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…
Live to Support Chicago (LTS) is Chicago’s ONLY charity driven sports league! LTS was founded on the notion that young professionals are the key platform to raise awareness in support of Chicago charities through the use of sports. Join a sports league to raise awareness for YOUR charity of choice- What do YOU play for!?…
Urban Initiatives is thrilled to announce that the Sky Ranch Foundation™ has signed on as the inaugural funder of our newest program, Take the Lead. The Sky Ranch Foundation™ has granted us $25,000 to support all program expenses. As the Take the Lead program continues to grow and develop, this grant will be instrumental in…
On Saturday, July 11 Urban Initiatives hosted our Inaugural Corporate Challenge Cup in Humboldt Park. Over 200 professionals came out to play in our 7v7 tournament. Players came from across the city and suburbs, and in total, 16 Chicago companies were represented: 1871, AbelsonTaylor, Allstate, CBRE, Citadel, Groupon, grubHub, JLL, Kirkland & Ellis, KPMG, Kraft, Macquarie,…
The end of the school year meant the end of yet another successful year of Urban Initiatives programming. The Work to Play program saw over 1,000 kids from 35 Chicago Public Schools across the city come together for weekly health and character lessons while using the beautiful game of soccer to grow an appreciation for…
Yearly, Urban Initiatives’ partner school Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy hosts a Golden Globe event to show appreciation to their staff and recognize them in creative and meaningful ways. GSA staff vote for each other to receive these special awards, which include recognitions like Most Likely to Win a Rap Battle or Best Healthy School Partner. It…
June’s Take the Lead Team Captains of the Month are all 150 of them! We wanted to recognize all of our dedicated Team Captains and thank them for choosing to be leaders in their school and communities. Over the course of this school year, 150 Team Captains from 24 Chicago Public Schools in 19 distinct…
Urban Initiatives invites you to a a soccer tournament featuring friendly competition, team building, and representatives from 16 Chicagoland companies – the Corporate Challenge Cup. On Saturday, July 11, 2015 – in support of the 16,000 Chicago Public School students in Urban Initiatives’ programs – over 150 Chicago professionals will gather at Humboldt Park to…
Work to Play program participants at Marquette elementary LOVE them some soccer. They prove it by being at the school bright and early each and every Tuesday and Thursday morning ready to go. However, students were in for a bit of a change of pace at practice one Thursday morning this Spring season. Instead of…
Last Saturday, the day Urban Initiatives kids across Chicago had been working toward all school year finally arrived. The 3rd Annual Work to Play Cup started with a sea of yellow school buses pulling up to the Midway Plaisance in Hyde Park as more than 200 volunteers, Board and Junior Board members, and Urban Initiatives staff…
Just over four weeks ago, Urban Initiatives’ Junior Board laid down the gauntlet and committed to raising $25,000 during the 3rd Annual May Bus Campaign. Everyone was excited. The Bus Campaign, a huge show of teamwork and friendly competition, brings groups of Junior Board members together to raise funds in support of game day busing expenses for our 35 Work to…
On April 30th, Take the Lead Team Captains took the day off school, not to hang around or sit on the couch, but to celebrate all the incredible service projects they’ve completed this spring in their communities. As a part of the Take the Lead program, Team Captains organize service projects with their teammates. Captains…
