thRee cheers for the home team(11)

“I think as parents we want to make sure our children understand that we are a part of a bigger world, and we have to think of people less fortunate,” says Kristie Edwards, shown here in the sunroom with Mike and their children Clay, Jackson, and Kate. “We are a religious family, and we believe this is how God intended it to be: We should help one another to the best of our abilities.”

Kristie and Mike Edwards have donated countless hours to helping African-American and Hispanic boys and girls in Chicago’s inner city. They began coaching Little League 15 years ago and were struck then with the need to do more for these youngsters. The Edwardses joined good friends Bob and Tina Muzikowski to found Chicago Hope Academy—a coed, nondenominational Christian high school on Chicago’s near west side.

“We felt that these children were getting lost in the cracks after the three months in the summer we spent with them,” Kristie says. “These weren’t necessarily the A or F students, but the B and C students who needed structure and guidance.”

In 2004, the Muzikowskis, the Edwardses, and other donors bought and renovated an old school building near downtown Chicago. The school opened in 2005 with about 72 students, and it now has about 115 boys and girls enrolled in grades 9 through 12.

Shortly after the school opened, Kristie and Mike opened their home to two students, who live with the family during the school week. “We have the space, so why not share?” Kristie asks.

For more information about Chicago Hope Academy, call 312/491-1600, or visit the school’s Web site, chicagohopeacademy.com.