Watch: Metropolitan Planning Council's Chicago River Tour

On Aug. 29, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) hosted a Chicago River Tour aboard Wendella Boats’ Magnificent Mile Water Taxi. Make It Better was a proud media sponsor of the event. The tour took place ahead of the opening of the Chicago River Edge Ideas Lab, an initiative of the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning […]

14 Ways to Help Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma Victims

Updated Sept. 11  On Aug. 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane. Since then, it has set a record for inches of rain from a tropical cyclone in the continental United States: 51. And, as of Tuesday morning, 3,400 water rescues have been made in Houston alone and an estimated 30,000 […]

Before and After: See How Rebuilding Together Transforms Homes and Lives

Although Rebuilding Together is a national organization, for the past 21 years the North Suburban Chicago chapter specifically has brought together hundreds in the community into a network of people that can be simply described as “neighbors helping neighbors.” Through the essential work of social workers, more than 500 skilled and unskilled volunteers, faith organizations, […]

How This Chicago Arts School is Using a Trauma-Informed Approach to Bring Compassion to Its Teaching

Reginald Harris — currently lead social worker at BrightLife Transitional Living Program at Lighthouse Youth and Family Services in Ohio — thought he was making a massive career shift when he left his role as Dance Department Head at The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts®) to pursue a master’s degree in social work. […]

Better Makers: Chicago Shakespeare Theater Raises Record $1.74 Million at GALA 2017

On June 9, 2017, Chicago Shakespeare Theater celebrated its 30th anniversary with GALA 2017 at the theater’s Navy Pier location. The fundraiser broke all past records with a total of $1.74 million raised for Chicago Shakespeare in Classrooms and Communities, which includes the theater’s nationally acclaimed education programs and their free Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour. […]