This year marks the 20th anniversary of Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute (CCCI), a cultural entity that promotes Chinatown, Chinese arts & culture, and cultural exchanges between Chicago and China. We conducts the original Chinatown tour which brings more than 10K visitors to Chinatown on education/cultural tours every year. We offer many cultural workshops such as dumpling making, kite coloring, paper cutting, fan coloring, umbrella coloring, martial arts, calligraphy, and painting, etc. Many of these visitors are students from Chicago area schools. To some, this would be their first exposure to any ethnic community or a foreign culture. Our cultural exchange programs have brought Chinese performance and folk artists to the US and American performers to China.
20 years is a LONG commitment. And we are happy and proud of what we have achieved. Looking to the next 20 years, we'd love to see CCCI reach to the next level and to a bigger audience, maybe even a national platform with more programs. We strongly believe that we'll have a much better and more peaceful world if we try to learn about each other's stories and cultural heritage. We would not be successful without support from YOU!
Here are some of the items on our wish list for the next 20 years:
- Establish a formal nonprofit entity so that we can apply for grants, accept donations, and open channels for more supporters to be involved.
- Become a resource center for Chinese arts, culture, and language education in Chicago and beyond.
- Build exchange programs so that we can bring Chinese culture to America and vice versa.
- Hire management and administrative staff to expand our programs.
What can you do to help:
- Please consider a donation. No amount is too small or too big. Every bit of support is appreciated. If you request tax benefits for your donation, we have an agreement with a 501C(3) organization as our fiscal agent.
- Please introduce us to your company's Employee Resource Groups, AAPI affinity groups, community outreach offices, donors, and grants who may be interested in supporting us. We can do cultural programs in exchange for their financial support.
What do you receive in exchange to your generous support:
We will offer one Chinatown walking tour ticket for this summer, valued at $25, to anybody who donates more than $35; and one Chinatown food tour ticket, valued at $80, to anybody who donates more than $250 (contact us for tour schedule and reservation).
Thanks in advance for considering to supporting what we do at the Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute!
Best regards,
ZJ Tong
Founder and President
Organizer
