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Pandora democratizes diamonds with U.S. and Canada lab-created diamond launch
Pandora, the world’s largest jewellery brand, announces that Diamonds by Pandora is available in the U.S. and Canada. Featuring lab-created diamonds grown in the U.S. and crafted with 100% recycled silver and gold, the new collection combines design and sustainability and makes diamond jewellery – the epitome of luxury – accessible to more people.
Obama Foundation Outpaces City Goals for Diverse Hiring, Awarding 52 percent of Contracts to Diverse Vendors
On Wednesday, Aug. 24, the Obama Foundation released its first annual workforce report highlighting that the organization is on track to meet its ambitious workforce business diversity goals for construction. With just 18 percent of the spend utilized to date, 52 percent of contracts have been awarded to diverse vendors. While workforce hiring has only just begun, 32 percent of the early workforce comes from the South and West Sides, a key priority for the Foundation to focus on specific communities rather than citywide residents.
ComEd Celebrates First Graduating Class of New Job Training Program
ComEd announced the first-ever cohort of the ComEd Craft Academy program has graduated, with nine participants demonstrating the knowledge and physical competencies required to enter the craft workforce, comprised of roles in the skilled trades, including entry-level positions such as line workers and construction workers. The Craft Academy launched earlier this year to expand training opportunities for prospective skilled trades workers, a key focus of ComEd’s plan to grow its workforce to meet the demands of the clean energy transition underway in Illinois.
New Manga about Samuel “Blitz” Bazawule highlights his creative roots
The Vilcek Foundation has published a new manga biography celebrating the creative roots of Ghanaian-born artist Samuel “Blitz” Bazawule. A musician, visual artist, filmmaker, and novelist, Bazawule received the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Music in 2013. The Vilcek Foundation Prizes recognize outstanding immigrants and honor immigrants’ contributions to the arts, culture, and society in the United States.
CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER WANTS TO SUPPORT GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS
Dr. Maurice Swinney was recently named Chief Innovation Officer for Chicago Beyond. Swinney, who was in education for 21 years, was the first Chief Equity Officer for Chicago Public Schools.
LUV INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
Cosette Nazon-Wilburn founded the Love, Unity and Values (LUV) Institute in 2012 with the purpose of helping young people who were struggling with socio-emotional learning competence. To celebrate the organization’s 10th year, LUV Institute is hosting a Parade of Hearts Tour.
RAOUL, U.S. SECRET SERVICE HOST TRAINING AIMED AT PREVENTING TARGETED SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Attorney General Kwame Raoul partnered with the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office in hosting a training designed to prevent targeted acts of violence in schools. The event is part of a series of trainings on behavioral threat assessment that are presented by the NTAC to help prevent mass casualty attacks.
RAPID RESPONSE FUND AWARDS 63 ORGANIZATIONS
Candice Washington founded Brown Books and Paintbrushes in 2017 to educate young children about Black culture through art, literacy and cultural programming. Brown Books and Paintbrushes was one of 63 organizations Chicago Beyond awarded money to as part of its Rapid Response Fund.
30th Annual Green Tie Ball Returns Saturday, Sept. 17
The Green Tie Ball, benefiting Chicago Gateway Green, is one of Chicago’s longest-running and most anticipated gala events. This year, it will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight at Chicago Sports Museum, 835 N Michigan Ave.
Social app wants to bring humanity back to social media
A new social app wants to inspire transparency, normalize moods and recreate the human experience online. The target group is Gen Z, teenagers and young people, between the ages 15-25. Inpathy was founded by Ziarekenya Smith, an entrepreneur based in Detroit, Mich.
CLINK WINE FESTIVAL SHOWCASES BIPOC WOMEN IN WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRY
Chrishon Lampley had an idea to start a wine festival because she knew what was missing in the wine and spirits industry. Lampley is the owner of Love, Cork, Screw. She connected with Joyce Dawkins, founder of She ROCKS It: Celebrating Women Who Rock, and they collaborated on creating CLINK Wine Festival, which will take place from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18th, at Wilder Mansion in Elmhurst.
Le Village Cowork Invests in Early Childhood Educators with Equitable Wages and Comprehensive Benefits
Le Village Cowork, a childcare and coworking space, is working to address the so-called teacher pay penalty. At Le Village all early childhood educators receive living wages, paid time off, healthcare coverage, paid family leave, free enrollment for one child after six months, and continuing education opportunities.
ComEd Encourages Income-Eligible Customers to Apply for LIHEAP Utility-Bill Support
August is Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Action Month and ComEd encourages income-eligible customers to be ready to apply for utility-bill assistance when the new program year begins Sept. 1. For fiscal year 2022, $8.3 billion in LIHEAP funding was provided by the federal government – the most ever to help Americans meet their energy needs.
CITY OF CHICAGO RECEIVES TRIO OF RATING UPGRADES FOR O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot has announced that S&P Global Ratings (S&P) and Fitch Ratings (Fitch) have upgraded their long-term ratings for Chicago O’Hare International Airport (O’Hare) General Airport Revenue Bonds (GARB) by one notch from “A” to “A+” with a stable outlook. S&P has also upgraded the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) long-term rating from “A” to “A+” with a stable outlook