Running head: CORNERSTONE

Cornerstone Community Outreach

Jeoffery Walton
International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI)
BE/SO-425: Seminar on Business and Society

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On the 21st of May, 2016, I visited the Hannah House located at 4628 North Clifton
Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. There, I learned that the center is run and operated by Cornerstone
Community Outreach (CCO), which is a nonprofit origination. The organization also runs and
operates other centers around the Chicago area. The organization has been a long-standing
commitment to providing homes for families and individuals, who are most vulnerable in the
community and are at high risk from not being provided the necessary services. They pride
themselves on helping the homelessness by providing shelter and food.
The Hanna House currently shelters 55 single women with children and few couples with
children. The building is easily accessible from the street and provides a safe living environment
for its residents. The bedrooms are located on the first floor of the building. This location has
been in operation since 1989, and it has assisted hundreds of families to transition from
homelessness to normal housing.
In addition to providing shelter, CCO also provides food for hungry people that reside in
the community. The organization has been involved in this program for over the past 20 years.
The Food Bag program allows their clients to shop for many food items, and selecting what they
need. Normally, 150 Food Bags are distributed weekly to the needy. Also through its Free Store
program, residents of the shelter and low-income persons living in the community are able to
shop for needed clothing and household goods. This program provides many people, especially
children with a need for clothing and household essential. For example, in 2012, 2600 persons
were able to access essential items from their centers.
However, CCO outreach does not end there, as every Saturday they provide 100 to 150
free meals to low-income persons within the community. This is the perfect opportunity for
persons to connect through fellowship and build friendships. While speaking to the operation

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manager, Mr. Chris Romsey, I found out that their main focus is the homeless people, as they are
the most venerable. According to Mr. Romsey, this group of people is mostly overlooked and
tends to struggle with physical challenges that limit their chances of getting housing.
Further to offering shelter and food, I found out that CCO also provides on-site classes
for its residents. The aim is to offer a safe environment where life experiences can be shared and
at the same token, provide them with the necessary skills to help rebuild their lives. To assist
their clients, they offer them computer classes and also teach them how to create job resumes to
seek employment. Also, they provide on-site childcare center to facilitate their residents who are
attending classes and/or counseling within the center. Space is design for children from ages 2 to
6 years old.
According to the authors Lawrence A.T., and Weber. J., (2014), businesses need to
become actively involved in changing and improving communities. Although, CCO is a
nonprofit organization, much of its funding comes from businesses that support their initiatives
in giving back to the community. Lawrence and Weber describe this as being a civic
engagement. In the Cayman Islands, such shelters do not exist as there is not a large demand for
homeless shelters. However, this does not suggest that we do not have people that are in need of
assistance. This is obvious, as each fiscal year the government has to budget a large sum of
money for social needs, such for housing and food vouchers. However, historically governments
have had to bare most of the responsible, as local businesses give back little to the community
(Lawrence A.T., and Weber. J., 2014).
Having visited the Hanna House today, I have a better understanding of what programs
are offered at these shelters, and how they operate in providing to the needy. For these shelters
to be successful they require much-needed resources. This is where civil engagement is

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necessary for businesses operating in the communities where they do business. I have learned
that consumers normally support businesses that give back to the community:; therefore, their
involvement results in profit.

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References

Lawrence, A.T., & Weber, J. (2014). Business and Society: Stakeholders, ethics, public
policy (14th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.