Community Corner

12 Stories of People Making A Difference In The Chicago Area

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Lauren Williamson, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

For the past two months, we've been bringing you stories of hope and heart from across the Chicago area through a partnership with Grape Nuts to highlight inspiring members of our communities.

Now that we're wrapping up the series, let's take a look back at the local heroes who have inspired us by overcoming challenges that would seem insurmountable to many others.

  • Pit Bull Rescuer Faces a Mountain of Fear and Misunderstanding: Chicago-area woman rises to the challenge of rescuing mistreated pit bulls and changing the image of the maligned breed. 
  • Tattoo Artist Helps Girls Escape Life in the Sex Trade: A Chicago-area tattoo artist and youth pastor helps people find new lives by inking over their tattoos. 
  • Disabled Athlete Scores a Big Win for Handicapped Competitors in Illinois: A Chicago-area swimmer rose to the challenge to fight rules that discriminated against disabled athletes.
  • A Marine Corps Mom's Love for a Son Lost to Combat: Modie Lavin's journey through life changed when her son was killed in Afghanistan. She now runs a memorial fund and works with veterans in Chicago.
  • The Long Journey to Change Minds About Marriage Equality: State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz has been a vocal advocate for changing Illinois marriage laws, and she sees change on the horizon.
  • Man Paralyzed in Prime of Life Never Stops Following His Passion: A Chicago-area man didn't let becoming paralyzed at the age of 21 stop him from coaching football and running for public office. 
  • Holocaust Survivor Shares Story of Loss, Survival and Triumph: 'You’d be surprised how much you want to live,' 86-year-old Holocaust survivor Magda Brown says about her imprisonment and escape from Auschwitz.
  • Disability Doesn't Even Slow Down Bridget Brown: From being the first Down syndrome student mainstreamed in her school district to starting her own advocacy organization, Bridget Brown's journeys are far and wide. 
  • Scuba Diving Helps the Disabled Find Confidence: A Downers Grove father found water is the answer in helping people with disabilities become more physically confident. 
  • Paralympian Follows His Dream and Earns Medals in the 2012 Paralympics: Oswego cyclist Joe Berenyi didn't let the loss of his right arm and left kneecap stop him from doing what he loved and pursuing his dream of competitive cycling.
  • 8-Year-Old Cancer Patient on Mission to Help Others: Rosie Colucci founded Rosie's Toybox to collect toys to donate to hospitalized children. Rosie, who has cancer, volunteers with several other charities as well.
  • Joliet Women Climb Mountain in Support of Caretakers: Kathy Miller and Kim Jackson, both from Leeza’s Care Connection at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, found inspiration in caregivers to climb Mount Washington in New Hampshire.

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