2025 Illinois General Assembly Recap
I came to The Chicago Community Trust in March after spending years as chief of staff to Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy. I…
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 19: Confronting Homeownership Barriers
While homeownership is often viewed as a pathway to building wealth, a range of challenges can hinder its effectiveness, particularly for specific groups.…
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Transforming the College Transfer Experience
In the Spring of 2006, my mother and I walked into a meeting with a public state university admissions counselor to discuss my…
All Stories
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LGBT Youth and Senior Services Gain New Support
The Chicago Community Trust’s LGBT Community Fund kicked off its first round of community grant making at a reception on October 1. The Fund—founded in…
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Young Boxers Gain Leadership, Respect—and the Support of the Chicago Cubs
Professional boxers and players from the Chicago Cubs were in the house on September 2 for “Respect the Main Event,” a charity event hosted by…
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An Army of ‘Angels,’ Making Sure No One Fights Cancer Alone
In 2001, Jonny Imerman was 26, living in Detroit, earning an MBA and working in commercial real estate. He soon found out he had cancer.…
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An Urban Gardener Builds a ‘Plot to Plate’ Movement for Chicago
LaManda Joy grew up in a gardening family. Her parents were of the generation whose legacy included the Great Depression and victory gardens in the…
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A Winter Hat Inspires Help for Chicago’s Homeless
“If you can’t feed a hundred people,” Mother Teresa once said, “then feed just one.” In feeding just one homeless man, 17-year-old Carlos Leon, a…
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Making Chicago Stronger, After ‘Operation Peter Pan’ Made it Her Home
Maria Bechily is keenly aware of how generosity transforms lives. In 1961, she immigrated to Chicago from Cuba as part of Operation Pedro Pan, an…
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Chamber Music in Your Home? It's On the House.
Music connects people in a way that sitting around a table for a dinner party can, but it’s even better when you can bring the…
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Volunteer Runners Help Homeless Chicagoans Take Their Next Steps
It’s just before dawn on a rainy morning on Chicago’s Near West Side where a group of men and women experiencing homelessness have gathered outside…
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For a Brighton Park Soccer Team, Determination Battles Inequality in New Documentary
In green team t-shirts and sweatshirts, the girls of Thomas Kelly High School’s soccer team filed into their school auditorium. But this time, they walked…
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Moms Join Forces to Build “Honeycomb” of Volunteers
On a road trip to visit their children at camp, Catherine Tannen and Kristina Lowenstein began brainstorming the idea that would become the Honeycomb Project.…
