News

  • A Wild Ride as Board Chairman

    After almost four years of dedicated leadership, Ron Redd, Director at BMO Capital Markets and long time Chairman of Urban Initiatives’ Board of Directors, is passing the Chairman’s torch.

    A Wild Ride as Board Chairman
  • “Sweaty Fun” In West Englewood

    “Coach Stephanie, let’s play volleyball tomorrow”. said a seventh grader. “no, let’s play ultimate football,” another chimed in. requests like this and many more continue to come from the students at claremont math & Science academy. Play with potential is A New undertaking with the claremont comets and is already making a deep impact in…

    “Sweaty Fun” In West Englewood
  • Chicago Sky Give an Assist to Urban Initiatives

    Forty children and parents from Goethe Elementary School were treated to a thrilling evening of basketball on September 11th when the Chicago Sky welcomed the Phoenix Mercury to town. Families were filled with excitement from the moment they entered Allstate Arena, until the final buzzer sounded. The children were so focused on the game that…

    Chicago Sky Give an Assist to Urban Initiatives
  • Coach Jeff Shares His Week 1 Work to Play Experience

    After weeks of preparation, hours of inflating soccer balls, sorting jerseys and making school visits, the 2013-2014 Work to Play season officially kicked off at 26 schools! Hooray! As a newcomer to the program, this being my 5th week on the staff, I was a little overwhelmed by how much was going on. There was…

    Coach Jeff Shares His Week 1 Work to Play Experience
  • Chicago White Sox Hit a Homerun for Urban Initiatives

    Over the course of the first three days of the fall season Urban Initiatives’ new Program Associates took six schools to The White Sox series versus the Detroit Tigers. Urban Initiatives coaches led bubbling busloads of kids to U.S. Cellular Field where they led their schools in cheers for the hometown team.

    Chicago White Sox Hit a Homerun for Urban Initiatives
  • When it Comes to Teamwork, Team Captains Take the Lead

    Urban Initiatives 5th-8th graders kicked off this school year with an inspiring show of leadership at the first 2013-2014 Take the Lead Retreat! The weekend before the Work to Play Fall Season began, the Take the Lead Team Captains came together to encourage and challenge each other as leaders in the areas of teamwork and…

    When it Comes to Teamwork, Team Captains Take the Lead
  • New Recess Partners for a New Year

    The CPS Full School Day is in its second year, and the means a second year for Play with Potential at Urban Initiatives. Conceived in the first year of mandated recess for all grades, Play with Potential began serving four schools with 2,900 total students. After a great rookie year, the word got out, and…

    New Recess Partners for a New Year
  • Building a New Otis Team

    Halfway through the first week of school, Urban Initiatives already has made its mark on the new school year, helping our partners to meet the challenges of the new year. otis world language academy, a long tIME Urban initiatives partner for all three programs, has an interesting challenge this year. As a welcoming school, otis…

    Building a New Otis Team
  • ATG Comes Through in the Clutch for Attucks

    A big shout out to a local title insurance company, Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG), for giving the Attucks school a boost just in time for the fall Work to Play season. Attucks has been partnered with Urban Initiatives since 2006, but when budget shortages left the school’s administrators wondering if they would be…

    ATG Comes Through in the Clutch for Attucks