Trust Centennial Celebrates Philanthropy in All Its Forms

Yearlong campaign will highlight civic engagement and commitments across the region

CHICAGO – April 28, 2015 – The Chicago Community Trust today announced its plans for celebrating its Centennial year, which begins May 12. The Centennial campaign will be a yearlong effort, during which the Trust will celebrate philanthropy in all its forms—giving of time, treasure and talent.

“Our Centennial vision is ambitious. We want to spark a civic movement that will make the Chicagoland region the most philanthropic in the nation,” said Terry Mazany, president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust. “Every day, people make ‘good’ happen. Commitments made every day to strengthen communities and improve the lives of others are the essence of philanthropy, and we look forward to celebrating this over the next year.”

The Trust’s Centennial kicks off on May 12 with On the Table, an imaginative public square designed to bring together thousands of Chicago-area residents in small groups to share a meal and discuss ways they can work together to make our communities stronger, safer and more dynamic. Chicagoans can still register to take part in the conversation at www.onthetable.com.

Throughout the year, the Trust will also support a wide range of substantive, thought-provoking events and programs to explore themes of philanthropy, community and civic engagement. Details on the following partnerships will be announced in the coming months:

• Chicago Humanities Festival: The Chicago Humanities Festival celebrates the questions and ideas that shape and define us. Bringing together Chicago’s vibrant cultural and educational communities, their year-round programming and robust Fall Festival offers the opportunity to engage with some of the world’s most brilliant minds. Each year, CHF presents more than 150 programs featuring authors, artists, scholars, journalists, and policy makers who share ideas that change how we see the world, where we’re from and where we’re going.
• One Book, One Chicago: The Chicago Public Library’s “One Book, One Chicago” initiative launched in the fall of 2001 as an opportunity to engage and enlighten residents and foster a sense of community through reading. The season long “One Book, One Chicago” now offers learning and engagement focusing not just on one book, but on one theme integral to the lives of all Chicagoans.
• Chicago Ideas: Chicago Ideas is a year-round platform featuring globally recognized speakers and interactive experiences that are designed to turn ideas into actionable results. It is a platform for ideas, created for innovators, thinkers, doers and interested citizens from across Chicago, the greater Midwest and the world. Its goal is to stimulate new initiatives and ventures, create new connections and collaborations, and establish A Community of Curiosity.

In addition to these Centennial partnerships, the Trust will also launch an initiative encouraging Chicagoland residents to share their stories of philanthropy. The Trust wants to hear, share and promote the commitments, great and small, made by people across the region to support their neighbors and communities. The Trust will work with partners such as StoryCorps, Vocalo, CHIRP, The Moth, Free Spirit Media, Kurtis Productions and more to capture and highlight these stories of philanthropy with the hope that they will inspire others to call upon their own inner philanthropist and make a difference. The Trust will announce more details on how residents can share their stories early this summer.

The Chicago Community Trust’s Centennial activities are made possible through the financial support of generous sponsors, including Allstate, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, BMO Harris Bank, Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation, Comcast NBCUniversal, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Field V, Northern Trust, U.S. Bank, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, ComEd, Knight Foundation, Judy and Scott McCue Fund, PNC, the Sun-Times Foundation and William Blair & Co.