The Leaders of Social Change Institute will host Dion Dawson, Chief Dreamer of Dion’s Chicago Dream, on campus for a program called Healthy Meals Matter: Combatting Food Insecurity in Our Communities, currently scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, 6:30–8:30 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Atrium. The program will feature a keynote conversation with Dawson centering on navigating basic needs insecurity, and social entrepreneurship for social change, followed by a round table dialogue with Dawson and students centering on various topics including sustainability, student well-being, and community-driven leadership. This program is open to all students, faculty, and staff. Food and beverages will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
About Dion’s Chicago Dream
Founded in 2020, Dion’s Chicago Dream started as a community initiative to assist residents of the Englewood Chicago neighborhood with fresh, healthy food. Using nutritional philanthropy as a catalyst to feed families and fuel hope, the organization is committed to creating financial, physical, and emotional stability for Chicago’s residents by combating food insecurity and addressing food deserts in neighborhoods across the city. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dion’s Chicago Dream has been delivering a week’s worth of groceries to over 1,000 households in 40 different neighborhoods per week. The organization’s free community fridges and food delivery service programs have to date administered over 225,000 family servings and distributed over 650,000 pounds of fresh produce to families in the Chicago-land area. Spreading his message about nutritional philanthropy and social change, Dawson has been featured on The Ellen Show, Feeding America, TEDxWrigleyville, and WTTW Chicago.
University College Partnership
In partnership with University College, Dawson will also engage with students from the SOAR Scholar Academy to discuss student empowerment and personal leadership development. The SOAR Scholar Academy is a cohort-based program that provides holistic support to its scholars as they transition and navigate Illinois State University. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Dawson is vocal about his experiences navigating food insecurity and homelessness as a young Black man and plans to share a dynamic message about leadership identity and resilience.
Dawson is excited to share the community with ISU and the SOAR Scholars and has prepared a personal message to the Illinois State community. For more information, please contact Leadership Education and Development, a unit of the Dean of Students, at RedbirdsLEAD@IllinoisState.edu or 309-438-3212.
