Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit, reader-funded, journalist-run newsroom dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.

In September, our friends at LION Publishers will host their second annual Independent News Sustainability Summit and Awards Ceremony here in Chicago. This summit gathers independent news publishers from all over the country and Canada to come together to learn best practices and takeaways to help build more sustainable businesses and strengthen the local news ecosystem.

As an official LION Summit partner, Block Club will host our first annual block party (in lieu of our annual gala) at the end of their summit. Since so many news publishers will be attending, we thought it would be a great opportunity for them to experience what Chicago is like beyond the Downtown scene as the block party will be hosted in a Chicago neighborhood.

Block Club is known for bringing neighbors together beyond the headlines through community events and initiatives. Block parties are important in neighborhoods across the city, so we felt it was only appropriate to work with our friends and partners with aligned goals to host one.

The block party will be held at McCormick YMCA in the Hermosa neighborhood on Sat, September 7. The event is free and will be open to the public. VIP tickets will be available for purchase. 

We are working closely with neighborhood organizations to join in on the fun as a vendor or supporter. We've already generated close to $17,000 in sponsorship revenue from local businesses. The block party will have live music, a kids zone, beer garden, food, games, activities and so much more.

We’re hosting a silent auction during our block party and hope you’ll consider making an in-kind donation to support our boots-on-the-ground reporting. In return, your logo will be included on all promotional materials and we’ll recognize your gift at our event.