A Word From HCO's President
Community Friends and Partners,
It is with gratitude and humility that I serve as President/CEO of the Haitian Community Organization (HCO). My work at HCO is not a job, it is my life calling, and through the work that I have the honor, privilege and joy of doing every day, I am living my creed and walking my truth. “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Matthew 23:11-12.) As a community-based organization, HCO is home to a family of community stewards leaders who tirelessly work to bring individuals and families together to explore the community cultures and strategically support the community needs. Through the support of Sponsors, Vendors, Volunteers and local funding as well as through social enterprise ventures, HCO provides program and services offerings such as the HCO yearly festival, Kids Going Back 2 School, providing assistance to new Haitian families in the Evanston/Chicagoland area.
Evanston Haitian Community Festival is now Haitian Community Organization (HCO)!
Since its inception in 1991, the Haitian Community Organization (HCO) has been a gathering place for Haitians across Chicagoland to celebrate culture, music, and
community. Its modest beginnings met the important need to gather together for the sake of community. It was an opportunity for Haitians throughout Chicago to connect with other Haitians and in the last decade, this celebration has grown exponentially. We do this through our HCO Festival.
The HCO Festival is known throughout Chicago and the north suburbs as a celebration of Chicago’s diversity and the solid entertainment content has made it a popular annual pastime bringing families together. Not only does the festival feature live musical and dance performances, but there are also lively soccer and tennis matches with a strong emphasis on youth participation. Community members can learn about the many ways in which the Haitian influence has permeated Chicago, and the United States, and how to experience these culturalisms first hand through music, dance, and food.
Today, the HCO Festival hosts thousands of Chicagoans coming from all of the greater Chicagoland area. As the event continues to gain popularity, it creates opportunities to educate patrons about Haiti’s rich history, and celebrate Haitian’s contribution to American culture as well.
This year’s Festival, at James Park in Evanston, will offer traditional Haitian music and dance, live entertainment, cultural exhibits, and a host of food vendors, and retail vendors. For our festival goers, there will be a Youth Tent filled with free activities and giveaways for the youth, a Senior Tent, filled with free activities for our seniors, Raffle prize giveaways, and live entertainment by our very own Chicago-area artists.
HCO is in the final planning stages of this year’s amazing event. We anticipate that the success of our event will be largely due to the contributions of our sponsors, like you, who lend financial support.
We hope you will support the event by joining hands with us as a sponsor. Our sponsors receive exposure from media campaigns and all promotional materials.
We have several different packages for sponsorship. You can choose how you want to participate in the event, and how you would like to help make the Haitian Community Organization (HCO) a bigger and more successful event!
We look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact us. We thank you in advance for being our partner in this incredible endeavor.
Sincerely,
Gérald Daye
HCO President and CEO