Aye, 19, from Peoria, sits in a conference room with windows looking out on a green, idyllic lake scene and says, “Allendale brought hope back into me.” Surrounded by nature, with time to be quiet and relax, Aye says changing her surroundings “gives me time to know me more and what I want in life.” […]
Precious Wright, 25, may be as young as the women she’s advising, but her words carry an authority beyond her years. Wright, the program coordinator for WILL (Women Invested in Learning & Livelihoods) at the Youth Job Center of Evanston, was once a DCFS ward of the state. Three foster homes, one diploma from Walter […]
Mary O’Donohue’s “aha” moment occurred not during her work hours as an editing supervisor at the Oprah Show, but at home, when her then 5-year-old son received a birthday gift. The blue shirt, carefully chosen for him by a family friend, received not more than a cursory glance from her son before it was […]
The Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation’s decision to no longer fund grants to Planned Parenthood got a lot of people fired up. The resulting social media fury that spurred a reversal of that decision got us thinking: What should you do when your favorite charity disappoints you? Some ideas gleaned from around the […]
When there’s a new baby, or your friend has the flu, delivering dinner is definitely welcome. But when the worst happens—a husband dies suddenly, a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, or a rugged divorce gets more rugged—what do you do? “Calling and saying, `Call me anytime, I’ll do anything for you’ isn’t going […]
When Meaghan Heaton of Evanston travelled to Haiti this summer to teach yoga to women who had limbs amputated due to injuries sustained in the January 2010 earthquake, she didn’t know what to expect. For one, she didn’t think the women would have much strength. For another, she didn’t expect them to have much balance. […]
Like a garden in bloom, or a soaring sonata, a well-designed home can lift your spirits. Just ask Glory-Lieb Tetuh, a Girls Hope scholar who lives in an Evanston home that was recently redecorated through Design for Dignity’s Heart Homes Initiative. “Designs for Dignity has filled our home with light—literally. The house has been brighter […]
Mary McLaughlin could be considered a local treasure simply for the beautiful handpainted ceramic treasures that her company, McLaughlin Glazeware, produces in Northfield. But while high-profile customers such as Hillary Clinton are avid collectors of the enamels, chinaware, jewelry and gift boxes, McLaughlin’s other passion is found hanging on a tree. And that passion […]
Mega snow and mega cold means one thing: warm water (if not weather) getaway. You know your kids will love any waterpark, but which resort has amenities to keep the grown-ups happy, too? Here’s my list of likely contenders from nearest to farthest. Key Lime Cove, Gurnee Less than an hour away, Key Lime […]
Talented and passionate people live all over the Chicago area and they’re prolific bloggers. Here are some of our favorites. CREATIVITY, ART & PHOTOGRAPHY janefultonalt.blogspot.com Jane Fulton Alt is a fine art photographer in Evanston who has exhibited her work widely. Photography buffs will find inspiration in her blog, “On Life, Love and the Creative […]
