Many people join CGCC thinking of us as you might think of the Center for Talent Development, an organization providing gifted programming that might be interesting to the kids. But honestly, we are not competing with all the fantastic groups who provide resources and services for gifted children and their families. We are trying to bring those organizations to light for everyone in the gifted community, through our professional member program. Additionally, it is our hope that people who are inspired to create reasonably-priced opportunities for their children or for parents of gifted children will do so using our framework.

So what does that mean? For starters, it means that we curate an area-wide calendar of events of interest to gifted families. Our focus is generally on affordable, high quality events. Have you looked at our calendar lately? Area Events Calendar (Be sure you are logged on to take advantage of this feature of our website!)

More importantly, it means that CGCC is set up to handle member-initiated events, since we hope to see many of these! We are a 501(c)(3) so we can rent space in many libraries and community center at little to no cost. It means we carry insurance, so those venue and many schools and churches are able to accommodate us. It means that we have a website that can handle registration and receive payment to cover rent and other expenses. It means we have an established communications network to get the word out about events that you plan. CGCC does not aspire to create great programming, but rather to allow you to create great programming for one another.

So where do you begin? Let’s say your son absolutely loves origami, and could use a little more social time with like-minded peers? Great – let’s create a monthly origami club. We can have kids take turns teaching their favorite folded animal, we can watch videos on the history of origami, we can read origami books and report back to the group, we can bring in instructors to get us going. Contact your regional coordinator to discuss your ideas! Let’s find a venue that works and a timeframe that is convenient and get this program set up!

Or perhaps we need a makers club or a programming club or a mindfulness program or a kids speaker on healthy sleeping habits or … You get the idea.

We have several member-initiated programs running at CGCC today. Check out our CGCC Event Calendar for upcoming events. Any of these events could be modified to run in your community. Or better yet, let’s organize something that is perfect for your family. The organizer selects the venue and the meeting dates and times! If you are looking to just dip a toe in the water, how about organizing a gifted parent supper? You choose a restaurant and make a reservation; we post it and meet you there! Please contact your regional coordinator for help getting the ball rolling:

• Far North Ann Marie Tate
  
• North Sarah Alexander
  
• Chicago Rhonda Stern
  
• Western and southern Suburbs Newenka DuMont
  

What kinds of community building are we focusing on at the moment?

• We continue our focus on regional communities. We have a robust set of offerings in the western suburbs, because we have a fair sized base of members there. Since we run programs there we get more members there. We would like to see this same robustness in the far west, in the far north and on the south side. If you are interested in helping us out with this, please contact me!
  
• We are working on gifted special interest groups. Today there are two groups that are meeting.
  
• We have a homeschoolers coop in Skokie – LOGYC - which attracts members from all over! And they are an excellent source of information about homeschooling, even if you are not able to attend the homeschool.
• We have a homeschoolers support organization – HSGS – that runs monthly speakers also in the near north. Their next program is on April 14 and is about Program-based learning. 
• We have a new board member, Carole Jones, who runs the SOS for 2E program in Naperville, for those raising 2E children this is a fantastic program, and again it attracts people from far and wide! The next SOS for 2E program is scheduled for April 16 – Dr. Nick Costakis speaker in Naperville.