Christopher House
The Bowe Stewart Foundation has long supported Christopher House, a Chicago community based organization that provides excellent early childhood education and childcare to working poor families - many of them immigrants - who reside in Chicago’s west and northwest neighborhoods. In 2014 Christopher House extended its reach and expanded its mission by opening a Family Resource Center and K-8 charter school in the underserved Belmont-Cragin neighborhood. The Bowe Stewart Foundation’s major capital gift -- the largest ever in the history of Christopher House -- served as the catalyst for additional capital support. In 2015 the organization re-named the Family Resource Center the James and Jean Stewart Campus, honoring Barbara’s parents, in recognition of the Foundation’s significant support.
2015 Bowe Stewart Donation
In the summer of 2015, through their family foundation and the Harry Hill Lawson estate, Barbara Stewart and Peter Bowe announced their intention to make the largest private donation to Christopher House in the organization’s nearly 110 year history. The gift of more than $1.2 million was an investment into Christopher House’s site in Belmont Cragin, which is now named The James and Jean Stewart Campus in honor of Stewart's parents.
“At Christopher House, we believe that your parents are your first teachers, I was really, really lucky to have great parents — who were great teachers.”
Who they are
Christopher House is a family of schools providing education and resources to low-income children and their families in order to help them to succeed in school, the workplace and in life. Founded in 1906, Christopher House has continually evolved to meet the needs of Chicago’s low-income population.
what they do
Christopher House works with families to help them reach their full potential. They partner with parents from pregnancy to high-school to provide the tools and resources to foster a stable, self-sufficient family. They offering counseling, workshops and family advocates to work with families to break the cycle of poverty.
“I like the school because the focus is on the education of our children. The school has had a huge impact on my child. He has progressed a lot. This is the best place I could have found.”
“The Bowe-Stewart Foundation is a proud supporter of Christopher House, now ranked in the top 1% of almost 500 Chicago public schools for academic performance.”