'Day for Empathy' 2019 Observed Today, Continuing In Honor of the Late, Beloved Roger Ebert's Legacy

In a fitting sequel to last year's daylong slate of activities across Chicago, rogerebert.com, and the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation once again are honoring their namesake's legacy with the 2019 observance of Day4Empathy in the city. Today, Thursday, April 4th is the sixth anniversary of the celebrated film critic and author's untimely death, and to that end the Day4Empathy continues to reinforce the late Roger Ebert's embrace of the universal concepts of empathy, and his staunch belief in the necessity of humility, compassion and paying small, unassuming acts of kindness forward.

For 2019, Day4Empathy solemnly challenges people to use the day to reflect upon being empathetic amidst an increasingly tumultuous political climate, while also proudly announcing an empathy arts collaboration with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) this coming school year which will lead to $10,000 in donations to 10 deserving students for their best creative expressions of empathy.

Through his work within the film industry, and away from it, the late Roger Ebert advanced a message of shared humanity, unity and connectedness among people of all faiths, races and cultures. For Mrs. Chaz Ebert, who continues to shepherd his legacy through the foundation that bears their name, as well as the now annual Day4Empathy, 2019 stands as an opportunity to continue to spread the "Ebert Effect" throughout the city and beyond, and pause to touch people so that they, in turn, will touch others. Mrs. Ebert has expanded Roger's concept of empathy, and identified three other core concepts that make up the "Ebert Effect": Empathy, Kindness, Compassion and Forgiveness.

"Day4Empathy to us remains a clarion call-to-action for more humility and grace," says Chaz Ebert, Roger's widow and co-founder and chair of the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation. "It's up to each one of us to create the quality lives, the relationships and the society that we want our children to inherit. And, through the smallest of things-namely our interactions with people we encounter day-to-day-we can start the conversation about the transformative nature of Ebert's compass of values," she adds.

ABOUT THE ROGER AND CHAZ EBERT FOUNDATION

Chaz Ebert co-founded the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation with her late husband, the acclaimed film critic and author, Roger Ebert. She is also chairman of the board for the Foundation. More information on the annual Day4Empathy celebration in Chicago can be found on the web site, www.rogerebert.com/empathy. Ms. Ebert is the CEO of several Ebert enterprises, including the president of The Ebert Company Ltd., and of Ebert Digital LLC, publisher and co-founder of RogerEbert.com, established in 2002 and where she continues as its publisher, president of Ebert Productions, chairman of the board of The Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation and co-founder and producer of Ebertfest, the film festival now in its 21styear.

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