CHICAGO, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Internet Webpages Newspaper unveiled plans today for a pioneering community crowdfunding effort to finance IWN.Haus, an audacious development designed to uplift residents through creative participatory ownership.
Edmund Danté Hamilton, founder and CEO, was born and raised in a former Cleveland public housing project called Garden Valley Estates located in the Kinsman neighborhood. Hamilton’s vision for IWN.Haus is to pay forward the enrichment and inspiration his community provided growing up by creating a one-of-a-kind hub tailored to uplift low-income residents.
“I remember how spaces like the Garden Valley Neighborhood House Center exposed me to experiences outside my neighborhood that opened my eyes to possibility,” said Hamilton. “Now with IWN.Haus, we have a chance to write a new chapter where community reigns supreme.”
Renderings reveal a stunning 5-story, 21,000 square foot complex imagined within a South Side Opportunity Zone tailored to empower low-income and public housing residents to gain technology skills, launch ecommerce businesses, and amass community capital.
Spaces spanning an entrepreneurship incubator, journalist digital studios, event venue, and more promise to activate and unleash the boundless potential lurking within underserved communities.
Central to the vision are pillars of resident leadership and collective ownership. The building's pinnacle, showcasing sweeping views of Chicago, will manifest an expansive open-air rooftop oasis and lounge operated by an on-site worker cooperative granting residents agency in crafting public gatherings.
Powering this ambitious undertaking is a 2-year public crowdfunding effort aimed to transform captivating architectural plans into brick-and-mortar reality.
The #ParcelToProsperity campaign seeks to acquire a 10-15,000 vacant lot via grassroots contributions starting as low as $10 to attract participation from households of all means.
Higher donation tiers offer branded swag such as unisex hoodies, backpacks and more to incentivize funding from both heartstrings and purse strings.
Hamilton wants to channel this initial groundswell into sustained momentum, incorporating creative gaming elements including an Interior Design Quest competition to stoke engagement over the duration stretching through 2025.
An interactive 3D model simulating the vision brought to life entices site visitors to browse the hypothetical halls in an experience melding VR realism with RPG adventure.
When asked what outcome Hamilton envisions emerging over years of fostering IWN.Haus from fertile idea into maturity, he replied, "a shining proof point of what becomes possible when communities unite to challenge the status quo holding back generations from directing the resources they deserve."
Hamilton invites all who feel galvanized to acquire gear and rep the mission or learn more by visiting Go.IWN.Haus/crowdfunding-campaign or emailing him directly at Dante@IWN.Haus.
About IWN Haus: IWN.Haus is a pioneering concept from Internet Webpages Newspaper seeking to provide inclusive ownership opportunities via community capital campaigns. Inspired by Hamilton’s childhood community center, IWN.Haus strives to grant technology access and incubate ecommerce businesses for residents to build wealth.
About Internet Webpages Newspaper, Inc.: Established in 1998, Internet Webpages Newspaper, Inc. is a 100% Black-owned business and an Illinois certified DBE, MBE and Section 3 business concern. In December 2022 the company was awarded a $25,000 technology grant from a Chicago-based bank to develop a web-to-print, SaaS platform that allows DTC brands to create, publish, print and mail personalized direct-mail catalogs.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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