CHICAGO AREA PROJECT CELEBRATES 86 YEARS

Chicago Area Project Celebrates 86 Years of Building Safe and Sustainable Communities

86 Years of Building Safe and Sustainable Communities was the theme of the Chicago Area Project (CAP) 86th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Reception held on February 20, 2020 at Malcolm X College in Chicago. The event was MCed by Radio Legend and CAP Board Member Richard Steele and co-hosted by TV Personality Merri Dee and Youth Representative Karlyn Boens. Attendees were welcomed by young CAP Youth Ambassadors and by Malcolm X President David Sanders.

Highlights of the gala event included flag, praise dance, drum, and bugle performances by CAP affiliate Major Adams Community Committee. This year’s CAP awards included the Clifford R. Shaw Award given to retiring long time board member John A. Bross; the Founders Award given to retiring long time board member C. Steven Tomashefsky; and the Distinguished Service Award given to TV Personality Merri Dee.

Merri Dee, co-host of the evening, had high praise for the young people who served as CAP Youth Ambassadors. “They are Youth Ambassadors who come from one of the CAP affiliates and they volunteer their time,” said Dee. “They know that when you volunteer your time, it is not just giving it away to somebody. You are strengthening your lives. You are picking yourself from the background and putting yourself in the foreground. You are working your way to the top by learning from those who have worked in the vineyards… It is an honor.”

Seven African American young people were among 14 CAP Youth Ambassadors. They included Daquan David and Kiara Johnson from Major Adams Community Committee, Etienne Brown from Bishop Shepard Little Memorial Center, Maxine Gibson and Aris Brown from Roseland Community Committee, and Corey Moses, a graduate of Junior Law Camp. Their duties included welcoming and directing attendees and helping out at registration and at the coat check. To read more on Chicago Area Project, visit us at: www.citizennewspapergroup.com