My Super Powers Foundation

01/20/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆!

Not only is today:
❤️ MLK Day
❤️ National Day of Service
❤️ National Cheese Lover’s Day 🧀

It’s also…
🎂 Board Member Jen Hall’s Birthday! 🎂

Join us in celebrating Jen and wishing her the happiest of birthdays! 🎉 Thank you, Jen, for your dedication, passion, and all the amazing work you do for the My Super Powers Foundation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN! 🎈🎁🎊

01/20/2025

✨𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗿. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 - 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲✨

Today, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a visionary leader who championed equality, justice, and the transformative power of service. MLK Day is not only a moment to reflect on his profound impact but also a call to action as the National Day of Service—a reminder that each of us has the ability to make a difference through acts of kindness and service.

At the My Super Powers Foundation, we believe that serving others not only uplifts communities but also empowers those who give. Since our inception, we’ve created hands-on service opportunities for youth, including our annual MLK Day project in support of veterans. 🇺🇸 This tradition has been a cornerstone of our commitment to service and gratitude.

This year, we’re taking a new approach. After thoughtful consideration, we’ve decided to move our veterans-focused service project to the fall, aligning it with Veterans Day to further honor and support those who have served. 🎖️

In addition to the veterans project, we’re excited to refocus on service as the foundation of what we do, planning multiple impactful projects throughout the year. Details of our first service project will be shared soon, and we look forward to working with the youth in our community to make a meaningful difference.

📸 | Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

11/13/2024

🌎✨ Happy World Kindness Day!

Today, we celebrate the simple yet powerful impact of kindness. It’s a reminder that small acts can make a big difference and that kindness, when practiced daily, brings us closer to a more compassionate world.

Here are three ways to share kindness today—and all year long! ❤️

1️⃣ Create a Family Gratitude Jar:
Each day, write down something you’re thankful for or a small act of kindness you experienced. At the end of the year, read through them together and celebrate your kindness journey.

2️⃣ Leave Kind Notes Around the House: Surprise each other with little notes of encouragement and love. Spread the joy by leaving similar notes for others to find in public places like libraries, parks, or community centers.

3️⃣ Volunteer Together:
Whether at a local shelter, food pantry, or community event, giving back as a family is a powerful way to build kindness into your routine and connect with those around you.

Do you have any more ideas 💡 to share?

11/12/2024

08/26/2024

🌟 𝗔 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲! 🌟
Our exhibit at Santori Public Library has come to an end, and we’re so grateful to all who visited and supported these incredible young artists. 🎨 Here’s a quick recap of our inaugural 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 event:
▪️ 7 young artists showcased 28 original artworks at our April 5th event.

▪️ Each artist shared an oral presentation about their art, giving a glimpse into the personal stories behind each piece.

▪️ 50 guests attended 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, cheering on our talented youth artists.

▪️ The Plainfield Central High School Band added a special touch with their jazz performance. 🎷

▪️ 6 artists continued to share their creativity by participating in the Santori Library exhibit.
➡️ Most importantly, every participant—whether through art, words, or music—shared their unique voices. How empowering! 🙌
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱! 📅 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀.

07/15/2024

✨𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 @ 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆✨

When you stop by Santori to see the beautiful art of 6 young artists, make sure you sign the guest book so that we know you were there!
𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 is on display at the Santori Public Library in Downtown Aurora- 101 S River St, Aurora, IL, until August 15, 2024.
Also, post a pic using and tag My Super Powers Foundation!
Thank you!

07/12/2024

✨𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 @ 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆✨
We are so grateful to partner with the Santori Public Library to extend our 2024 My Art My Story Youth Art Exhibit. Until August 15th, several pieces of art 🎨 from our April exhibit will be on display in the first floor atrium of the Santori Public Library in Downtown Aurora- 101 S River St, Aurora, IL
We invite you to check out the exhibit and join us in celebrating the creativity of the following young artists:
▪️𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿, Joliet Junior College
▪️𝗔𝘃𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹, SunRaise Academy, Class of 2024
▪️𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗰𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻, junior, Montini Catholic High School
▪️𝗘𝗹𝗶 𝗠𝗰𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗻, junior, Wheaton Warrenville South High School
▪️𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻, junior, Chicago High School for the Arts
▪️𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻, senior, West Aurora High School
Let us know that you've stopped by! Post a pic using hashtag and tag My Super Powers Foundation!
Thank you!

07/02/2024

✨ 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆! ✨
Art from 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 will be showcased at the Santori Library! Located in downtown Aurora, this exhibition offers our community a chance to marvel at the creativity of these young artists.
🗓️ 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: July 15 - August 15, 2024
🕰️ 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀: Open daily; visit their website for specific times: Santori Library Hours
📍 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: Santori Library, 101 S River St, Aurora | First floor atrium
Featuring works by:

▪️𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿, Joliet Junior College
▪️𝗔𝘃𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹, SunRaise Academy, Class of 2024
▪️𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗰𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻, junior, Montini Catholic High School
▪️𝗘𝗹𝗶 𝗠𝗰𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗻, junior, Wheaton Warrenville South High School
▪️𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻, junior, Chicago High School for the Arts
▪️𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻, senior, West Aurora High School

Mark your calendars to support these talented artists! Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate their creativity at Santori Library.

06/19/2024

✨ 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛!! ✨

Here are 5 facts about Juneteenth:

▪️𝗢𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭, 𝟭𝟴𝟲𝟯, 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆. More than two years passed before this news reached the slaves who lived in Texas. On June 19, 1865, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the slaves that they were free.

▪️𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵. It was first known as “Jubilee Day”. One year after the proclamation was read on June 19, 1865, the first “Jubilee Day” was held to commemorate the day. It is also known as “Juneteenth Independence Day”, “Freedom Day”, or “Emancipation Day”.

▪️ 𝗜𝗻 𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟬, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆. However, since 1866, Juneteenth has been celebrated informally by many. Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021 by President Biden.

▪️ 𝗢𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵. She is credited with pushing legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. She created a petition that received over a million signatures. In February 2023, she became only the second Black American to have her portrait hung in the Texas statehouse in honor of her persistence to make the holiday happen.

▪️ T𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴! Juneteenth flag was designed by L.J. Graf. The colors red, white, and blue echo the American flag to symbolize that the enslaved people and their descendants were Americans. The star in the middle pays homage to Texas. It also includes a bursting star on the horizon of the red and blue fields, representing a new freedom and a new people..
𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙. 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩.
〰️〰️〰️〰️

📸 | Isaiah Montgomery, one of our consistent youth volunteers, was a volunteer at Naperville Neighbors United's Annual Juneteenth Celebration last weekend.

06/07/2024

✨ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗦𝗣𝗙 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻? ✨

It was founded by Stacey Montgomery.
In the years prior to the MSPF, through her business, Stacey M Design, Stacey organized youth-led service projects. To grow that effort and make it more sustainable, she decided to start a non-profit— the MSPF!
This is an image of Bex Rizo. Bex was helping make cupcakes for a bake sale that Stacey organized to benefit the 3:11 Project. The bake sale was held at Wyckwood House in downtown Aurora.
In addition to Bex, several other kids made sweet treats for the event, and several kids worked the bake sale.
Thanks to the efforts of the youth volunteers, the support of Wyckwood House, and the generosity of the community, we ended up raising several hundred dollars for 3:11!
Once the MSPF was launched, Bex continued to be a regular volunteer. Not only has she participated in many of our service projects, she also served as the auctioneer at our Dessert Auctions as well as a youth musician at our annual fundraiser.
Bex is now a student at Aurora University.

05/28/2024

𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴: 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀: 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁, 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁
Did you know that artists make up only 1.6% of the workforce? Yet, their contributions are invaluable to our society.
Recently, the My Super Powers Foundation hosted a youth art exhibit, showcasing the talent and creativity of seven young artists from our community. From high school sophomores to college students, each artist presented a unique collection of artwork, ranging from photography to oil pastels.
Youth Blogger Theodore Campen attended the event and shared his impressions in this blog. ➡️

https://bit.ly/44YX6BR

Check it out and leave comments!

〰️〰️〰️〰️
𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝.