Week 2 of Be The Miracle Mondays at Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts is officially in the books… and the room was full of purpose, creativity, and possibility.
Young kings and queens from Chicago tapping into new skills, new confidence, and new ways to see themselves through culture, creativity, and S.T.E.A.M learning.
• DJ classes and music culture with Emilio of Emilio Bucks Media
• Culinary creativity and wellness with Keisha & Ashanti of Four Jewels
• Hands on innovation and S.T.E.A.M learning with Bartell of Tools for the Talented
• Mentorship rooted in community
• Creativity without limits
• Safe spaces to grow, learn, and be heard
This is bigger than after school programming.
This is exposure.
This is leadership development.
This is showing our youth that their gifts have value right now, not someday.
Salute to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts for opening the doors and continuing to invest in Chicago youth and organizations doing the work from the heart.
Week 2 was powerful… and we’re only getting started.
Don’t wait on a miracle. Be The Miracle.
#BeTheMiracle #ChicagoYouth #STEAMLearning #YouthMentorship #ChicagoNonprofit BuildingBrighterFutures DJClasses
In the heart of Chicago’s West Side, love was in the air and tea was in the cup.
• 9TEA3 was honored to partner with Building Brighter Futures at Senator Lakesia Collins’ 6th Annual Mother’s Day Block Party in Douglas Park.
• One of the most beautiful parts of the day? Watching mothers and families curate their own custom organic loose leaf tea blends right at the 9TEA3 table.
• Different herbs. Different flavors. Different stories. Same beautiful energy.
• And while the tea was steeping, the miracle was quietly present too… community showing up for community the way Chicago does best.
• What we created was bigger than tea. It was wellness. Conversation. Culture. Healing.
• Salute to BBF for the vision and for continuing to pour into Chicago families with purpose and love.
• Every cup told a story. Every smile felt like home. That’s the whole Leafstyle.
Peace, Prosperity, & Pinky Up.
#9TEA3 #BuildingBrighterFutures #ChicagoEvents #MothersDayChicago #WestSideChicago OrganicTea LooseLeafTea
Mother’s Day at Strugglebeard Bakery felt like family, flavor, and fellowship all wrapped into one beautiful Sunday on Chicago’s South Side. Big love to Quinton for creating a space where culture, community, and creativity can breathe together.
9TEA3 was in the building serving organic loose leaf tea, tea cocktails, and whole Leafstyle energy while moms and families vibed over handcrafted dessert towers filled with chocolate covered strawberries, baked goods, cucumber sandwiches, salmon bites, and love you could literally taste. Then the karaoke kicked in and the room turned into pure joy. Laughter. Music. Memories.
Moments like this remind us that 9TEA3 was never just about tea. It’s about connection. It’s about slowing down long enough to celebrate the people who hold everything together.
Sometimes Cyd and HP look around these rooms and quietly realize… this is the dream. Two kids raised by Chicago, now pouring tea, culture, wellness, and nostalgia back into the city that poured so much into us.
Peace, Prosperity, & Pinky Up. #9TEA3 #StrugglebeardBakery #ChicagoEvents #MothersDayChicago #OrganicTea
This Monday, something real started moving on Pulaski.
The first session of our BBF Center for the Arts After School Programs kicked off and you could feel it… curiosity turning into confidence, energy turning into purpose.
From the Vinyl DJ Class to the Cooking Class to our STEAM program, this wasn’t just teaching… this was transformation in motion.
Young minds learning beats, building with their hands, understanding food, structure, sound, and self… all in one space.
Big love to Emilio Bucks Media — Emilio for pouring culture into the DJ experience and giving the youth something they can feel and carry.
Salute to Kiesha & Ashanti of Four Jewels for grounding the room in nourishment, discipline, and real life skills through food.
Respect to Bartell of Tools for the Talented for opening doors to innovation, creativity, and hands on learning that connects to the real world.
And much love to BBF Center for the Arts for opening the doors and creating a space where this kind of impact can live and grow.
This is what it looks like when the village shows up.
We’re not just filling time after school…
we’re building futures.
Chicago youth deserve spaces like this. And we’re just getting started.
#ChicagoYouth #AfterSchoolPrograms #STEAM #DJCulture #CookingClasses YouthDevelopment CommunityImpact
Thinking of a Master Plan… and watching it come to life in real time.
Chicago showed up. The culture showed out.
From the first entry to the final moment at City Winery in the West Loop, this was more than a raffle. This was a reminder that when music, community, and intention meet, something powerful gets brewed.
Rakim touched that stage and did what legends do. Timeless bars, effortless presence, and a masterclass in staying solid through every era.
Salute to our winners
Lasondra and Shonda… yall did not just win prizes, you stepped into The Master Plan Experience. Tea, tickets, and a moment rooted in the culture.
And to everybody who tapped in, shared, posted, and poured into this with us… you are not just supporters, you are co creators of the lifestyle.
This is bigger than tea.
This is 9TEA3.
Where strategy meets soul.
Where every sip has intention behind it.
Peace, Prosperity, and Pinky Up.
It is a whole Leafstyle.
#9TEA3 #ThinkingOfAMasterPlan #Rakim #CityWineryChicago #ChicagoEvents
Chicago showed up, but this one was personal.
This past Saturday at the Autism Speaks Empower Walk, I walked for my nephew… but I wasn’t walking alone. I had my sister, my mom, and extended family beside me—love in motion, step for step.
Every stride felt like purpose. Every step felt like a promise… to keep showing up, to keep learning, to keep loving louder.
Autism doesn’t just live in statistic, it lives in our families, in our stories, in the way we choose to stand in the gap for one another.
Grateful for moments like this. Grateful for my village. Grateful for him.
Chicago, we keep walking. 🧩💙
#AutismSpeaks #AutismAwareness #ChicagoEvents #EmpowerWalk
Run for the Roses… but this felt bigger than a race.
This was community dressed in elegance. Culture poured in every cup. 🌹
Chicago showed up beautifully at Thrift, where the Chicago Afternoon Tea Society curated more than a moment… they created a memory. From the fascinators to the fine china, from laughter at the tables to love in the air—it was a whole experience.
9TEA3 was honored to stand in the mix, serving tea & culture the way we know how… from the block to the boardroom. Our blends in your cups, our energy in the room, our purpose in motion.
And this kind of experience only happens when the village is strong…
Salute to the partners who brought it all to life: Renard American Whiskey, KOVAL Distillery, and Thrift at Home—each one adding their own flavor to the moment.
And the soundtrack? DJ Meti Already set the tone the right way… smooth, soulful, and right on time.
And those cocktails? “Society Serenade” and “The Afternoon Kiss” did what they needed to do.
This is what happens when intention meets invitation. When Black excellence meets tradition and flips it into something fresh, fly, and unforgettable.
More than tea.
More than style.
This is The Whole Leafstyle™.
#9TEA3 #ChicagoEvents #AfternoonTea
2 years ago, 9TEA3 was just a vision…
Today, it’s a whole movement.
What started as a love for tea, culture, and connection has grown into something deeper than we imagined. From pop ups to partnerships, from first sips to loyal customers, every moment has mattered.
To our community — thank you.
For every purchase, every share, every conversation, every time you chose us… you helped build this.
To our partners and spaces that welcomed us in — we appreciate you for pouring into us the same way we pour into every cup.
And today, we celebrate our Co-Founder, Cyd.
Your vision, leadership, and heart are woven into everything 9TEA3 stands for. Happy Birthday 🎉
We’re 2 years in… and still just getting started.
Serving Tea & Culture from the Block to the Boardroom.
Peace, Prosperity, & Pinky Up.
#9TEA3 #WholeLeafstyle #BlackOwnedBusiness #TeaCulture
We had a plan… and the people showed up.
Appreciate everybody who tapped in, tagged, shared, and showed love to 9TEA3. This wasn’t just a raffle… this was culture.
🏆 @prettygirlsrock72 — you headed to see Rakim
🥈 @jenn_gaba — $50 on us, run it up
🥉 @ea_the_artist — Thinking of a Master Plan on the way
Winners, check your DMs Tuesday morning.for more info.
To everybody else… stay close. We just getting started.
Peace, Prosperity, & Pinky Up.
#9TEA3 #WholeLeafstyle #ChicagoEvents
