By Lisa Wardle
June 2, 2009 – A long-standing Hyde Park service organization that focused on youth and adult education is one of the latest casualties of the economy and state budget uncertainty.
The Blue Gargoyle at 5638 S. Woodlawn Ave. closed this spring when it wasn’t able to meet its payroll. The April closing followed the resignation of its executive director Pamela Bozeman-Evan.
Evans would not comment on the events which led to the closing, but said she was upset to see the organization shut down.
There had been talk about closing the Blue Gargoyle for several months, but Bozeman-Evans led fund-raising efforts to try and prolong the life of the organization, but without success.
State funding accounted for 90 percent of the Blue Gargoyle’s $2.9 million budget. Late payments and reimbursements from the state only complicated the group’s financial picture.
“I think the biggest mistake was relying so heavily on state funds,” said Shane Desautels, former director of youth development at the Blue Gargoyle. “They lived off a line of credit, like a college student paying for everything with credit cards. Often times the state would make payments six months late.”
The organization took out a $250,000 loan from LaSalle Bank, even though they were already $400,000 in debt. Bank of America then bought out LaSalle Bank and told the Blue Gargoyle that the organization would have to pay interest on their loan every month. This cost the Blue Gargoyle roughly an additional $6,000 a month, according to Desautels.
There were 30 paid staff, but the organization was run mostly by volunteers. Some of the volunteers were University of Chicago instructors, while others had other connections to the university.
The organization was established in 1968 by students at the Divinity School at the University of Chicago and had served the community for several decades. It provided youth and adults with counseling services, one-on-one tutoring, GED assistance and help finding employment. Students ranged in age from 16 to 70-years-old and came from the surrounding neighborhoods including Woodlawn, Grand Boulevard, Oakland, Washington Park and Kenwood, as well as Hyde Park.
Originally located in a coffee shop, the organization later moved into an old house on Woodlawn Avenue. Because money has always been tight, the building never underwent a remodeling to make it more suitable for its educational purpose. Instead, all of the rooms remained the same as originally built, but with the bare essentials for classrooms and offices – tables and chairs.
Changing location was a major change. It’s a financial commitment for any organization that they will either recover from or continue to decline,” said Desautels. “After that point, the Blue Gargoyle continued to decline.”
Blue Gargoyle tutors and staff have been trying to assist students in finding other programs around the service area. However, the group had about 115 students when it closed.
Desautels estimated 90 percent of volunteer tutors have continued to meet with their students at other locations including a reading and math class for adults.
Blue Gargoyle referred students for one-on-one tutoring to B.E.S.T. at Alpha Temple and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at 4525 S. King Drive. Free tutoring and classes are also offered at the Bee Branch Public Library at 3647 S. State St.