ABOUT
Created in March of 2020 by two Walter
Payton High School students, Connecting
Chicago is dedicated to combating
educational inequity by providing free
virtual 1:1 tutoring for students in
Kindergarten through 12th grade. We are
the largest student-led nonprofit in
Chicago and the fastest-growing provider
of free tutoring!
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In our first year, Connecting Chicago has provided tutoring for more than 850 students from neighborhoods across Chicago. All volunteers are current high school, undergraduate, or graduate students, and are trained by the organization to provide high-quality instruction in Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and foreign languages.
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Driven by our commitment to equal access, Connecting Chicago welcomes students with diverse learning needs and English as a Second Language (ESL) families.
Rem is a high school junior at Walter Payton who, as school came to an abrupt halt, was eager to help during the COVID-19 crisis in a socially distant and safe way. He was motivated to found Connecting Chicago when he saw the effects of isolation as a result of the virus on his grandmother who lives in senior housing. Rem enjoys connecting others because it creates an opportunity to meet new people that have different perspectives.
REM JOHANNKNECHT
Lucy is a part of Walter Payton's Class of 2022 where she is the Vice President of Special Olympics, a Best Buddies Peer Buddy, and the manager of the football and boys basketball teams. Outside of school, Lucy works for the Chicago Cubs and is a volunteer for Best Buddies Illinois. Lucy has a passion for helping others and bringing people together which is what inspired her to co-found Connecting Chicago. She is excited to see what comes of Connecting Chicago as it expands to help more people across the City.
LUCY
GOLD
OUR TEAMS
JOHN TRAVIS
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