Amidst the skyscrapers and high-rises of downtown Chicago, a city summer tradition was made truly spectacular for dozens of our boys and girls thanks to a dear friend of the Home—entrepreneur and philanthropist Christopher Gardner.

A longtime supporter of Mercy Home, Mr. Gardner (whose life story served as the inspiration for the 2006 motion picture The Pursuit of Happyness) has volunteered his time for many years to help serve our children at our annual Thanksgiving celebration. Having professed his love and passion for our mission, Mr. Gardner has even instituted an event of his own: inviting our kids to watch one of the city’s weekly summer fireworks shows from the terrace of his high-rise apartment.

Since Mr. Gardner was out of town most of the summer for work, our Home initially had difficulty scheduling a date for the event. Insistent on giving our kids this truly unforgettable experience however, Mr. Gardner made special arrangements to fly into Chicago just to host our boys and girls!

On Wednesday evening, August 31, almost 50 of our boys and girls, chaperoned by several of our coworkers, traveled downtown for the mid-week fireworks display. While enjoying the pyrotechnics, our young people were treated to tables of pulled pork, brisket, an ice cream cart, and another cart serving Chicago-style hot dogs.

Mr. Gardner also invited friends from his professional network to share conversation and good food with our kids, and took time to speak to our children himself.

During his travels, Mr. Gardner said, he noticed that Chicago was “getting a bad rep” due to the spikes in violence and crime throughout the summer. Although this makes it difficult for him to tell people he is from Chicago, he continued, it also allows him to talk proudly about the incredible accomplishments of our boys and girls. “You are the shining lights of Chicago,” he told them.

Thank you to Mr. Gardner for continuing to brighten the lives of our young people!