PROJECT
LUK

What started as a simple holiday initiative with a small group of coworkers has grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined.

In 2000, I responded to a Secret Santa ad in the Sun-Times (yes, an actual newspaper!) and rallied 10 to 15 coworkers to contribute. Remarkably, many of those original supporters are still donating 25 years later.

The following year, Chris Dias, a preschool teacher at Parkman School on Chicago’s South Side, reached out after learning that her low-income school had been left out of the newspaper’s program. She asked if we could sponsor her classroom of 30 students. That simple request changed everything and became the beginning of what would eventually become Project Lifting Up Kids (LUK), a name we adopted years later.

We continued supporting Parkman and its sister school until they closed as part of Chicago Public Schools consolidation. Chris has long since retired, but we remain close friends. I will always be grateful that she reached out all those years ago and introduced me to the incredible impact this kind of giving can have on children and families.

From there, Project LUK grew mostly through word of mouth, with friends inviting friends who then brought in more friends. Over the years, we’ve partnered with many Chicago Public Schools, with Stagg, Johnson School of Excellence, and Westcott Elementary becoming core partners for more than a decade. In 2019, the Kail and Carolan families also joined through their La Grange community and now help support more than 100 children.

What makes Project LUK so special is the people who show up year after year. Friends and volunteers give their time, money, and energy while balancing full-time jobs, families, and everything else life brings. They shop, wrap gifts, organize donations, and help make sure every child receives something special. What started with a handful of coworkers has become a family tradition. Our own children, and the children of our friends, have grown up watching this happen and are now becoming part of it themselves.

At its heart, Project LUK is simple: we want children to receive gifts they genuinely wish for, not just something chosen for them. We also protect their privacy by keeping every child anonymous.

Over the years, that idea has grown beyond individual children to include entire families. We want parents, caregivers, and siblings to feel remembered and cared for, too. Because ultimately, Project LUK is about more than gifts. It’s about making someone feel seen, thought of, and special during the holidays.