Chicago HOPE (Higher Obligation in the Pursuit of Education) Dollars for Scholars®

January 7th, 2012 - Dinner at Deborah's Place
Chicago HOPE board members and students teamed up to serve dinner at Deborah's Place, a homeless shelter on Chicago's north side. The event was scheduled over the students' holiday break. It was a perfect way to catch up with them on the first half of the school year and give back to the community at the same time.

August 14th, 2011 - Back-to-School Picnic
Chicago HOPE hosted a picnic in Lincoln Park to catch up with our students before they head back to college. The summer events committee organizes social events so Board members can learn directly from students about their goals and career aspirations. Part of our mission is to create leadership opportunities for our students. Last year's events lead to specific leadership opportunities for our students like Stephanie Kuo, an architecture and landscaping major (class of 2008), who lead a 25-person Chicago HOPE landscaping project and opportunity to build her professional portfolio. Julian Cook, a theology major and classical singer (class of 2009), was featured and performed live for 200 Chicago HOPE guests at last year's Masquerade Ball. Elizabeth Garcia, a biology major and aspiring pediatrician (class of 2010), secured a job at a medical clinic as a Spanish medical interpreter with the help of her mentor Jen Dybsky.

July 30th, 2011 - Community Service Project
Board members and students teamed up to clean garbage, pull weeds, plant flowers and spread 1,500 pounds of mulch to beautify the Whitney M. Young High School campus. Whitney M. Young principal, Dr. Joyce Kenner, has been an important advocate in building our awareness campaign among the school's student body. The project was led by Stephanie Kuo, Chicago HOPE award winner (class of 2008). As an architecture and landscaping major at the University of Illinois, Stephanie used the leadership opportunity to design a project from start to finish that she could use to build her professional portfolio.

June 7th, 2011 - Chicago HOPE Awards Banquet
Family, friends, and faculty gathered to congratulate seven exceptional students as they were named to the Chicago HOPE Award Class of 2011. Winners were selected from hundreds of applicants based on their academic high achievement and a demonstrated commitment to public service. Each student was presented their scholarship award by a Chicago HOPE Board member who has committed to a one-on-one partnership with the student through our Role Models program. As a mentor, the Board member makes a lifelong commitment to support their student throughout their college experience and into their career.

Congratulations to the Class of 2011! Heather Pedziwiatr, Jesus Sotelo, Renita Williams, Uduimoh Umolu, Georgina Haro, Daria Siler and Brianna King.