Kids & Family

Lemont Dad Designs 'Freebie' App for Busy Moms

This Lemont resident wasn't about to let his kids go uneducated, just because of outdated info about museum offerings and specials. Ed Rafacz took matters into his own hands and designed a program to keep kids fed and educated—all on the cheap.

Lemont resident Ed Rafacz's wife was always looking for things to do with their kids. 

Time and time again, he'd hear that the information she found about family friendly, affordable activities was outdated—or just plain wrong. So Rafacz decided to do something about it.

Two years ago, he began developing Heads-upChicago.com—an interactive calendar of free events, attractions and restaurant specials in Chicago and the surrounding areas. 

The site includes daily and weekly offerings at places like Lincoln Park Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Children's Museum and more. The calendar also includes information about "Kids Eat Free" days, and other freebies. 

"I don't want kids to go hungry, and I want them to be smart," said Rafacz. 

Rafacz, a pilot with Delta, created Heads-up Chicago as a tool designed for busy moms to help make their lives easier.

The program was named "App of the Summer" by 'Windy City Live.'

"The information is constantly updated to guarantee it is correct," Rafacz wrote on the site. "It displays attractions two easy ways—daily and monthly—to help parents easily plan trips to the great City of Chicago.

"Our goal is to help organizations and institutions that want to improve the Children of the Chicago Metro Area’s competitiveness by increasing kids exposure to knowledge and good food who may not get that opportunity."

You can find the app in the Windows store, under the Lifestyles category. It is not currently available for Apple products. 


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