A large non profit helping Chicago and Chicagoans with a number of projects and volunteer…read moreopportunities. Some of the op's are too far to get to without a car, but it's still a great organization that helps Chicagoans.

I've heard so much praise for Chicago Cares over the past few years and yesterday finally got the…read morechance to see what this wonderful organization is all about during the annual serve-a-thon. I, along with many other yelpers, helped paint the classrooms of a school on the south side. When I first arrived at the serve-a-thon with 7500 volunteers (yes, they got 7500 volunteers to help fix up schools around Chicago on a beautiful Saturday in June) my first thought is that I would never want to organize an event like this. There were so many organizational details involved in this day and I couldn't have been more impressed with the way Chicago Cares handled them...the check- in process was about 2 seconds (I was expecting about a 1/2 hour due to the size of the event), they had plenty of well trained volunteers on hand who actually knew what was going on, and everything ran right on schedule. Hats off to the Chicago Cares staff- they sure do know how to organize an event! It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the conditions of the school that we visited. I'm not exactly fond of painting and it was an exhausting day, but it made me feel good that we were able to help these kids by making the conditions of their school livable! This is the only Chicago Cares event I've experienced so far, but I'm interested in checking out other ways to help out!

Awesome bookstore in West Loop! Lots of options and at great prices. There are even a few book…read morenooks all over the store to hangout and read.

I've been a regular supporter of this shop for a long time, and I've always appreciated their…read moremission. However, on my most recent visit I was *shocked* to see the same used cookbooks I bought a few months ago at $10/piece are now priced at $17.50! That's a 75% increase! I understand costs rise, but this seems extremely excessive. Used books that are 10-20 years old should not cost this much. I hope the store reconsiders its pricing so it remains accessible to the community that wants to support it. In the meantime, if you're looking to purchase used books at a more affordable price, I'd recommend going to betterworldbooks.com.

I'm writing this review as someone who volunteered at Humble Design, I can't speak to being a…read moreclient of Humble Design. We recently did two days of service with Humble Design, helping clean, furnish, and decorate a home for a family on each day. The day started at their warehouse where we helped load the truck with furniture, decor, and supplies. The design team had already put together everything from their stock of donations. Then we spent the rest of the day cleaning and moving furniture into the home. When I say "we" moved furniture I of course mean the impressive professionals working with Humble Design and my co-workers. They were incredibly efficient at loading and unloading everything. The designers had met with the family prior to our day of service and had little details like which Disney character was the daughters favorite, and what super hero the son wanted to be for Halloween. By the time we were done the bedrooms that had been totally empty were filled with comfy furniture, toys, and a handmade sign with the child's name on it. Little things like that really add up to making an apartment feel like home. It was really impressive how much we got done in less than a full day. The staff at Humble Design clearly know what they're doing and how to best utilize a group volunteer day. This was easily the most productive and fulfilling volunteer event I've been to, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a place to donate time, furniture, or money.

From the owner: Humble Design is a nonprofit that serves families and veterans emerging from homelessness by…read moretransforming an empty house or apartment into a home--a very simple idea that can change a family's future. We turn dwellings into dignified and welcoming homes. We are not just furnishing homes, we are furnishing hope.

It's time for a recent review for Covenant Home of Chicago. Here goes:…read more When my father decided it was time to sell his apartment building and move to a supportive living situation, Covenant Home came to the fore, as it is part of Chicago Methodist Senior Services. And as Steve Z. commented, searching for an assisted living facility is indeed an education in itself and totally new territory for me. The staff at Covenant helped us navigate the ins and outs of the application process, which as you can imagine, complicated. Financial records, doctors' assessments, TB test, all in the mix. To the building: It was built in 1997, so is relatively new, well-maintained, with a caring (yes, I said that, though I realize that is often just a buzzword in reviews of these types of enterprises.) staff. The meals are tasty and well-balanced. Residents sit 4 to a table with fresh flowers, nice silverware, and always water (so no dehydration, per the reviewer from 5 years ago). (They also have a water cooler w/lemons in the foyer). On Sundays they put white linen tableclothes on the dining tables, which, together with the flowers, makes for a very nice setting. In all, there are about 54 residents, with either studio apartments or 1 bedroom. The floors are all wood and nicely maintained, fresh paint upon move-in, the better to navigate with walkers, etc. The building has Comcast cable available. Residences are equipped with small refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, sink in a little "kitchen" area. Two closets, and ample cabinets in the bathroom. The five floors are built in a square around an atrium, which gives the place a nice airy feeling. All the rooms' windows are outward facing. The bathroom has a level floored shower for safety and there are pull chains all over the place for residents to pull if in distress. There are daily activities for residents, trips to Jewel and Walgreens if you are not mobile enough to go on your own. Filling the day: Evening movies, afternoon coffee in a very cute cafe, balance class, art class, current events, Bible study, word games, bingo, ballroom dancing, tai chi, Sunday worship (Methodist), a Tuesday Mass, manicures, watercolors, culture chats (not sure what that is). An RN is on site most of the time and he or she keeps good track of dispensing medications for all residents. And, if there is a health crisis, Swedish Covenant Hospital is right across the street! This is not a memory care type of place. For that, they have Wesley Place, further east on Foster. Residents have varying ranges of mobility. My father goes to his own medical appointments (right at the corner), takes taxis or walks to close by destinations such as Lincoln Square and the Tre Kroner Restaurant. So, all in all, he was fortunate to secure a studio here. And since I live in Oakland, CA, it's important to feel that he is safe and in good hands. Covenant Home provides that security and care.

My search for an assisted living facility was an education in itself- long story short I decided on…read morethe Covenant Home based on it being close to my own home, and on my gut feeling about the people I spoke with, the director and the assistant director of the facility. It's been a year and four months, and I am happy to say the result has been better than I expected. My mom moved into the Covenant Home in September of 2012. She was 90 at that time, and had been living at the North Shore Retirement Hotel in Evanston. During her 6 years at the North Shore she progressed from being fairly self-sufficient to needing help with some of her daily care, and she had more and more difficulty dealing with things in general, as her memory was getting worse. During her last year at North Shore she was hospitalized twice, she had poor appetite, was losing weight and she was depressed. She also had a couple physical conditions that required some daily attention. We had hired a helper for her and also contracted with the on site home nursing company at the North Shore, but their services were not enough. After she moved into the Covenant Home her appetite began to improve, and it's no longer an issue at all. The chronic problems she was having previously are under control, she is consistently in good spirits, and she has made friends there. Although she was not happy to make this move, she is now quite happy there, and says so. This is a much better outcome than I anticipated and I believe it is due the competency of the staff, the fact the quality of her care is consistent, and an intangible aspect: that the culture there is one of attentive kindness. The care she gets at the Covenant Home is a mix of residential and medical- they take care of making sure she gets her meds, cleaning of her studio apartment, dressing, dining, getting ready for bed, all that. Additionally, they they keep up with any ongoing medical care she needs, they make doctor appointments, and if necessary provide transportation. The are proactive in her care in terms of the medical, hygienic and social aspects. If you feel like hearing more about this I would be happy to correspond. You can send a private message to me through the Yelp system.

I wish I knew about this place before. They take your old items and refresh and sell them. We…read moretook our old light fixtures. They were really friendly. They also take those pesky styrofoam shipping peanuts and packing materials. Furniture, old cabinets. Don't trash your old stuff, recycle them here. They even have an EV charging station.

I bought the most beautiful door for my daughter's room! Solid wood and it fits perfectly!read more

This was an unexpected quirky store . Lots of trinkets and ideas kids created and were sold in this…read morestore, along with different creative books. Overall a very unique and fun store to be surprised. Right next to Shuga Records on Milwaukee Ave.

Visiting Chicago from Indiana. Found the bookstore on Yelp and thought it would be really great to…read moresee. Walked from our hotel to the Blue line. Road the Blue line all the way to where we were supposed to get off. Walked to the store but it was closed. We were there at 11 but the store doesn't open until 11:30. We went walking down the street until it opened up. Found another book store which was really cozy, fun, and cute. Made it back to the store at 11:45. Store was still closed. Went into the record store for a few more minutes to wait. Still no one there. Went all the way back to our hotel and visited a different bookstore and bought stuff there. Thought the concept was pretty unique but lost my only opportunity to visit.

This place is awesome. It is one of the largest social service centers in the country, a model for…read moresustainably retrofitting a landmark building, a training and conference center and headquarters for groundbreaking community development and facilitation training and activities. ICA programming is currently focused on connecting local community organizations that do grassroots community work all over the city to enhance their collective impact in Chicago. Plus they are the founders of Technology of Participation (ToP), facilitation and community development methods that work to get groups motivated and working together to develop and implement innovative plans of action. The ICA building is also known as the GreenRise Uptown Learning Laboratory, which has the 3rd largest solar panel installation in the city going up this summer. It is a landmark building and the first non-profit and building outside of the loop to be invited to join Retrofit Chicago by the Mayor of Chicago. Watch out for the Solar Event to celebrate the installation of these panels later this year. They are also building a rooftop farm , they have an aquaponic window garden in the conference room, community composting and an organic greenhouse in the community kitchen. Did I mention there is an intentional community that resides on the 7th floor? Some pretty awesome people. The building is rented out to nonprofits - there is a medical and dental center, a homeless women's shelter, refugee services, a credit union, an organization that maintains a rooftop farm, produces biodiesel and coordinates youth programming focused on sustainability. And many others! This year, the Uptown Pharmacy will be relocating to this building, to add another layer of awesome! The 8th floor is dorm-style accommodation at very reasonable prices for nonprofits or people taking ToP training to stay in. They also rent out gorgeous, newly renovated conference facilities. This place is amazing and they love to give tours of their building, so call them up!

Okay, I read a bunch of stuff on their website, and spoke to a woman at the center who was really…read morevery nice. But once I see stuff like "Where is God in your job search" on a website I back away. Well, nowhere, thanks. No faith based orgs. need apply.

I highly recommend this organization! In fact, I will tell anyone about Career Transition Center…read more(CTC) that will listen to me! I have utilized the services of this great organizations several times over the past few years after my lay-offs. In fact, CTC, was the first place I reached out to! Between the programs, presentations and the job coach, it made a big difference in my search and in finding my ideal position.

I came out to support this local business for The Tribute to Love Jones Open Mic. An open mic for…read morepoets to show their creative talent based off the movie Love Jones. The ticket price was $20 which included a drink. I got there early to find a park. Parks around the Belmont Area is hard to find. I was lucky to find a meter parking space right in front of the Cafe. Doors were to open up at 6pm. I waited outside until 6:30pm before someone finally let us in. Ok, that knocked off a Yelp Gold Star. I walked inside there was a table where you give your name to check in and was giving a ticket for your drink. There was a menu for you to pick your drink and you could also purchase a slice of pizza. The cafe had real good vibes. There was a DJ playing some good music. The atmosphere was very chill and laid back. There were so many amazing talented poet in the place. Everyone who graced the stage that evening was phenomenal. I had been searching to find a live open mic poet jam. Even though it started off 30 minutes late. The staff was polite and was making sure everyone was comfortable. The drinks were good and well made. Even the founder of the cafe was behind the counter helping out the staff. The energy and mission of this cafe is something that is needed in every community.

What I'm awesome coffee shop. I visited during their fundraiser event and let me tell you. I was…read morenot disappointed. It's very limited parking in the area but you know it's Chicago. There is plenty of seating in the restaurant, comfy chairs, regular chairs, and even a section for live music and a DJ. The coffee drinks are named after very well-known hip-hop artist. I ordered the Kendrick Lamar and it was very refreshing made with oat milk. We were greeted pleasantly and enjoyed our visit.

Such an amazing organization and space. Enormous store with books of every type. Very cool mission…read moreof donating a book with every book purchased. Book prices are very affordable. Also has space for children and families who want to read.

I have way too many books, physical books, since I read almost exclusively on my kindle at this…read morepoint. Enter Open Books. Now I started going through books in April 2020, but wasn't keen on interacting with folks, and it took until February 2022 for me to feel comfortable contacting them for pickup. They are experiencing a backlog at the moment--I submitted the pickup form in February, was contacted around March 30, and they came to my area April 19--but I've had these books hanging around for literal years waiting to be donated so a few more weeks was no big deal to me; I mention it only so that if you're on the fence you know to get on their list! Pickup was fairly easy. They don't take books in boxes larger than specific dimensions, so we had to pull them out of the boxes they've been in and out them in plastic bags instead. We ended up with 13 bags filled to the brim! There seemed to be a bit of a mixup, in that the Google form I submitted said I'd have 4 boxes and then when they contacted six weeks later to say they'd be in our neighborhood I said 13 bags since the boxes were too big; the person who came for the pickup mentioned a couple times how this was "not four boxes"... I mean, I'm sorry that there's a disconnect on your end? I checked my email to make sure I hadn't misunderstood, but I did indeed respond to the confirmation email to tell them I'd have 13 bags (their mail asked to confirm the pickup amount). So whatever administrative issue there is where they don't accurately update is annoying but not a problem if my making, and anyway she took them all. I'll definitely continue donating books here or the library (if the library takes books), but probably will take them to one of their drop boxes in the future if I use Open Books. That's in part because I don't want to deal with the kind of weird, somewhat annoyed an hostile attitude from the pickup person, but mostly because I probably won't have a pickup this large again in the future and don't want to have to wait 6-8 weeks for the pickup.