Happy Holidays at CYC

Holiday cheer is being shared all throughout our Centers! Thanks to some amazing volunteers and sponsors, we were able to decorate the Centers, hand out food, and give out gifts to our kids!

We wouldn’t have been able to put on such an awesome lineup of holiday events without our volunteers and partners. CYC loves bringing holiday cheer to our Centers, and this holiday season we were gifted some amazing opportunities thanks to a handful of donors.  

We had some incredibly fun holiday celebrations with our kids. We snacked, drank hot cocoa, had face painting, sang carols, and so much more. Santa even came by to drop off gifts! We’re so grateful for our sponsors: Xerox, McDonald’s, Toys for Tots, Goldman Saks, and Michelle Flores of Realty of Chicago. With their help we were able to provide gifts to all of our kids this holiday season, as well as send families home with treats like gingerbread houses and more. 

CYC was able to make sure our families had full tables and stockings this year as well. With help from our other donors, CIL Consultants and Evershed Sunderland, we provided food to over 150 families and stuffed stockings for 500 children. We’re so thankful for our sponsors, donors, and volunteers who help make the holidays even more merry and bright for our communities. 

Give your own gift to CYC this holiday season. Help us continue to be where possibility lives in Chicago.

A Year full of STEAM

STEAM Programs are a core part of CYC, and we believe in applying it at every age. We always make sure to offer as many types of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics programs as possible. Let’s look at what our kids have been up to so far this school year! 

Our Early Learners are taught motor skills, social-emotional learning, and problem solving through different STEAM activities during the year. One of their favorite projects that they take on is gardening. Gardening teaches the students many useful things, like different science concepts, vocabulary, and teamwork. Early Learners have grown a variety of foods, including tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, kale, and strawberries. The kids are all so proud of their work and patience once they see the fruits of their labor.

Our Early Learners show off their home-grown veggies!

Our OST students learn all about audio technical programs and tools.

The OST students have had some awesome opportunities this past year. They’ve had the chance to find hobbies and passions in all types of STEAM-based fields. Some of the top classes were learning sound and production technology, coding, and fashion production. CYC was lucky enough to have local professional partners teach our kids about these fun topics. The music production studio was brought into CYC Centers. Kids 6 to 18 got to learn about how to make music. Students got to learn all about how each part of the process works, and what programs are used to record and produce their favorite songs. Each student took turns adjusting and adapting music in these programs to their liking so they could get the groundwork to make their own creations. 

CYC is excited every year to expand our offerings and grow programs. If you or someone you know wants to share your passion for your STEAM field, visit our consultant page to learn more about openings. We’re looking to add a wide range of classes, so if you don’t see your field listed, feel free to still reach out.