12/10/2025
Thank you Mayor Scott Wehrli Your presence at the Aahan Gala made such a difference!
Last Friday, the Aahan Foundation – a nonprofit based in Naperville dedicated to providing access to quality education, healthcare, and life skills worldwide – held its annual gala. I was asked to help present the group’s Beacon Award winner to Chicago’s Quilen Blackwell, whom I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know a bit during the evening. Little did I know that less than 24 hours later, Quilen would be named CNN’s 2025 Hero of the Year for his work turning vacant lots in Englewood into sustainable flower farms, giving youth the chance to grow and sell flowers through his nonprofit store Southside Blooms.
Change begins here at home, but it ripples throughout the region and world. Quilen reminds me that when we plant a seed in the earth, we do more than just change the appearance of the land around us. Pushing that seed into the ground shapes the hands and hearts of those who nurture those blooms and gives their lives a new kind of hope. One that says growth is always possible, regardless of past circumstances or your current environment, as long as you have someone guiding you and giving you the right tools to help you grow.
Congratulations to Quilen, and thank you to the Aahan Foundation for recognizing his efforts and helping demonstrate to our community how we can all contribute to making the world a better place.
