Scary times, these. If you’re not terrified, you’re not paying attention. With wars in Ukraine and Gaza — the latter on pause, for now, but that will change, and either could easily explode into a greater conflagration — and thousands of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees flowing into a Chicago still wobbly from COVID-19, there’s a line around the block of Big Frightening Problems to worry about. Did I mention the real chance of democracy dying in America next year? Or that the world is on fire? Those too.
But fear is not a success strategy. You don’t solve problems by fretting about them. You solve them by doing something. Tuesday was Giving Tuesday, an online effort to get people to pause from fire-hosing their money at streaming services and sports betting apps and direct a few trickles of cash at worthwhile causes instead.
My household supports The Night Ministry — the last strand in Chicago’s social safety net — and The Ark. You might want to get behind Heartland Alliance or Catholic Charities.
If your heart goes out to those who come to Chicago seeking a better life and end up sleeping with their kids on a police station floor, consider supporting Refugee One.
There are many more — you will, I hope, support groups you’ve already been supporting. If not, a few minutes spent consulting Prof. Google should do the trick.
You might think this story is a day late. But it’s supposed to run on Wednesday, because Chicago Public Media has dubbed Nov. 29 as “Giving Newsday.” Part of the trick of surviving in the media is to find a way to stand out from the general roar, and by focusing on the following day, the hope is we’ll take advantage of the spirit of holiday generosity while not getting lost in the crush of worthy causes.
The Chicago Sun-Times is owned by Chicago Public Media, a 501(c)3 charity that also owns WBEZ 91.5 FM, and though I’m biased, I’d argue that, in a way, supporting us is even more important than backing some other charity, because we’re how you learn about everything going on in the world.
Which is extra important now, in the Golden Age of Deceit, where certified liars can spew ludicrous, self-serving fictions all day long and still somehow be accepted by otherwise decent people. Reading the Sun-Times is like having a staff of 100 fact-fixated newshounds who fan out across the city and state, track down the most important information and bring it to you on a platter. Whether you care most about the score of last night’s game, or the scuffle at yesterday’s City Council meeting, or whose bucks are lining which politician’s pocket, we find out and tell you in a way that is as reality-based as possible.
I fit in ... how, exactly? Good question. I wonder about that myself sometimes. At this point, I’m the old man by the fire, clawing my hands into an approximation of the mighty bear’s paws, telling stories of the hunt. My goal is not to break news — others do that better — but to give you something interesting to read on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Though not next Friday or Monday — I’m taking time off. Which I typically do bunched at the end of the year because it’s hard to pull myself away. “If you’re not in the paper,” I tell colleagues considering retirement, “you might as well be dead.” I agreed to pop up today, on Giving Newsday, to remind you of the importance of donating to Chicago Public Media. It’s tax-deductible — heck, I gave my Honda Odyssey to the Chicago Sun-Times Vehicle Donation Program earlier this year. Donating your car is easy and fun, and I never regretted doing so.
But donating money is even easier. You give a little money that you’ll never miss. Chicago’s top newspaper gets to keep doing what it does best. The bad guys are exposed and held to account. The big games get reported. Stories are told, and everybody’s happy. The world is still scary, yes. But somehow, learning about the problems, dragging them out of the shadows and into the light, taking a look, then acting, doing something about them, reminds us that even the worst situations end, eventually. Newborn Hope stirs, stretches in her cozy bassinet, flutters her beautiful eyes, and, awakening, gives a lovely little yawn.
