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.