Alzheimer's Association Celebrates Caregivers, Spotlights Impact of Balancing Work With Care of a Loved One

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that over six million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. Each of these people need care, and that care is frequently provided by over 11 million unpaid caregivers: spouses, siblings, children, or sometimes just concerned friends and neighbors. More than half of these caregivers are employed […]

31 Best Things to Do in Chicago and the Suburbs This March 2024

Whether you’re celebrating Women’s History Month; the traditions of St. Patrick’s Day; or merely the resurgence of spring, Chicagoland is blossoming with events and celebrations of community, food, art and more — for everyone. For those who patiently waited for winter to pass, the time has come to explore the city once again. Read on for our […]

You Said It: Radical Generosity Chicago Is Connecting, Motivating and Mobilizing to Assist Families in Need

Amidst the beautiful, towering skyline of Chicago lies a silent crisis — a staggering 68,000 souls, unsheltered and struggling. Radical Generosity Chicago, a 501(c)(3) organization, encourages families to not just witness this plight but to step into the narrative, to feel the brutal winter wind that these individuals endure daily. Engage, not out of obligation, […]

You Said It: Japan’s 3.11 and the Road to Recovery  

Japan holds a very special place in my personal and professional life. I have walked the Nakasendo, hiked the Michinoku Coastal Trail; paddled the mangroves of Amami and Iriomotejima; climbed Mt. Fuji; bathed in countless onsen and sento for my book, “The Way of the Japanese Bath”; documented the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the […]

'Determined to Prove a Villain': Paralympian Katy Sullivan Takes on 'Richard III' at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Actor Katy Sullivan got out her running legs to prepare to play Richard III. In Shakespeare’s tale of the manipulative, deceitful would-be king of England, Richard is portrayed as a hunchback, which integrates with Sullivan’s physicality: she has two prosthetic legs. “There is a line in the opening soliloquy where Richard said, ‘Sent into this […]

The Red Cross Is Facing a Critical Blood Shortage: How to Help Now by Donating, Volunteering and Spreading the Word

In an alarming update issued Jan. 8, 2024, the American Red Cross has declared a nationwide emergency blood shortage, marking the most severe crisis of its kind in two decades. With a significant 40% decrease in blood donors, the organization is grappling with dwindling supplies that could potentially delay critical medical procedures across the United […]

You Said It: Failing Court Systems and the 'Invisible' Scars of Coercive Control — The Dirty Little Secret of (Non-Physical) Domestic Abuse

As part of our “You Said It” Op-Ed series, we invite contributors to submit their opinion pieces, like the one that follows. Have a story? Here’s how to submit it. Survivors of abusive relationships know that you can be hurt without ever having been hit. You can be a survivor of domestic abuse without any physical […]