Posted on by Jim Schwartz

Make Real Change AND Spare Change

Oak Park, Illinois, the community where I live, recently initiated a campaign called “Make REAL Change, Not Spare Change”. The “spare change” they refer to here is giving donations directly to people who are panhandling or soliciting on the street, whereas the “REAL change” is giving money indirectly to local nonprofit organizations to then support…

Posted on by Jim Schwartz

All’s fair in race and politics

This summer, my family and I visited friends who live in northwestern Illinois for a weekend of swimming, roasting marshmallows, and looking up at the stars. One afternoon, our hosts invited us to attend the local County Fair – rides, games, and tasty treats were on offer, so we said yes. We drove over country…