Mom and Daughter Duo Teams Up to Help Chicago Community

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Felicia and Amara Johnson. Read their story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Many people rode out the COVID pandemic doing hobbies at home they’d never previously had time for–DIY renovations, gourmet baking and rewatching favorite ‘90s sitcoms. Felicia Johnson, a pediatric nurse at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, dove headfirst into teaching her 13-year-old daughter Amara about community service in a time when people were struggling the most.

“Amara was younger when COVID started, so I was just trying to instill some empathy in her,” Felicia says, noting the desire to find something hands-on for a kid who grew up connected to the internet. “I was feeling disconnected at that time. When we started, it made us feel like we belonged to a community.”

The Honeycomb Project, an organization she found through an online mom group, made it easy to volunteer for families to volunteer together at a variety of kid-friendly places across the city.

“You don’t have to think about what you’re going to do. You get a big list of great activities, and you could pick a different one every week,” she says.

Together, they’ve cooked an entree to drop off for 30 teens experiencing homelessness with Ignite. They’ve bought and packed food for a church to distribute. Amara added some extra cheer with her decorations on the bags. They’ve also sorted and packed kitchen items, like pots and pans, at the Chicago Furniture Bank.

“Amara really loved The Sewing Project where we stuffed an Ottoman and sewed it together for people who were unhoused and newly housed, so that they could have something special in their home,” Felicia notes, lamenting the distance from home making it difficult to do often.

The Love Fridge was another favorite. For a month, the duo was responsible for cleaning, organizing and stocking an outdoor community fridge in Hyde Park. People can leave food to share or take what they need.

“My dad, who passed in June, was with us when we did that,” she smiles. “He was there to drop us off, but he got down and dirty and put on gloves to clean out the fridge.”

Felicia often shares her and Amara’s experiences with her longtime friend, nursing colleague and fellow volunteer Nicole Walton.

“It’s something she’s always talking about, the community and giving back. Like for Christmas, she adopts a family and helps with their basic necessities, toiletries and things like that,” Nicole says. “She definitely has a passion for these things.”

Felicia finds herself particularly drawn to initiatives that help people living with food insecurity.

“I grew up very poor on the south side of Chicago. It was hard to get food. It was a difficult childhood,” she says.

Felicia’s volunteer work began in college, after Hurricane Katrina. There was an influx of displaced people where she was living in southern Illinois, and she wanted to help.

“I was so torn up about it that I used my own money–and I had to work like three jobs in college–to buy toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels and whatever to bring to United Way.”

Today, she hopes to alleviate people’s struggles and teach Amara that she’s able to contribute. Their most recent project was Grow Your Groceries, an initiative near their home that supplies local schools with supplies for students to grow fresh produce with their families. Being in their own community motivates them to encourage others to get involved.

“I put out information on the mom websites. I recruited family and friends to pack boxes,” Felica recalls. “A lot of people have to choose between buying food and buying medicine or buying food and getting on the bus, so this project really helps.”

Dill and okra are currently growing in their own house, but Felicia leans on her mom’s green thumb. Once a month for four or five months, they helped pack around 200 boxes to distribute. Felicia even became a project leader this year and overcame her fear of public speaking by addressing large groups multiple times during each event. While Amara prefers being out of the spotlight, she picked up the extra responsibilities involved in ensuring things went smoothly.

“I’ve known Felicia for a long time, and this is the kind of project and the work she really enjoys doing. She really enjoys educating people and showing them, ‘This is something that we can all do,’” Nicole states.

As the holiday season approaches, the Johnsons are preparing for an event they look forward to–and recruit for–all year, the Honeycomb Holiday Cheer Challenge. The duo has been both volunteers and participants over the last three years this downtown scavenger hunt has been on their radar, but this year, they’ve opted to work on the committee and participate in the festivities.

“We get to carry flowers and candy to take to police officers or to bus drivers. It’s random acts of kindness mixed into a scavenger hunt. It’s also a fundraiser,” Felicia explains.

Felicia was this year’s Arthritis Foundation medical honoree for her research on children with lupus and arthritis. She and Amara also volunteer at health fairs outside of Honeycomb.

“It brings her and Amara together, because she’s showing her, When people are struggling, this is a place that they come for help and resources,” Nicole emphasizes. “I think it’s teaching her not to take things for granted.”

When it comes to learning, Felicia describes Honeycomb as a great place for Amara to practice team building and leadership skills in a safe place with peers. It’s also community-building and eye-opening.

“Get involved. You’re going to be teaching your child skills that they can’t learn anywhere else,” she suggests. “Introducing your child to these types of projects, you’re introducing them to the world.”

Amara has mentioned that it makes her feel good to help other children out. Felicia wants her to understand the different struggles people have and how she can help. More importantly, she wants to show her why she should.

”For me, it’s healing because of how I grew up. There is healing through helping other people,” Felicia reflects. “I get to be a part of giving something to people so that they won’t have to have the same struggles that I had, even if it’s just for one day.”

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Felicia and Amara? Find local volunteer opportunities.