Three year plan

Vol. XX No. 1 - SPRING 2009

On February 21st 2009, the Board of Directors of the Edgewater Historical Society met at an all day retreat which was held at the Bridgeview Bank located at Broadway and Lawrence in Chicago. The purpose of the retreat was the development of a three year action plan.

The retreat was conceived and developed by three of our board members who constitute the Board Development Committee: Reggie Griffin, chair, Kate Welborn, co-chair and Jim Puralewski.

The facilitator for the day was Walt Fisher, who has over 30 years experience in the areas of community development, community health education, diversity training and group facilitation.

In preparing for the retreat, Board Members were surveyed for their opinions and ideas primarily related to history, education, preservation, fundraising and volunteer management. The results of the survey were consolidated and prioritized so that the items for discussion would represent the most important issues facing EHS in the minds of the Board.

The result was, as expressed by one member, “one of the most productive retreats I have ever experienced.” The three year plan is currently under development and we expect will take through April to be put into final form.

In summary, initiatives appear to be grouped along several important themes:

  • Improving the processes and systems relative to our collections activities,
  • Extending community outreach particularly to area schools and the block clubs, education and improved working relations in the area of preservation,
  • Pursuing of funding through grants and increased membership,
  • Improving our utilization of volunteers and
  • Developing a technology plan.

We are very excited about the impact our plans will have on the future of the Society and the Edgewater Community. Once our plans become more clearly defined, rest assured we will share them with our membership.

The Edgewater Historical Society is “on the move.” If you’d like to be a part of it, consider joining us as a volunteer. Just contact us at 773‑506‑4849 or our website and tell us what areas you are interested in. Stay tuned.