Celestial Ministries Association is a nonprofit social enterprise that serves families and individuals from single parent homes, many due to parental incarceration. North Lawndale continues to thrive through the emergence of new construction, renovated homes, and other contributions from organizations such as Celestial Ministries; there remains a dearth of constructive organized performing arts ac
tivities for children after school hours. Of 88 North Lawndale based organizations and ministries serving youth (including public, charter and alternative schools), only nine focus on arts/culture. Celestial Ministries is the only one that focuses on performance arts programs for children whose parent or sibling are or has been incarcerated. Stanley and Antoinette Ratliff had a vision to find a way to stay connected and build up the children of the incarcerated as well as other disadvantage children; they saw that they could use music to change the lives of these kids. The Ratliff’s knew the need to serve the age group of 6yrs to 17yrs of age. They then compiled a talented group of artists and musicians from the communities to volunteer to teach children music, drum line,dance, mentoring, tutor them in their studies, and develop their life skills. Nothing like this exists in the North Lawndale or Englewood Communities. Also most of the music and after school programs have been cut due to lack of funding. The Ratliff’s have a passion and calling for reaching out to families in the North Lawndale and Englewood Communities who have incarcerated love ones as well as other disadvantage children. Their work was born of personal struggles with incarceration, and shaped by their involvement with local and national prison ministries, including Prison Fellowship (Angel Tree). After Stanley received a clemency from the state of Illinois after serving two years of a nine year prison sentence, he started a men recovery home for men coming out of prison. Stanley was the Executive Director for many years.
