In a year with falling job openings and sluggish hiring, economic and political instability, and an increasingly volatile job market, finding ways to connect job seekers with employers has become urgent. Many job seekers are becoming more disheartened, lacking options in a shrinking job market and in need of professional development. With federal safeguards failing, […]
On a chilly afternoon in Roswell, New Mexico, volunteers unfolded a few tables in a downtown plaza, poured coffee, served homemade meals, and talked with anyone who stopped. Some visitors came because they were hungry. Others came because they were lonely. Many stayed because someone finally knew their name. Then the meals stopped. City officials […]
For many women, the hardest part of overcoming trauma, domestic violence, substance use, poverty, or life crises is not finding the desire to change—it is finding support that lasts long enough to make change possible. When a woman walks into a Women’s Empowerment Series session hosted by We EmpowHER in Wisconsin, she is often carrying […]
Imagine being a parent who does not believe they have the capacity to help their kindergartener learn to read. Or a second-grade teacher who wishes she could motivate a family to surface from chronic absenteeism. Or the librarian of a local library stocked with new resources for emerging readers, but whose community is unaware of […]
At six months pregnant, Courtney Williams of Palm Beach County, Florida, was in a dark place. Pregnancy complications forced her to stop working at the job she loved. At home, her partner abused her. “I felt like I was dying inside,” Williams recalls. She suffered from depression and PTSD, which also threatened the well-being of […]
When he was hired as a digital archivist for the PBS show American Masters in 2025, James P. found something he wasn’t sure was possible. “It’s been one of the greatest, if not the greatest, work experiences I’ve had in my life,” James says. “I feel like my life has purpose to it, which I […]
What does it take to save a species? A veterinarian with a state-of-the-art CT scanner. A keeper who notices an aardvark skipped dinner. A nutritionist who knows exactly what belongs on a gorilla’s menu. Scientists tracking animals thousands of miles away. Women checking camera traps in the Himalayas. A photographer who can make a mouse […]
October brings some of the year’s biggest events to Chicago, from the Chicago Marathon and Chicago International Film Festival to the opening of Northwestern’s new Ryan Field. Eric Idle, Gorillaz, the Smashing Pumpkins, David Byrne, and Robert Plant are among the major names on a packed arts and culture calendar. And with glowing jack-o’-lanterns, haunted […]
Many people struggle with deciding what to do next, especially when the stakes are high. Someone may be recommended for a promotion they don’t feel qualified to take, or question their connection with a spouse after decades of marriage. The circumstances vary, but the question is often the same: What is the best option, and […]
When preparing young people for the future, we often focus on academic success, career readiness, and character development. While those areas are essential, some of the most important life lessons begin with something much more fundamental: knowing how to care for oneself and one’s family. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago (BGCC), cooking programs […]
