Calumet Center’s Annual Meeting honors staff and community

Meredith Williams has worked as the Community School Coordinator at Harlan Community Academy High School since joining Metropolitan Family Services in 2009. Ms. Williams is a relentless advocate for the youth she works with. It is her passion to work with high school youth to support their social emotional development, growth of interpersonal skills, post-secondary planning, and to ensure that youth are exposed to experiences that are not readily available to them. She is Innovative in her approach to programming using student driven data to ensure programs are youth centered and engaging. Ms. Williams has worked to establish community partnerships at Harlan High schools to bring resources and experiences to the entire school community.

Many of the Harlan Community School graduates continue to come back year after year to Metropolitan and Harlan to visit Meredith and share their successes with her. Currently Meredith employs some of the Harlan Community School program alumni who have chosen to return to their High School to share their passions, many of which were discovered and nurtured while they were participants with Meredith in the Community School program.

Meredith holds an undergraduate degree in Family and Community Service from Michigan State University. Additionally, she holds a Master’s in Arts from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.

Meredith Williams’ wealth of experience in youth development and community schools help her to embody each of Metropolitan’s FAMILY values as she continues to pour into the students of Harlan High School each year.

Nakeeha Kennedy joined Calumet as the Assistant Site Operations Manager in 2021.

Nakeeha ensures that the site is performing according to standards and achieve goals, while providing excellent internal and external customer service. Although she is one of the newest members of the leadership team, she is not new in terms of experience. Prior to MFS, Nakeeha worked in education operations for 20 years.

While she is a Michigan native, she has lived and spent most of her time in the Far Southside of Chicago. She is excited about and enjoy being at Calumet because she is passionate about, familiar with, and volunteer in the Roseland/West Pullman area.

Nakeeha is a great asset to the Calumet Support team, bringing her energetic and innovative ideas and we look forward to her continuing this great work and service at Calumet.

Jennifer McCraw originally came to work at Metropolitan Family Services Calumet Center in June 2003 and returned in October 2008. Upon her return to the area her choice to return to the Calumet Center is evidence of her dedication to the community and the passion she has to work for change and improvements to clients and residents lives in the Greater Roseland.

Throughout her years of service, she has participated in numerous committees and collaborations providing resources and services to many. She began her work her as a supervisor and most recently as the Program Director. She has been the driving force behind numerous programs and services here at Calumet from the work with funders to asset map the community and provide services to youth across the city with Juvenile Justice Involvement to her work with schools and as a member of the Far South CAC for 10 years. She has most recently worked on increasing housing services to homeless and those that are survivors of Domestic Violence and human trafficking.

Jennifer may not be in direct service, but firmly believes in growing others so that their passion and service to the community can continue to be a guiding light. This work is not done by one but the growth of many in service to others.

Jesse Hinton started with Metropolitan Family Services in March of 2018. Jesse was hired by Jennifer McCraw as a Program Supervisor for the SYNC program. He learned to foster the culture of a well ran organization and given 10 staff to supervise. This program was where case managers met with mentors from a few local community-based organizations and together we helped at risk youth with wrap around services and mentorship to change their outlooks, mind sets, and foster the idea of being better productive citizens in their communities.

During the time frame as the supervisor for the SYNC program Jesse was afforded the opportunity to meet hardworking individuals who cared about the people and the communities they served. He formed a lot of great relations with team members, colleagues, and the leadership staff. After SYNC funding ended Jesse joined the HPOG program. This was an outstanding experience and an introduction to MFS workforce.

Supporting the leadership and the organization so much, Jesse transferred to the YouthBuild program as the supervisor. He had the unique opportunity to teach young people the field of construction. Jesse and the team hit the pavement and walked the communities to find recruits. YouthBuild has always been Jesse’s baby and where he earned the nickname “Mr. J.” Jesse described being overwhelmed with gratitude and sentiment for the youth, and often times finding out that he needed them as much as they wanted YouthBuild. This was a true testament of how a well running program can have a positive impact on the lives of young people.

In May Jesse was promoted to the Program Manager for the Economic Stability programs at Calumet. And while he does not engage as much with the young people, he hears the compassion and energy from the team members expressing their success stories about participants young and old. Because of this joy and delight he find the same level of happiness in his new role as he did in the other programs and roles of the past.

Jesse Hinton has the same passion and compassion as when he walked through the doors on his first day four years ago.