News

There are a handful of necessities every child needs to live ⁠—and dream ⁠— safely and comfortably. A warm bed to rest their head tops the list. Last month, as part of its Hope to Dream...

On Sunday, marking the 50th anniversary of this event, Chicagoans far and wide celebrated Pride at the city’s annual parade. As advocates for stronger communities, United Pride — a United Way affinity group — and a few of our community and corporate partners came together to rally around our LGBTQ neighbors.

For many of our volunteers and donors, when they join United Way, they make a life-long commitment.  So is the story of Bob Sullivan, a United Way board member and our Campaign Cabinet chair for...

Every team needs a utility player. At United Way of Metro Chicago, Joe Higgins is one of those teammates. Year in and year out, Joe invests in his community by giving his time, energy and...

Last year, when Renay Hopkins lost her job, it was a frustrating and laborious effort to find a new one. While searching, she moved in with her grandmother to save some money. She recommended that Renay visit Austin Coming Together (ACT), a social service organization and United Way partner in her southwest neighborhood.

A few weeks ago, more than 400 youth from six Brighton Park schools met to tackle some of the challenges they face in their community — from police violence and unhealthy relationships to adultism and violations of immigrants' rights.

When someone experiences violence or abuse, it can be incredibly difficult to ask for help — whether it’s from a family member, law enforcement or a social service provider. For a person who...

As a young boy growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Rasheed Sami faced struggles that no child should. Some days, there wasn’t food on his table. Today, Rasheed, who’s almost 30, uses those struggles to empower others who face similar circumstances. Most recently in his journey to healing, Rasheed attended an educational symposium designed to teach South Chicago residents about trauma, how it can manifest in your life and tips to better respond to its effects.

In nearly every facet of our lives — from our workplaces to our homes — we work with others to achieve common goals. So when our neighbors, communities and region face challenges, it only makes...

As the rest of the region came to a halt during February’s Polar Vortex, the team at Connections for the Homeless in Evanston worked on overdrive. For more than 72 hours, staff members, volunteers and program participants went above and beyond to ensure their neighbors were safe and warm.