Midwest Young Artists is one of the most outstanding youth orchestra organizations in the nation. Ensemble experiences also include jazz, choral, and chamber music. Dr. Allan Dennis is doing great things with these young artists as recognized by their numerous national and international awards. Dr. Dennis and Fred Koch have collaborated frequently on school and family performances designed for younger children.
The DonorsChoose model of citizen philanthropy begins with a teacher who wants to provide his or her students with an activity that school funds would not cover. At the website, the teacher can describe a student project and list the materials needed to make it possible. Next, civic-minded individuals can browse teacher's submissions. A donor can make a tax-deductible contribution that fully or partially funds a chosen proposal. For more information, visit www.donorschoose.org.
When you're looking for a particular children's music performer, you'll probably locate information about them at the Children's Music Web. This is a rich and comprehensive resource focusing on children's music performers and related organizations.
For my money, the best Chicago style pizza comes from Lou Malnati's Pizzeria! And the good news is that Lou's will ship their delicious deep dish pizza (and assorted other goodies) direct to you. If you're a displaced Chicagoan, have a college student who needs a care package, or just an extreme pizza lover, you will treasure this service.
The Message Relay Center is a service which divorced/estranged parents can use to communicate important child issues to each other, without having to reveal their private information (phone number, address, etc). This really helps in cases where the ex-spouse turns violent, but you still have to deal with joint-custody issues.