SPRING 2003

Executive Director's Report

Dear Friends,

As I'm writing to you, it is a cold, dreary day in January. By the time you read this issue of SPOTLIGHTS the early bulbs of Spring will be in bloom and hopefully the new program I'm going to tell you about will already be on the road to success.

The Council has always focused on a single main project, bringing it to fruition before adding another program/project. Currently, our focus encompasses SPOTLIGHTS, the Corporate Gallery Program, "Kids Meet Art"™ ("KMA"™), and poetry. There are also many complementary events associated with each of these programs. Now we are launching our newest project:

Art Classes for Children and Adults

In a timely article in the January 6, 2003 issue of Crains Chicago Business by Marj Halperin, Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres writes about why the arts should be funded by our new Governor. The same reasoning supports why people should participate in the arts and why parents should encourage their children to include art activities alongside sports in their lives.

Some of the reasons Ms. Halperin and the NWCC offer are:

"The arts build character and promote academic achievement."

"A U.S. Department of Justice study documents a sharp drop in delinquent behavior among teens involved in the arts."

"Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles have found that students involved in theater are 40% more likely than non-arts students to interact with other racial groups."

"A 10-year Carnegie Foundation study concludes that young people participating in arts programs are four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair and are elected to class office within their schools more than three times as often as teens not in similar programs. Scores of studies … document higher grades and standardized test scores in all areas - including math and reading - for students exposed to the arts."

"The American Art Therapy Assn. confirms the healing power of the arts for everyone from cancer patients to pregnant women."

The Council can document how training in the arts helps students learn more easily and quickly and gives them the tools to solve problems in a creative way, including problems unrelated to the arts.

Among our 40 Corporate Gallery artists are many professional art teachers, several who have taught in the public school system for 25-30 years and are now retired. Other artists have given lessons for many years. We plan to tap this pool of resources for instructors and begin seeking students.

We are fortunate that the Ritzenthaler Family Foundation has once again given us a most generous grant. The majority of the funds will be used to continue our Fine Art of Craft exhibitions, demonstrations and receptions, and some will be the seed money for this new project.

I can't find a better closing for this letter to you, dear friends, than to quote Ms. Halperin again.

"Consider Winston Churchill, who reportedly was asked to close London's theaters, museums and concert halls to husband resources for the war effort. His response: 'Good God, man, then what are we fighting for?'"

Happy Spring to you all.

Kathy Umlauf

P.S. Look for announcements of our art classes in your local newspapers, brochures at your public library, our website, www.northwestculturalcouncil.org, or call us at 847/956-7966. We'll be glad to speak with you.

Please Support the Northwest Cultural Council with a Gift to our Annual Fund

Sharon Findley Kirmse

"Weaving the arts into the fabric of the community." That is the mission the Northwest Cultural Council set for itself at its inception. Like any viable company, organization or institution, the Council must periodically re-examine that statement. Is it still valid? Are we meeting the goal?

The American public expects non-for profit organizations to meet high standards. No less an authority than international management consultant Peter Drucker has examined the not-for-profit sector and stated, "Non-profit institutions exist for the sake of their missions. They exist to make a difference in society and in the life of the individual."

Our Board of Directors and administration recently held a strategic planning session; and after intensive scrutiny they were able to conclude that the Northwest Cultural Council mission is still as valid today as it was 15 years ago. We are getting the job done.

Do we meet Drucker's directive to make a difference in society and in individual lives? Yes, we do and here are some ways.

The Council received a copy of a letter sent by a fifth grade teacher to Square D Schneider, one of our staunchest "Kids Meet Art"™ supporters, thanking them for sponsoring an art program for her students. In the letter she related the touching story of one of her students, a bright boy whose hyperactivity kept him from achieving his potential. He was captivated by the art lesson to the extent that his parents decided to enroll him in art lessons. It was the turning point in the child's life because he had found an avenue to channel his energy in a positive way. The child, the parents and the teacher were all beneficiaries of our program.

Last year the Council was part of an amazing exercise in interdisciplinary learning. While the nationally acclaimed Mayan exhibit, by Chicago artist Winifred Godfrey, was on display at our home gallery, teachers and students at Plum Grove Junior High School in Rolling Meadows used the exhibit as the basis of an exercise which incorporated poetry, Spanish, artistic design and even a lesson in the Mayan numbering system. The resulting student projects were mounted and displayed at the gallery. The program was so successful that Spanish teacher, Minerva Milford, is using it in her presentation for Master Teacher certification. Like any good teacher, Mrs. Milford knows that parent involvement is the magic potion in the school pot. She reports a gratifying response from her students' parents, who were thrilled to see their children's work taken so seriously beyond the traditional school arena and displayed in a real art gallery, complete with reception. Not only did the youngsters have an outstanding academic experience, but, according to Mrs. Milford, we gave her an extraordinary tool to reach the parents.

Programs like these do make a difference in people's lives. Add to these, continuously rotating art exhibitions at ten corporate sites, poetry readings and poetry writing classes, Fine Art of Craft exhibitions and demonstrations, art classes for children and adults, dance and musical presentations at our artists' receptions, and much more. The Northwest Cultural Council enriches lives across the northwest suburban area with quality and style.

We are pleased with what we have been able to accomplish and look forward to many more opportunities to "weave the arts into the fabric of the community" we serve. To do that we need your help.

You, our most staunch supporters, know that funding for the arts is hard won. Our corporate sponsors provide invaluable support. But you too are an integral part of our success. Your contribution will make it possible for the Northwest Cultural Council to continue to carry out its mission and change lives. We look forward to receiving your tax-deductible donation at:

Northwest Cultural Council
5999 New Wilke Road, Suite 307
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

Many thanks for your support.

New Group Puts Philanthropy on the Front Burner

Northwest Philanthropic Trust aims to enhance local nonprofits

By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau

Nonprofit groups in the northwest suburbs could be poised to receive a windfall of time, expertise, and, perhaps, dollars. The recently established Northwest Philanthropic Trust (NWPT), Hoffman Estates, IL, has a mission "to foster a vibrant community where philanthropy is a way of life and where nonprofit organizations meet the needs of the community in the most effective and efficient manner."

The group's three goals are to increase philanthropy, work with nonprofits to improve their performance, and encourage leadership development of nonprofit boards.

The group, established a little over a year ago, evolved out of discussions and activities related to 2020 Northwest. "We heard from people in the northwest suburban areas that they'd like more support for area nonprofit organizations," commented Kathy Gilmer, an NWPT board member. "We pulled together people interested in this topic and the recommendation was that a new organization be formed to look at ideas and see what could be done to assist nonprofits."

One challenge facing nonprofits in the suburbs is the fact that major donors tend to focus their giving to urban groups. "Even though the average income here may be higher than in some city neighborhoods, it doesn't mean we don't have individuals, families, and groups that have severe needs," she said. One NWPT goal is to raise awareness about needs that reside in the northwest suburbs. "People are more inclined to give to people and groups they know and see. If we can connect people with their community, it makes for civic involvement and a stronger weaving of people, resources, assets, and needs," Gilmer added.

To accomplish its aims, the group has formed a 14-person board that taps a wide range of expertise and includes professionals from industries like health care, government, publishing, education, homebuilding, banking, and people from nonprofit groups.

Such expertise will be helpful in making nonprofits more effective by providing them advice and insight on issues such as improving organizational efficiency, developing business plans, and identifying and recruiting board members.

Another goal is increasing participation of minorities in nonprofit groups. Bob Caton, NWPT's executive director said the demographics of the northwest suburbs are changing and the region is seeing a greater influx of Latino, Asian, and African-American people. NWPT can help boards to develop leadership that better reflect the whole community.

NWPT is addressing donor needs too. They'll benefit by gaining an expanded awareness of local nonprofits. Caton said, "We see ourselves as connectors. As a donor, where do you go if you care about homelessness or the arts? If you're not aware of Northwest Cultural Council, how would you become aware of it? We'd like to connect donors of money, time, and talent with groups that match their interests and passions."

NWPT also provides prospective donors of money with the Donor Advised Funds Program which allows them greater tax savings than other giving vehicles such as a family foundation. Moreover, through the Donor Advised Funds Program, donors aren't encumbered by tedious record keeping and all their giving can be accomplished through one fund.

The group has had some early successes, for instance, connecting the Chicago Community Trust with local Latino leaders interested in establishing a center to aid single Latino women in the northwest suburbs. The connection led to a $50,000 grant for the center. And NWPT is working with two cancer groups, one receives counseling on its business plan and the other, advice with board recruitment.

"Organizations like ours can have a strong impact on the community in stimulating more philanthropy, in promoting planned giving, and in offering donors tools and educational programs," said Caton. "We're calling attention to the need for and the art of wise philanthropy. In the end, donors, nonprofits and the community all benefit."

Mining Talent

The Northwest Philanthropic Trust's board taps a wide range of local expertise. The Board includes:

Irv Bock, mayor, Village of Hanover Park
Victoria Bran, chairperson, The Latino Social Workers Association of the NW Suburbs
Catherine Brod, executive director, Harper Educational Foundation
Jerry Campagna, president, Reflejos Publications LLC
Kelley Clancy, director of external affairs, Alexian Brothers Health System
Bruce Crowther, president & CEO, Northwest Community Healthcare
Kathleen Gilmer, director NIU-Hoffman Estates
David Hill, chairman & CEO, Kimball Hill Homes
Jawad Koradia, student Northwestern University
Dennis Morgan, senior vice president of Financial Planning, Wells Fargo Bank
Kenneth Nykiel, partner, Nykiel, Carlin & Co.
Bob Paddock, Jr., vice-chairman & executive vice president, Daily Herald/Paddock Publications, Inc.
Charles Reid, III, pastor, Bethesda Worship Center of Des Plaines
Campo Vaca, executive director, Police Neighborhood Resource Center

DID YOU KNOW?

In 1914 ten young Detroit women each donated $100.00 and pledged to find 100 subscribers, giving birth to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.