Birch Burghardt

Giving people are hard to find. Some people just send money. Some people send their concerns or their wishes for the best. Some people send their prayers. Birch Burghardt does all of that, but she also sends herself, making her unusual in the firmament of givers. Whether it is supporting after-school programs for disadvantaged children or tackling the biggest of all challenges, teaching in Chicago public schools, somehow she has been there. And if, for the moment, she is not there, she is thinking about being there, about how people can elevate themselves. There are people like this all over the North Shore of Chicago, folks who could sit comfortably back, send a check now and then, and feel just fine about it. But they don’t. The place buzzes with do-gooders, many of whom actually do good instead of just talking about it.