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
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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.…
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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
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A “Clown Doctor” Brightens Life for Chicago’s Children and Seniors
Karen Hoyer is a professional mime artist who has made a career out of making people smile. She uses her gift of performance to spread…
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American Dreamer Frank Clark: “Every Day, I Try to Give Back”
Frank Clark epitomizes the American success story. Born in Chicago in the 1940s, he started in the mailroom at ComEd, eventually climbing the ranks to…
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"We Are Still a Resilient Community": Chicago Latinos Unite in Philanthropy
Since 1870, Erie Neighborhood House has been serving Chicago’s Latino families in communities like West Town, Humboldt Park and Pilsen. The organization provides a range…
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Inside a North Lawndale Community Garden
Good things are happening all over Chicago. To celebrate some of the people making a difference, The Chicago Community Trust has partnered with Free Spirit…
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A Death Across the Street Inspires a Movement to Reclaim South Shore
After living for 40 years in South Shore/South Chicago—two adjacent lakefront neighborhoods that have gone from middle-class haven to gang stronghold—Laura Morgan didn’t have much…
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Equality Activist Evan Wolfson on Generosity, Government and Mending the World
Serving as co-counsel in the landmark Hawaii marriage case Baehr v. Miike, which paved the way for the global freedom to marry movement, Evan Wolfson…
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After a Tragic Loss, a Journalist Helps Us Reckon with Death
WGN-TV reporter Randi Belisomo is on a mission to help her fellow Chicagoans learn to think in concrete terms about a very difficult topic—namely, that…
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A Painter and a Sculptor Create Opportunity for Artists with Disabilities
Sometimes life takes you in an unexpected direction. That’s the lesson learned by Rob Lentz and Mark Jackson, co-founders of Project Onward, a gallery and…
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Protecting Oak Tree Ecosystems, One Partnership at a Time
Catherine Game is the director of communications and engagement for Chicago Wilderness, a 200-plus-member alliance of conservation groups, government agencies, businesses and faith groups. Founded…
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In Mt. Greenwood, One Lawyer Carries on Boxing’s Tradition of Giving Back
On Chicago’s South Side, behind a small law office, sits Celtic Boxing Club. Mike Joyce, an attorney by day and boxing instructor by night, started…
