CHICAGO (CBS) -- A South Side Chicago church is throwing a festival this weekend to get inner city youth out in their community and ready for school.

We talked to the Chair of Acme Community Outdoor Festival Jucari Sutton who's been attending the fest himself since he was five years old.

We're just trying to get the youth motivated to go back to school and motivated just to make a positive change in their life," he said.

The festival will be held at ACME Missionary Baptist Church, located at 8754 S. Paulina St., in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

13 Chicago gospel artists will perform, and church organizers will give out school supplies and backpacks plus doing health screenings, dental screenings, haircuts, face painting, and counseling.

One message from organizers: With all the violence in our communities, this event and this church is a safe space for youth.

"We're really just trying to let them know that any help during the school year - if it's about bullying if it's about just what to do. Tutoring, anything during the school year, anything during life. If you need some extra food, anything that we can help with we're definitely trying to do that," Sutton said.

And they are looking to continue to do that after the festival.

The ACME Community Festival runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

First published on August 26, 2022 / 10:38 AM

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