I was recently in Israel touring the historical sites. Early in the trip, my guide asked, “It’s violent there, right?” when I said I was from Chicago. To think, across the world, in a place marked by conflict and decades of war, my guide – who had never visited the city – still imagined Chicago to be a dangerous and undesirable home. Apparently, this story of Chicago is everywhere, but what happens when a group of young girls decide to tell a new story of the city? What happens when they take the broken shards left by violence and restore them to beauty? What does that make the city? What does that make them?

On this episode of The Feature we sat down with Hannah Olson, the director of Arise Creations, to hear stories of what drew her to Chicago, what keeps her here, and how a jewelry making program is changing the story of her neighborhood. She tells us about the urban hope necklace and the girls who make them. She introduces us to a beauty that emerges from the violence of the city. Here’s Hannah with your host, Emanuel Padilla, sharing her story.

Shop Arise Creations Today

To purchase any of the jewelry discussed in the episode, visit the Arise store here.
To donate to this ministry, you can give today by visiting their ministry site.

About Hannah Olson

Hannah is the director of Arise Creations, a program of New Life Centers of Chicagoland.

Arise Creations is an entrepreneurship and discipleship program where young women on the west side of Chicago are empowered, encouraged and educated through making and selling handmade jewelry. Hannah has been directing the Arise program since 2016 in Humboldt Park, Chicago where she, her husband, and son seek to live on mission for Christ with their neighbors and community.