Blustery March greetings to all. As hardy Chicagoans, I am sure none of you had yet put away the boots, CAF mittens and other winter gear….
CEO and President Lynn Osmond presented CAF’s new Strategic Plan to the Docent Council at the March meeting. The plan will carry the organization through 2020. As the predecessor plan is superseded, Lynn noted that the past four years have seen a 32% increase in attendance overall: tours up 47% over the years and OHC now at 100,000 visitors. The rank of members has increased 45%, and educational activities are up a whopping 192% in four years.
The new plan has six goals:
- Foster civic engagement: curate issues, lead the discussion, empower the next generation
- Be the leader in education
- Engage Chicago by being a strong city partner
- Develop a Chicago Architecture Center
- Fund our vision
- Sustain our organization
All of the above goals have specific steps for achieving them, as well as institutionally responsible staff, Board, and docent members. Lynn’s office will post the entirety of the plan on The Bridge, when finishing touches are complete.
Despite the fact that late February/early March is traditionally a time for lots of us to succumb to the travel bug, visit grandchildren, or simply flee the weather, the month has been busy. We can start by congratulating all those who contributed to the newest edition of the members’ magazine, with that wonderful issue on parks and greenways. As well, you can hardly help but notice the changeover in the exhibit space. The Enrichment Committee is giving us a full plate of offerings: the docent trip to Philadelphia is fully subscribed; events are scheduled for topics including the New Old Post Office, the Burnham/Ryerson Library at AIC, and a visit to the Kimpton Gray Hotel in a Jenney building on LaSalle Street. The new docent class is well into their preparation for the Historic Skyscrapers tour and as Docent Council bids farewell to Kathy Baker from 2016, a member from the new class of 2017 will be joining us, starting at the April meeting.
One sure sign of spring: DAN 2017, set for April 21 at the Drake Hotel. Be sure to check your email in-box if you have not yet seen your invitation. If you are waffling about which entrée to choose, be sure to check out the mouth-watering photos Monica Kline has posted on the Bridge. And for those of you who may have hesitated to attend because you are vegan, we are happy to assure you that this year’s veggie alternative can be made vegan if you will let us know.
Finally, this is a friendly reminder to check out The Bridge at frequent intervals. This is your lifeline to all things about volunteering at CAF, and its importance increases as we all begin to think about training for tours, registering for upcoming Enrichment and Continuing Education activities, and keeping current on the changes we anticipate will head our way.
Constance