LOCATION

2915 N. Leavitt Street
Chicago, IL 60618-8105
(773) 348-1866

OUR STORY

The Daniel A. Cotter Club was originally called the Julia C. Lathrop Club and was housed in four converted basement storage and laundry rooms located at the South end of the Julia C. Lathrop Homes public housing development. Lathrop Homes was built in 1938 and has the distinction of being the oldest property of all of the Chicago Housing Authority’s developments. The Lathrop Club officially opened on April 3, 1952 as a result of the cooperative efforts of the Welfare Council of Metropolitan Chicago, the Chicago Housing authority and Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago. In February 1963, the club moved to its present location.

Set in the heart of the Lathrop Homes, the Cotter Club draws the majority of its more than 850 Club members from youth who are residents of the development. The social problems of the Lathrop community read like a textbook sketch of the beleaguered inner city; low income households, single parent homes, high unemployment, health neglect, alcoholism and drug abuse, high truancy and drop out rates in the schools, vandalism and gang activity. The purpose of the Cotter Club is to provide an alternative to unhealthy emulated behaviors and to create opportunities for members to grow up to be responsible, self-reliant and caring adults.

The Cotter Club is much more then a center that offers recreation; and while recreational activities abound, they are supplemental to the primary programming goal - to deliver the most relevant services that meet the needs of the client population and on many fronts to tackle the real problems of its Club members and their community.

CLUB DIRECTOR BIO

Jim Pottinger brings a wealth of experience to his leadership role as Club Director at the Daniel A. Cotter Club. He began his career at Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago in 1988 as a part-time employee. While attending college, he supervised Club cadet members ages 6 and 7. Instead of becoming a teacher after completing elementary education requisites and earning a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University, he joined the Boys & Girls Club Movement as a full-time employee because, according to Pottinger, “I always enjoyed working with kids.”

Jim spent the first 5 years of his career at the Lathrop Club. He was then promoted to Program Director at the Logan Square Club. In 1998, he had the honor of becoming the first Program Director of the newly established James R. Jordan Boys & Girls Club which was named in memoriam to the father of world renowned basketball player Michael Jordan. In 2001, a vacancy at the Lathrop Club (now named the Daniel A. Cotter Club) was an opportunity he was trained and ready for and Pottinger has remained at the Club every since that fortuitous occasion. Click here to view a directory of our Board members.