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…
Stephanie Khio is the Assistant Leader of the Eleanor Roosevelt Society at Roosevelt University. She brought her group to the Chicago Indoor Sports Center on October 21st to volunteer with our teams from Attucks and Lloyd. The following is a blog post by Stephanie: Being the Assistant Leader of the Eleanor Roosevelt Society (ERS) at…
urban initiatives participants from prieto academy had a fantastic time at a soccer skills clinic hosted by the fc United u16 girls SELEct team. the FC unitEd girls did an amazing job of coachiNg and interacting with the kids. the urban initiatives participants WeRe all SmilEs for the duration Of tHE Event. even when a…
As the harvest season draws to a close, students at Fulton Elementary got to do a little harvesting of their own when Farmer Tim and Farmer Sydney pulled up to the playground in with their Truck Farm! Students bundled up and gathered around the cheerful, painted truck. They stood on chairs so that they could…
Last Friday, a dreary winter-weather week finally broke, giving way to a sunny brisk afternoon. It almost felt like spring, and so it was no surprise that Wrigley Field was bustling with activity. More than 200 soccer players from seven different schools spread across the outfield grass at the Friendly Confines for an afternoon of…
Each week of the Work to Play soccer season has a special theme, ranging from Teamwork to Healthy Eating. The coach and the team discuss the theme at practice and the kids complete handouts that allow them the opportunity to share their learning with their coaches. Last week’s theme was Self-esteem. Self-esteem is how we…
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…
Urban Initiatives wants to thank Section 8 for inviting 150 members of our team to the Chicago Fire game versus the Columbus Crew on October 22nd. Because of Section 8’s support, participants from Daley, Nobel, and Walsh schools were able to travel to Toyota Park for the nail-biting season finale. The trip for our kids…
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…