The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago proudly celebrated the 2025 class of heroes at the annual Red Cross Heroes Breakfast on April 30. These individuals have gone above and beyond to build stronger, safer communities and have made a lasting impact through their selfless actions. The Heroes Breakfast was established to raise public awareness of local heroes […]
Language shapes how we understand the world and each other. In discussions about disability and inclusion, the words we use can either affirm and uplift or alienate and harm. Choosing the right language is essential to fostering a world where everyone feels valued and included. When talking about disability, some people avoid the term entirely, […]
The town of Highland Park, a tight-knit community north of Chicago, has been grappling with the fallout of the July 4, 2022, mass shooting that turned a holiday parade into a scene of horror. Seven people were killed and nearly 50 others injured when a rooftop gunman opened fire with an AR-style rifle. Nearly three […]
In a time when many nonprofits are struggling to sustain year-over-year support — and donors seek more transparency about where their money goes — a small church just north of Chicago has quietly built a model of grassroots philanthropy that’s helped dozens of local organizations not just survive, but thrive. Kenilworth Union Church’s approach might […]
Loneliness isn’t just an emotion — it’s a growing public health crisis. A 2023 Gallup Poll found that one in four people around the world report significant loneliness, while another 27 percent say they feel at least a little lonely. And surprisingly, it’s not just older adults who are affected. The highest rates of loneliness […]
This post was submitted as part of our “You Said It” program.” Your voice, ideas, and engagement are important to help us accomplish our mission. We encourage you to share your ideas and efforts to make the world a better place by submitting a “You Said It.” As a member of the American Red Cross Climate […]
Schools should be places that nourish dreams, not destroy them. Yet, on April 16, 2007, the unimaginable happened once again. It was another school shooting, this time on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). The first shooting was in a dormitory, then two and a half hours later in classrooms […]
For those of us who grew up with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness as the soundtrack to our adolescence, its arrival this November on the Lyric Opera of Chicago stage doesn’t feel like a stretch, it feels like a full-circle moment. Thirty years later, the sprawling double album that always sounded like a symphony […]
With cutbacks to federal government programs and layoffs of civil servants around the country, there’s been a lot of confusion about funding for wildfire prevention and mitigation under the new presidential administration. Yet, Santa Rosa, California resident Lynn Garric feels encouraged. “I’m a very hopeful, optimistic person,” she explains. “I’m the one who came back […]
Ami Vitale has spent her career on the front lines of our planet’s most urgent crises, using her camera not only to witness the world but to change it. A National Geographic photographer, writer, documentary filmmaker, and Nikon Ambassador, Vitale began her career covering conflict zones — places where human suffering was raw and unrelenting. […]
