Since 1979, the Council has acknowledged and honored community-based organizations for developing initiatives, projects, and partnerships that address urban issues. In fact, the Council was one of the first civic groups to publicly honor neighborhood organizations.

The Council has awarded some 100 community-based groups that have demonstrated strong neighborhood initiatives through special projects, developing a planning process, community organizing, and/or a unique partnership.

Through the Annual Neighborhood Awards, the Council has been able to showcase what really makes Chicago a special place—its neighborhoods, leaders, and advocates.

	28th Annual Awards Dinner
	Timeline of past Neighborhood Award Recipients

Council Presents Partners for a Better Chicagoland
and Corporate Diversity Awards at
at 28th Annual Awards Dinner

The Chicago Council on Urban Affairs held its 28th Annual Awards Dinner on October 24, 2007 at the Mid-Day Club, 21 South Clark Street, Chicago. The evening began with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner, and the awards program. Veteran media personalities Emilie McKendall and Richard Steele served as co-hosts for the evening.

Media personalities Emilie McKendall and Richard Steels served as co-hosts for the Council’s 2007 Awards Dinner. Following the dinner, they were joined by Redessa Harris, the Council’s public relations consultant, ad Lu Bailey, Council president.

During the dinner celebration, the Council recognized the important contributions of two civic organizations and two corporations that serve Chicago communities and citizens as good partners. The Council honored the South Suburban Disproportionate Minority Contact (SSDMC) Forum on Youth Foundation and the Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Task Force of the Cook County Juvenile Court with the Partners for a Better Chicagoland Award. The Corporate Diversity Awards were presented to Exelon Corporation and UBS for their continued commitment to workforce diversity.

Lu Bailey, president of the Council, welcomed the opportunity to acknowledge civic organizations and corporations that set the standard for excellence in the Chicago area on issues relating to juvenile justice and advances in diversity. “The Council’s annual awards dinner is our opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of organizations and corporations that work daily on improving the social and business environments,” said Bailey.

The Honorable Judge Lori Wolfson (center) accepts the Partners for a Better Chicagoland Award and poses with Craig Gilmore, Council chairman, and Lu Bailey, Council president. Judge Wolfson is lead judge for the Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Task Force at the Cook County Juvenile Court, recipient of the award.

Led by judicial members, BARJ seeks to define a new relationship between juvenile justice and the community by balancing three primary concerns—holding the youth accountable for their behavior, protecting public safety, and raising the competency of youth to become productive citizens. A key aspect of holding youths accountable for their behavior through BARJ is requiring them to work to repair the harm they have done to both the victims of their crime and the broader community that they have made less safe. The BARJ Task Force is a collaborative effort comprised of a diverse group of representatives of all the offices of the Court supported by the Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation. Community feedback is solicited and incorporated in the process to assure that community needs are taken in consideration when formulating programs. In just a few short years, BARJ has developed seven programs to provide support and enrichment for the youth who come under their jurisdiction. The Honorable Judge Lori Wolfson, lead judge for BARJ, accepted the award.

During the Awards Dinner, the South Suburban Disproportionate Minority Contact Forum on Youth Foundation received a Partners for a Better Chicagoland Award. The Honorable Judge Michael Stuttley, presiding judge of the Juvenile Court in the 6th Municipal District located in Markham, Illinois (center), accepted the award from Craig Gilmore, Council chairman, and Lu Bailey, Council president.

The South Suburban Disproportionate Minority Contact (SSDMC) Forum on Youth Foundation was established to self-sustain and promote viable alternatives to incarceration of minority youth within the Cook County South Suburbs, 6th Municipal District. These communities include Chicago Heights, the Village of Riverdale, and the Village of Robbins where a majority of those having contact with the juvenile justice system are African American males. SSDMC demonstrates how a local community can mobilize, highlight, and rectify systemic inequities that harm youth and those who care about them. The organization collects data and uses its findings to make informed recommendations. In addition, SSDMC involves youth by seeking their opinions in focus groups and works with the courts to provide after-school activities and programs for those involved in the system. The Honorable Judge Michael Stuttley, presiding judge of the Juvenile Court in the 6th Municipal District in Matteson, Illinois accepted the award.

The Council honored Exelon and UBS with Diversity Awards for their best practices in workforce and supplier diversity, as well as outreach to diverse communities. Pictured are Craig Gilmore, Council chairman; Nancy Johnson, head of Institutional Client Service, managing director at UBS; Frank Clark, chairman/CEO, ComEd, a subsidiary of Exelon; and Lu Bailey, Council president. the companies were selected based on completion of an extensive survey, a site visit, and an oral interview with members of the Council’s Awards Committee.

Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric generation and utility companies. It operates the biggest fleet of nuclear power plants in the U.S. and is parent to utilities Commonwealth Edison in northern Illinois and PECO in Pennsylvania. Exelon strives to be a responsible corporate citizen in the communities it serves. The company’s diversity policies are firmly rooted in its fundamental belief that inclusion, respect, and fair treatment contribute to increased productivity. At Exelon, upper management is committed to the concept of diversity and sets the example for the company’s workforce. By focusing on workforce diversity, supplier diversity, civic and social commitment, and education and support, Exelon has developed strategies that reflect the company’s fundamental belief in achieving a world-class operation and maintaining a competitive advantage. Exelon’s business environment is inclusive and respectful of all employees, suppliers, and the diverse communities it serves. The company has won numerous awards for its diversity practices, including the 2007 Black Enterprise magazine’s 40 Best Companies for Diversity and The Corporate 100 list for support of the Hispanic community from Hispanic Magazine. Frank Clark, chairman/CEO of ComEd, represented Exelon, ComEd’s parent company, at the ceremony.

Frank Clark, chairman/CEO of ComEd (third from right), is surrounded by members of Exelon’s management team during the Council’s 28th Annual Awards Dinner. Clark accepted the Council’s Diversity Award on behalf of Exelon, parent company of ComEd.

UBS is one of the world’s leading financial firms, serving a discerning international client base and is the leading global wealth manager, a top tier investment banking and securities firm, and one of the largest global asset managers. UBS’s financial businesses employ more than 80,000 people around the world and more than 2,000 people in Chicago. Diversity is one of seven core values at UBS and is at the center of the company’s global success. To further support its diversity initiative, the company has built a firm-wide infrastructure including 10 Regional Diversity Boards. Policies have been established to address fair treatment, professional behavior, maternal/paternal leave, harassment prevention, and integrating diversity into daily management processes such as recruiting and talent development. UBS works to attract and retain employees who bring diverse perspectives to the firm while fostering an innovative, flexible culture where diverse employees can learn from one another. Nancy Johnson, head of Institutional Client Service, managing director at UBS, accepted the award.

Nancy Johnson (far right, second row), head of Institutional Client Service, managing director at UBS, posed with members of the UBS management team during the Council’s 28th Annual Awards Dinner. UBS received one of two Diversity Awards.

Craig Gilmore, chairman of the Council’s Board of Directors and director of Multi-cultural Markets (Great Lakes Zone) at State Farm Insurance Companies, stresses the importance of the work the award recipients provide in their respective fields. “The Council seeks out, recognizes, and honors Chicago area corporations that successfully integrate diversity in the workplace and in their business relationships with consumers and suppliers,” said Gilmore. “Receipt of the Corporate Diversity Award is an impartial validation of the honorees’ best practices in their business culture,” added Gilmore.

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Community Organization Awards:
Music Theatre Workshop
Multi-Cultural Youth Project

Corporate Diversity Awards:
Motorola
Ariel Capital Management

Partners for a Better Chicago Award:
Clarence Wood
President and CEO of Hull House
Commissioner of City of Chicago Human Relations Commission
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Community Organization Awards:
Alternatives, Inc.
Little Village Community Development Corporation
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Community Organization Awards:
Horizons Community Services
Coalition of African, Asian, and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (CAALII)
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Community Organization Awards:
InterChurch Refugee & Immigration Ministries
Southwest Youth Collaborative
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Community Organization Awards:
Centro Communitario Juan Diego
Youth Struggling for Survival
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Community Organization Awards:
The Mutual Assistance Association
Youth As Resources
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Over 20 past Neighborhood Awards recipients
helped the Council celebrate its 25th anniversary
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Community Organization Awards:
The Howard Area Community Center
STRIVE/Chicago Employment Service, Inc.
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Community Organization Awards:
Quetzal Center
Northwest Neighborhood Federation
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Community Organization Awards:
Southeast Chicago Development Commission
Mid-South Planning and Development Commission
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Community Organization Awards:
West Englewood United Organization
Beverly Area Planning Association

Coalition Award:
The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

Media Award:
WGN for Kids’ Sake
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Community Organization Awards:
Northwest Austin Council
Good News Partners

Coalition Award:
Interfaith Organizing Project of Greater Chicago

Special Awards:
Acorn Housing Corporation of Illinois
Chicago Commons Association
West Humboldt Training Center
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Community Organization Awards:
People’s Reinvestment and Development Effort (P.R.I.D.E.)
Near Northwest Neighborhood Network

Special Project Award:
Youth Guidance

Honorable Mention:
Edgewater Community Council
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Community Organization Awards:
Veterans Park Improvement Association
Chicago Roseland Coalition for Community Control

Special Awards:
Marillac House
Midwest Women’s Center
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
Susan Suter, Director Illinois Department of Public Aid
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Community Organization Awards:
Northside Community Federal Credit Union
Community Workshop on Economic Development

Coalition Award:
Chicago Alliance for Neighborhood Safety (CANS)

Special Awards:
Chicago Metro History Fair
Irving Harris

Media Award:
WMAQ-TV Channel 5

Honorable Mention:
Beverly Area Planning Council
Chicago Rehab Network
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Community Organization Awards:
Latin United Community Housing Association-LUCHA
Circle Urban Ministries

Coalition Award:
Hull House/Chicago Fire Department/
Chicago Housing Authority

Special Awards:
Chicago Association of Neighborhood
Development Organizations (CANDO)
Pegasus Players
Louis C. Baldacci
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Community Organization Awards:
Howard Area Community Center
Northeast Austin Organization

Coalition Award:
Mt. Sinai Hospital/Ryerson Steel/
Neighborhood Housing Services

Philanthropy Award:
Sara Lee Foundation

Special Awards:
Edward G. Gardner and Arthur R. Velasquez
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Community Organization Awards:
Spanish Coalition for Jobs
Edgewater Community Council

Corporate Award:
Peoples Gas, Light and Coke Company

Special Awards:
The Neighborhood Institute
Network for Youth Services

Media Awards:
Jorge Casuso and Eduardo Camacho, Chicago Reporter
John Calloway
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Community Organization Awards:
Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Peoples Housing

Media Award:
The Neighborhood Works

Public Service Award:
Ira Bach

Philanthropy Award:
The Amoco Foundation

Labor Award:
The Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union
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Community Organization Award:
Voice of the People

Neighborhood Service Award:
Citizens Committee on the Media

Media Award:
Radio Station WOJO

Public Official Awards:
Cook County Commissioners Jeanne Quinn,
Harold Tyrell, and Charles Bowen
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Community Organization Awards:
South Austin Coalition Community Council
Bethel New Life, Inc.

Media Awards:
WBEZ Radio
WBBM Newsradio 78
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Community Organization Awards:
Northwest Community Organization
Southtown Planning Association

Media Awards:
Chicago Sun-Times
Henry De Zutter
Logan Square Free-Press

Special Commendations:
State Senator Marovitz
Charles Sklavanitis
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Community Organization Awards:
The Organization of the Northeast
North River Commission

Media Awards:
Ed McManus, Assistant City Editor, Chicago Tribune
Bonita Brodt, Metro Section of Chicago Tribune
Joel Schatz, Urban Affairs writer for Lerner Newspaper

Special Awards:
State Senator Philip J. Rock
Michael J. Howlett, Volunteer Chairman of Committee
to End Illinois Tax Abuse
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Community Awards:
Pilsen Neighborhood
South Shore Neighborhood

Media Award:
Lois Wille, Sun-Times Associate Editor

Special Awards:
Thomas C. Hynes, Cook County Assessor
State Representative Michael J. Madigan
Edward J. Rosewell, Cook County Treasurer
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