Category Archive
After receiving the Healthy Places grant in July, Urban Initiatives embarked on a project to enhance health and wellness resources in our partner schools beyond what we already offer with our Work to Play soccer teams. Because Urban Initiatives is committed to supporting our partner schools in every possible way, we were excited about being…
UI’s flagship program, the Work To Play Program, spends a lot of time talking good nutrition and healthy habits to our players. "Eat fruits and vegetables," we say, "limit your screen time and make sure to get at least one hour of physical activity a day." Developing these habits early is key to helping kids…
This Fall, the NCAA hosted its annual regional Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. The goal of this forum is to “engage a diverse and dynamic representation of student-athletes, coaches, faculty and administrators and provide pertinent and customized sessions that will enhance personal awareness and leadership skills needed to impact student-athlete development at the campus and conference level,…
On Saturday December 3rd, Urban Initiatives participants got a chance of a lifetime when they received Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) tickets at Allstate Arena, got a backstage tour, and met the lead performers. Urban Initiatives was the charity partner for the 2011 TSO event presented by Storck USA. To kick off the show, TSO and Storck…
The economic downturn has made times tougher for all people, not just in their household bottom lines, but in the public services they relY on. as some city agencies find themselves on the chopping block, a soccer coach looks to park funding and program delivery, both of which are Crucial indicators of a city’s health.
On November 3rd, volunteers from Storck USA, a candy company that makes favorites such as Werther’s and Mambas, took time out of their busy schedules to be soccer coaches for the day at the Chicago Indoor Sports complex. With boxes of special edition Storck-UI shirts ready to be distributed, Storck volunteers awaited the arrival of…
urban initiatives congratulates Coach Faye Stevens-jett for being honored with the Coach of the Year award from up2us, An orgAnizaTion thaT supports youth development proGrams that usE spoRts to improve the lives of kids across the country. coach jett, the atHletic Director and pe teacher at morton school of excellence, is a member of urban…
The Chicago Tribune just released a comprehensive article about the city’s struggling open spaces, including some of the work that Urban Initiatives has been doing through the Healthy Places project. The article, which can be read here looks at 10 different ways to support Chicago’s “park poor” neighborhoods, including a project to enhance walking and…
On a beautiful autumn Saturday, community members gathered around to watch the dedication of three new regulation-size turf soccer fields around Chicago. These fields are part of the “Take the Field’ initiative, which utilized both private and public resources to enhance Chicago’s open spaces, creating an environment where people can come together and celebrate their…
This year, Urban Initiatives is proud to be the host organization for the Healthy Places project focusing in the New City Community! We will work in 5 community schools (some who already have our Work to Play Program, and some new recruits) to rally around the CPS Wellness Policy and initiate some projects to enhance…