More Than a Paycheck: What It Takes to Get Ahead
Two days before my brother’s 10th birthday, my family was on the brink of bankruptcy. My parents’ small business hadn’t hit its growth…
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
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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 27: Fueling Small Business Growth in Chicago
Small businesses are essential to stabilizing neighborhood economies. They create jobs, activate commercial corridors, and provide the goods and services that help communities…
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“Can I Invest in Community to Do Good?” Samuel Muñeton Jr. Shows Us How.
For Samuel Muñeton Jr., his philanthropy has come full circle. In his youth, Sam benefited directly from mentors and others in his community…
All Stories
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When Neighbors "Act Up," Communities Are Transformed
Each year following On the Table, the Trust hears from community members who are eager to share insights and ideas to better their community—all stemming…
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Finding Rhythm, Finding Peace
You would never know it now. But once upon a time, New York-born Puerto Rican musician and congo instructor Carlos Cornier was a rockero, hanging…
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Instability, Energy and Progress: The Future of Chicago Schools
“Chicago is at a tipping point—and the world spotlight is directed squarely us.” The tagline of the Future of Chicago conference on June 15, hosted…
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Giving Young Black Men a Roadmap to Engaged Fatherhood
“As a parent, there’s no map or manual that teaches you the things that you actually need to know and do.” [pullquote]At @DovetailProject, African-American teens…
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Illinois' Budget Impasse and Chicago's Violence Crisis
Co-authored by: Terry Mazany, president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust; Grace Hou, president of Woods Fund Chicago; and Leslie Ramyk, executive director of…
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Growing Up—and Grieving—as a Gay Muslim American
Upon learning that someone has died, Muslims recite “Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un”: “We surely belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return.”…
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Philanthropic Kids Set the Agenda to "Make Our City Great"
How can we engage our children in service so compellingly that they’ll make it a lifelong habit? The Honeycomb Project has been addressing that question…
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In Chicago's Highest Fire Risk Neighborhoods, Protecting Homes and Families
Christine White opened her door on a Saturday morning to welcome the American Red Cross inside. “I’ve never needed your services, thank God,” she told…
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The Retired Educator Building Literacy Centers Across Joliet
In 1974, during the fourth Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Weekend, a small team of women came together in a Washington D.C. hotel room and mapped…
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Leading the Next Generation of Ocean Preservation
Before she’d ever heard of Chicago or Lake Michigan, Daniela Fernandez spent happy times at the beach in Ecuador. Those times lasted until she was…
