10/02/2026
On Wednesday, September 30th, we gathered for Northwestern Settlement’s Fourth Annual Better Futures Luncheon, an inspiring afternoon celebrating the power of community and what we can achieve when we invest in Chicago’s children and families.💜
We had the privilege of welcoming Valerie Jarrett and Arne Duncan for a conversation with Northwestern Settlement President & CEO Carole Wood about what it takes to create better futures, and the shared responsibility we all have in making them possible.
One message especially resonated: children need opportunities to see what they might become. To experience new places, meet people who believe in them, discover their strengths, and imagine possibilities they may not yet know exist.
For 135 years, Northwestern Settlement has worked to create those opportunities.
Since 1891, generations of children and families have found a first classroom, a school where they were known, a safe place after school, support during a difficult time, food when it was needed, or the chance to discover a bigger world.
The needs of our community have changed, but our promise has not: to listen, build relationships, bring people and resources together, create opportunity, and stay.
As Valerie Jarrett reminded us, “We can’t afford to give up on our children or our city.”
We don’t intend to.
Thank you to Valerie, Arne, Carole, our sponsors, speakers, program leaders, and everyone who joined us or supported us from afar. Creating better futures is a shared responsibility, and we are grateful to have so many people sharing it with us.
One Community. Many Resources. One Settlement.
Here for today, and whatever comes next.
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