What is a Community Champion? A Community Champion is someone who wants to plan a volunteer project for WBEZ’s Days of Service.

When are the projects? You can plan a project for either Friday, July 31st or Saturday, August 1st.

Where can volunteer projects be located? Anywhere in the city of Chicago and Evanston, Oak Park and Wilmette.

What am I responsible for?  You will be responsible for the following:

-       Planning your project

-       Filling out the Community Champion application completely

-       Purchasing or acquiring supplies (if necessary)

-       Pick up t-shirts for volunteers

-       Leading the project on the day of the event.

What are WBEZ and Chicago Cares responsible for? They are responsible for the following:

-       Approving your project

-       Providing you with project planning support

-       Providing you with a supply budget

-       Recruiting volunteers and communicating with volunteers

-       Throwing an awesome after-party

When is my project application due?  June 8

What if I want to plan a project, but I’m not sure how to do it? Chicago Cares is here to help you! We can advise about project planning, where to find an organization to work with, supplies, etc. Let us know if you need help!

How much money will I receive for my project? As needed, we will provide every project with a budget. The amount will depend on the project and your supply needs. No budget will exceed $300.

Who is responsible for purchasing supplies for my project? Community Champions will be responsible for purchasing their own supplies for the project using the budget provided by Chicago Cares or from the partnering community organization.

Who communicates with volunteers? Chicago Cares will handle volunteer registration, questions, and communication. All volunteers will receive a confirmation email when they sign up for the project and a reminder email the week of the event.

When will I know how many volunteers have signed up for my project? We will send an email to every Champion one week prior to your project with the number of volunteers signed up for your project. We encourage you to help us spread the word!

Do volunteers have to sign up through Eventbrite? Yes, all volunteers (even volunteers recruited through the organization) need to sign up through the website. This way we will have an accurate count of all volunteers.

What is the after-party? We will be hosting a Moth storytelling event on Saturday, August 1st after all the projects are finished. All volunteers will get in free (and can grab one beer on us) and the general public is welcome to attend with admission.

If you have a project in mind and want to become a Community Champion complete this form:

-      This is an interactive PDF from our partners at Chicago Cares

-      Double-click the attachment.

-      Acrobat will prompt you to select a response file.

-      Form submissions happens inside the PDF (upper right corner – Submit Form button)

-      If you have issues with the form, please email wbez@chicagocares.org for assistance or call 312.780.0800 x170