Chicago Cares

Cheers to Our Volunteers 2024 is coming up on October 10th! Don’t let this opportunity to eat, dance, and amplify outstanding Chicago community members pass you by! Tickets are FREE, but they are running low – get your tix today at https://lnkd.in/gCzVefSZ

We are ecstatic to announce that our CEO Rosie Drumgoole has been named a 2024 Notable Black Leader by Crain's Chicago Business! Some facts about Rosie: ⭐️ Rosie has been at Chicago Cares for over 14 years! ⭐️ Rosie has been instrumental in reshaping our approach to service, implementing the Community Investment Strategy which has connected 22,000 volunteers and leveraging $9.7 million to fuel the work of partners on Chicago’s South, West and Northwest sides. She also worked with PepsiCo to develop a new initiative that invested $5M in preparing 3,000 young people on Chicago’s South and West sides for high-quality careers. ⭐️ Rosie is an alumnus of the Allstate Foundation’s Executive Leadership Program, the American Express Leadership Academy, is a Board member of Deborah’s Place and sits on the Board of Directors of the Serve Illinois Commission! Congratulations Rosie, we are so proud of you!

Today we’re delighted congratulate the amazing volunteers nominated for the 2024 Cheers to Our Volunteers awards! Help us show these change-makers some love. We are so inspired by their accomplishments-- each going above and beyond to contribute to the change work in motion in communities across Chicago. Congratulations to all of the 2024 nominees! Join us on October 10th to find out the winners of each category, and to raise a glass to transformational service! We’ll save a piece of dance floor just for you. RSVP at https://lnkd.in/gCzVefSZ

Find Your Cause 2024 was a success! Together we explored the many ways you can practice civic love: with rest, art, amazing community organizations, ice cream, and most importantly with you! Thank you to our partner organizations and vendors! You made this event sparkle. ✨ Thank you to our attendees! You make our work of transformational service ignite change. 🔥 Don’t let this be the end of an incredible season, join us on October 10th to celebrate service at Cheers to our Volunteers! If you bring your Find Your Cause Chicago Cares branded coaster, you’ll receive a free drink! Register at https://lnkd.in/gCzVefSZ

What an honor to have our CEO, Rosie Drumgoole among this list of honorees. Congrats to all those on the list! 🎉

Today we are highlighting an upcoming volunteer engagement! This month, our partner Goldman Sachs is teaming up with Chicago Cares and TGiMovement for a professional development fair open to all volunteers! Volunteers will learn more about how community leaders in Chicago Lawn empower youth to curate and cultivate Oasis-es throughout the city of Chicago to unite youth across neighborhood boundaries. Volunteers for this project will contribute to the youth’s individualized personal and professional development goals by engaging them in mock interviews, reviewing resumes, and supporting the young people in their practice for college, scholarship and job interview preparation.  Learn more about the work of TGi Movement is doing to empower young people on the Southwest side by giving them a follow and sign up to be a part of this amazing event: https://lnkd.in/dbtf83cU

On July 11th, we celebrated bold, collective action made possible through community-led change. Chicago Cares, UCAN (Chicago), and Students Demand Action (a part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network) closed out a yearlong journey to reclaim safe spaces for youth in Chicago. Thanks to funds from the Everytown for Gun Safety Fund and the Vitalogy Foundation, these organizations worked in partnership to restore a community basketball court in the Chicago Neighborhood of North Lawndale.

Chicago Cares is a proud member of the Peace and Wellness Coalition, an organization of partners working in the city to ensure safety and wellness within our communities, run by our partner Southwest Organizing Project. This year, we worked with SWOP and organized a free 5k in Marquette Park. The race will be followed by a wellness fair that will bring wellness resources and family fun to the folks of Chicago Lawn and surrounding neighborhoods. Sign up to race and/or volunteer at: https://lnkd.in/gbyAftQF The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence Metropolitan Family Services

Last month several members of our staff had the opportunity to attend the Democratic National Convention, held in our amazing city! Our work is so deeply connected to neighbors stepping up to engage civically, and the convention was the cumulation of several months of collaboration with the DNC to amplify Quality of Life efforts across our city. Our Director of Development Cheyenne Shelby-Petersen reflected on her civic engagement journey post-convention, “I attended the final day of the DNC, witnessing a moment my younger self dreamed of—a biracial woman like me accepting a historic presidential nomination. In a time of great turmoil and conflict, what truly energized me wasn't the speeches or celebrity appearances, but the sense of community. As we sat on the floor of the oversold United Center halls, delegates, alderpeople, and volunteers alike supported one another with small acts of service, reflecting the true spirit of Chicago. This inspired me to research my ballot and show up for our city on election day.” Thank you, DNC, for stepping into transformational service with us!

September marks the beginning of an exciting month-long journey to deepen your impact with Chicago Cares! We believe that there are many ways to express Civic Love -- whether through service, philanthropy or simply connecting with your neighbors! This month we’ve curated three special opportunities to explore what Civic Love means to you: Discover Civic Love: Meet grassroots organizations and organizers making a difference in their communities at the 2024 Find Your Cause! Invest in Civic Love: Support Chicago Cares’ transformative work by donating during our 2024 FUNdraiser. The top fundraiser from September 1st to September 28th will win an award and bragging rights! Celebrate Civic Love: Raise a glass with us at Cheers to Our Volunteers, a celebration to honor those who have created real impact through service. Don’t sleep on those Find Your Cause tickets – space is running low! Get tickets at https://lnkd.in/gyss4cZj