Giannoulias & Local Elected Officials to Conduct South Side Town Hall Meeting to Combat High Car Insurance Rates

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is inviting South Side residents to attend at a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, August 20, at Bright Star Church in Bronzeville, to discuss the skyrocketing cost of auto insurance.

Leave No Veteran Behind Continues To Support Veterans

A locally based organization with a national reach aims to support veterans through transitional jobs and scholarships that help pay student loans. Leave No Veteran Behind was founded in 2008 as a way to invest in veterans with the goal to build better communities. Leave No Veteran Behind co-founder Eli Williamson returned from deployment and found out he had student loan payments to make, as did his co-founder.

School Offers Scholarships To Children Of First Responders

St. Sabina Academy, located at 7801 S. Throop, is offering $2,000 scholarships to students whose parents are first responders. The school’s principal Veriner James said the goal of the scholarship is to make private education affordable and accessible to families. She said oftentimes families shy away from private school education because of the cost.

Kitchen + Kocktails Opens In Larger Location To Accommodate Growth

Kevin Kelley opened Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley’s Chicago location in September of 2021. Earlier this month, the Chicago location moved into a larger 13,000 square foot space at 339 N. Dearborn Street. The restaurant which boasts elevated Southern classics and curated cocktails wants to continue to bring guests quality food and a great vibe.

Cecilia Cuff Is Chosen For Prestigious Design Fellowship As She Prepares For A New West Pullman Location

Cecilia Cuff, CEO and Founder of the Nascent Group, is known for the Bronzeville Winery and South Side Sanctuary, and her work to revitalize disinvested communities through hospitality and community design and building capacity for entrepreneurs.

Teacher Quality and Retention Program celebrates 16 years of transforming classrooms and building educational leaders

Hundreds of educators who have been shaped by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund‘s (TMCF) Teacher Quality and Retention Program (TQRP), now entering its 16th year as one of TMCF’s signature programs.

Preserving Black Churches Application Period is Open

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to announce that the application period is now open for its Preserving Black Churches grant program, a $60 million national initiative dedicated to uplifting historically Black churches and the communities that preserve them.

City of Chicago Hosts the 2025 Chicago House Music Festival and Conference Aug. 21-24

The City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is proud to announce the lineup for the 2025 Chicago House Music Festival and Conference, celebrating the birthplace of House Music with four days of events that are open and free to the public from Aug. 21–24.

LISC, COOK COUNTY BUREAU OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND COOK COUNTY ARTS ANNOUNCE RECIPIENTS OF CREATIVE PLACEMAKING GRANTS

LISC, in collaboration with Cook County Bureau of Economic Development and Cook County Arts, announced 14 nonprofit organizations selected to receive Creative Placemaking grants. The grants, ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, will support transformative, community-driven art projects across suburban Cook County, including public murals, community gardens, arts centers, and more.

South Suburban Community Group Donates School Supply Shopping Trip to Matteson School District 162 to Benefit Families; Surprises two families with back-to-school shopping spree

Shopping carts overflowing with school supplies and backpacks were steered around a south suburban Walmart Monday as Matteson School District 162 school administrators shopped for families in need.

Gift of Hope Community Foundation Honors Chicago Ald. Michelle A. Harris with 2025 Award for Compassionate Service

The Gift of Hope Community Foundation recognized Michelle A. Harris, 8th Ward City Council member for the City of Chicago, as the recipient of the 2025 Changer Award for Compassionate Service at the Annual Gift of Hope Community Foundation Charity Golf Outing on July 24 in Woodbridge, Illinois.

City Colleges of Chicago and Amazon-MLU bring enhanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to the college’s faculty

City Colleges of Chicago is proud to announce an enhanced collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in a major expansion of its Machine Learning University Educator Enablement Program (MLU‑EEP) for faculty at City Colleges of Chicago.

HOPE CENTER FOUNDATION AND COOK COUNTY LAND BANK AUTHORITY BREAK GROUND ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ROSELAND ON CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE

The Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) and the Hope Center Foundation today celebrated the start of construction of 10 new affordable homes in the Roseland neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. The Hope Center Foundation and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI) are proud co-developers of this transformative effort and active members of United Power for Action and Justice, a civic coalition leading the Reclaiming Chicago initiative. This bold campaign includes construction of 2,000 affordable homes citywide, including 1,000 on the South Side and 1,000 on the West Side.

New Food Truck Festival on South Side features Black-owned restaurants September 13

The nonprofit Far South Community Development Corporation (Far South CDC) — an organization that provides strategic community-building services to residents and businesses across Chicago’s Far South Side neighborhoods and south suburban Cook County — is excited to announce its new Food Truck Festival on Saturday, September 13 from 1 p.m.–5 p.m. This free all-ages event will be held in the parking lot of Maple Park Marketplace (821 W. 115th Street) at the southwest corner of Halsted Street and 115th Street in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood, across from the Morgan Park Commons development.

CAL RIPKEN, SR. FOUNDATION AND EXELON FOUNDATION HOST RIBBON-CUTTING CELEBRATION AT SUNRISE DAY CAMP-CHICAGO STEM CENTER

Inspiring young minds through science — and a little baseball magic — the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Exelon, the Exelon Foundation, and ComEd, hosted a special celebration for children undergoing cancer treatment. The day began at Sunrise Day Camp–Chicago’s new STEM center followed by a trip to Wrigley Field to see the hometown Cubs host the Baltimore Orioles.

One Hope United Opened New Hope Center Kankakee

One Hope United opened its newest location, Hope Center Kankakee, on Wednesday, July 30, with a primary focus on delivering Intensive Placement Stabilization (IPS) services—specialized, trauma-informed support to help stabilize youth in foster care who are at risk of placement disruption.

Chicago Fire FC Midfielder Kellyn Acosta to be Featured in “Celebrating Impact”

Audi of America, Major League Soccer (MLS) and The Players’ Tribune announced that Kellyn Acosta of Chicago Fire FC will be featured in the Celebrating Impact content series for his demonstration of excellence in driving progress in his community.

Sarah Jakes Roberts' Woman Evolve and Wells Fargo Launch Mind Your Business Capital Pitch Competition to Fuel Entrepreneurs Nationwide

At the intersection of faith, finance, and the future of entrepreneurial businesses, Sarah Jakes Roberts' Woman Evolve and Wells Fargo unveiled the Mind Your Business Capital Pitch Competition, powered by Wells Fargo. The announcement was made live from the sold-out Mind Your Business Luncheon, a cornerstone experience within the global Woman Evolve 2025 conference (WE25), now underway in Atlanta.

Sidus Space Appoints Tech Entrepreneur and Global Business Leader Tiffany Norwood to its Board of Directors

Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU), (the “Company” or “Sidus”), an innovative space and defense technology company, today announced the appointment of Tiffany Norwood to its Board of Directors. Norwood is a globally recognized serial entrepreneur and technology pioneer with more than 35 years of experience launching disruptive innovations across the space, telecommunications, digital media, and fintech sectors.

Bridging the gap: 5 strategies to address mental health disparities among minority youth

Tanya L. Anderson, MS, LPC, executive director, Youth Villages Georgia shares thoughts on mental health disparities among minority youth.