Who we are
Quiénes somos

Legendary Communities NFP (“Legendary”) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing stories from the heart of the hard places. Founded in December 2025 for development as a 501c3, Legendary’s mission is to create spaces and support for the resilient to share their stories of God and good in the world's hard places. The corresponding vision is that all who share in a story would thrive in greater unity with God and one another. We believe that the ultimate outcome of our work is that the glory of God might be revealed through the testimonies of those who have endured the world’s greatest challenges and lived to tell their story. 

Five core values guide every aspect of our work:

  1. Fully Welcoming: While specific projects (e.g. Rich in Faith) will focus on specific storytellers, as an organization, we invite everyone to share testimony of God and good in their lives, regardless of a person’s past or present circumstances.

  2. Tangibly Supportive: We honor storysharers and their communities by offering tangible support at all steps of the process, ensuring their contributions are respected and valued.

  3. Deliberately Partnered: We build with ministries that are already showing love in the world's hard places, strategically magnifying their impact through shared stories.

  4. Honoring the Excluded: We deliberately focus on the stories of those who are "poor in the eyes of this world" but are chosen as rich in faith, bringing the voices of the marginalized to the forefront.

  5. Christ-story Faithful: When we highlight stories of Christian faith, we ensure they accurately reflect God and good as shown by Christ in the Gospels.

Legendary Communities’ initial service offerings include: 

  • Story Seminars: Partnering with established Chicagoland urban ministries, Legendary will lead seminars to equip and support ministry participants in preparing and sharing their stories with their community

  • Story Celebrations: Storytellers are the spotlight in community celebrations that feature their stories, sharing hope with their own community and honor for the storytellers

  • Mural Seminars & Celebrations: Partnering with local muralists, Legendary will assist in translating select stories into murals in their own community.

  • Video Distribution: Working with videographers, Legendary will share videos of select stories throughout Chicagoland, conveying to others the hope found in our city’s hardest places and encouraging broader support for urban ministries and communities.

Honoring Chicago’s Rich Latino history, programs are offered in Spanish and English. Through this dedicated approach, Legendary seeks to be a catalyst for hope and unity, providing a platform where the most courageous stories can be heard and supported.

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Info Flyer

Our Team

Founder & Executive Director
Elizabeth Galik

  • A Chicago mother with a household of many, Galik is proud to call West Humboldt Park home. A Minnesotan by birth, Galik came to the city in 2004, teaching in a Lutheran school for two years before its closure. In 2006, Galik opened the school building to the community, using a computer lab and children’s programs to build what is now the Humboldt Park site of New Life Centers. With New Life Centers from 2008-2014, Galik served as the organization’s second Executive Director, creating policies while growing programs at multiple sites.

    After transitioning to nearby River City Community Church, Galik was contracted in 2015 to found their associated nonprofit, River City Community Development Center (“R CITY”). During her tenure as R CITY’s Executive Director, the organization merged with partner Harambee Chicago Foundation, continuing to provide tuckpointing apprenticeships. In 2024, after an inheritance of children that doubled the size of the Galik family, Galik stepped down from R CITY leadership, handing off to Charnesha Collier, a Harambee program graduate and leader.

    In 2025, Galik collaborated with local partners to create the Rich in Faith project, submitting it to the Lilly Endowment for funding via New Life Centers. She founded Legendary Communities in December 2025 to bring life to that vision of calling out storytellers of faith all across Chicago’s west side and beyond.

    Since 2010, the Galik home has hosted over 30 children in short-term and legal guardianship, creating a unique “extended family” with the four Galik hijos and some of the most resilient and power-filled youth and moms in Chicago.

Board of Directors

Tania Morales, President

Trina Owens Rogers, Treasurer

Tommy Lee, Vice President

Lesley Mayra, Secretary

Accounting Services

Ministry Management Services LLC -
Daniel Droubie, Principal