Remembering an Icon

Lori Cannon was many things: activist, advocate, and co-founder of some of the most critical HIV/AIDS response efforts in Chicago’s history. To Chicago House, she was family. 

Lori was among the first volunteers to walk through the doors of our residence on Malden Street in the 1980s. At a time when stigma was rampant and care was scarce, Lori showed up with maternal instinct and relentless energy by cracking jokes, organizing supplies, and lifting spirits. 

She helped anchor what became the home’s heartbeat: Thursday night family meals, planned by residents and shared with volunteers, staff, and guests. Her efforts went far beyond the dinner table. She helped “the boys,” as she called them, navigate daily life as illness made small tasks harder. She scheduled haircuts, ran errands, and even borrowed school buses to make outings possible. If anyone needed support, Lori made it happen. 

“Lori helped shape the early story of Chicago House,” says Michael Herman. “Her compassion and commitment still influence how we show up today.”  

In 1988, moved by her time at Chicago House and her work with the AIDS Memorial Quilt, Lori co-founded Open Hand Chicago—now part of Heartland Alliance—and helped launch ACT UP/Chicago. When our offices later moved to Belmont Avenue, she was there too, still side by side with the people she had stood with from the start, sharing space and continuing the mission. 

"She was a true warrior who took on the task of including everybody who was desperate for basic human needs and made sure they all knew they were important,” shared Richard Allison, former administration staff from January 1988 to December 1999. 

Lori’s dedication has been recognized time and again, but her impact extends far beyond awards or titles. She wove compassion into the fabric of Chicago House, making our work more human and our homes more joyful. 

Her legacy lives in every act of care and every story remembered. We continue to carry her spirit with us!