Growing up as an Irish dancer in Denver, Chelsea Hoy was attracted to the form’s rhythms and movement. From a young age, Hoy found an unparalleled power and safety in the precision and control that the art of Irish dance requires. When Hoy was nine years old, her aunt drove her and her sister up […]
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 […]
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 […]
A child should worry about making the soccer team, learning to drive, or what to wear to prom. Not whether they’ll lose a leg or whether the chemotherapy that’s about to begin is largely the same treatment doctors have relied on for decades. Yet for hundreds of children and teenagers diagnosed with osteosarcoma each year […]
On a Wednesday afternoon, teenagers in colorful T-shirts were jogging back and forth across a brand-new gym floor and practicing their basketball and volleyball skills. The exercises were part of the first youth programming at the Obama Presidential Center, bringing a long-held vision to life through a partnership with After School Matters, a Make It […]
The caregiver list was already out of date the day Ronna Larsen got it. A caseworker had handed her a photocopied sheet of local caregivers, and one by one, the numbers on it led nowhere: offices that had closed, agencies no longer taking clients. Larsen’s mother had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and Larsen, […]
After years of building a career in banking, Kherrington lost his job following health complications, turning his life upside down. Choosing to take control and see the layoff as a new beginning, he moved to Chicago with a friend. But when that arrangement fell through, Kherrington found himself without housing, savings, or a support network. […]
In the warehouse of Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory, bins upon bins are packed with bundles of clothing, from onesies to adult shoes. Throughout the year, Cradles to Crayons collects and distributes clothing, hygiene products, diapers, and shoes. They also collect seasonal items, such as winter coats and gloves, as well as educational and school […]
