Parents telling their children to “Go outside!” may have been the battle cry of previous generations, but these days encouraging families to spend time outdoors can be a little more complicated. Urban environments, safety concerns, and busy schedules can conflict with families’ desires to spend time in nature. Many parents see the difference between an […]
November brings the start of Chicago’s holiday season, from the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival to the Goodman Theatre’s annual A Christmas Carol. Stevie Wonder and Yo-Yo Ma lead a strong month for music, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ina Garten take the stage for talks, and holiday light displays open across the city and suburbs. Tag us […]
Writers Theatre (WT), a Make It Better Foundation 2026 Philanthropy Award winner, brought together more than 15 faith, cultural, and educational organizations through The Stoppard Series, an initiative inspired by its largest production to date: Tom Stoppard’s award-winning drama, Leopoldstadt, directed by Carey Perloff. The production centers on Jewish identity, family history, and belonging, themes […]
A first-year math teacher stands in her classroom, walls covered in anchor charts that promise mistakes are welcome. She spent her summer building rich, open-ended tasks — the kind she loved in graduate school. On the first day, she learns every student’s name. She is ready. Then she hands out the math task. Every hand […]
David Byrne has worn some memorable suits onstage, most famously the oversized gray suit in Talking Heads’ concert film Stop Making Sense. But at Chicago’s Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture on Oct. 15, there was no giant suit, no band, and no choreography. In a simple blue suit and turtleneck, speaking to a packed house […]
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 […]
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 […]
