Community Service: It's in His DNA

Standing tall in the nonprofit world

By Anne Stein

When Magic Johnson visited the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago last year, one man stood shoulder to shoulder with the retired basketball superstar: former Wildcat standout Andre Goode (BS85).

They hadn’t seen each other since they competed against each other three decades age in Paris, but now they were on the same team—both focused on the importance of health, wellness, and immunizations against deadly respiratory viruses.

“Magic and I have long been committed to building healthy, safe, and economically sustainable communities,” Goode says. “It was great to reconnect and see that we both continue to support folks on and off the court.”

A native of Rockford, Illinois, Goode has spent the past 20 years managing youth and family programs at nonprofits across the country, including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, the YMCA of San Francisco, and Covenant House California, a homeless shelter in Oakland.

“It was instilled in my sister and me that service is the rent for the privilege of living on this Earth.” Back in Chicago with his wife, Kimberley (Crews) Goode (Medill87), the SESP graduate and father of three has stepped into a new role as vice president of economic empowerment at the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.

He was also recently elected to the board of directors of the Northwestern Alumni Association, where he’s working to connect with Wildcats around the globe. The new YMCA role has been a labor of love, says Goode, who was previously the YMCA’s vice president of community transformation.

“I especially like the emphasis on equity in certain areas of the city—the South Side, Garfield Park, West Humboldt Park, Pilsen, and Little Village—where there’s been historic disinvestment.”

The economic equity program, backed by local and state business leaders, is focused on four areas: workforce development, with an emphasis on getting women, veterans, and people of color into the trades; financial education; first-time homeownership; and entrepreneurship training.

Community service is part of his DNA, Goode explains, because his mother, Constance, was a Rockford educator and civil and voting rights activist. A member of the local NAACP, she organized Election Day transportation and childcare and knocked on doors to explain the importance of voting.

 Educators going on strike would “be at our house making signs,” Goode says. “It was instilled in my sister and me that service is the rent for the privilege of living on this Earth.”

A stained-glass sculpture in Rockford honors his late mother, who was a professor at Northern Illinois University. But Constance Goode’s six-foot-nine son was a big deal in Rockford, too; the blue-chip recruit known as Dre came to Northwestern and was on the 1983 team that made the National Invitation Tournament—a first for the basketball program.

Goode quickly flourished on campus and the court, becoming a leader and the  “glue guy” on a tight-knit team.

“I was from Winnetka, Dre was from Rockford, and the whole team learned a lot from each other,” says former teammate Joe  Flanagan (WCAS86). “Dre came from an amazingly strong family. They are serious public servants.”

Goode played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and then in Europe, where he was offered guaranteed contracts with several pro teams. At the World University Games, he was on a team with NBA players Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Ed Pinckney, and Johnny Dawkins.

“It was a great era with lots of talent, including Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan, who I played with in summer league,” Goode says, joking that if he were playing today, he “probably would have made an NBA team long-term. There might have been a few more slots available.”

With season tickets to Northwestern men’s basketball, Andre and Kimberley are excited to be back. In addition to working with the alumni board, he’s joined the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association and attends quarterly NUBAA events and get-togethers. “Northwestern is a special place,” he says. “I am excited to deepen my commitment to this phenomenal university.”

Pictured: The Goode family (from left): Krystalyn, Kimberley, Andre, Kaylyn Sackar, and Garrison