With Mother Nature dishing out more rain than sunshine lately, it’s easy to catch a case of the “blahs.” But, rain or shine, rich or poor, at PLRG we like to look on the bright side. If you’re reading this, it means you have access to the internet, which means you probably have a roof over your head and enough disposable income that you can afford to spend three minutes of your life listening to me go on and on. That alone makes you, and the team at PLRG, more fortunate than many living in this city of ours (Fortunate for the roof, not for listening to me. Although you should feel pretty good about that too.).

With the promise of summer fun ahead of us, we feel more blessed and more motivated than ever to do our part to give back to those who need support. And, with all the creative and generous people doing charitable work in Chicago, it’s never been easier to find a cause you can get behind and have fun contributing to! Folks like Michael Farrah, founder of ActofGood.org and Lindsay Avner, founder of Bright Pink are changing the way we think about charity and philanthropy and making it more accessible and approachable for young people.

Their work has inspired us to dedicate an entire issue to helping PLRG’s find ways to give back that work for them. Do you have a tough time fitting volunteer work into your busy social schedule? We’ve got the scoop on the fundraising social scene, so you can get your party on for a good cause. Maybe you’re feeling like just one person can’t make that much of a difference. Well, this month you’ll hear about women all over the city, from all different backgrounds who are making a big impact on their communities.

So, keep it locked on PLRG to get your charitable booty in gear. In addition to our features, we’ll be posting our fave picks for charity/fundraising events on the calendar and keeping you updated on what events we’re hitting up and what organizations we’re getting involved in.

Lacey Brenly

Editor in Chief