I was walking in a small town on the island of Kauai last February when I received a call from Peter. After some small talk, Peter told me that the Princeton Club of Chicago wanted to award the John Fish ’55 Distinguished Service to the Community Award to Ginny and me for our work on […]
The pages of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School junior Sylvana Prieto’s leather journal are covered with messy doodles, notes and illustrations. Journaling is one of the many coping skills that students, including Prieto, learn through the program Erika’s Lighthouse, which teaches students about depression. “I think [Erika’s Lighthouse] was helpful,” 16-year-old Prieto said. “I liked […]
While seemingly everyone retreated to their homes amid the global pandemic, Kaitlin wondered about the 15 people she saw every Thursday. They all lived with depression or bipolar disorder, and they would gather in a downtown Chicago church where they cried, divulged hidden thoughts, encouraged one another or silently listened. But as the coronavirus outbreak […]
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Erika’s Lighthouse is encouraging everyone to take the Positivity Pledge The Positivity Pledge includes themed weeks focused on nutrition and mindfulness along with a new challenge each day including #ShareSunday, #MentalHealthMonday, #WinningWednesday, and #FamilyFriendsFriday. The Positivity Pledge calendar creates an opportunity for individuals to commit to 31 days […]
It’s been 26 days since Gov. J.B. Pritzker told Illinois residents to stay at home to blunt the spread of the COVID-19 virus and by now, you’re likely feeling a touch of cabin fever. The truth is you’re not alone in itching to get out and interact with people. Most of us are doing our […]
In addition to physical health concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak, the global pandemic is causing most people–especially children–mental health stress and concerns, too. With schools across the country closed indefinitely and with states in various stages of social distancing or more severe lockdowns, students have lost their daily connections to friends and teachers. These […]