Propllr Gives Back 2022

It’s our favorite time of year.

Yep, it’s time for Propllr Gives Back, when Propllr matches every employee donation up to $250!

Propllrheads support some amazing organizations, from hyperlocal to international, and I’m proud to be able to multiply their contributions.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read about the organizations the team supported this year, and hopefully you’ll be moved to do the same!

Happy Holidays!

Josh and the Propllr Team

P.S. To see where we've given in past years, see our 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 editions.

Clay Kuntz 

I’ve donated to Chicago House every year and this time feels even more important than years past. Divisive, homophobic, and transphobic politicians continue to spread hate speech about queer and trans people and pass laws severely restricting their rights – while Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas embarks on a crusade to end marriage equality all together. This will inevitably result in people disowning their queer and trans children and family members, kicking them out of the house, or worse. Please consider donating to this fantastic organization that helps queer and trans people with housing, employment, healthcare, HIV prevention, and so much more!

Connor Bradshaw

I’m donating to Free Street Theatre for the second year in a row! My background is in theatre, and I’ve had the privilege of working with and viewing work from the best theatre companies this city (Chicago) has to offer. Free Street tops that list in Every. Single. Way. But to call Free Street just a theatre company would be to dismiss the incredible community organizing and outreach it conducts. Yes, Free Street provides pay-what-you-can theater. But it was also one of the first organizations to offer theatrical programming for youths and establish its home base on the west side of Chicago. It’s been around for more than 50 years and continues to fervently champion people, diversity, and Chicago’s history through theater that supports social, racial, and economic equity.

Hayleigh Criss

I’m donating to Everytown for the second year. It’s the largest gun prevention organization in America and a nonprofit I hold close to my heart. The gun violence epidemic is out of control and has impacted thousands of communities and millions of lives. It breaks my heart knowing innocent lives are being taken due to senseless acts of violence, and I wish I could wave a magic wand to make it stop. Everytown supports and educates survivors and helps advance gun safety regulations, background checks, and action from elected officials.

Jon Keller

I’m supporting Tutoring Chicago, which provides free, one-on-one tutoring to students facing economic barriers. The organization’s mission is to provide students with the attention and resources needed to succeed not only in school, but in life. I am a volunteer at Tutoring Chicago and to see the impact you can have on a young student is incredibly powerful.

Brenna Lemieux

I’m supporting the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT). It’s a Texas-based, trans-led organization dedicated to educating about and advocating for trans rights. In February of this year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott instructed state officials to investigate parents and healthcare providers who help transgender youth get gender-affirming care. As early as March, parents were being investigated for child abuse for providing essential care to their children. In TENT’s own words, the organization “strive[s] to halt discrimination through social, legislative, and corporate education.”

Katie O’Shea

I’m donating to Injustice Watch, Block Club Chicago, and ProPublica. As a PR firm, we have great respect for journalists and the important role that they play. Journalists have the ability to tell stories that otherwise might not be heard, separate fact from fiction, explain complex issues, and speak truth to power. As a society, we rely on journalists to perform those functions, especially in these past several years. With that in mind, I wanted to support a few of the nonprofit newsrooms doing this work in Chicago and beyond.

Josh Inglis

My daughter, Sophie, is in graduate school at the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago. As part of her program, she has an internship at Housing Forward, the Oak Park, Illinois-based nonprofit. More than a short-term housing solution, Housing Forward seeks to end homelessness by addressing each individual’s unique challenges, with a wide range of services including job readiness training, street outreach, medical respite, and emergency assistance. Sophie’s experiences there have been extraordinary, and we are super proud of how she’s jumped right in.

Jack McHugh

I’m supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI generates awareness, provides education to families and individuals, and makes sure everyone can get the help they need on their mental health journeys. One outlet is the NAMI HelpLine, which gets people connected with resources and programs available to them. There’s so much we don’t know about mental illness, but organizations like NAMI help people navigate the uncertainty by connecting them with accurate information, available resources, and a network of people that can make them feel less alone.

Crystal Hermond

I’m supporting the CreateHer Foundation. CreateHer is a Texas-based nonprofit organization that was founded in October 2018. I’ve been a mentor at CreateHer for the past year, and what attracted me was their mission to teach young Black women the importance of self love and having the confidence to strive for success. This is done by allowing mentors to guide with principles of love, fulfillment, and purpose. CreateHer’s goal is to be a light force for the youth by instilling self-confidence through action-driven events, workshops, and enrichment programs / personal development education courses.