Help Ronan Park get $1.5M grant for sculptures

[Mayfair Civic]

Hi Everyone,

As you may know, the Ronan Park Multicultural Sculpture Park and Healing Garden has been short-listed in the mayor's Chicago Works Community Challenge Grant Program. It is one of twenty-one semi-finalists selected out of five hundred submissions, as announced on October 15, 2021.

Three projects have been chosen in each of the seven planning regions, meaning that we will be competing with two other projects in our area, “Northwest”, with the winner to be announced by the end of the year. The grant is for an amount up to $1.5 million.

During a preliminary webinar for the semi-finalists this week, the City explained the process from now until the end of the year, when awards will be announced. Here is the upshot:

The project must exhibit public support.   NRC, you, and our respective members and communities, play a very important part of that. To assess public support, the City has organized a public virtual meeting for each of the seven planning areas.The public meeting for our area, "Northwest," is to be held NOVEMBER 2, 2021, 6 p.m. The meeting will briefly explain the three Northwest area projects and will provide an opportunity for Northwest community members to ask questions, make comments, and express support.

At the meeting, you will be asked to fill out a survey to assist the City in measuring community support for the project. The survey is more or less like voting by answering questions, although the grants will not be specifically be awarded on that, nor by number of votes alone. 

The City has emphasized that it is looking for "quality over quantity" in the survey responses. It is looking for the community's interest and commitment to the project, and how the community views the potential for the park enhancements to improve such things as social and cultural interaction, personal reflection and healing, education, providing a venue for the arts (and the importance of the arts), economic development (through making the park a destination), and generally, improving Ronan Park and surrounding neighborhoods. 

You can access the survey now on the chicago.gov website under Chicago Works Community Challenge. Surveys will be available, and can be submitted, through November 9th, in case you cannot attend the meeting.

We hope that you agree with us on two things:

1. We need our organizations, colleagues, neighbors, and communities to be educated about the Sculpture Park project, to concentrate on it, to get excited, and to reach out to support it. At this moment, we have a chance to substantially benefit everyone in our communities and to enhance Ronan Park. To do so, we need community support and we need it now. We hope that you have visited the Sculpture Park and, if not, we encourage you to do so between now and NOVEMBER 2. We have received nothing but positive comments and hope that you will share everyone’s enthusiasm.
2. Please be sure to attend the public virtual meeting on NOVEMBER 2, 2021, 6 p.m. to provide your support and to submit your completed survey.  

Again, the survey can be accessed on the on the chicago.gov website under Chicago Works Community Challenge. 

To attend the public virtual meeting, you must REGISTER, which you can do in one minute at the Chicago Works Community Challenge website noted above.

Please let us know if you have any problem with the Chicago Works Community Challenge link.

Thanks again for your continuing support. Feel free to share this email with colleagues, family and friends, and encourage their participation and support.

We look forward to seeing you NOVEMBER 2.