I moved to Chicago over a decade ago, right after college. I fell in love immediately. The lakefront. The culture. The sports. Showing up at a tennis court on a summer evening and finding a pickup game already going. Movie nights in the park. The way the whole city seems to spill outside the moment the weather breaks.
Over time I started discovering what was deeper in the parks. The neighborhood fieldhouses. Woodworking classes, swim lessons, gymnastics programs for $8 or $10 a session. The ones where you show up on a Tuesday afternoon and the place is packed with kids doing something incredible.
I started trying to use them more. And I kept missing registration. Not because I wasn't paying attention. I just didn't know the window had opened. By the time I heard about it from a neighbor or stumbled onto it myself, the spots were gone.
I asked around. Everyone I talked to had the same experience. Parents trying to get their kids into day camp or swim lessons. Adults trying to sign up for fitness classes or tennis. The programs were great when you could get in. Getting in was the hard part.
This city built something extraordinary. I want more of us to use it. That's really what this is about.
Founder, Chicago Helper
Right now, the families who get spots are often the ones who've been through it before and know when to show up. That's not how a public resource should work. Chicago Helper sends the alert to everyone, not just the insiders.
The Chicago Park District generates more than $25 million a year through permitted events and festivals. Every dollar earned is one less that must come from property taxes. The parks are financially self-sustaining in ways most people don't realize. Participation is part of how that works.
Woodworking at Horner Park. Ice skating at McFetridge. Gymnastics, tennis, nature programs, fitness classes across hundreds of parks in every neighborhood. Chicago built all of this. The goal of this site is to help people find it, plan around it, and actually use it.
There is more loneliness in American cities than anyone wants to admit. Put people in a swim class or a woodworking workshop and something changes. You see each other. You come back next week. Midwesterners have a genuine warmth, and Chicago's neighborhood parks are one of the best places it shows up.
The city funds what gets used. Filled classes get more budget. More budget means more programs. More programs means more families. When we show up, the parks get better for everyone. Show up, and the city meets you there.
"In a city as big and complex as Chicago, there are not many things that truly belong to everyone. Our parks do. They are where Chicago breathes, where neighbors become community and where the future of our city takes root."
Adam builds social impact companies. His approach is always the same: one small, focused product designed to make a real difference for a specific audience. His current company is Education Walkthrough, a platform that helps school leaders improve instructional quality, now used by 500+ districts across 10 countries. He also runs Founders Therapy, a Chicago meetup supporting over 300 founders with biweekly peer-to-peer support in Lakeview. Chicago Helper is that same instinct applied to the city he calls home.
We're looking for Chicagoans who know the city well and want to write about it. Parents, longtime residents, people who use the parks and know what actually works. If that's you, send us a note and tell us a little about yourself.
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