Making A Difference

Together, volunteers handed out more than 200 meals at Chicago warming centers.

A new ice-skating rink will open to the public Wednesday in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood as part of a massive dream for Chicago-area resident and business owner Corie Luckett. Vi Nguyen reports.

NBC Chicago is celebrating those who are making positive change in the Chicago area with a special piece showcasing our “Making a Difference” stories from 2023.

While it may seem like the thousands of toys collected at Another Chance Church is significant, organizers of the annual holiday toy drive say the numbers paint a much different picture. 

The “Today Show” kicked off their season of giving in a big way, helping to deliver thousands of turkeys to the Greater Chicago Food Depository all to help families in need for the holiday season. And the effort helped to set a Guinness World Record. Alex Maragos reports.

While “World Kindness Day” took place Monday, a Chicago artist has made the idea of kindness the central theme in their work. NBC 5’s LeeAnn Trotter has more.

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.