Jewel-Osco Donates $1 Million to SocialWorks

On November 20, 2017, Chance the Rapper made a surprise appearance at Clark High School in Chicago to help announce another large donation to Chicago Public Schools. Chicago supermarket chain Jewel-Osco donated $1 million to the New Chance Arts & Literature Fund, a partnership among SocialWorks, CPS, and Ingenuity, an arts education advocacy organization.

Jewel-Osco president Doug Cygan announced the company’s donation — the largest in company history — before introducing Chance to elated high school students at an assembly. Jewel-Osco’s donation follows in the footsteps of other organizations such as the Chicago Bulls, LANDR, and Chance the Rapper himself who have all donated to CPS over the last year.

At the assembly, Chance encouraged students to learn more about how public school funding, taxes, and other pertinent issues work. “You guys don’t receive the same benefits that a lot of other people do,” Chance said. An understanding of the politics of public education can empower students to further advocate for themselves in the face of cities’, states’, and the federal government’s continued cuts critical funding.

SocialWorks would like to extend a warm thank you to Jewel-Osco for this incredible contribution. With the help of these funds, arts and literature will continue to grow and thrive in Chicago schools, which will greatly benefit from the assistance.