The Renaissance Collaborative (TRC) Celebrates 26 Years of making a difference in the lives of Bronzeville residents on Thursday, October 4, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The event will take place at the former Historic Wabash YMCA, 3763 S. Wabash Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Bronzeville Community. The goal of TRC is to end the cycle of homelessness and poverty by providing affordable housing, employment education and workforce development which promotes healthy life skills and self-sufficiency.
Honored this year is the Honorable Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans , Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Chief Judge Evans will receive The Cornerstone Award.
Melissa Y. Washington, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for ComEd is receiving the Joan Wood Award. Bishop John Franklin White, Presiding Bishop of the 4th Episcopal District of the A.M.E. Church, the oldest Black denomination in America, is receiving the Bridge Builder Award.
Award-winning Journalist and Producer Sylvia Ewing of PBS-TV fame and Scholar-Activist and Executive Director for Benefit Chicago William W. Towns will serve as MCs for this special event.
Among TRC’s initiatives are Bronzeville Green, a landscaping service that offers training in the field and improves lives while beautifying the community. Patricia Abrams is the Executive Director of TRC. The TRC Board is led by Todd Pressley, Co-Principal and Vice President of Ujamaa Construction, Inc. Board members include the Rev. James Moody, Senior Pastor of historic Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church and the Rev. Dr. Horace E. Smith, M.D., pediatrician at Children’s Memorial Hospital and Senior Pastor of Apostolic Faith Church.
The TRC 26th Anniversary Annual Gala on October 4th will offer a silent auction and delicious food and drink plus great camaraderie among a diverse group of attendees committed to helping create a better life for others. Previous honorees of The Renaissance Collaborative’s fall benefit include: Chicago Housing Authority CEO Eugene Jones Jr., State Senator Mattie Hunter, Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele, Former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Alderman Pat Dowell, WVON’s Melody Spann Cooper, Larry Huggins of Riteway-Huggins Construction, Illinois State Senator The Rev. James Meeks, and Real Estate Authorities William and Pamela Tuggle. www.trcwabash.org.