It's clear that Barack Obama is getting back to work after going on a well-deserved vacation. Last week, he gave his first public post-presidential speech at the University of Chicago, and is now reportedly receiving six-figure fees for his speaking services. It appears that speaking fee money will be going to a very good place, as a result of an announcement that he made in Chicago this week.
Barack Obama announced Wednesday that he and Michelle will donate $2 million to summer jobs programs in Chicago, said the former president at Chicago's South Shore Cultural Center, "One of the things that we'll be starting this year is Michelle and I are personally going to donate $2 million to our summer jobs programs here in the community … [It's] so that right away young people can get to work and we can start providing opportunities to all of them."
Obama went on to say, "We'll be working with the city, we'll be working with the county, we'll be working with businesses because part of what we want to do is reach young people who might be at risk if they don't have something to do during the summer … But part of what we also want to do is to reach older youth who may be prepared for apprenticeships because one of the things that this project is going to do is generate jobs."
(Alex Wong/Getty Images)
He also announced plans to build a 200,000 square-foot campus on the South Side of Chicago, where the Obama Presidential Center will be located. The goal of the center, will be to "train the next generation of leadership, the Michelle Robinson's of today and Barack Obama of today," said Obama. The center will be located close to Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood, and will help rejuvenate the Jackson Park neighborhood by creating jobs and helping bring a bevy of visitors to the area.
"More than a building or museum, the Obama Presidential Center will be a living, working center for engagement — an ongoing project for the community and world to shape what it means to be an active citizen in the 21st century," this according to the Obama Foundation.
The summer jobs program will start immediately, said Obama. The foundation estimates the cost of the Obama Presidential Center to be $500 million. The center will take roughly four years to finish.
