We Chicagoans pride ourselves on having hearts that are as big as our city. We love our neighborhoods, our sports teams, our schools and our thriving arts and entertainment venues. And maybe best of all, we have amazing philanthropic efforts that invest in our city to make it the best it can be. One of the leaders in those efforts is one the city’s most recognized businesses, Microsoft.
We have a lot to be thankful for this time of year. We were pleased to see that earlier this year, my colleague Shelley Stern Grach, director of civic engagement at Microsoft was named by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the top five most powerful philanthropists to know
Shelley knows the real power is in the opportunity to bring together the passionate people and companies in the city. “My personal mission is to not have Chicago become a tale of two cities. The more we can weave programs together from all the great tech companies and others that want to support 21st-century skills, then the more we can start closing this opportunity divide,” she said during the interview with Crain’s.
Microsoft supports a wide array of organizations with a goal of helping others. Recent recipients included: Museum of Science and Industry; Field Museum; Window to the World Communications Inc.; Adler Planetarium; Metropolitan Family Services, National Latino Education Institute and Chicago Zoological Society.
Be sure to check out the video accompanying the article to find out more about Microsoft’s efforts in Chicagoland and hear additional insights from Shelley.