211 Metro Chicago was a decade in the making. The free, confidential helpline was launched by United Way of Metro Chicago, the City of Chicago, and Cook County in January 2023. 2-1-1 connects Cook County residents to essential health and social service resources and is a natural extension of the critical work we have been doing for 90 years – the work of meeting our neighbors’ basic needs.
For more than a decade, United Way of Metro Chicago has been working alongside community partners through place-based, resident-led transformation. In 2023, we deepened this commitment in the suburbs through the launch of four new Neighborhood Networks: Elgin, Ford Heights/Chicago Heights, Harvey, and Park Forest/Richton Park.
Five years ago, Sean Garrett was appointed to lead United Way of Metro Chicago as president and CEO. Now, he’s reflecting on all we have accomplished together – and what’s to come.
Our city, our region, our nation are at a pivotal moment where we need to do better. Not just for the communities of color that understandably feel that they are living with targets on their backs, but for society as a whole. Because we cannot be a great city, region, or nation if our fellow neighbors are struggling to maintain life’s essentials like food, housing, jobs, and even breathe.
One year ago, our city and state issued a stay–at–home order as COVID-19 began to spike. I don’t know about you, but what I remember most was fear and uncertainty. What would this mean for our two kids, who were in pre-k and second grade at the time? How could we keep our colleagues and families safe? How long would this last – two weeks, a month, until summer? Frankly, the only thing we were certain about was that we needed to act quickly to help our neighbors.
As we kick off a new fiscal year, I’ve been reflecting on how far we’ve come. Fiscal year 2019 was a big one for us.
United Way of Metro Chicago’s Senior Manager of Communications sat down with our new CEO and President, Sean Garrett, to learn more about his passion for our work, vision for our organization and what he loves about Chicago.