Community Celebrations: Swissôtel Chicago Receives AccorHotels' Global Bernaches Award

Swissôtel Chicago recently celebrated being selected as a recipient of AccorHotels’ Global Bernaches Team Award for its partnership with SOS Children’s Villages Illinois, a nonprofit that provides a safe, positive and education-focused environment for abandoned children and their foster families in some of Chicago’s highest-crime neighborhoods. Swissôtel Chicago’s SOS outreach initiative began as a fundraising campaign […]

by Will Mendelson

Community Celebrations: Rocco Fiore & Sons' 70th Anniversary

Rocco Fiore & Sons is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2017. For 70 years, the respected landscaping company has delivered the industry’s best “quality, service and value.” The company began in 1938 when Rocco Fiore Sr. came to America to work for his uncle at the family nursery. In 1947, he established Rocco Fiore & […]

by Will Mendelson

Community Celebrations: Instituto del Progreso Latino Celebrates 40 Years

In April 2017, Instituto del Progreso Latino celebrated four decades of its innovation-providing education and career opportunities to people often underserved by traditional education systems. Working primarily in Chicago’s Latino community, this milestone represents the collective impact of Chicago’s families, business and education leaders, and civic and philanthropic partners supporting tens of thousands of families […]

by Will Mendelson

The Hottest Shoes for Summer 2017

There is a small revolution happening in the world of shoes: Designers are finally making shoes that are truly beautiful but are also wearable. This is particularly true with the summer 2017 collections. Here are the six most important trends in summer shoes. Ankle Strap This summer is all about the ankle. Designers are using […]

by Tracy Clifford

Kevin Bacon and 5 Other Celebrities Who Give Back

In this day and age, more and more celebrities are using their platforms and fame to truly make a difference in the world. Whether they have founded their own nonprofits, are collaborating with other organizations or making donations to charities, these six A-listers are an inspiration to both the celebrity world and philanthropic world alike. Here, […]

by Will Mendelson

At the Lake: Weekend Waterfront Homes in Chicagoland

When it comes to getting a second home in Chicagoland, many potential buyers are looking to spend their weekends on the water. From the obvious (Lake Michigan) to the fancy (Lake Geneva) to the quaint (any of dozens of other lakes in far northern Illinois or southeastern Wisconsin), second-home buyers in the Chicago area know […]

by Megan Craig

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention: Options and Empowerment

Four years ago, Angelina Jolie announced to the world that she had chosen preventive surgery as a strategy to reduce the significant risk of breast cancer she faced as a BRCA1 gene mutation carrier. Her courage in sharing her personal story brought about public awareness and open discussions surrounding genetic testing, personalized medicine, and options […]

by Lorene Schweig

The Top Venture Philanthropy Nonprofits and Foundations

According to Nonprofit Quarterly, “… there’s no one definition or model for ‘venture philanthropy’ — nor is one needed, because it’s ‘more of a blanket term, an expression of a more purpose-, results- and responsibility-driven worldview’ many foundations now embrace.” At Make It Better, we’re proud to work closely with these types of nonprofits and […]

by Will Mendelson