2009 was an amazing year for the Chicago Cultural Alliance—we increased the size of our staff and board, grew our membership, and developed new programs and collaborations that highlight the diversity of our Core Members!
Here are just a few highlights from the year:
· One of our most exciting initiatives was the launch of our Talking About… program series, which brought together multiple voices from Core Member communities to engage in dialogue about significant contemporary issues like immigration and the environment.
· With a generous grant from the Boeing Charitable Trust, we explored the creation of shared staff positions, joint purchasing, and other centralized services to help Core Members remain strong during a difficult economic time.
· We convened our Leadership Council for the first time in the spring and quarterly throughout the year. These meetings allowed the Alliance staff and the directors and presidents of Core Member organizations to discuss programs and opportunities, to share best practices, and to sustain the first-voice perspective that is crucial to the Alliance’s mission.
· In July, more than a dozen Core Members helped our partner, Brookfield Zoo, celebrate their 75th birthday; they provided fun activities and crafts and amazing performers from their communities.
· In October, Columbia College’s Department of Multi-Cultural Affairs selected the Alliance as the beneficiary of their annual fashion show; Core Members got a chance to show off their colorful heritage by loaning items of traditional dress, which were strutted down the runway.
· Also in October, the Alliance was invited by Chicago’s Commission on Human Relations to participate in United Nations Day; Core Member representatives discussed their communities' perspectives of immigration on an Alliance-led panel at the Chicago Cultural Center.
We’re sure that 2010 will be an even better year than the last! | 
