Chicago kids need more safe havens

Anti-gun rallies, testimony by high profile personalities and aggressive policing can only do so much to prevent tragedies such as the senseless gang-related killings that have forever changed the lives of the Chicago school victims, their families, classmates and teachers.

We need to create more safe havens -- like the Boys & Girls Clubs operated by the Union League Club of Chicago, where we serve 10,000 young people of Chicago's inner-city neighborhoods without regard to race or ethnicity. While we may not have all the answers to the growing challenge of gang violence, we stand ready to share with other not-for profit organizations whatever resources and knowledge we've acquired over 88 years of providing tutoring, mentoring, sports and athletic programs and summer camps, where young people grow and develop their own self-worth.

Chicago needs more refuges where there is zero tolerance for violence and inappropriate behavior, where gang signs, colors and attire are strictly prohibited. And where young people have an opportunity to thrive and grow and learn that you don't need to belong to a gang to survive in the neighborhood or in life.

Frank R. Niederman

President, Union League Club of Chicago