Making A Difference

Meg Kresach and her husband lost their daughter Olivia to brain cancer at 22 years old. The couple has since started a non-profit called BrainUp, which brings awareness to brain cancer. All funds raised, Kresach said, go towards research at Chicago-area hospitals.

Students at Pivot Point Academy in Bloomingdale are eager to learn how to grow their beauty careers, and Mireya Villarreal, founder of the Pink Pewter Foundation, and Julie Hightower, founder of the Daisie Foundation, want to help them do that. 

When Mackenzie King started Moonwater Dance Project five years ago, she did so, in part, to provide more stability to freelance artists. So, this year, she gladly agreed to participate in Dance for Life, an annual benefit to raise funds to help dancers with critical medical needs.  

Some Special Olympians in the Chicago area have been outfitted with new running shoes thanks to a local business. Kye Martin reports.

NBC Chicago, Telemundo Chicago and Comcast NBCUniversal have announced that eight local nonprofits will receive a total of $225,000 in unrestricted “NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants.”

A summer camp in Chicago is inspiring the next generation of firefighters — and it’s all about girl power. Kye Martin reports.

A summer camp in Indiana is offering kids a new kind of activity — a culinary class. LeeAnn Trotter reports.

The Greater Chicago Food Depository provides thousands of meals throughout the year to Chicagoans, but they also ensure that children celebrating their summer vacation have enough to eat. LeeAnn Trotter has more on those efforts.

As more migrant families continue to pour into Chicago, four parishes on the city’s South Side are teaming up to help.

Wounded veterans are preparing for a bike tour through Chicago, with the journey made possible for many thanks to modified bikes, NBC Chicago’s Lisa Chavarria reports.

For 127 years, Humboldt Park Health has been committed to closing the health equity gap while celebrating the ways we continue to impact Chicago on the city’s West Side. The president and CEO of Humboldt Park Health joined us to tell us more.

Chicago Gateway Green’s annual Gaming for Green event returns to River West this June, and NBC 5’s JC Navarrete has a preview.

Attalah James is only 13 years old, but she’s already thinking about her future. Her dream is to one day become a pilot.