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. 

Meet our New Board of Directors Chair - an Interview with Deborah Cummings

Deborah cummings and her husband, jeff.

CYC’s Board of Directors is a group of passionate professionals who assist with the growth of our organization. Deborah is an incredible leader and visionary that has big ideas for CYC. Get to know a little more about Deborah and her background in this brief interview.

Can you tell us who you are and what you do?
 
I am Deborah Cummings - born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica but have been in the US for 30+ years. 
I have been a life-long techie - engineer by training with much of my career spent in the digital mapping industry.

About a year and a half ago, I took a new leadership role running several support functions for Apple's Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Operations, which has been a blast. 

I am most proud of my awesome family - my honey-hubby Jeff and my sweet daughter Lola.
 
How did you get involved with CYC?
 
[Board of Directors member] Dan Feeney! Our Governance & Nominating Chair extraordinaire. 
I know Dan though my husband Jeff. After attending a number of CYC events, at Dan's invitation, he asked if I would be interested in getting more involved with CYC. 
I jumped at the chance and now I have this wonderful opportunity to do so much more for this great organization. 
 
What do you hope to apply from your professional experience to CYC?
 
I have already had opportunities to apply my business planning experience, as co-chair of the Equity Committee. 
I would love to kick it up a notch by leveraging my tenure in technology for our kids' programs. We are working on some micro-events now so stay tuned!

CYC is so grateful to all of Deborah’s hard work and dedication over the years. We’re so excited and fortunate to have her as our Chair.

If you’d like to get more involved with CYC as well, click the link below! CYC has opportunities for volunteering at events, hosting a class, and much more.

Coming Soon: CYC-Calumet Heights

We’re getting so close to the opening of our newest Center! Early 2023, CYC-Calumet Heights will be open and ready for fun. This center will have programs for Early Learning (15 months – 5 years old), Out of School Time enrichment programming (6 years old – 18 years old), as well as Summer Programs.

Our new Center has areas for everyone’s interests. There are classrooms for Early Learning and School-Age programs, as well as a state-of-the-art mobile STEAM center, and an indoor gym. Outside, there’s a playground, a garden, and a track and field. CYC built options for both indoor and outdoor play to have fun the whole year.  

Our new playground area under constructon

If you’d like to sign up for any of our Calumet Heights Center programs or get involved, please visit the Calumet Heights portion of our website. If you’re interested in any of our Calumet Heights job opportunities, please visit our careers page. We’re excited to be the place where possibility lives in Calumet Heights. See you there!