November 2007 marked the beginning of Community Renewal’s 125th anniversary year. Our staffers and advisors are busy working to plan several events, large and small, to commemorate this extraordinary milestone. However, before we become too engrossed in our planning for the current business year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect upon fiscal year 2007.

Fiscal year 2007 was, in so many ways, a year of firsts.

One such first occurred in April, when the organization launched its first-ever collaborative project: Children of the Incarcerated. More than 200 guests attended our launch event and the resulting media coverage — articles in the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post, to name just two — gave us hope. It was, and remains, our goal to bring attention to the needs of this often forgotten population. However, it is the fire emanating from those we brought to the table — service providers, educators, policymakers and corrections officials — that fuels us, affirming our beliefs that this effort is rooted in justice.

You can read more about Children of the Incarcerated and our other firsts, including Faith Leaders for Fiscal Integrity and the 35 under 35 Leadership Awards, in this report.

Though Community Renewal launched several new initiatives, our core work remainded a priority. Our newsmagazines, Catalyst Chicago and The Chicago Reporter, continued to produce high–quality, impactful articles. The work of the publications received widespread recognition from policymakers, major media outlets and the Chicago metro area at large.

The Civic Action Network continued to expand its base of congregations, making concerted efforts to reach out to suburban congregations. Our staff leadership also penned opinion editorials for major newspapers, spoke on dozens of panels and lent their expertise to numerous media outlets.

Community Renewal Society accomplished a great deal in fiscal year 2007. We owe many thanks to the committed efforts of our generous supporters, our network of congregations, our Board of Directors, our Associate Board, our numerous committee and advisory group members and, of course, our staff. The enthusiasm and encouragement from those who believe in the work we do allowed the organization to ascend to new heights and lay the groundwork for what promises to be an exciting new chapter in our long history.

Speaking of a long history, we are most excited about our 125th anniversary. The celebration begins with our upcoming awards luncheon. It will be held April 30, 2008 at the Chicago Fairmont. New York Times columnist Bob Herbert is the keynote speaker. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this celebratory event.