The Urban Initiatives team traveled up north to Cambridge, Wisconsin for a little mid-season team bonding. What has now become a tradition at Urban Initiatives, the staff retreat is a time for everyone to step back, recharge and build stronger relationships with each other. The day kicked off with a healthy breakfast of yogurt and…
Every so often during the year, CPS schools have a day off for students so that teachers and staff can take advantage of meaningful professional development opportunities. Even without kids around, Play with Potential staff found a way to get better at recess on November 7’s School Improvement Day, this time by hosting three trainings…
In early October, the Beidler Work to Play team received a special visit from WGN TV’s Living Healthy Chicago. Check out the video below and you can read the full story at LIVING HEALTHY CHICAGO.
“I’m in heaven 2.0 right now”, said Alex Flores; “Loyola moved up to the top of the list for colleges I want to go to”, added Diego Martinez. This seemed to be the common sentiment of the day as Loyola University hosted our team captains for the second Take the Lead Retreat of the year.…
On October 16, Skender’s Harvesting Hope benefit took place at Rockit Bar & Grill, and Urban Initiatives was the chosen beneficiary. The event was a blast! It was filled with great people who were eager to support and learn more about our cause. In total, the Skender Foundation raised an impressive $25,000 in support of our sports-based…
Join Urban Initiatives on Friday, January 23rd at the 9th Annual Soccer Ball at Morgan Manufacturing, located at 401 N. Morgan St., for a night of philanthropy, dancing, cocktails, heavy appetizers and a fantastic silent auction. Each year since its inception, the wildly popular Soccer Ball has sold out. This year, the event is expected…
Even though it was a cold and blustery evening, that couldn’t keep the faithful Urban Initiatives supporters away from the 12th Annual Halloween Party! This year, over 330 tickets were sold in advance of the festivities. With a new venue, 1st Ward at Chop Shop, and DJ della Chapelle throwing down the beats, people were…
This past Saturday, the Lawndale Work to Play team was invited to partake in a Flag Football clinic put on by the Menomonee Club of Chicago at Beautiful Waveland Park. The kids from Lawndale were uncontrollably excited on the way to the field knowing that they would be playing a different kind of football. The…
Last Wednesday, the Nobel Elementary Work to Play team traveled to Loyola University and enjoyed a NCAA Men’s Soccer match versus Northwestern University. The Nobel team were invited to play with some real NCAA student athletes on an actual collegiate soccer pitch. The kids absolutely loved getting to play with the older players. After they…
At Urban Initiatives, soccer is not the only component that makes up our Work to Play Program. Each week head coaches lead discussions covering a variety of different character development and health & wellness topics. For week 6 of the Work to Play Program, we discuss the importance of eating healthy. During practices last week…
Urban Initiatives is happy to welcome one of its two newest Work to Play partner school National Teachers Academy! Located in the Armour Square community, NTA has been an amazing addition to our program! OSPDs Aaron O’Neill and Melissa Matthews lead them with their never-ending enthusiasm and positive energy. With one of the largest rosters…
