There was an article last fall in the Chicago Sun-Times that told the story of the Chicago River, once dismissed as a “lifeless industrial waterway,” written off as too polluted to recover. And yet, through years of regulation, cleanup, and restoration, the river has come alive again. Today, more than 60 species of fish swim where none could survive before.
It is living proof that things can get better; that what feels broken can be restored.
This is a story we return to often at Daystar, especially as we enter Giving Week. We want our students to see the world with those same eyes: eyes that notice what needs mending, that recognize places in need of justice, care, or renewal, and that believe change is possible. During Giving Week, students across every grade level will step outside the classroom to serve our neighborhood, partnering with local organizations, engaging in service-learning projects, and practicing what it means to love their neighbors in tangible ways.
Giving Week is about formation as much as action. As students serve, they reflect on questions that sit at the heart of a Daystar education: What does it mean to notice what is broken? How do we respond with compassion? What responsibility do we have to one another and to the city we call home? This is how students learn that faith is not abstract — it is lived, practiced, and embodied.
At the same time, Giving Week invites our broader community to participate as well. Gifts to Daystar’s Annual Fund help make this kind of education possible — supporting the teachers, programs, and experiences that shape students who are prepared not just to succeed, but to make things better. Together, through service and generosity, we are forming young people who believe restoration is possible — and who are ready to be part of it.
