Deborah Harrington is being celebrated as someone at the forefront of philanthropy in Chicago. She is one of 10 Chicagoans profiled in “Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited” at the Chicago Cultural Center.
“People don’t realize how rich and deep the whole institution and idea of philanthropy flows in the Black community,” said Harrington, former president of Woods Fund Chicago.
Twenty-five years ago, Harrington helped co-found Chicago African-Americans in Philanthropy, a non-profit organization that is hosting this exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center.
"At that time, there were very few people in the field who looked like me. African-Americans,” she said, noting that now CAAP is a very robust organization.
Jessyca Dudley is the immediate past lead of CAAP and chair of "The Soul of Philanthropy."
"We have an incredible group of philanthropists we cover in the exhibit," Dudley said. "Some of them are giving their time to uplift community and build community, to create connection among people. And we think of that as philanthropy as well."
Although the exhibition closes at the end of the month, Dudley said, "We are going to at the end of the exhibit, be actually investing back into Chicago communities, and we think it's an important part of the experience," with an invitation for you to join their giving circle.
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On Saturday, April 15, there will be a free community celebration of this exhibition.
Click here for information about other Spring/Summer events sponsored by Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs.
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