Mavis Staples

A Chicago woman was frustrated by the lack of social interaction across cultural and racial boundaries. She created "Across the Table" to help bridge the gap.

Wolf Lake anglers raise money to stock the lake annually with walleye. The organization responsible for the fish stocking is Perch America.

Two Chicago nuns hold a weekly vigil for detained immigrants.

A Chicago woman photographs a series of abandoned homes, starting with the one she grew up in.

Alyssa was pretty nonchalant about traipsing around in these abandoned homes, even after it was clear that the doors were broken down and someone could have been in there. I was nervous. I've been in a fair number of sketchy places shooting stories, but I wasn't looking forward to disturbing someone squatting in an abandoned building. Nothing happened of course.

A couple of expert, high-end quilters design baby blankets that are made by Chicagoans with developmental disabilities.

Even though this story is about the "Many Hands" baby blankies that Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr designed and market, I can't pass up the opportunity to show you some examples of their other amazing quilts. There are a few below and lots more on their website, where you can also order them.

A local inventor builds a “puppet bike” so his out of work friends can make some cash.

There is no one in the Chicago area who has had more of an impact on Chicago waterways and on the sport of paddling than blacksmith, activist, businessman and naturalist Ralph Frese.

Karen Dove Cabral passed away in 2007 after 6 years of living with breast cancer. The following year, Karen’s husband and parents started the Karen Dove Cabral Foundation to assist other young mothers battling the disease.

I take a once-in-a-lifetime flight on a fully restored WWII Bomber and meet a WWII veteran who flew in one.

We go inside an operating room, where surgeon Dr. Pier Giulianotti uses robots to operate.

In 2009, the magazine Fast Company listed Dr. Pier Giulianotti #85 on the list of 100 Most Creative People in the Business.

Several years ago, Mehmet Ak was overweight, unhealthy and ready for a change. But he was also a chef and restaurant owner. When he found that an all-vegan, all-raw diet improved his health — he completely re-vamped his menu. And Cousins I.V. (“Incredible Vitality”) was born.

Chicago is well known for community organizors -- including the former organizer who now occupies the White House. A few years back, I visited the Midwest Academy, a Chicago school where aspiring organizers come -- from across the country -- when they want to learn their trade.

There is art therapy where the results aren’t necessarily art.  But for Blake Lenoir and the other artists I visited at Project Onward at the Chicago Cultural center… the therapeutic benefits are undeniable.  But so is the quality of the art.

A portrait of Tyrone King, as he works the streets of downtown Chicago asking for money.