Roseland Christian Ministries
Highlighting the urgent need for rest and renewal for resilient unhoused Chicago women
Roseland Christian Ministries has served Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood for decades, offering vital support and resources to those experiencing poverty and homelessness. At the heart of their mission is the Women & Children’s Shelter—a safe haven for families facing unimaginable hardship. But after years of service, the shelter is in urgent need of renovation to continue providing dignity, stability, and rest to those who need it most.
To raise the necessary funds and rally community support, Roseland Christian Ministries partnered with Cultivate to develop a capital campaign that could communicate both the urgency and the hope behind the project.
The goal: Launch a powerful, emotional campaign that would increase visibility, spark empathy, and inspire donors to help transform the shelter into a renewed space of peace and possibility.
Our Approach
Cultivate collaborated closely with Roseland’s leadership to shape a campaign strategy grounded in empathy, honesty, and resilience. Through a series of messaging workshops, we uncovered a core insight: Even the strongest among us need rest. From that, the campaign theme was born: Rest for the Strong
This idea guided the creative direction—from messaging and identity to visuals and video production. We designed a bold, human-centered brand system that reflected the strength and vulnerability of the women the shelter serves.
At the center of the campaign is a one-take video, filmed overnight under a Dan Ryan Expressway viaduct, portraying the emotional journey of a mother and child experiencing homelessness. Alongside it, a second video features interviews with Kadie and Kisha, program leaders at Roseland, offering a candid look at the shelter’s impact and the growing need for safe, restorative space.
To extend the campaign across platforms, we also produced powerful still photography and designed a series of social media posts that pair striking visuals with voiceover snippets from the campaign video—building a cohesive story and compelling call to action across all touchpoints.
The Results
Rest for the Strong has created a unified, emotional platform to mobilize support for the Women & Children’s Shelter renovation. The videos and visual storytelling have already begun sparking conversation and generosity within the Roseland community and beyond.
By highlighting both the urgent need and the hopeful future, the campaign invites donors to take part in something bigger: helping strong women and children find the rest they deserve—so they can rise again.
This work not only elevates the mission of Roseland Christian Ministries, but also sets the foundation for ongoing engagement, long-term support, and a deeper understanding of what it means to truly care for our most vulnerable neighbors.
