Imagine being 12 years old, lying awake all night while your parents scream at each other, break things, and slam doors. Your father is drunk and raging. You’re terrified someone might get hurt — or worse. You huddle with your siblings, trying to keep them safe. When morning comes, your mom has a black eye, […]
On a summer day in July, a group of high school girls from Chicago’s South and West sides gathers in a conference room at Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres. For many, it’s their first trip to River North — and their first time stepping inside one of the city’s prestigious corporate offices. They’ve come for […]
What if we rejected the messaging that has permeated our country and our schools: that the arts are a luxury for only the well-to-do, something to cut when budgets need to be balanced, creativity a skill meant for only those who can pay at the door? How would we see ourselves and the thousands of […]
“There is a vast difference between knowing the right thing to do and actually doing the right thing,” Nobel-winning economist Thomas Schelling once said. The evidence is unequivocal: early childhood education is one of the most impactful investments a society can make. Ninety percent of brain development occurs before the age of five, and decades of […]
Access to nutritious food is one of the most basic and important human rights. Yet, more than 700 million people faced hunger in 2023. A staggering 35 percent of the global population, equivalent to 2.8 billion people, experience “hidden hunger,” which is more than restricted access to food, but the lack of adequate nutrition. Many […]
For a large and rapidly expanding group of donors, philanthropy is about more than writing a check — it’s about creating true impact and facilitating transformative change that lasts. They seek proof that their charity will help make lives, families, and communities better. These donors like to use their philanthropic capital just as wisely as […]
Have you ever wondered what happens to a ballet dancer after they take their final bow on the stage? In Christine Rocas’ case, fate intervened, and she ended up exactly where she was always meant to be. After almost 20 years dancing for the Joffrey Ballet, a Make It Better Foundation grant partner, she is […]
More than 5 million children undergo surgery every year. A majority of pediatric patients experience what child life specialists call “Frozen Fear”, intense preoperative anxiety that can persist through sedation. This response can spike cortisol levels, lengthen recovery time, and even cause long-term trauma. A study published in the Journal of Child Life confirmed that […]
In the heart of West Garfield Park, where residents face one of Chicago’s starkest life expectancy gaps, a transformative vision is taking shape. The Sankofa Wellness Village represents more than just new construction — it embodies a community’s determination to rewrite its narrative and reclaim its future. Confronting the Statistics The numbers paint a sobering […]
On May 7, nearly 200 guests gathered at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago’s River West neighborhood for The Family Institute at Northwestern University‘s third annual Gratitude Gala. Hosted by the Board of Directors of the Family Institute, a Make It Better Foundation grant partner, the event raised nearly $260,000 to support the Bette D. Harris Family […]
