Cultivating Community and Leading in Service All Across Chicago

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Markus Giolas. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Markus Giolas has become a familiar and deeply trusted presence across Chicago’s south and west sides, where his dedication to volunteerism has blossomed into a leadership role that continues to make a lasting impact. As a volunteer leader with Chicago Cares, Markus brings an infectious energy, a learner’s mindset and a fierce commitment to building stronger, more connected communities. Whether he’s leading service events, mentoring others or stepping in to support wherever needed, Markus exemplifies what it means to lead with compassion and curiosity.

Over the years, Markus has cultivated meaningful relationships with partner organizations and residents alike, becoming a bridge between volunteers and the communities they serve. His leadership goes beyond logistics—he creates space for dialogue, connection, and healing. During Chicago Cares’ Power of Service program, he facilitated thoughtful conversations around public safety and racial equity, encouraging honest reflection and ensuring that all voices were heard. His thoughtful approach, especially in conversations that center BIPOC experiences, reflects a rare and powerful kind of leadership rooted in empathy and active listening.

Markus’s service doesn’t stop with Chicago Cares. He regularly volunteers at FarmWorks, an urban farm operated by Heartland Alliance that grows fresh produce for local food pantries. There, he digs in—literally—to help combat food insecurity and support sustainable, community-centered agriculture. At New Hope Church, he’s a dependable face at the food pantry, where he helps provide groceries and dignity to neighbors navigating tough times.

His commitment to supporting new neighbors is just as strong. Markus recently completed training to become an ESL tutor, with a desire to grow his impact and meet people where they are—linguistically and culturally. He’s also a regular volunteer at Palenque LSNA’s citizenship workshops, where he helps immigrants on their journey toward becoming U.S. citizens. These efforts are especially important in immigrant-rich communities, where access to educational and legal resources can be scarce.

In addition to his work on the ground, Markus volunteers as a career counselor for Defy Ventures, a nonprofit that supports formerly incarcerated individuals with entrepreneurship training and second chances. In these settings, his authenticity, patience and belief in human potential shine. Read on to find more about how Markus shows up—not just to complete a task, but to connect… with open ears and an open heart.

Tell us about your volunteer role.

The main organization I volunteer with is Chicago Cares, and they’re kind of the fulcrum of everything I’ve done. During the pandemic, and after the George Floyd incident, I just thought, what can I do and how can I help? Volunteering was it. Whatever my role is, however small, I feel better if I’m doing something. I went online and just searched for volunteering. I didn’t realize it was going to be so easy. I went to the Chicago Cares site, and they have a calendar. There are things to do all over the city.

I just started volunteering. I was volunteering at a farm called Growing Home Inc. in Englewood. That was important to me – going to underserved neighborhoods. In Chicago, the Englewood neighborhood is completely maligned by the news. If you hear the news, you’d think that if you go to Englewood, it’s raining bullets. It’s not like that at all. I got to spend a lot of time there through volunteering and now I actually have friends there now.

Which cause areas tend to be the most important to you?

At Chicago Cares, they made me a volunteer leader, so I lead groups for different partners. One of them was a church in the Hermosa neighborhood. They developed a food pantry, and the way they did it was really cool: instead of handing people bags of food, they set up a grocery store and give people carts. I feel like that gives them agency. They can take what they want, we pack it up for them and help take it to their cars.

Palenque, an organization in Logan Square, sponsored a workshop for people who are applying for citizenship. We sit at tables, people come up and hand us their citizenship forms and we’ve been trained to help them navigate the process. I speak Spanish, and my very experience there was with a man about my age. I helped him fill out this form, all in Spanish, and when it was over, he gave me a keychain that he made out of a parachute cord. It was the coolest thing. That’s extremely rewarding. That’s relevant to what’s going on right now with immigration and ICE. The other thing we did was walk around that particular neighborhood and hung door knockers about immigration rights, so that everyone in the neighborhood knew what their rights were. That they can’t come into your house just because you don’t speak English. Things like that.

Another organization I really like is one I discovered by volunteering through Chicago Cares, and then I started volunteering directly with them. It’s called Defy, as in “defy the odds.” It’s an organization that develops programs with people in prison who are nearing the end of their incarceration term and helps get them ready to reenter the world. It’s a long day. We go out on the bus, and we show up with these young men and women who have been in school. We help them with their business pitches and their resumes. We spend the whole day with these men and women. And it’s just so profoundly rewarding. I can’t even express it. The way it’s organized is so empathetic. You just make friends with everybody.

So, it’s not one thing. It’s just this community I became a part of. I didn’t expect it. I just thought, I’ll help myself by helping others. But I’ve met so many people and do all these different things. I have a bit of ADD and prefer not to stay in one place too long, but to move around. Still, I establish relationships. I go back and volunteer with them.

What inspires you to volunteer?

What keeps me going is people. I love hanging out with people. And now I have friends from all different age ranges and economic backgrounds. It’s something I hadn’t had much of, and now when I go to a charity event, I see people I know. I’m proud of that, that I’ve ingratiated myself into this army of people out there doing the same thing: helping each other, and helping the community.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

It sounds cliché, but we’re all just people. We worry about the same things. I feel like I’m more part of the world now than I used to be. When you look at some of these people, the lives they’ve led, the hardship they face… it’s something I can’t even fathom. Even during my challenges, I’ve remembered over and over that I’ve really had a pretty good life compared to a lot of people.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

People want to know that there are people out there who care about them. Get involved. And if you’re upset about an issues, then do something. Even if it’s picking up trash on the street.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

I say, two hours a week. Or three, or four. You can spare that. Chicago Cares made it really simple for me. They list events. They have these ice breaking group activities. Everyone introduces themselves. Most organizations have a volunteer liaison, which can help you get acquainted with things. Just find an event or cause area and get involved.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I just want to set an example. Getting an award for volunteering? I’m not doing this for recognition. But I do try to lead by example. One of my favorite quotes is from Dr. Askhari Johnson Hodari: “If everyone helps to hold up the sky, then one person doesn’t get tired.”

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