GLOBAL BRIEFS | 19 GLOBAL EVENT

Students Learn About Science at the Chicago River

The Chicago River Schools Network (CRSN), the premier educational program of Friends of the Chicago River, is creating new field trips and presentations for the 2022-23 school year to help students explore the Chicago River and learn about nature and science.

The group kicked off the coming school year with a late July program that included nearly 100 girls from three South Side high schools exploring native habitats and performing chemistry tests to assess water quality at Flatfoot Lake, in Beaubien Woods. The event was a collaboration of the CRSN and Girls 4 Photos courtesy of Friends of the Chicago River. Science (Girls4Science.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping girls overcome barriers to success in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Students tested water quality and donned hip waders and nets to conduct a study of

Students with Girls 4 Science Staff at Flatfoot Lake macroinvertebrates found in Beaubien Woods in the water. They also participated in a habitat scavenger hunt to use their observation skills in nature.

The CRSN and Girls 4 Science have partnered together over the last 12 years to help girls in the Chicago area gain experience with nature and science. Jackie Lomax, executive director of Girls 4 Science, says, “We are so proud of our collaboration with Friends of the Chicago River. Everything about our work with Friends is inclusive, and creates opportunities for the students to immerse themselves in real-world STEM activities related to water chemistry.”

During the past school year, the CRSN worked with 28 schools on 38 field trips and gave seven classroom presentations, teaching 1,585 students about the river; mostly at the river’s edge. Total student engagement was 13,245 via direct programming, counting teachers as multipliers. The group also returned to an in-person Chicago River Student Congress, an annual student-led river celebration along the banks of the North Branch of Chicago River at Clark Park. The next student congress event is planned for February 2023.

Mark Hauser, Friends ecology outreach manager, who leads the CRSN, says, “It’s fantastic to see that this program continues to create value for teachers and students alike. We are an innovative approach for teachers to bring the river into classrooms and classrooms to the river.”

The CRSN also teaches students about environmental stewardship through litter cleanup activities. Friends currently receives a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources - Coastal Management Program, which funds litter removal along the Chicago-Calumet River system, allowing them to remove access barriers by hiring buses to bring students to and from the river. Friends has achieved more than 875 hours of student engagement removing litter since the grant began in February. Since 1996, Friends has helped thousands of teachers and more than 475,000 students explore the Chicago River.

For more information, including lesson plans and activities for teachers centered on the Chicago-Calumet River System, visit ChicagoRiver.org.

Common California Bumble Bees Go Missing

The Western bumble bee, once easily spotted in California, could not be found in a recent survey led by the University of California-Riverside (UCR). The first statewide census of California bumble bees in 40 years found several other species absent, as well. UCR entomologist Hollis Woodard’s research group collected bees from 17 sites representing six different ecosystems previously known to host a large variety of bumble bees, as documented in the journal Ecology and Evolution. One of the missing species, the Western bumble bee, is an important pollinator of wild plants and crops. “We didn’t find it, even once,” says Woodard.

This study was an effort to document changes in bumble bee populations across large geographic areas in California since the last one in the 1980s. Smaller-scale studies have documented significant declines in bumble bee populations around the world due to climate change, development of wild habitat and the use of bee-killing pesticides, so it is important to have data that documents bee health. Bumble bees can fly in cooler temperatures and lower light levels than many other bees, helping to pollinate crops worth $3 billion annually in the U.S., including tomatoes, peppers and cranberries.

Peace Day Addresses Global Racism

Established in 1981, the United Nations-sanctioned International Day of Peace, or World Peace Day, is a holiday observed around the world on September 21 each year. The 2022 theme is “End racism. Build peace.” To that end, the General Assembly has dedicated this day to observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

Secretary-General António Guterres says, “But achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race.

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Finding Joy and Inspiration

THROUGH CELEBRATING A LOVED ONE

by Rebecca Hoffman

Photo courtesy of Lighten

The death of a loved one is never easy, but for some people, celebrating a life well-lived instead of mourning a loss can be a source of comfort, healing and inspiration. After they pass away and the initial shock of loss, there is an overwhelming feeling of grief. These strong feelings are often accompanied by pressure to plan a memorial service that meets the needs of grieving family and friends. The options have long been standardized and limited to the resources of a traditional funeral home.

When Alexandra Koys, founder of Lighten, was suddenly faced with planning a memorial service for her uncle who had just passed away, she could not find any place or resource that felt like a good fit. “The funeral home environment immediately felt wrong for my uncle. He was young, vibrant and always the life of the party. I wanted to plan something he would have loved,” says Koys, reflecting upon that experience. “I knew that I was not alone in wanting to plan a life celebration personalized to my loved one’s personality, and in wanting to avoid the somber funeral home environment. I founded Lighten to meet this growing need among families.”

Lighten is a startup in the staid funeral space. Based in Chicago, but serving clients around the country, it is devoted to creating memorials that are uplifting and personal, reflecting the unique identity of the person being celebrated and alleviating the incredible stress that often accompanies planning a memorial. Koys received early encouragement for her business concept when Lighten earned second place in the Polsky Center at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business New Venture Challenge.

Lighten’s commitment to consumers offers a solution to a very real need people face today. Mary Fencl, a Lighten client, echoes Koys’ desire for a differentiated experience when speaking about her husband’s celebration of life. “He knew hundreds of people, was adored by so many people,” she says. “I needed to do something that was worthy of him and his life.” Fencl worked with Lighten to plan her husband’s gathering at the historic Davis Theater, in Chicago.

More than anything, Koys and her growing team are working hard to educate consumers about the evolving options for memorial planning. “Families no longer need to settle for the somber, one-size-fits-all approach offered by the local funeral home. When collaborating with Lighten, they have the opportunity to plan a gathering that is more personalized and more uplifting—and that matters. The families we’ve worked with have shared with us that planning a personalized celebration that feels just right for their loved one can add comfort, healing and even joy to their grief journey. And those who are preplanning their own memorials as part of their estate planning efforts are empowered to define their own legacy via their end-of-life gatherings,” says Sue Opeka, Lighten CFO and a longtime advisor.

“We’ve helped communities gather in beautiful settings like museums, live music venues and outdoor locations. And for the many families who are spread out across

Rebecca Hoffman

the country, we offer virtual gatherings and hybrid in-person/virtual gatherings. Lighten has really been able to make an impact in the lives of the families we’ve worked with,” says Opeka.

Death and grief are inevitable experiences all people encounter in their lives. It is nice to know that there are uplifting, authentic and inspiring ways to celebrate lives well-lived.

For more information about Lighten, call 312-373-0847, email Hello@LightenArrangements.com or visit LightenArrangements.com.

Rebecca Hoffman is a strategic communications consultant to Lighten and a seasoned marketing and brand consultant serving clients in the Chicago area and around the United States. Contact her at Rebecca@GoodEggConcepts.com.

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