Together We Give. Together We Rise: Chicago Emerging Stars’ 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway Served 350+ Families in Under 40 Minutes

On Saturday, November 22, 2025, something powerful happened on Chicago’s South Side and it wasn’t just a giveaway. It was a reminder of what Chicago looks like when the community shows up for community.

Chicago Emerging Stars, a fast-growing, youth-led nonprofit founded by Chicago native Jaqueza Thomas, hosted its 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway themed “Together We Give. Together We Rise.” Families began arriving early, bracing against the cold with the same hope they carry every day. Volunteers moved with purpose. Neighbors greeted one another like family. And in less than 40 minutes, over 350 turkeys were distributed, meaning 350+ households walked away feeling seen, supported, and cared for.

But what happened that morning wasn’t measured only in turkeys. It was measured in relief. In dignity. In parents who didn’t have to choose between rent and a holiday meal. In elders who quietly said, “Thank you for remembering us.” In young people who showed up not just to serve, but to lead.

This is what Chicago Emerging Stars was created for.

A Movement Built From Lived Experience And Built for the City

Chicago Emerging Stars is not an average nonprofit. It’s a movement rooted in lived experience and led by a young voice who knows exactly why this work matters.

Founded by Jaqueza Thomas at just 19 years old, Chicago Emerging Stars began as a personal mission with a community heartbeat: to guide youth toward purpose, possibility, and power. What started as one young leader funding his first community giveaway out of his own pocket has grown into a citywide effort that has now served 4,000+ youth and families across Chicago’s South and West Sides.

Jaqueza’s story is not separate from the organization’s purpose, it is the reason behind it.

He built Chicago Emerging Stars because he knows what it feels like to grow up in communities that are often overlooked but never without hope. He knows the impact of one person believing in you. And he knows that when young people are believed in, they don’t just survive, they soar.

This organization was created to be the kind of safe space he once needed: a place where youth feel seen, supported, and unstoppable, and where families feel like they don’t have to carry life alone.

Thanksgiving in Chicago: Love in Action

The Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway is one of Chicago Emerging Stars’ most meaningful annual events because it meets families exactly where they are with no barriers, no registration, and no judgment.

Last year, at the organization’s first annual giveaway, more than 165 families were served in under 10 minutes. This year, the need was even greater. The flyer for the event was shared over a thousand times, and messages poured into Chicago Emerging Stars’ inbox from families across the city asking for help.

And on Saturday, the turnout confirmed what the team already knew: the need is real, and the community is ready to rise.

Families lined up before sunrise. Volunteers checked in early. Young leaders stepped into their roles with confidence and care. By the time the giveaway began, everyone understood the same truth:

This wasn’t a handout.

This was a moment of dignity.

A moment of hope.

A moment of Chicago taking care of Chicago.

Youth-Led, Community-Powered

One of the most powerful sights on Saturday wasn’t just the number of families served, it was who was serving.

Chicago Emerging Stars programs and events are youth-led by design. The organization works with young people ages 7–24 year-round through mentorship, leadership development, and community programming in schools, park district centers, and neighborhood spaces across the city.

At the giveaway, that same mission came alive in real time. Teens and young adults weren’t waiting on instructions; they were leading teams, supporting families, carrying supplies, and setting the tone.

Because to Chicago Emerging Stars, youth are not the future.

They are the now.

They are leaders today.

They are change today.

They are proof that community transformation doesn’t have an age requirement, just a heart.

Partnerships That Make Impact Possible

Chicago Emerging Stars is built on collaboration and care, and Saturday’s success reflected that.

The organization is deeply grateful for the partnership of the Chicago Police Department 6th District Community Policing Office, whose support helped make the event safe, organized, and welcoming. Their presence didn’t feel like security, it felt like community.

The event was also supported by the continued sponsorship of 1-800-Truck Wreck, led by Amy Witherite, whose belief in Jaqueza and in this mission has helped Chicago Emerging Stars grow into what it is today. Their partnership represents what happens when people invest not in image, but in impact.

Chicago Emerging Stars also extends heartfelt thanks to every volunteer, sponsor, donor, and supporter who showed up in any way.

Because the truth is simple:

This event happened because people cared.

More Than a Giveaway A Year-Round Mission

While this event is one of Chicago Emerging Stars’ biggest public moments, it is only one reflection of a much larger mission.

Year-round, the organization provides:

• Mentorship and guidance for youth across Chicago

  
  

• Leadership development focused on confidence, purpose, and community pride

  
  

• Safe spaces for healing, growth, and honest conversation

  
  

• Programs that help young people dream beyond survival and step into their power

Chicago Emerging Stars meets young people where they are not with pity, but with purpose. Every initiative is grounded in the belief that youth deserve to be nurtured, not ignored, and that families deserve to be supported, not forgotten.

A City Rising Together

Saturday proved something that Chicago Emerging Stars has always believed:

Chicago is full of love.

Chicago is full of resilience.

Chicago is full of people willing to rise together.

More than 350 families walked away with a turkey.

But even more walked away with something harder to measure:

Hope.

And when hope is restored, a city changes.

Want to Keep Rising With Chicago Emerging Stars?

Chicago Emerging Stars is still growing and the work continues.

If you were moved by this event and want to support the mission, there are many ways to do so:

• Volunteer at future events and youth programs

  
  

• Donate to help provide resources year-round

  
  

• Partner with the organization to expand safe spaces for youth

  
  

• Share Chicago Emerging Stars’ story so more families can find support

To learn more, get involved, or make a donation, visit: www.chicagoemergingstars.org

Because the mission doesn’t end after Thanksgiving.

It lives in every young person still finding their voice.

In every family still pushing forward.

In every neighbor still choosing community care.

Together, Chicago gives.

Together, Chicago rises.

And Chicago Emerging Stars will keep showing up every season, every year, every time love is needed.