It Will Make a Difference

At first glance one might wonder what on earth Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposal to raise Chicago's minimum wage to $13 per hour by 2018 has to do with the work of our charity. It has much to do with what we provide to school children. The fact of the matter is that many parents have a difficult time coming up with the funds to provide for all of the necessities of their school age children.

At just over $7 per hour parents have to provide for food, clothing, insurance, shelter, medical needs and the like. By the time some of these urgent needs are taken care of, there are scant dollars left to provide for the supplies that the children need in the classroom.

So a big jump in the minimum wage will do wonders for those most in need of a helping hand. Most of the families we work with would prefer to purchase their own supplies, uniforms, band instruments and more if they had the means to do so. The people we assist are glad to have our support but they also want to provide for their own. So, here's hoping the $13 per hour is not just a 'pipe dream.'

Dick