November 21, 2024

Mercy Home’s young people recently visited Pullman Tech Workshop in Chicago’s historic Southeast Side Pullman neighborhood. 

Pullman Tech Workshop is a nonprofit that restores and rehabilitates old houses in Pullman. It operates an apprenticeship program that allows young people to learn home repair and building skills.  

Mercy Home donor Bob Jensen, who owned the Argus brewery in Pullman, introduced his friend Nick Lubovich, the Founder and Executive Director of Pullman Tech Workshop, to Mercy Home’s Senior Manager of Advancement Molly Riley. Jensen suggested that our young people would benefit from visiting the site. 

“Nick is incredibly dedicated to teaching youth the historic trades,” Riley said. “He believes that learning these skills and focusing on projects that involve using your hands are therapeutic.” 

“[Nick is] super knowledgeable and has a big personality, but is also very patient,” said Director of Post Secondary Options, Career Resources & Scholarships Marlin Exton. 

On their visit, the youth went to the facility and got to see the woodshop, laser printer, outdoor garden, and more. They also saw a historical Pullman project, where they were restoring old pictures about the African American roots of Pullman.  

“This benefits our kids with the opportunity to do something tactile with their hands and engage with staff and each other in something that’s positive and keeps their mind active,” Exton said. 

Additionally, the youth got to construct their own wooden jack-o’-lanterns, which were delivered to Riley in time for Halloween this month and are displayed throughout the Home.  

“That really helped our kids learn new skills and see that there’s an opportunity if college isn’t their route, they can do construction and see what they’re passionate about,” said Post Secondary Options & Career Resource Coordinator Ollie Fowler. 

After their visit, two of our young people enrolled in their construction program, giving them the opportunity to learn this trade and make money. 

“Pullman Tech does a really good job of giving them the basic skills before they go into another program or helping them find jobs,” Fowler said. 

The program runs for 12 weeks and will give our youth the opportunity to explore a career field in construction. 

Our young people left the facility with new knowledge about the construction trade, as well as historical facts about this landmark Chicago neighborhood. The area is home to a designated national historic district centered around the Pullman Company. The manufacturer of railroad cars was one of the first planned industrial communities and an 1894 strike by workers there played a seminal role in American Labor history. The A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum in the district commemorates African American labor history. 

‘It was a wonderful trip,” Exton said. “The youth had a good time and we’re looking forward to going back.”