Cara Chicago’s Associate Board is presenting the Cara Summer Social on Wednesday, August 9th at Loews Chicago Hotel. This year’s event marks Cara’s 5th Annual Summer Social and all proceeds raised will benefit Cara’s work to alleviate poverty in Chicago.
The theme of this year’s event is “A Taste of Gourmet. A Toast to Motivations” and will feature chef stations from some of Chicago’s most popular gourmet restaurants. Attendees will enjoy dishes prepared by chefs from Lobo Ray, Marchesa, Emilio’s Tapas Sol Y Nieve, The Dawson, Nonnina & Piccolo Sogno, Marchesa and Olive Mediterranean Grill. The event theme is also a reference to Cara’s tradition of “Motivations”. Motivations are daily circles in which Cara participants and community members are welcomed to gather and share personal stories of strength and perseverance. Motivations include group song and feature focus questions such as “Who inspired you this week and how?”, to which participants are encouraged to share any answers or thoughts from their experiences.
These Motivations are just one of the ways Cara helps empower those living in poverty transform their lives. Cara works with individuals facing homelessness, unemployment and poverty, some of whom have criminal records that provide additional barriers to securing employment and reliable housing. The mission of Cara is to help individuals break this cycle of poverty by providing job and skills training and working with program participants throughout the job placement process and beyond.
With more than 600,000 Chicago residents living in poverty and more than 6,000 living on the streets, services like those offered by Cara provide much-needed tools for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. Graduates of Cara’s programs who find employment have an average annual retention rate of 70%, much higher than the nationwide average of 49% noted a feature in See Change Magazine. With programs like Motivations and events that celebrate and empower participants, Cara is dedicated to staying in touch with individuals even after they have graduated from Cara’s programs and found permanent employment. Events like Cara’s Summer Social help spread awareness of Cara’s mission and help Cara continue to provide quality programs to Chicago residents most in need.
For more information and tickets options for Cara’s Summer Social, visit the event page.
Robert Roche 