MB Treasures was created to give young people greater access to the support, resources, guidance, and community connections they need to navigate difficult circumstances and see new possibilities for their future.
For Simone Boyd, the heart behind MB Treasures is deeply personal.
In 2013, Simone lost her niece to gun violence. Her niece was in the wrong place at the wrong time when she and four other young people were shot. She was the only one who did not survive.
For years, Simone carried that loss. Then, after a decade of mourning, she made the decision to turn her grief into something that could make a difference in the lives of other young people.
She had seen too many youth walking the streets without enough safe places to go, positive things to do, or people and resources they could turn to when life became difficult. MB Treasures grew from a desire to help change that.
Today, that purpose remains at the center of the organization: to keep reaching young people, meeting them where they are, and connecting them with support that can help them move forward.
Our mission is to provide safe, welcoming, and accessible outreach that connects youth with essential needs, support, and opportunities.
Through compassionate outreach, referrals, advocacy, and community partnerships, MB Treasures helps young people overcome barriers, build resilience, and create pathways toward lifelong success.
A safe space isn’t simply a place where a young person is protected from physical harm. It’s an environment where they feel comfortable enough to let their guard down.
At MB Treasures, that means creating spaces where young people can share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences knowing they will be met with empathy and active listening – not ridicule or dismissal.
It means meeting youth where they are, respecting their individuality and experiences, and providing guidance without making them feel judged or marginalized.
It also means being consistent. Young people facing instability need people and places they can rely on. Through clear boundaries, respect, inclusion and a steady presence, MB Treasures strives to create the trust young people need to open up, seek support, and grow.
Support should be easier to reach. MB Treasures is committed to reducing barriers by creating multiple ways for young people to connect with help.
Every young person arrives with a different story, identity, background, and lived experience. Those differences deserve to be recognized and respected.
Young people deserve more than someone telling them what to do. MB Treasures provides guidance and resources while respecting their voices, choices, and ability to shape their own futures.
Supporting youth requires community, MB Treasures works to strengthen connections between young people and the people, organizations, services, and opportunities around them.
Long before MB Treasures began taking its current shape, Simone was already investing in young people.
For the past years, she has mentored a group of youth who began between the ages of 9 and 16. Today, members of that group are continuing their education and pursuing their next chapters – including college, an HBCU, and barber college – while younger members prepare for graduation and their own futures.
Their journeys reflect what MB Treasures believes at its core: when young people have consistent support, encouragement, resources, and someone who continues to show up, possibility can look very different.
MB Treasures serves youth facing challenges that can make stability, opportunity, and support harder to access – including violence, poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, under-resourced schools, limited access to mental health care, and a lack of safe places and youth programs.
But reaching young people also means reaching the adults and organizations surrounding them.
MB Treasures welcomes connections with parents and caregivers, educators and school staff, mentors, service providers, faith leaders, local businesses, community organizations, policymakers, and others who share a commitment to supporting youth throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs.
Whether you’re a young person looking for support, a parent or caregiver searching for resources, a professional making a referral, or a community organization interested in partnering with us, we’re here to start the conversation.
