Neighborhood Development Champions Support a Strong Pipeline of Community-Led Projects
For the Chicago region to thrive, all communities must prosper. Disinvestment in the South and West Sides has limited wealth-building and harmed neighborhood…
Stories
Spotlights on community issues, the people, and the organizations who contribute to effective philanthropy as well as a stronger Chicago region and world.
Recent Stories
-
-
Joshua Moreno: On Philanthropy & Showing Up for Others
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the cultures, contributions, and resilience of the Latine communities in Chicago and across the country.…
-
Rooted in Care: Community Partners Are Charting Paths to Housing Stability
Housing instability can significantly impact a person’s health and economic outcomes, including physical, mental and behavioral well-being. Stable housing provides a foundation not…
All Stories
-
A Neighborhood Bakery Helping Homeless Youth Reach their Dreams
Blue Sky Bakery & Cafe, a charming coffee shop in the North Center neighborhood, has a serious mission tucked in among the tempting scones and…
-
8 Lessons for Alternatives to Incarceration through the Arts
From 2010 to 2015, the Arts Infusion Initiative helped build skills for a safer future for Chicago’s at-risk and criminally involved young people. Launched by The Chicago…
-
Continuing Her Family Tradition, True to Her Own Voice
Nora “Nancy” Ryerson Ranney grew up with The Chicago Community Trust. Born in 1916, a year after the Trust was founded, she was the daughter…
-
A 'Social Toolkit' to Stop Violence and Bridge Generations
Re-connecting with two friends at an On the Table event in 2015 helped community activist Laura Morgan pursue a new strategy in her campaign to…
-
The Music Mentor Teaching Steel Drums on the South Side
Julian Champion remembers that when he was around age 7, he had one burning desire—to play a musical instrument. The young boy would accompany his…
-
Listening to Someone's Story, Hearing Someone's Soul
“When someone is being listened to in a really serious way, it reminds them that their story matters. And how much their lives matter.” Storytelling…
-
Anti-Violence Program Connects Police and Teens – Behind Bars
An On the Table discussion at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in May 2014, where young residents shared their hopes and frustrations, led…
-
Changing the Future for 'Anybody Else's Father, Anybody Else's Son'
“They would ask me in school, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I didn’t say a doctor, a teacher, or a…
-
Honoring Greatness Beyond Grants: The James Brown IV Awards
For more three decades, the James Brown IV Award for Outstanding Community Service recognized some of Chicago’s most significant nonprofit organizations. [pullquote]From 1973 to 2005,…
-
How Great Events Connect Us with Our Place, Our Past, and Each Other
When I first started to share my concept of a community conversation about our region, friends and colleagues responded, “Don’t we do this every day?”…
