Every year the 2024 Chicago Marathon is a celebration of joy, community, and the power of play, drawing thousands of people out for the fun. Yet, in the very neighborhoods that host this iconic event, many Chicago youth and families still lack access to sports and play opportunities. This year, our Charity team is lacing…
On April 29th, some outstanding PwC employees came out to volunteer with the Beidler Bulls for a special and unique practice where their team had the chance to spend some quality time with some of our students on their home turf during a friday scrimmage. Each PwC member was connected to a small team of…
#UIJB member Patrick Mahal shares his experience from this year’s Junior Board Volunteer Day with the Otis Work to Play team! Friday April 29th began as any typical Chicago Spring day – grey, cold and windy. While the city counted down the minutes for the weekend to begin, Students inside Otis Elementary counted down the…
Last Thursday, Take the Lead participants earned themselves a day off from school to learn more about service learning projects and the impact they each can make by volunteering. We Day is an annual celebration of service learning that takes place all over the US, Canada, and UK. 15,000 youth from the Chicagoland area gathered…
United’s team of Corporate Coaches joined Work to Play teams from Faraday, Marquette, and Morrill Elementary for Game Day at Chicago Indoor Sports on April 29. Coaches and players took the field full of enthusiasm for an afternoon of soccer, fun, and friendship. The volunteers and the players from Morrill kicked things off by warming…
In preparation for We Day Illinois, Jahn Take the Lead Team Captain Leo joined Allstate C.E.O. Tom Wilson and We Day founder Craig Kielburger on television and radio. Leo spoke about the impact he is making at his school with WCIU’s You & Me This Morning, Fox’s Good Day Chicago, and WGN Radio’s Steve Cochran…
Between early December and April 9, CrossFit Defined in Lakeview and Lincoln Square raised money for Urban Initiatives through online crowdsourcing. Their fundraising efforts culminated in a competition where nearly 30 teams of 5 completed a series of physical fitness tasks that challenged them both physically and mentally. On an unseasonably cold and snowy day,…
On April 15th, Urban Initiatives’ spring volunteer season kicked off with an enthusiastic team of Corporate Coaches from ComEd. As teams from Davis, Jackson, and Jahn Elementary arrived to Chicago Indoor Sports, it was hard to tell who was more excited—our eager group of volunteers, or Team Jackson as it was their first Game Day…
Coach Cynthia gives us the details of what her and Coach Preethi learned at the first ever ESPNW Women + Sports Summit. Coach Preethi and I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the espnW: Women + Sports Chicago event. To say that we enjoyed ourselves would be a gross understatement…I don’t think anyone else in…
Stevenson, one of UI’s newest schools, and Lee Elementary’s Work to Play teams celebrated the opening of the latest Cruyff Court with members of the Johan Cruyff Foundation and IMC Financial Markets. This celebration was packed with games, food, and FUN in Rainey Park. As coaches, parents, and players gathered together at the park on…
Urban Initiatives in partnership with the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Chicago Park District hosted the inaugural Embrace Chicago Cup on Saturday, April 9th. Six Urban Initiatives partner schools from four Chicago communities gathered for a day of exploration at the Garfield Park Conservatory, soccer games, and lunch at the park district. The Embrace Chicago…
On Thursday April 14, Urban Initiatives hosted its first ever “Night Out” at Sidetrack. The event brought together members of the LGBT community and served as a way to introduce Urban Initiatives’ sports-based youth development programs to the LGBT sports leagues and the larger LGBT community. Host Committee member Leslie Henry kicked off the night…
