served as its first executive director.

“This concept came from the dreams of our seniors to have a place that they felt welcome in,” Bennett said. “What has happened historically around gentrifying neighborhoods is people in the indigenous community don’t always feel welcome in a lot of the businesses that come. But the Silver Fox Cafe, they helped design it.”

KOCO’s project is one of nine receiving grants totaling $7.86 million from the pooled philanthropic fund.

The Neighborhood Capital Fund, established in 2025, will grant approximately $20 million to Chicago organizations through 2027.

02/25/2026

02/23/2026

Our Men's Mental Health Awareness Summit last week is part of our ongoing effort to break the silence around our mental wellness.

KOCO Youth Leaders Eric Elliot and Khalil Collins talked to Anita Blanton FOX 32 Chicago of Fox 32 Chicago's "Chicago Live" about the event's importance to our community.





https://www.youtube.com/live/I9m_AdQPV4Y

02/23/2026

Eternal inspiration!

The late Rev. Jackson’s words shaped politics as a leader in the Civil Rights movement. He joined WBEZ’s former program Reset in February 2020 to discuss with host Jen White his many speeches, compiled in the book "Keeping Hope Alive: Sermons and Speeches of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr."

02/18/2026

We cherish the memory and honor the work of Rev. Jesse Jackson, KOCO's first executive director. He's seen here with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during King's visit to Chicago to push for safe and sanitary living conditions on the South Side.

Long may their words and deeds inspire us to be greater than we thought we could ever be.

02/18/2026