Chicago Lights

A huge thank you to everyone who joined the Chicago Lights Board last week at Salesforce Tower Chicago for our Summer Soirée. Your generosity made the evening a wonderful success in supporting Chicago Lights, celebrating Summer Day, and honoring Stacy Jackson’s 30 years of service. We are especially grateful to our sponsors for helping make the event possible. As you can see from these photos, it was an evening filled with joy, connection, and a whole lot of fun! 🥂🎉🤩

“If there’s something I feel especially grateful for, it’s having been a part of creating a culture where people could do meaningful work with both compassion and excellence and where participants know they will be met as they are, without judgment, and will be supported on the journey of creating the life they want to have.”

— Chicago Lights Executive Director Stacy Jackson

As we say goodbye to Stacy Jackson today, her last after a 30-year tenure with Chicago Lights, our hearts are full of gratitude and of hope. She has left us with a strong foundation, and we will strive to live into what she describes as a “deep knowing that the best is yet to come for Chicago Lights.”

Read more of Stacy’s thoughts and reflections about her years with Chicago Lights on our website: chicagolights.org/stacy-jackson-30-years-story/ And join us in wishing her the very best in the next chapter of her life!

Since 2022, Dave Christopher and the team at Tom James Company have donated countless carloads of professional clothing, helping Chicago Lights participants prepare for some of life's most important moments—from job interviews and court dates to funerals and other significant occasions. These donations have done more than fill closets; they have helped build confidence, restore dignity, and create opportunities.

This week, we learned that Dave is beginning his well-earned retirement. We want to thank him for his commitment to our community and for the profound impact he has had on the lives of so many people. We are deeply grateful for his partnership and for the support of Alyssa Christopher and the entire Tom James team over the years.

Please join us in wishing Dave all the best in this exciting new chapter. Thank you, Dave, and thank you, Tom James Company, for helping our participants put their best foot forward.

At Chicago Lights, we began 2025 by embracing a simple but powerful challenge: expect the great. And great things happened. While our programs serve different needs, they share a common purpose: to meet people where they are and walk alongside them toward brighter futures. Because of your generous support, Chicago Lights continues to be a place where neighbors are welcomed, relationships are built, and brighter futures take root. Thank you for making this work possible, and please take a moment to read our 2025 annual report: chicagolights.org/annual-report

This week the staff of Chicago Lights and Fourth Presbyterian Church gathered to celebrate Stacy Jackson’s 30 years of dedication and impact. There was lots of laughter, more than a few tears, and heartfelt words from those who know Stacy best, including Theresa Thornburg, Director of the Social Service Center; Alex Cornwell, Chicago Lights Director of Evaluation and Impact; Katy Frey Bever, Fourth Church Senior Director of Development; Andrea Denney, Executive Director of Operations for Fourth Church; and Armedia Houston, Director of Tutoring and Summer Day. We are so grateful for Stacy’s years of service and the lasting legacy and bright future she leaves behind.

There’s no better time than summer to be involved at the Urban Farm! ☀️🪴🌻We’d love to have you join us and get your hands in the dirt to make our community a better place. Get started with an Urban Farm Tour & Orientation session, offered on select Saturdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. all summer long. You’ll learn about the Farm’s history, programs, growing practices, and community impact, as well as everything you need to know to volunteer during Community Farm Days. (Please complete an orientation session before you sign up to volunteer.) All are welcome! The Urban Farm is located at 444 W Chicago Ave., and you can visit our volunteer link for more details and orientation dates: chicagolights.org/volunteer/urban-farm/

🥰 Quick reminder to share your thoughts and memories with Stacy! There are 10 days left until the end of her tenure with Chicago Lights. Details on how to create a message are below. 🥰

Sometimes just showing up and trying is half the battle! Recently 26 participants in our Social Service Center art group gathered around watercolor palettes and paintbrushes to explore color, creativity, and connection.

Some participants had been painting their whole lives, while others were trying for the very first time. Yet every single person showed up, picked up a brush, and created something beautiful.

Our participants do that every day. They continue to show up for themselves, for one another, and for new experiences—even when they are tired, scared, unsure, or carrying heavy things no one else can see. May each one of us remember the importance of trying something new, sharing what we have, and choosing connection and creativity whenever we can.

🥳☀️🥂Summer Soiree is two weeks away! Do you have your tickets yet?

Please join the the Chicago Lights Board for a not-to-be-missed evening at the Salesforce Tower. We’ll spotlight Summer Day, which provides a safe, enriching space for children to learn and grow during the summer months, as well as honor Executive Director Stacy Jackson as she concludes her amazing 30-year tenure of leadership and service. We look forward to seeing you as we celebrate the impact of the past and invest in the future of Chicago Lights.

Click here for tickets: https://onecau.se/_hk9au1

This summer, creativity will be in bloom at the Social Service Center on Thursday afternoons as we launch our new Visual Arts Group. Led by Matthew Keller, our new Social Service Associate, participants will explore projects each week while learning about the elements of art including line, shape, form, color, value, texture, and space.��Our first session’s theme was “line,” and participants used magazine images and creative prompts to complete original artwork using a variety of line techniques. We’re grateful to have this opportunity for learning and fun, facilitated by our amazing staff and interns to create a welcoming space for connection and creativity.

And a special thank you to our MSW intern, Justin Hatcher, for gathering participant feedback and ideas for future groups and activities!