Community Relations Commission

City of Wheaton Community Relations Commission Special Meeting Minutes – March 14, 2018 I. Call to Order: by Tony Asta at 7:35 p.m. II. Welcome & Roll Call: Present: Erica Nelson, Julie Kulovitz, Leslie Day, Tony Asta, and Shayne Moore Absent: none, optional meeting III. Citizens to be Heard None. IV. Approval of Agenda Tony Asta moved and Erica Nelson seconded to approve the March 14, 2018 agenda. V. Meeting Objective/Goals The purpose of the meeting was to brainstorm ideas for the World Tour event VI. World Tour Discussion a. Program Goals, Mission All in attendance recommend the name of the event change from “World Tour” to “Festival of Cultures.” Current name is unclear and does not accurately describe the event to the public. All in consensus that the goal of the event is to educate and connect, not just entertain. Raise awareness about the cultures in our community. b. Visioning, Thoughts/Ideas Using the sample websites from places such as Skokie as an example, some area cultures and groups to consider included, but not limited to: Burma Turkish Chinese Korean India Middle East Islamic Center Vietnamese Mexican  St. Michael’s Spanish Latino community Wheaton’s Sister Cities World Relief Exodus Recommended time frame for Festival of Cultures – September 2019 Ideal event would include: Live Music Food Booths representing cultures, including goods for sale and activities for children (such as tea ceremony, Chinese lantern, crafts, etc.) “Passport Book” – where attendees can have their Passport Book stamped at each booth Actions: Erica emailed the principal of Hawthorne Elementary School to check if they have an International Night with the hopes of connecting families and resources to any event we put on. (such as workers for booths, flags, costumes, etc.) Next Steps: Present a proposal for a name change to the Commission – Tony Check availability of Memorial Park – Tony Set a Budget – Tony/Gail? Research and procure additional funding/donations (we discussed Rotary, etc) – Leslie? Research Community Groups and Cultures to invite – All Next committee meeting, invite area groups such as World Relief and Exodus to some of the meeting to offer insights and ideas. Explore our first choice venue -- Julie can reach out to the city planner  Front Street in September  Close down the streets as they do with Vintage Car night.  Help celebrate the completion of the new downtown beautification project  Live music in the new patio area  booths lining the streets   parade of flags  local restaurants from various cultures invited to have tents and sell food. (this way we don’t have to provide food and beverages) Set a Date -- When venue is determined and available. Present a proposal/budget to the Commission when venue is determined and available. I. Adjournment Tony Asta moved and Erica Nelson seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:42 p.m.