Love on the John Lewis Plaza

She said yes!

Vanessa Beene didn't expect to make history when she visited the Obama Presidential Center. But when her boyfriend, Purvis Funches, got down on one knee to pop the question in Jackson Park, just steps away from the John Lewis Plaza, she became the first person (that we know of!) to receive a marriage proposal on the campus—a moment made all the more meaningful because Beene works as a talent associate for The Obama Foundation.

Purvis had spent weeks planning the proposal, framing the afternoon as a casual picnic after a tour of the Center. He arrived with a blanket, chairs, a Bluetooth speaker, and a spread of her favorite sweet treats. Both of their families waited just out of sight.

Then came the custom photo book.

Beene had been flipping through the custom album Purvis made of their baby photos, first dates, and the quiet moments that built a year-long love story. When she reached the final page, there was a photo placeholder and four words:

Will you marry me?

"My mouth dropped," she said with a smile. "I'm flooded with emotions at this point. Reflecting on our relationship and realizing we're about to spend our lives together, I felt immense gratitude and love for the man in front of me. I've never experienced anything quite like that before."

Purvis got on one knee. Nearby, a photographer crouched in the bushes. When she said yes, both families came running.

Before the proposal, they moved through the museum exhibits together, gathered at the Oval Office replica for photos at the Resolute Desk, marveled at Michelle Obama's gowns on display, and took in the views of the Sky Room, where floor-to-ceiling windows frame the South and West sides of Chicago.

"Every floor [of the Museum Building] impacted each of them in different ways," Beene reflected. "When we got to the Sky Room, it was just the culmination of the whole visitor experience."

For Vanessa, having her family see her name on the worker wall, a tribute to the thousands of people who helped build the Obama Presidential Center, was a milestone of its own. Since joining the organization in January 2025, she had been on two hard-hat tours during construction and watched the campus rise.

Vanessa has worked to bring hundreds of Chicagoans onto the Foundation's team, connecting candidates from the South and West sides to careers at a place built with their community in mind. She says she felt like the two biggest parts of her life were merging.

"The Obama Presidential Center symbolizes hope for me. This relationship symbolizes great love for me. Now I get to hold both in the same place," she said. "I was just overjoyed."

After the proposal, the group made their way back to the John Lewis Plaza to celebrate. Two staff members at the gate, quietly read in by family members who had gotten turned around trying to find the proposal spot in the park, welcomed them back with congratulations. 

Colleagues stopped to embrace her. The couple took photos near the Chicago Public Library branch and in the Harold Washington Overlook.

"I was just on cloud nine — and that's an understatement," she said.

When asked what she hopes people take from her story, she didn't hesitate.

"The overarching theme is the enduring power of love," she said firmly. "In a time like this, it's hard to find spaces and places to feel hopeful. But love really surpasses all. I think of a passage in First Corinthians: these three remain—faith, hope, and love. Love overpowers all of the things that we go through in this world."

The outpour of support she received after she posted her engagement, including a personal message from Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett, only deepened that conviction.

"I'm grateful to love and be loved," she said with a smile. "And I think the takeaway is just to love one another. Really trust in the power of love. I think that is the greatest thing."

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