Chicago Cares connects volunteers and communities through shared action and learning—transforming awareness into empathy, and empathy into long-term civic engagement. Every volunteer experience is co-designed with neighborhood leaders from Chicago’s South, West, and Northwest sides, ensuring that every project advances local priorities and community-led Quality-of-Life Plans.
“Our organization would not have had access to corporate leadership and their volunteer base without Chicago Cares. The relationships that Chicago Cares facilitates have incredible power to unlock visibility, momentum, and resources for our community.”
– Rodney Brown, Founding member of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council and Chicago Cares board member
Key Outcomes
- 25,000+ volunteers mobilized since 2017
- $10 million in investment directed to support neighborhood-led initiatives
- 94% of volunteers report seeing the world from a new perspective
- 100% of corporate partners say they now better understand how to work with communities for the long-term
- 75% of participants are inspired to stay civically engaged beyond their first project
Through connection, education, and action, Chicago Cares is helping build a more empathetic, equitable, and vibrant city—one volunteer experience at a time.
