Chicago Lights

Home
United States
Chicago, IL
Chicago Lights

Call Directions Website

Chicago Lights partners with youth and adults to build brighter futures. Chicago Lights is the nonprofit at Fourth Presbyterian Church.

We believe every person deserves access to the resources they need to overcome systemic barriers so they can achieve their ambitions. Our programs grew from the church’s commitment to social justice and compassionate service, beginning with the founding of the Tutoring program in 1964. The commitment to education and literacy expanded and in 1991 gave rise to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which in 2004 was renamed Chicago Lights. Since the inception of Tutoring, we have served more than 60,000 people.

10/30/2026

All good things must come to an end (at least for a while), and this Saturday, Oct. 31, will be the Urban Farm’s last Farm Stand of the season. There’s still plenty of produce to enjoy, so make the Farm Stand your stop between 11 am and 3 pm so you can stock up on healthy produce to offset all the candy you’ll eat on Halloween evening! 🍭🍫🍬

Here’s what you can gather this week:
🫑🌶️ Bell, Italian, banana, jalapeno, lunchbox, shish*to, and poblano peppers
🍅Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes
🍆 Bok choy, eggplant, and okra
🥬Collards, kale, lettuce, spinach, and arugula
🥕🫜Beets, turnips, and carrots
🌿Herbs - basil, cilantro, lavender, sage, thyme, and rosemary

We are grateful to have had your support all season long, and we hope many of your meals and snacks have been healthier and more colorful, crunchy, and delicious because of the Urban Farm.

Can't make it to the Farm Stand on Saturday? Please consider supporting the Urban Farm with a donation using the link in our profile. Thank you!

10/29/2026

On this National Cat Day, we are proud to give a shoutout to the best Urban Farm cats around — Sunny, Bonnie (who was born at the Farm), and Mama (who is Bonnie’s mama). These furry ladies supervise all the happenings at the Farm and are kind enough to sleep in the house that Harvesting Futures students and Lorenze, one of our growers, made for them using recycled wood found around the Farm. We’re grateful to have them as part of the Chicago Lights family. 🐈🥰🐈‍⬛ 🐈

10/28/2026

🎉🎃🍂Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate at the Urban Farm’s Fall Festival last Saturday. The teens in our Harvesting Futures program, in partnership with After School Matters (), were fantastic hosts and made all of our guests (more than 100 people!) feel welcome. Thanks to our partner Whole Foods Market () for providing the yummy supplies for s'mores. Happy fall, y’all! 🎉🎃🍂

10/27/2026

Chicago Lights Tutoring’s 62nd season is off to a fantastic start. Fun fact: October is also our Tutoring program's anniversary month. 🎉🎉 We’re so grateful for the vision and kindness of the group of Fourth Church members who started tutoring students from nearby neighborhoods in October 1964. What began as Partners In Education has become an essential program of Chicago Lights. Please join us in expressing thanks to all the volunteers and staff and donors who have made Tutoring a success. 62 years of student lives have been changed for the better because of each one of you!

And if you’d like to make a gift in honor of Tutoring’s anniversary, click the Donate button in the link in our bio.

10/26/2026

💙🩵💛 We are so grateful for community partners we can count on like LaSalle Investment Management (). For the third year in a row, the Social Service Center’s Share Shop received donations from LaSalle’s Chicago office’s fall clothing drive. Not only did LaSalle staff check in to find out exactly what we needed, they delivered the clothing personally with smiles on their faces. Thank you, LaSalle, for sharing with your neighbors and making our community a warmer, kinder place! 💙🩵💛

10/23/2026

🎃🥳🎉 Don’t forget! You’re invited to our Urban Farm Fall Festival. We hope to see you at the Urban Farm tomorrow between noon and 3 pm.

10/22/2026

The countdown is on, as the growing season has almost run its course. There are only two Farm Stand Saturdays left this year, so come get your produce and flowers while you can. And, when you visit us this Saturday, October 24, bring the whole family to enjoy the fun of our Fall Festival at the Urban Farm. The Farm Stand is open 11 am to 3 pm, and the Fall Festival is from 12 pm to 3 pm.

Here’s what’s on the Farm Stand shopping list:
🫑🌶️ Bell, Italian, banana, jalapeno, lunchbox, shish*to, and poblano peppers
🍅Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes
🍆 Bok choy, eggplant, and scallions
🥬Collards, kale, and okra
🥕🫜Beets, turnips, and carrots
🌿Herbs - basil, cilantro, lavender, sage, and rosemary
💐 Flowers

10/22/2026

Thank you FHLBank Chicago for your partnership and helping us build brighter futures by supporting our Urban Farm. We appreciate all of you!

10/20/2026

You can make a difference on your lunch hour! The Social Service Center is looking for volunteers to join our Outreach Program, an essential part of connecting our neighbors in need with food, essential supplies, and friendly support. Outings take place Tuesdays through Fridays at noon and last approximately 40–60 minutes. Volunteers and staff walk with a small, wheeled suitcase of supplies.

If you’d like to get some steps in and share kindness with your neighbors, sign up using the link in our bio or contact Program Manager La Rita Chatman at [email protected] to arrange a day and time. Thank you (in advance) for helping the Social Service Center make a difference in our community!

10/18/2026

Here’s your chance to show off your Chicago Lights pride with one of these fabulous custom-designed tote bags! Teens in the Urban Farm’s Harvesting Futures program have created 15 unique bags, which will be raffled off today, Sunday, Oct. 18, during coffee hour at Fourth Church (126 E Chestnut). Just stop by the Harvesting Futures table after the 9:30 or 11 am services and register for a chance to win. Winners will be announced the following Sunday, but you need not be present to win. Good luck!

Address

126 E Chestnut Street
Chicago, IL
60611

Telephone

+13127874570

Website

https://chicagolights.org/tutoring/, https://chicagolights.org/, https://chicagolights.org/urban-farm/, https://chicagol

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Chicago Lights posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.