"In my first ten years at the Wieboldt Foundation Alex started not one but two community organizations. It is most difficult to start one – it takes energy, intelligence, and focus. To start two is exemplary.
Alex processes these three qualities and used them to train the local leadership of these diverse organizations, and to enlist and nurture the participation of of a large number of neighborhood residents, organizations and institutions. He also enabled local residents to develop an agenda and devise strategies, and provided a social justice framework to the field of community organizing. The older I get the more I realize that one of things that holds low-income people back is shame – shame that they have lost their homes, shame that they can't find a job with a living wage, shame that they can't count on their local schools to educate their children.
Alex is uniquely qualified to educate and encourage people in such a way that they feel both supported and more powerful. This demands patience, resilience and a deep understanding of human nature – three other qualities that Alex showed in all of his work in Chicago.
I would recommend Alex to anyone who needs someone with any of the qualities mentioned above. I sincerely know that you will not be disappointed."
- Regina McGraw, Executive Director, Wieboldt Foundation
