Hope-Filled Organizations (Part 4)

DonorsChoose is a United States–based nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. The organization has been given Charity Navigator's highest rating.

About us | DonorsChoose 1.5 minute video

Our Mission

We make it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

But we can’t do it alone. Join us!

Our commitment to equity in education: We are committed to combating racial and socioeconomic inequity in school funding. Our team works to inspire as much support as possible for teachers of color and for schools that serve low-income communities and Black, Latino, and Native American students.

Created by teachers, for teachers: In 2000, Charles Best, a teacher at a Bronx public high school, thought about all the money he and his colleagues were spending on books, art supplies, and other materials for their students. They weren't alone — today, teachers still spend an average of $500 out of pocket on their classrooms each year. Charles figured there were people who'd want to help if they could see where their money was going. He founded DonorsChoose, a website where teachers could post requests for classroom resources, and his colleagues posted the first 11 projects. Since then, teachers at most US public schools have requested resources through our platform.

Our team: Our team has vetted and fulfilled over 2 million classroom project requests that range from butterfly cocoons, to robotics kits, to books with diverse characters. Many of us are former teachers, so our operation feels like a cross between a tech company and a classroom. Whether we're in our NYC office or working remotely across the country, you'll find us digging into our data, sharing our favorite projects, and Instagramming teacher and student joy.

Here is an example of one classroom project in a Philadelphia public school. Click on this link to get more specific information about this project. Egg Hatching Exploration: Connecting Students to Birds and Life Cycles | DonorsChoose project by Ms. Holmstrom

Egg Hatching Exploration: Connecting Students to Birds and Life Cycles: Help me give my students in a Title I Philadelphia school a hands-on, experience through the Quiver Farm's egg hatching program, aligning with our current curriculum module on birds and informational texts while fostering curiosity and responsibility.

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SHARE OUR SPARE

Our Story

Share Our Spare (SOS) was founded in 2011 by area mom, Amy Kadens, and nine other Chicago women with a desire to help local families in need.

After meeting a mother at a North Side food pantry in need of an emergency supply of diapers and formula for her infant daughter, Kadens mobilized her personal network to share any of their spare baby supplies. The response was hundreds of donations from parents eager to help.  The following month, Share Our Spare was founded to ensure that no family would have to stress over providing their children the most basic essentials.

SOS received nonprofit status in 2012. First functioning out of Kadens’ garage, operations were moved to a 1,500 sq. ft. office space – which was later expanded to 3,000 sq. ft – and two offsite storage spaces. In 2021, SOS moved into our current 10,000+ sq. ft. Sharehouse to accommodate the significant growth and demand we were experiencing in the new decade. In 2020 alone, as families struggled during the pandemic, we distributed more diapers (1.2 million) than all of our previous eight years combined.

Since our start, SOS has helped an estimated 50,000+ unique children and their families across metro Chicago find support, strength and hope through an agency partner model, which emphasizes wraparound services and empowering upward economic mobility.

To see and listen to a 2 minute and 3 second video about Share Our Spare click on this link: https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1478557

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History

Our story began in 1849, during one of Chicago’s most challenging periods. In response to the devastating cholera epidemic that left countless children without families, the Chicago Orphan Asylum (COA) was founded under the Illinois Special Nonprofit Charter Act. Established to provide care and stability for vulnerable children, the asylum was a critical response to a community in crisis. Over the years, what began as an urgent response evolved into an enduring commitment to the well-being of children and families – a legacy we proudly carry forward as Family Focus.

Our organization evolved to meet the needs of our community, addressing the pressing demands of each era. As the needs of our city shifted, so did we, and in 1949 COA was renamed to Chicago Child Care Society (CCCS). We expanded beyond orphan care to include foster care, adoption services, and eventually, early childhood education and family support programs, all while staying true to our mission to uplift children and support their families.

In 1976, Family Focus was founded through the partnership of Bernice Weissbourd, Delores Holmes, and Irving Harris. During a period when the role of women in society was rapidly evolving and families needed more support than ever, Family Focus began as a parent drop-in center in Evanston. Recognizing the need for comprehensive family support services, Family Focus quickly expanded and became a pioneering leader in community-based family support.

In 2019, Family Focus and CCCS began merger discussions – recognizing that both organizations shared a similar mission while being uniquely complimentary of one another. On January 1st, 2021 we began operations as a merged organization. With combined resources, expertise, and vision, the name Family Focus was chosen because it reflects the heart of our work: ensuring that every family has the tools and resources they need to thrive.

SUPPORTING THE WHOLE FAMILY

Today, Family Focus is proud to operate 11 centers across Chicago and Northeast Illinois, impacting the lives of 20,000 participants via a wide range of services from early childhood education to family health programs, and more. Our award-winning Home Visiting Program exemplifies our dedication to excellence. This program provides families with one-on-one support in parenting, school readiness, and holistic child development, equipping every family to thrive in their unique journey.

1849 Orphan Asylum

Bernice Weissbourd

Pictured on the left is the original Asylum building at 22nd and Michigan. It initially provided 400 beds for children orphaned by cholera.
Pictured on the right is Bernice Weissbourd, who was one of the original cofounders of Family Focus, along with Irving Harris and Delores Holmes

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Bridge Communities provides free transitional housing to more than 100 DuPage County families experiencing homelessness each year.

Mission: The mission of Bridge Communities is to transition families facing homelessness into self-sufficiency by working with partners to provide mentoring, housing, and supportive services.

Vision: Our vision is a community where all families are healthy, financially stable, and living in affordable housing.

Values: Each of our core values—Partnership, Empowerment, Integrity, Respect, Hope—apply to everyone involved in Bridge Communities – clients, mentors, program partners, volunteers, donors, board members, staff, and community.

History of Program: When Mark Milligan and Bob Wahlgren first rented an apartment for a family experiencing homelessness, they didn't know that act of kindness would change their lives forever. Decades later, their vision is being carried out by thousands of people who were inspired by Mark and Bob's story to help others in need.

In 1988, the idea to provide housing and intensive life-skills mentoring to families facing homelessness was met with a degree of skepticism. Many doubted that two businesspeople could change how the community responded to and served families experiencing homelessness. 

But Mark and Bob's visionary model, joining each family with a volunteer mentor and professional case manager, has changed the lives of thousands. Bridge has grown and expanded its services during the past three decades, but the commitment to creating change in the lives of families experiencing homelessness has never wavered.

Bridge Communities has become a regional and national leader in transitional housing, as well as the surrounding issues that lead to homelessness, such as lack of affordable housing and well-paid labor jobs. Bridge Communities has counseled and mentored many non-profits, churches, and lay-person organizations on establishing a transitional housing program based on this innovative model. 

To learn more about Bridge Communities, click on this link: Bridge Communities.
To read about one of the families that was positively impacted by this program, click on this link: Ambar | Bridge Communities.

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Racine's 'Hidden Gem'

The Eco-Justice Center continues environmental education efforts

By Caroline Neal, Racine Journal Times, Dec 2, 2024

CALEDONIA — Growing up in Belgium, Wisconsin, Sister Janet Weyker lived on a farm, surrounded by cows, chickens, pigs, and her family’s garden.

Years later, she resided at the Eco-Justice Center in 2004 and said living on the property “felt like coming home.”

This year, the Eco-Justice Center, 7133 Michna Road, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Offering tours, field trips, summer camps, and adult programs, the center focuses on education and aims to help mitigate climate change, with features like its own wind turbine, compost bins, and solar hot water panels. Founded by the Racine Dominican Sisters, the environmental center is also home to animals such as alpacas, goats, and chickens.

“We’ve been blessed,” said Weyker, a founder of the center. “In the beginning, when we said this is a center for community, we ended up saying that community is not just the sisters who started it, but it’s all the volunteers and all the visitors and all the friends who helped ... They’re all part of the Eco-J community.”

Sisters Rose Marie Dischler, from left, Kathleen Bohn, Maryann Weyker, and Janet Weyker gather at
the Eco-Justice Center entrance. The four Racine Dominican Sisters are the founders of the Eco-Justice Center.

The Beginning: Though the Eco-Justice Center didn’t officially open until 2004, ideas for it were proposed in April 2000 during a weekend event called “Gather the Dreamers.

At the meeting, about 100 Racine Dominican Sisters from around the country discussed what needs the sisters should work on.

One sister noted that the sisters, although dedicated to education and justice, had not yet addressed justice for the earth. Passionate about caring for land and animals as well as people, Weyker, along with five other sisters, resonated with this idea, jumpstarting the process to turn the concept into a tangible plan.

For the next two years, the group met every six to eight weeks. During this time, Weyker studied earth literacy at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana, learning how the world and ecosystems work and the history of how people relate to the land.

From 2002 to 2004, Weyker visited similar organizations founded by sisters, observing their practices, talking to their founders, and then reporting back to the other five sisters.

“Through that, we dreamed up a plan, and we called it the Eco-Justice Center,” she said. “We wanted a place that would show environmental justice (and) sustainability, and we wanted to do that in the context of what we call community — a group of people working together.

”The sisters understood that people lead busy lives, and they wanted the center to be a place for people to walk, sit, relax, and be with nature."

“We strongly believe that unless you get to know a place, you’re never going to love it, and if you don’t love it, you’re not going to take care of it,” Weyker said.

Alpacas have been at the Eco-Justice Center since the beginning. The founding sisters knew they wanted animals on the property but were unsure of what kind. When Sister Janet Weyker studied in Indiana, she learned of alpacas, saying, "They're a very calming creature to watch." The sisters used the fiber for crafts. Photo Caroline Neal.

To read and learn more, click on this link.

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JEWISH COUNCIL ON URBAN AFFAIRS

   

Shana Tovah from JCUA

By Jessica Schaffer

As we welcome Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish new year of 5785, I am writing to wish our cherished JCUA members, supporters, partners, and allies a meaningful year ahead.

Over the past three and a half months as Executive Director, I have had the privilege of talking with many of you about your unique connections to JCUA and the inspirations behind your justice work. With each conversation, I have gained deeper insight into this remarkable community – a community that is thoughtful, inclusive, passionate, and profoundly caring of one another.

I have been especially struck by this community’s vulnerability and strength during this year of great grief and loss. Committed to our core values of Tzedek (justice), Makom (place), and Tikkun (repair), we have stood alongside one another and our neighbors, leaning into the principle of solidarity that we hold dear, and that we know is central to a future where everyone is safe and can thrive.

This year, click on this link to view a 2.5 minute video of the work JUCA is performing, we are reaffirming our commitment to building a city and state that is a haven for all. We are marching onward in our fight toward permanent and affordable housing for all; community-sourced public safety solutions that prioritize care over criminalization; and access to healthcare for all of our neighbors, regardless of immigration status. We know that these goals are only achievable if we all work together, so will you join me this year in the fight for justice and equity on behalf of all Illinoisians? 

Let’s make 5785 a year of dignity and safety for all and let us continue to find strength from one another as we co-create a multiracial democracy where everyone can flourish. 

Best wishes for a year of peace, joy, and renewed energy for the hard work ahead.
Shana Tova U’Metukah.