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ABOUT US

Annie B. Jones Civic Arts Center is a thriving branch of ABJ Community Services, Inc. which is an organization with a legacy that is not to be forgotten.  ABJ was founded on April 14, 1993, and largely provided child welfare services to assure the safety of children that were separated from their families as a result of child abuse or neglect. With a deep desire to aid children in need, Dr. Vivian R. Jones (Founder) established the organization to meet the physical, emotional and social needs of children and their families without prejudice. 

Upon retiring in 2013, Dr. Jones’ daughter, Pastor Nana Victoria Carol Brady (Co-Founder), humbly accepted the offer to serve as the organization’s Executive Director. Pastor Victoria now serves as the President/CEO and shares her mother’s passion for protecting children and youth. With a burning desire to see youth experience a high quality of life as is their “human right,” Pastor Victoria and the Board of Directors have shifted the organization’s original mission. They reshaped it to serve as a cultural, arts and empowerment organization rooted in a vivid vision for concrete, meaningful and sustainable change in conditions that threaten youth, their dreams, and aspirations.  Today, ABJ continue to offer a “Ray of Hope” to our youth.

OUR VISION

ABJ is at the Center of Art that produces Peace, Unity, and Hope.

 

OUR MISSION

The mission of Annie B. Jones Civic Arts Center (ABJ) is to help youth and young adults to become change agents in their own community by offering a range of impactful, arts-based leadership development and empowerment activities.

FOUNDERS AND THE INSPIRATION OF ANNIE BELL JONES

Annie Bell Jones

Annie Bell Jones, mother of Dr. Vivian R. Jones, is the woman behind the name.  She transitioned prior to the establishment of the organization.  Yet Dr. Jones honored her mother by naming ABJ in her memory.  Annie Bell Jones was a Human Rights leader and President of the Union where she worked in Mental Health and a mother of the community.

Dr. Vivian R. Jones

Dr. Vivian R. Jones, President Emeritus, is the Founder and Visionary of Annie B. Jones Community Services, Inc. (ABJ). Her tireless commitment to children has helped to preserve Black family life in Chicago. Dr. Vivian R. Jones has the esteemed honor of having 70th – 71st Constance named, Dr. Vivian R. Jones Way.  Her work continues today.

Pastor Nana Victoria Carol Brady

ABJ President/CEO

Her love, anointing, commitment, passion and skill in working with youth and community is virtually unparalleled. She fully acknowledges that she has been entrusted with a precious gift.

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A three-fold cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12, NLT

Board of Directors

The long-standing exceptional, loyal, and committed service of the Annie B. Jones (ABJ) Community Services Board of Directors has propelled the organization to phenomenal successes. This governing body is a group of highly motivated and experienced leaders who bring their wide range of expertise to the organization.

The ABJ Board members recognize Chicago as a city of great hope and potential; but also, the see the necessity to have viable options to engage our “vulnerable” population in meaningful activities to achieve sustainable change in conditions that threaten their dreams and aspirations.

Therefore, the board embraces the expanded vision and new direction of Annie B. Jones Civic Arts Center and look forward to furthering the ABJ legacy.   

Representative Will Davis, Chairman
State of Illinois, 30th District

Dean Shirley Chappell, Secretary
Retired Dean of Education
City of Chicago Colleges

 Zackery Melson, Treasurer
Copeland Insurance Group

Chiquita Lowery, Director
Railroad Retirement Board

Our Esteemed Team

Deborah Ross

Director of Arts & Education

Lady Ke’sha Williams

Outreach and Resource Coordinator

Kevin Tyler

Lead Studio Engineer

Malinda Ray

Choreographer & Fitness Instructor

Charles Dugbo

Chief Financial Officer

Lauren V. Brady

Administrative Assistant

Pastor Nana Victoria Carol Brady

Co-Founder, President/CEO

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donations to ABJ Civic Arts Center are used to fund the many programs the organization provides to improve and enrich the lives of youth. ABJ strives to keep its administrative costs at a minimum so that every donated dollar possible goes toward helping the youth and their families in which we serve.

DONATE TODAY!

DONATE TODAY

Donations are critical to the function of our organization and we rely on our supporters.

ABJ Civic Arts Center is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

DONATE

STAY INFORMED



CONTACT US

PO Box 19542

Chicago, IL 60619

P: 773-209-4586

info@abjchicago.org

Pastor Victoria Carol Brady is an Arts/Community Activist, Playwright, Singer,

Artistic Director, and Humanitarian.   She is the second generation President/CEO of Annie B. Jones Community Services, Inc. (now ABJ Center of the Arts), in Chicago, IL that was founded as a Child Welfare Agency by her mother, Dr. Vivian R. Jones.  Under Pastor Victoria’s leadership, ABJ has transformed into a unique center for cross-generational Arts-Entrepreneurialism, Culture, Peace-Building, Activism, and Community Empowerment.  She holds a Master of Arts degree in Applied Professional Studies from DePaul University and BA degrees in Music/Theatre from Columbia College and Biblical Studies from the International College of Bible Theology.

She has worked in the non-profit community for more than 30 years and is an expert in youth engagement. One of her key goals is to help develop a new generation of global leaders.  She recently launched the ABJ Civic Arts Circle Training which is an arts-leadership training model to help emerging leaders become change agents in their communities.  Pastor Victoria is a member of the 003rd District Clergy Sub-Committee which focuses on building a positive relationship between The Chicago Police Department and the community.    She is a board member of The United Black American Progress Association UBAPA.She is very pleased to serve as a Community Advisory Board/Think Tank Member of Our Black Truth which is a 100% Black owned social media platform.  She is also a member of the Faith Social Justice Advisory Committee established by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Faith Engagement Office.

 One of Pastor Victoria’s greatest joys is serving as a visionary leader and connector for the further development of the African Diaspora community and mankind.  Her burning desire is to bring a “Ray of Hope” to the next generation of leaders as they take their rightful place in society.  Pastor Victoria is a servant leader at heart and the co-founder of Big Mama Movement Chicago.  If anyone can move and shake things up while developing relevant solutions to life challenges, it is Big Mama.  

As a singer/creative artist, Victoria has performed nationally and internationally.  She has written, produced, directed and performed in a number of plays.  Her performance credits include “Dreamgirls,”  “From Man to God, The Mitty Collier Story,” “The Wiz,”   “Little Shop of Horrors,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin.”  Her directorial works include “Great Nitty Gritty,” “Pieces of a Shattered Dream,” “That’s Love,”  “I Cry – HipHopera,” and “Blair’s Story.”

She is the Founder/Pastor of Restoring Hope Ministries International.  She believes in the power that the remnant has to spark change. She has adopted the phrase, “People count numbers; God make numbers count!!!”  She whole-heartedly believes in the POWER of the ARTS and UNITY.