Stories of Hope (Part 3)

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‘I’m going to do everything I can to help them land on their feet.’ How one Chicagoan is helping a family navigate this sanctuary city

By Heidi Stevens and Tribune News Service. Published: Jan 05, 2024

Brad Zibung and the Torres family outside of their new apartment, which he helped them secure.

Brad Zibung and the Torres family outside of their new apartment, which he helped them secure.

(Courtesy of Brad Zibung)

Brad Zibung, a Chicago real estate agent, was heading east on the North Avenue bus to see a play at the Steppenwolf Theatre. It was November. The play was “Sanctuary City,” Martyna Majok’s story about the uncertain future of two undocumented teenagers brought to the United States as children.

Zibung noticed a family — mom, dad and two young kids — carrying a lot of items and dressed in clothes that wouldn’t stand up to Chicago’s cold. They got off the bus at the same stop as Zibung and he watched them struggle to carry a large vinyl bag filled with, it turned out, canned goods. He offered to help. The family accepted

They were headed to the Red Line station and Zibung walked with them. Together they carried the bag down a long flight of steps to the train. The family only spoke Spanish, so Zibung and the father made conversation by texting each other’s phones and hitting Google translate while they waited for a train.

The family, named Torres, was from Venezuela, Zibung learned. They were heading south to 95th Street and then west to a shelter.

“Turns out it was the same day of the Northwestern-Iowa game at Wrigley,” Zibung said, “so the train rolls up and it’s packed with drunk fans.”

A Red Line rite of passage.

The family of four squeezed  in a train car. Zibung assured them the crowds would thin out after the downtown stops and asked them to text him when they arrived at the shelter. They obliged.

The texts continued through the holidays. The family was staying in Dolton where the parents were finding odd jobs.

 Zibung visited with winter clothes that his sister picked out for them during her holiday shopping. Zibung took them grocery shopping and Target shopping.

What began as a bit of kismet — guy heading to a play called “Sanctuary City” gets off the bus with a family trying to navigate life in an actual sanctuary city — was budding into a friendship. They went to the Billy Goat. They swung by the Church’s Chicken near the United Center one day and Zibung watched the dad give some of his cash to a woman standing outside asking for help. To read more, click on this link: Heidi Stevens: One Chicagoan helps a family navigate our sanctuary city (chicagotribune.com)


DailyGood was born in 1998, when one college student started sharing inspiration with a half a dozen of his friends by sending them an enriching quote every day.

Today, DailyGood leverages the internet to promote positive and uplifting news around the world to more than 100,000 subscribers through the daily and weekly newsletters. Readers receive a news story, an inspiring quote, and a suggested action that each person can take to make a difference in their own lives and the world around them.

Often watching the nightly news and reading mainstream newspapers it's hard to remember the presence of good in the world. And yet it is constantly around us. The world is full of everyday heroes and true stories of transformation. They have helped sustain life down the ages in a multitude of ways, small, simple and profound. DailyGood aims to shine a light on these stories and in doing so to change the nature of our conversations. If it can spread a few smiles along the way, its purpose is served.

Our philosophy is quite simple: "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." The entire project is fully run by dedicated volunteers who contribute hundreds of hours finding the right stories and quotes. All of our content is distributed and syndicated for free. We don't advertise or promote any products. We don't ask for anything with the trust that whatever is needed will come.

And in the end, we are thankful that so many benefit from DailyGood because it gives us a meaningful opportunity to serve.

Thank you for your partnership in spreading the good.

The DailyGood Team

To learn more about the DailyGood Team and their work, click on this link: DailyGood: News That Inspires


Over 550 RUSD middle school girls attend GEMS conference

Racine Journal Times, Article and photos by Ryan Patterson Jan 14, 2024

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Temple Lester gives the keynote address during the Girls Empowered by Math and Science Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Lester was occasionally made fun of for her interest in science, but she did not let that deter her.

SOMERS — As the only girl at a science camp in elementary school, Temple Lester was initially told she would be a princess.

After talking with her mother, Lester stood up for herself the next day.

“I don’t want to be a princess,” she told camp counselors. “I want to be a scientist just like all the boys.”

That is when Lester learned the importance of self-advocacy, a lesson she shared Thursday during the 11th annual Girls Empowered by Math and Science Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Lester, the GEMS conference keynote speaker, was occasionally made fun of for her interest in science, but she did not let that deter her.

“I used to not like telling people what I did in fear of their judgment, but I had to learn that it’s OK to be myself, and there’s people out there who will celebrate me no matter what,” Lester said.

That stood out for Jada Lue, an eighth grader at the R.E.A.L. School.

“Most people told (Lester) no; she still did what she believed she could do,” Lue said.

Lue was one of more than 550 Racine Unified middle school girls, nearly all of whom were eighth graders, who attended the GEMS conference.

Students were from all seven RUSD buildings with middle schoolers: Gifford, Gilmore Fine Arts, Jerstad-Agerholm, Mitchell, R.E.A.L, Starbuck and Walden.

The girls spent the day at UW-Parkside’s campus. After hearing from speakers in the morning, students participated in several workshops and listened to a panel discussion.

Workshops included students building Bluetooth speakers, making jewelry and learning about brains.

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Having fun! Students laugh with one another during the Girls Empowered by Math and Science Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. (Photo, Ryan Patterson) To learn more, click on this link: GEMS conference draws more than 550 RUSD middle school girls (journaltimes.com)


Previous Story of Hope follow-up: Continuing the story of Attitude of Gratitude which was in the January 2024 Hope Newsletter, below is a message I received form one of our subscribers to the Hope Newsletter. The writer of the message is, among many things, a spiritual guide who works with many individuals and groups of people. In this instance, the group he is talking with are men who are or have been engaged with the criminal justice system.

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Hi Bob----

Thought you would appreciate this in light of the theme of this month’s newsletter. 😊

At yesterday’s session the five men and I read this together:

Lakota author and activist Doug Good Feather is committed to sharing Native American wisdom and practices with nonnative audiences as a way to help and heal humanity. He writes that no matter what our circumstances, gratitude is available to us

 Each and every morning offers us a chance to start anew, fresh, and to begin again. Each morning when we wake—if we choose to listen—is a message from the Creator to remember the privilege we were given of waking up. It’s a reminder to get up and prepare us, to honor ourselves, to connect with Mother Earth and the hearts of other beings, to inspire and encourage those who cross our paths, and most importantly, to enjoy life.

Gratitude moves stagnant energy when we’re feeling stuck in life. The simple act of practicing gratitude disrupts negative thoughts and changes our mindset to see the world in a positive way. Not only are we more attractive to others when we live in gratitude, but the most ordinary things can become extraordinary, creating a fuller, more beautiful expression of our life.

After reading this I asked the men if they knew what the word gratitude meant. All of them said “no.”  I said it’s what you feel when you feel grateful about something. (My wife laughed at that part---she thought my explanation was pretty lame. 😊)  One of the men asked, “Is it like appreciation?”  I said, “Yes, gratitude is like feeling appreciation for something.”

I was reminded how important words are. Without knowing the word “gratitude,” one might be less able to experience it. I felt blessed to be able to share that with the men.

Continuing the story of Attitude of Gratitude which was in the January 2024 Hope Newsletter, below is a message I received form one of our subscribers to the Hope Newsletter. The writer of the message is, among many things, a spiritual guide who works with many individuals and groups of people. In this instance, the group he is talking with are men who are or have been engaged with the criminal justice system.


Attitude of Gratitude

I received the email below from one of the subscribers to the Hope From the Bottom Up website and monthly newsletter.

“Dear Robert, I thought you might find the Attitude of Gratitude (AoG) website and related Facebook group interesting and worth sharing with the Hope From The Bottom Up group. Here is the link to Attitude of Gratitude (AoG). https://www.gratitudeaddict.com/attitude-of-gratitude-with-chronic-pain

There’s a Facebook Group with the name, and then Lauren Zalewski (the founder of the group) has gratitude addict as a webpage.

Like I said, it helped me TREMENDOUSLY when I was devastated by my injury and pain and accompanying physical limitations. It helped me “move” my mindset to what I could do, even if that meant drawing in a reclining position! 

I was approximately member number 450 back in 2015 when I joined the group, and now there are over 10,000 members. People make positive connections with others who are in the same boat!  We don’t discuss anything medical or about pain on the Facebook page. It’s prohibited. But some people break off into their own Chat Groups on Messenger, which is private amongst the Chat Group members.

Sharing this information in your Hope Newsletter would be awesome. If it can help anyone else who sees it or they spread the word to someone else who may benefit from it, that would be great.”


 Walden school donates hundreds of boxes of food, more than $9,000

Ryan Patterson, Racine Journal Times, November 24, 2023

RACINE — Dozens of students carried boxes of food Tuesday morning onto pallets. The boxes were then placed in a truck and will eventually help feed area residents.

That team effort illustrated the collective work done this month by students and staff at Walden III Middle School and High School during the building’s annual food drive.

Walden collected 472 boxes of food and $9,183 for the Racine County Food Bank, 2000 De Koven Ave. Cash was collected Tuesday during an all-school assembly, where an additional $243 were raised.

That total is slightly less than the school donated last year, but it remains one of the county’s largest food drives.

“This is still so much food, and we’re still so proud of all of our efforts,” said Eliana Hanson, Walden student government president.

Walden school donates hundreds of boxes of food, more than $9,000

Ryan Patterson, Racine Journal Times, November 24, 2023      

RACINE — Dozens of students carried boxes of food Tuesday morning onto pallets. The boxes were then placed in a truck and will eventually help feed area residents.

That team effort illustrated the collective work done this month by students and staff at Walden III Middle School and High School during the building’s annual food drive.

Walden collected 472 boxes of food and $9,183 for the Racine County Food Bank, 2000 De Koven Ave. Cash was collected Tuesday during an all-school assembly, where an additional $243 were raised.

That total is slightly less than the school donated last year, but it remains one of the county’s largest food drives.

“This is still so much food, and we’re still so proud of all of our efforts,” said Eliana Hanson, Walden student government president.

“This is still so much food, and we’re still so proud of all of our efforts,” said Eliana Hanson, Walden student government president.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason, left, listens to Eliana Hanson, Walden student government president,

during the annual food drive at Walden III school.

Walden’s annual food drive has occurred for decades, and Hanson said she was “overjoyed to be continuing this long-standing tradition.”

Hanson helped organize the food drive and said it is one of her favorite times of the year because it brings the school closer.

Hanson helped organize the food drive and said it is one of her favorite times of the year because it brings the school closer.

“Coming together to work toward this one big goal is really, really amazing,” Hanson said.

Casi Schatzman, Walden student government advisor, said it is fun to see teamwork and collaboration during a time of giving. “It gets the kids excited, gives them something to work together for,” Schatzman said. “It really fosters a good sense of community.”

Schatzman enjoys seeing the students’ work pay off “in a tangible way.” “It takes the abstract and makes it very real,” Schatzman said. “We have done a lot together.”

Dan Taivalkoski, Racine County Food Bank executive director, said Tuesday was one of his favorite days of the year, and he praised and thanked students. “We couldn’t do what we do without folks like you,” Taivalkoski said. “As I look around the room, the future of our community is in very good hands.”

Racine Mayor Cory Mason agreed and expressed pride in the students’ leadership. “It makes you a wonderful reflection of our community,” Mason said. “It is really going to make the lives of people in this community much better because of the work that you’ve done.”

The food drive started Nov. 13. There were competitions to encourage donations, and several prizes were awarded to middle school and high school home groups at Walden, 2340 Mohr Ave. 

After the awards, a few award-winning students smashed pies in teachers’ faces. Sounds like a lot of fun 😊


Colleen Kujawa: Want a cure for cynicism? Try digging holes and planting trees.

By Colleen Kujawa Chicago Tribune Oct 13, 2023

I spent the last Saturday in September digging and standing in holes. I walked home sore, sweaty and happy. And buoyed against the naysaying that goes hand in hand with living in a complicated city.

Dozens of people showed up at Athletic Field Park in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood that morning for a mass tree planting. They picked up shovels and swung dirt to bring verdant new life to the parkways of the streets nearby. The old proverb is still true: It takes a village to make a difference. It takes people showing up.

My team of four, led by Openlands treekeeper Floyd, planted five trees in three hours. We hustled. We measured, we dug, we finessed. When we found ourselves planting in the shade, we celebrated our good fortune. When we moved on to the next patch of grass and had to labor under the sun, we quietly cursed. Or at least I did.

When you plant a tree, the hole you’ve dug has to have a flat bottom. Otherwise, the tree won’t stand and grow straight, as my teammates and I learned from Floyd. That means you have to stomp the dirt with your feet. After three hours of work, I mastered the art of stomping Chicago parkway dirt flat.

Volunteer Maureen consults with Openlands treekeeper Floyd during a tree planting event Sept. 30, 2023, near Athletic Field Park in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood.

Volunteer Maureen consults with Openlands treekeeper Floyd during a tree planting event Sept. 30, 2023, near Athletic Field Park in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood. (Colleen Kujawa/Chicago Tribune)

My teammates Maureen and Arsenio weren’t tree planting newbies like Cristina and me, which I playfully declared gave us an edge over the other teams. We weren’t competing, but still, five trees in three hours? Floyd looked at us like a proud papa.

Arsenio told us that he likes to check on one of the trees he planted in another neighborhood at a previous event. He drives by in his car to take a look. After committing my sweat and modest muscle power to this effort, I understood why. I became part of that investment — of so many people’s time, as well as money, support and coordination from the organizations and leaders who make good things happen… We make a difference by showing up. If you’ll forgive my bluntness, cynicism is for the lazy. I helped put trees in the ground because I am making a choice. To read more, click on this link: Colleen Kujawa: Want a cure for cynicism? Try planting trees. (chicagotribune.com)


Walden No Place for Hate Group continues positive work

Ryan Patterson, Racine Journal Times, Oct 8, 2023