West Chicago Neighborhood Network to unveil community art project

Nov. 21, 2014 - WeGo Together for Kids, the LIVE UNITED Neighborhood Network of West Chicago, will unveil and dedicate its community art project at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6.

As part of West Chicago's Frosty Fest, the dedication will take place at the home of the new mural on the east side of the city-owned building at 103 W. Washington St.

Almost 950 individual hands have been photographed since August at various community events and were arranged in the shape of two large hands reaching out toward each other in a symbolic gesture of the formation of relationships, new networks and the possibility of what comes next. The piece, which has been titled, "In this - together," seeks not only to represent togetherness, but also to promote the endless possibility of love, trust, support, security, and stability that exists in the West Chicago community.

Anni Holm, a West Chicago-based Danish artist, donated her time and talent to creating the mural. United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, WeGo Together for Kids, the West Chicago Cultural Arts Commission, the West Chicago City Museum and the DuPage Children's Museum all contributed funding and collaborated on the project.

United Way of Metropolitan Chicago launched its second LIVE UNITED Neighborhood Network in the West Chicago community in August 2014. As the second LIVE UNITED Neighborhood Network and first in the suburbs, United Way supports WeGo Together for Kids in mobilizing funding, partners, volunteers and expertise to achieve specific measurable goals in addressing mental health, educational success and economic stability in the community.

The mural will serve as a lasting reminder of new partnerships and the strong sense of community in West Chicago.

United Way of Metropolitan Chicago is part of a network of nearly 1,800 community-based United Ways in 45 countries and territories. Locally, the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago support system includes North-Northwest United Way, United Way of DuPage/West Cook and South-Southwest Suburban United Way. It serves as the backbone organization generating coordinating resources across funders, service providers, government and civic leaders to delivery large-scale, measurable and sustainable impact across our region.

For more information please visit www.LIVEUNITEDchicago.org or contact Karyn Ruhl at (312) 906-2291 or karyn.ruhl@uw-mc.org.