The multi-pronged aid offered by Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) is near and dear to Ric Estrada. Since March 2011, CEO has preceded Estrada’s name, but his roots are not unlike those of the 93,000 Chicagoans served by MFS, most of whom are working poor or lower-middle class. Estrada, a Mexican-American immigrant, grew up in a […]
Sometimes it takes someone from outside the bubble to see the big picture. When Monique Jones first interviewed for the leadership position at the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF) back in 2015, she thought it was a place-based philanthropy all about Evanston. “I’ve since found out that the foundation is part of the fabric of Evanston, […]
There are many ways to define “genius,” but each October, Chicago’s MacArthur Foundation chooses around two dozen to honor. Among the diverse array of this year’s MacArthur fellows are a quantum physicist demystifying the habits of subatomic particles and a sociologist illuminating the way certain kinds of policing turn out to undermine public safety. In […]
Chicago Children’s Choir is a nonprofit organization that inspires and unites youth from diverse backgrounds to become global citizens through music. Founded in Hyde Park in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, CCC has grown from one choir into a vast network of in-school and after-school programs. Today, CCC serves nearly 5,000 […]
In search of your next family-friendly show to stream? A new National Geographic series takes viewers backstage at Walt Disney World to showcase the animals and their caretakers in action at the beloved theme parks that are home to more than 300 species and 5,000 animals. “Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” an eight-part docu-series narrated […]
On March 15, 2020 schools nationwide began shutting down. It was an unprecedented time of uncertainty, with many thinking it would only last 15 days. Parents were rightfully panicked, not only about the virus, but about managing a household with everyone home and often with two working parents. March 18, 2020 Wolcott College Prep initiated […]
Looking for an exciting way to jazz up your week and help make a difference in the process? Join the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center for the first, (and hopefully last!) Virtual Soirée on Wednesday, September 2nd at 7 pm. Featuring a star-studded line-up of celebrity guests and performers, this special evening will give […]
This past spring, parents around America turned their kitchen tables (and other parts of their homes) into classrooms as schools closed due to Covid-19. As a new academic year begins and the pandemic continues, many families are officially opting out of their public or private schools and making the switch to homeschooling. Homeschooling had been […]
The importance of teachers, schools and educators has been further emphasized by the coronavirus pandemic. As families begin to prepare for an uncertain school year – and consider education options – we’ve rounded up a list of private schools in the Chicago-area. How You Can Help: Students and families in low-income areas of Chicago have […]
Sparkle Foundation founder Samantha Tradelius’ grandmother told a lot of stories about her life as a single mom raising three children in the 1950s. And yet, not once did she mention having help — or asking for it. Those stories stuck with Tradelius, inspiring her, in 2016, to form Novato-based Sparkle Foundation, an organization committed […]
