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Happy New Year, everyone! On behalf of United Way of Metro Chicago, thank you for being part of our work over this past year.
This last year was challenging. We experienced and continue to live through unique and complex times. So many of us have been deeply impacted by rising costs, immigration enforcement activities, the government shutdown, and changes to the human service safety net.
But through it all, you and our partners across the region have shown up. Communities organized Rapid Response Networks, food drives, and home delivery services, plus safe passage for kids going to school.
We passed out thousands of 2-1-1 bilingual flyers to homes across Cook County to encourage residents to call 2-1-1 for help with finding food, housing, and health care.
And in November, United Way launched our Rapid Response Fund, investing $250,000 in 24 organizations helping neighbors put food on the table.
United Way also celebrated big wins. We were thrilled to join our partners Austin Coming Together and BMO for the opening of the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation. The once-vacant elementary school has been transformed into a hub for workforce development and economic growth.
This year, we look forward to celebrating the opening of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Network Service Center on the Southwest Side of Chicago and expanding our Neighborhood Networks into the North Lawndale community alongside the Steans Family Foundation.
We will also continue to collect real-time data from 2-1-1 to help inform how we respond to ensure our neighbors can continue to meet their basic needs.
Your support and belief in our work make all of this possible. Thank you for joining me and United Way of Metro Chicago as we continue to step up and make a difference across the Chicago region. Together, we can ensure every person can meet their basic needs, every neighborhood is stronger, and Chicago is a place where everyone can thrive.
I look forward to continuing to meet the moment with you, today and every day in the year to come.
Sincerely,
Sean Garrett
President and CEO
United Way of Metro Chicago
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