Category Archive
Longtime Urban Initiatives supporter and current Board member ME Girgenti shares her experience from the third Take the Lead retreat of the year. What do you get when you bring 50+ Take The Lead Team Captains together on a cold winter’s day? Unbridled enthusiasm and positive energy bouncing off the walls, to start. And let’s…
Play with Potential REC Coordinator Earl Aaron graduated from Barton Elementary and is now helping kids at his old school have a happy and healthy recess! When I think back on recess as a child I have very vague memories of it. Not because I having trouble reminiscing on how much fun I had but…
It was another successful Take the Lead retreat this past Saturday with over 50 Team Captains coming together at Beidler Elementary in the East Garfield Park community to participate in a soccer tournament and learn about how they can become leaders in their community. As students across the nation participate in Black History Month, it…
Urban Initiatives Program Director Brendan McAlpine shares his thoughts on National Mentoring Month National Mentoring Month, just celebrated in January, is a reminder to think about the significance of mentoring relationships and the many forms mentoring takes. At Urban Initiatives, mentoring plays a powerful role in everything we do. Many people might typically think of…
Urban Initiatives coaches do more than just the core programs Work to Play, Take the Lead, and Play with Potential. In order to bring more of their knowledge to and build relationships with the kids they work with, some Urban Initiatives coaches take on extra roles as the coaches of interscholastic sports at partner elementary schools.…
In December, Archer Daniels Midland Company and ADM Cares granted Urban Initiatives $50,000 in support of the Work to Play program. The donation will help us both sustain our program at current partner schools as well as continue to expand into more school across Chicago. ADM Cares is a social investment program that strives to…
Having adequate and safe play space is critical for students to lead active and healthy lives. Play with Potential REC Coordinator Hassan Chaudhry shares his recess experience at Castellanos Elementary. At the beginning of the school year, students at Rosario Castellanos Elementary, in the city’s Little Village community were unfortunately restricted to enjoy Play with…
Take the Lead Team Captains participated in the first ever Captains Classic. Ninety-Seven Team Captains from all across Chicago traveled to Chicago Indoor Sports for an afternoon of soccer games. The Captains Classic is a special game day designed to reward the Team Captains for all of their hard work and leadership throughout the Fall…
Sherman School of Excellence Work to Play Assistant Coach Jamila Davey has been a part of the Urban Initiatives family since 2010! Coach Brandon recently sat down with Coach “J” to talk about her experience as an Assistant Coach these past 5 years. Coach Brandon: What’s your favorite UI memory? Coach J: Uhhmm I’d have…
UI Junior Board member Eric Sullivan shares the play by play of the JB Pizza Party! On Monday, November 24th the gracious folks over at Kirkland & Ellis invited the UI staff, a dozen Junior Board members, and nearly 90 Work to Play students from Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy and Providence Englewood Charter over for our…
