Commence Anyways
Donation protected
On December 11, 2020, Columbia College Chicago (CCC) students received an email from the school’s president about completing the semester during challenging times and CCC’s intentions for the spring semester. He declared a campus team was planning a virtual ceremony for the graduating class of 2021, stating, “This year, finishing the semester feels like a particularly notable collective accomplishment.” As students, we understood the need for safety concerning commencement during the pandemic. Still, we believe it may have been a bit presumptuous to cancel an in-person ceremony as early as December.
Remaining hopeful, three PR students decided to take matters into their own hands. That is us, the collective, applying every skill learned during our time at CCC to execute an external event. So far, we have garnered local media coverage, with follow-up stories to come by The Columbia Chronicle newspaper and TV interview with NBC 5 Chicago. To increase visibility and public awareness to serve students with a memorable and well-deserved commencement ceremony.
As the president stated, “It is a collective accomplishment.” We wholeheartedly agree. That sentiment is what fuels our initiative. That brings us to you, our generous donors. Please know you are a fundamental part of our collective. By your contributions, you will fuel our vehicle, driving our dream into a potentially shared reality. Humbly, we thank you!
#CommenceAnyways aims to take place on May 16th. Adhering to CDC/Chicago guidelines at Chicago’s Soldier Field, a maximum of 800 students will safely distance on risers on the in-zone for the ceremony lasting two hours. The event will be live-streamed, so you’ll be there too, with us! Please, share and follow our collective journey via Instagram @CommenceAnyways, for developing event updates, event links, and more.
*If the ceremony does not take place, all donations will be refunded to donors*
Sincerely,
Commence Anyways Team
Remaining hopeful, three PR students decided to take matters into their own hands. That is us, the collective, applying every skill learned during our time at CCC to execute an external event. So far, we have garnered local media coverage, with follow-up stories to come by The Columbia Chronicle newspaper and TV interview with NBC 5 Chicago. To increase visibility and public awareness to serve students with a memorable and well-deserved commencement ceremony.
As the president stated, “It is a collective accomplishment.” We wholeheartedly agree. That sentiment is what fuels our initiative. That brings us to you, our generous donors. Please know you are a fundamental part of our collective. By your contributions, you will fuel our vehicle, driving our dream into a potentially shared reality. Humbly, we thank you!
#CommenceAnyways aims to take place on May 16th. Adhering to CDC/Chicago guidelines at Chicago’s Soldier Field, a maximum of 800 students will safely distance on risers on the in-zone for the ceremony lasting two hours. The event will be live-streamed, so you’ll be there too, with us! Please, share and follow our collective journey via Instagram @CommenceAnyways, for developing event updates, event links, and more.
*If the ceremony does not take place, all donations will be refunded to donors*
Sincerely,
Commence Anyways Team
Fundraising team (2)
Jahmelah Miller
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Alice Scharf
Team member
