CHICAGO | Ten Chicago Seeds visited StoryCorps at the Chicago Cultural Arts Center on December 15. Story Corps is a nonprofit that builds connections between people by sharing the stories of others in order to build a more just and compassionate world.
The Seeds heard three different stories that embody forgiveness and empathy, and then engaged in dialogue with each other around their personal responses to the stories.
“There were moments of tears and laughter as the Seeds listened to Wil and Olivia Smith’s story,” said Ben Durchslag, Seeds of Peace’s Chicago Coordinator who organized the visit.
“Wil was a single father attending Bowdoin College, playing basketball, and working to support his daughter Olivia.”
One of the Seeds connected Wil’s story of being a single parent to her own experience seeing how hard her mom worked at raising her. She noted how unique this was for a man, and the level of strength and dedication it took for Wil to do this while playing basketball.
The Seeds were amazed to find out that Wil helped run the Seeds of Peace Camp, and Olivia herself is a Seed.
The program’s organizers are planning a follow-up visit in February.
The group ended the evening with a visit to Chicago’s 104th annual Christmas Tree in Millennium Park.