November 2020

As Thanksgiving approaches, the MWAH! (Messages Which Are Hopeful) Performing Arts Troupe would like to take a moment to thank Illinois Humanities for its financial support in making the troupe’s work possible. MWAH! was fortunate to receive a $2,500 COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant from Illinois Humanities in order to advance the troupe’s mission of changing lives and saving lives through…

WGN-TV recently introduced viewers to Jahkil Jackson, a 13-year-old who is driven to serve others and raise awareness about an issue that affects students each day: bullying.  Jahkil wrote I Am, a children’s book that tells the story of a young person who was bullied by his peers.  He based the story in part on his own experiences with bullying…

Physical distancing and the disruption of normal routines necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic have had an unfortunate—and tragic—side effect—an increase in depression, including among young people who are unprepared for the loss of traditional connections.  NBC News recently featured the story of Hayden Hunstable, a 12-year-old who died by suicide.  His parents attribute his untimely death to the social isolation that he…