Groups

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A Safe Haven Foundation is a 501(c)3 not for profit, social enterprise that helps people ASPIRE. TRANSFORM. and SUSTAIN their lives as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency with pride and purpose. A Safe Haven provides the tools for each individual to overcome the root causes of homelessness through a holistic and scalable model. A Safe Haven's visible social and economic impact unites families, stabilizes neighborhoods, and creates vibrant, viable communities.

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The mission of the American Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. When disaster strikes, Red Cross volunteers are there to provide food, shelter, essential relief supplies and hope to individuals displaced by fires, floods, and storms. They provide health and mental health services following local and national disasters, and they support the international community when called upon. When military recruits prepare to leave for military service, Red Cross volunteers are there with them, explaining how the Red Cross will support them and their families throughout their military career and beyond. The Red Cross is one of the nation's largest blood collection organizations. Red Cross volunteers help with the collection and distribution of over 40% of the nation's blood supply. Our volunteers are as diverse as the people receiving Red Cross services. It takes all kinds of men and women to make this organization work - all ages, backgrounds, and skills.

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Our Vision Is for all youth to have a seamless educational experience and be poised to make a difference anywhere in the world.

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To empower the Puerto Rican and Latino community through advocacy and the education and leadership development of its youth.

Core Values

Student Focused
We are committed to elevating the self-esteem of all students through leadership development and fostering their personal growth by encouraging lifelong learning.

Cultural Heritage
We understand the value of all students appreciating and understanding their cultural heritage to build self-esteem and pave the way to academic excellence.

Service to the Community
We are committed to teaching students the value of improving the quality of life of others and learning to be compassionate and understanding.

Diversity
We embrace all aspects of human diversity and value its necessity to ensure a vibrant learning environment.

Collaboration
We are committed to establishing partnerships with universities, the private sector, nonprofit, and community organizations that will enhance the student's school experience and their leadership development.

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For patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases, a cure exists. Be the Match operates a registry that matches patients with lifesaving blood stem cell donors. Over 20 million people have joined the registry, however, there are still over 12,000 patients in need of lifesaving matches. Joining the registry takes only a few minutes and involves a fast digital form and cheek swabs that are mailed. ( When we are able to gather, we hold tabling drives and educate students/the public and sign them up in person.) The entire process is very simple and can be completed in just a few minutes. 1 in 430 people who register will one day match a patient and save a life, and donating is not painful, most often resembling blood donation. Only 30% of patients have a match in the family, and patients are most likely to match donors who share their ethnicity. Unfortunately, there is a disparity in the registry and all patients do not have an equal chance of finding a lifesaving match. Most of the donors who have joined the registry are Caucasian, so Caucasian patients have a much better chance of finding a match. Currently, a White patient has a 77% chance of finding a matching donor on the registry, however Hispanic, Asian and African American patients have only a 46%, 41% and 23% chance respectively. This is one of the largest disparities in medicine and we are fighting intensely to change those odds. It is the goal of Be the Match for all patients to have an equal chance of finding their match, regardless of their ethnicity. We are launching a campaign for health equity in Chicago and need help growing this movement. The link to the Shrink the Gap website and social media is below. You can also learn more about Be the Match at www.bethematch.org

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Students (Littles) are matched 1:1 with a mentor (Bigs) to form a positive mentoring relationship. During outings, Bigs and Littles do activities that provide children with the opportunity to discover a world of possibilities and support a childÔÇÜ├ä├┤s confidence, competence, and independence. The time commitment is 2-4 outings per month, for a minimum of a year. Program Description: The Bigs will pick up their Littles from their home and take them on outings that will impact the Little in three areas: Educational Achievement, Social-Emotional Competencies, and Avoidance of Risk Taking Behavior. Some examples of activities the matches can enjoy on their own are: visiting the zoo, trying new food, sightseeing downtown, learning a new craft, playing in the park, visiting a college campus. Throughout the year, BBBS will host events that will introduce the Little to various educational, career, and fun activities. The parent and child must be engaged in the full enrollment process - participate in family orientation, interview, and monthly match support phone calls. The family must have an active phone number and stable housing where the parent and child can be reached. This program is city-wide and is individualized to each Big and Little. The program starts on a rolling basis and commitment begins after first match introduction.

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A resident-led community organization organized to provide resources to homeowners, tenants and business owners through workshops, holiday and other community engagement events. Distribution of information to residents and sponsor community engagement events

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Breakthrough partners with those affected by poverty to build connections, develop skills, and open doors of opportunity. Through a myriad of programs that focus on youth development, housing, workforce development, food security, and violence prevention, Breakthrough operates on a simple principle: people first.

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By The Hand is a Chicago-based after school program that emphasizes academic excellence while nurturing the whole child - mind, body and soul.

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LOVE BOX PROGRAM The Love Box program provides fostering families (caregivers, children in foster care, and biological/adopted children) with community and holistic support. This wrap-around support enables caregivers to continue to do the important and meaningful work of being foster parents. As a Love Box group, you will be matched with a local foster family based on location, compatibility, and scope of needs. When our families are matched with committed volunteers who show up monthly, parents feel supported and children gain a greater sense of normalcy, relational permanency, and self confidence. This program requires a one year commitment, but the connections and impact last a lifetime. DARE TO DREAM The youth (ages 11-22) in our Dare to Dream program need the wisdom, advice, encouragement, and community that mentors can provide. Mentors meet practical and emotional needs as well as provide guidance through developmental milestones. The goal is for youth to be engaged and to feel supported and equipped to navigate life. A mentor commits to meeting with the youth every other week to set goals and help them achieve their dreams. These relationships will hopefully last a lifetime, but the program is a year commitment. Mentors matched with a high school student are strongly encouraged to stay with the youth until high school graduation.

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Chicago Council on Science and Technology is a thirteen-year-old non-profit organization that seeks to enhance the public's understanding and appreciation for science and technology. One of the ways we achieve our mission is by hosting around 30 public STEM education programs per year geared toward a general audience. These programs are hosted in venues across the city of Chicago and on as diverse an array of topics as possible.

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Chicago Debates is bridging the educational opportunity gap for Chicago Public School (CPS) students by providing them with an after-school program that supports their academic, career, and leadership success.

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Chicago HOPES for Kids provides educational support for children living in Chicago's homeless shelters. It is our mission to provide our students with the resources and encouragement needed to succeed academically, despite the challenges of homelessness.

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The Chicago People's Rights Collaborative (CPRC) is a student-run clinic with a mission to provide a breadth of pro bono medical-legal services for clients seeking asylum, and detained or incarcerated individuals. Working in partnership with physicians, attorneys, and community members, CPRC advocates on behalf of survivors of mistreatment to strengthen their cases for legal protection.As an alliance grounded in the needs of the communities we serve, we seek to bring our values of justice to bear by helping to secure safety for people who have been victimized by the social and political forces that disrupt health, freedom, and survival.

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Our 501 (C)3 non-profit organization was founded in 1982 by artists/activists who wanted to create a place for people to be themselves, feel accepted, and not be marginalized. We wanted to create opportunities for people different from each other to participate in activities side by side and have positive learning experiences. We wanted to help people who had been traumatized to find a safe place to be themselves and be appreciated. We wanted to bring awareness to social justice issues. We wanted to decrease the bureaucracy of a non-profit for everyone to fit in and not have to go through so much in order to be a part of things.

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The Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community unites the resources of member organizations and individual members to empower Chinese American communities in Greater Chicago. As a coalition of member organizations and individuals, CBCAC carries out its mission through civic education, issue advocacy, communication with policy makers, and community mobilization.

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Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive ÔÇÜ├ä├¼ at home, at school and at play. We supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities.

Our efficient and effective three-step model provides kids with the essentials they need, free of charge. This enables us to engage communities that have, connecting them with communities that need.New and nearly new childrenÔÇÜ├ä├┤s items are collected through grassroots community drives and corporate donations.Donations are then processed and packaged by volunteers in our warehouse, The Giving Factory┬¼├å.Packages from The Giving Factory are distributed to local disadvantaged children ÔÇÜ├ä├« through our collaborative network of diverse service partners.

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Volunteer Roles:

One-on-one Academic Coach: Provide support to students in grades 9-12th for one hour per week on Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. via hosted Zoom meetings. ALL Virtual! (Not available during J-Term) Check back for upcoming in-person opportunities. We do prefer a year-long commitment for Coaches.

Saturday Morning Live: 1x/month- facilitate conversations about college transitions with high school students and share your own experience.
Other: If you are flexible or have some unique skill or experience — we will try to work with your interest and schedule to find a meaningful experience for experiential learning.
Additional information: Complete the Volunteer Application, which includes a criminal background check, an interview with one of our staff members, and complete the Volunteer Training.

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The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It was founded in 1967 by Irwin M. and Suzanne Rosenthal, William D. and Shelby Modell, and Henry D. Janowitz, M.D. Four decades ago, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation created the field of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis research. Today, the Foundation funds cutting-edge studies at major medical institutions, nurtures investigators at the early stages of their careers, and finances underdeveloped areas of research. Educational workshops and symposia, together with our scientific journal, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, enable medical professionals to keep pace with this rapidly growing field. No wonder the National Institutes of Health has commended the Foundation for "uniting the research community and strengthening IBD research."

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Dreamchasers United┬¼ÔÇáServices Include:Youth MentoringAfter School ProgramsCommunity ProgramsCommunity Events

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Emmaus' Prevention Education offers individually tailored human trafficking content designed to educate and engage community members and professionals in the counter-trafficking movement. Emmaus utilizes outreach teams and cutting-edge web scraping technology to reach exploited men and boys on the streets and online – all to build a relationship of trust while affirming worth, rejecting stigma, and offering hope. Our trauma-informed Survivor Support Center is a platform to build healthy relationships, receive spiritual support and get assistance in accessing resources including housing, employment, education, transportation, and health care. We invite male survivors, whose lived experience and credibility are unparalleled, to lead with us to support and empower those still exploited in the sex trade.

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ENGin is a nonprofit organization changing the world one conversation at a time. We connect English-speaking volunteers age 13-80+ with Ukrainian learners for online speaking practice and cross-cultural exchange. Through simple weekly virtual conversations, our volunteers make a huge impact - helping people overcome the language barrier, offering friendship and emotional support, and introducing them to a new culture.

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Our volunteer registration process looks like this:
Complete an application form at app.enginprogram.org (5 minutes)
Attend a Zoom interview (15 minutes)
Complete the program agreement (2 minutes)
Attend a 2-part volunteer training (1-1.5 hours)
Take the quiz (5 minutes)
Get matched to a student!

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Since 1870, Erie Neighborhood House has provided the most comprehensive support immigrant and low-income families in Chicago need to thrive and has constantly evolved to meet their needs.

Today, Erie House is a modern social services nonprofit with programming and resources for children & youth, mental health & community wellness, adult education & training, legal services, and more.

Our mission is to empower Latinx immigrants alongside individuals and families of all backgrounds through education, access to critical services and advocacy, working together to create a just and inclusive society.

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Our volunteers are the heart and soul of Erie House, and it's because of them that we're able to positively impact diverse, low-income communities in need. We welcome volunteers of all types — short-term, long-term, individual and group.

We can provide any type of confirmation of volunteer hours, as well as recommendation letters! ­ƒÖé

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Esperanza Therapeutic Day School aims to provide support for special education students in Illinois by developing individualized educational programs for students aged 5 through 21 years old.Esperanza Learning Center (ELC), is a transitional program which provides services for students aged 14 ┬¼╬® ÔÇÜ├ä├¼ 21 years old, gives students a variety of vocational experiences both inside the school as well as in work environments within the community.EsperanzaÔÇÜ├ä├┤s Adult Day Program provides participants, aged 21 and over, opportunities to reach individualized goals as well as pursue their own personal interests.┬¼ÔÇáThe arts are woven into all aspects of our adult day program at Esperanza Community Services.EsperanzaÔÇÜ├ä├┤s three Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) homes are located in residential neighborhoods on the Northwest side of Chicago and provide support to adults with Intellectual and Developmental disabilities.EsperanzaÔÇÜ├ä├┤s Client and Family Support Program provides families who care for an individual with an Intellectual or Developmental disability with in-home case management and assistance with accessing benefits, supports, and resources. Esperanza is working to meet the unique needs of families and connect them with the resources they need in order to continue to keep their family members living in their home environment.┬¼ÔÇá

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Casa Michoac├ín/The Federation of Michoac├ín Clubs in Illinois or FEDECMI is a 501(c)3 membership organization made up of 34 Hometown Associations or HTAs. The organization is based in the Midwest with migratory connections to the Mexican state of Michoac├ín. The mission of our organization is to help Michoacanos, Mexicans, and Latinos in the Midwest navigate through the complexities of American life and flourish. Casa Michoacan, is an educational nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural, social, sporting activities and between the Mexican and immigrant MichoacÔêÜ┬░n community with a transnational vision.

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FORA is the premier U.S. high dosage tutoring organization for SLIFE refugees. We are currently welcoming Afghan refugee children into our program as they arrive. We at FORA believe strongly that literacy is a human right.

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The Garfield Park Community Council is a community-building organization made up of dedicated residents and allies working together to develop leaders and create opportunities and programs that build a vital Garfield Park community.

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