Large-scale chalk art honoring cancer survivors appeared on sidewalks at two Lake Forest locations on Sunday, July 12, part of a regional initiative by City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago called "Artistic Expressions of Hope."

The colorful installations are at the Lake Forest Library (360 E. Deerpath Road) and at City of Hope's North Shore outpatient location (400 Hastings Road). Artists who have been personally affected by cancer created the pieces. Their names have not been publicly identified.

The project spans more than a dozen sites across the Chicago area and into Wisconsin. Other locations include Pioneer Court on the Magnificent Mile near City of Hope's downtown cancer center, Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood, Evanston, Morton Grove, Zion, Antioch, and City of Hope's center in Kenosha.

Angelina Fakhoury, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at City of Hope Chicago, told CBS News Chicago the project is meant to show "the community is getting together to support each other" through the cancer care journey.

How to participate

City of Hope is inviting the public to grab chalk and create their own tributes to cancer survivors at either Lake Forest site. Take a photo of your artwork and post it to social media with the hashtag #HopeLivesHere.

No end date for the displays has been announced. Chalk art is temporary by nature, so residents who want to see the installations should visit the library or the Hastings Road location soon.

Local ties

City of Hope's community outreach program manager for Lake County, Pat Braithwaite, R.N., serves as liaison to the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff chambers of commerce and chairs the Lake County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Braithwaite's role focuses on cancer prevention and health education across Lake County, which helps explain why Lake Forest was selected as one of the initiative's sites.

The North Shore outpatient location on Hastings Road opened in 2023. City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago, formerly Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, joined the City of Hope network in 2022 and has been expanding its suburban presence since then.

Residents can find the library installation along Deerpath Road in downtown Lake Forest. The Hastings Road site is accessible during the clinic's regular hours, though the chalk art appears to be on exterior sidewalks visible to passersby.