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Hi there, Few places will embody hope, ignite passion, and inspire a renewed commitment to taking action and serving others like the Obama Presidential Center.  This month, ahead of the Center’s two-year groundbreaking anniversary, we’re excited to share some more stories behind the people, spaces, and artifacts you’ll one day find on campus.  Check out a few highlights on the progress of the Obama Presidential Center below, then please consider taking the next step to bring the Center and the Foundation’s mission to life. Community support is what makes this all possible. Obama Presidential Center Continues to Rise The Obama Presidential Center will be a welcoming, vibrant campus where people from all over the world can come to get inspired, find common ground, and take action.  And speaking of common ground, the Museum Building’s concrete structure is now over halfway complete! Standing at over 100 feet, it’s already a huge presence in and around Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago.  Not only will the Center provide visitors with an idea of what life was like in the White House during the Obama Administration, it will also be a historic addition to Chicago’s storied architectural and civic landscape.  When completed, it will feature a world-class museum, multiple public gathering spaces, a new branch of the Chicago Public Library, a Programs and Athletic Center, and a variety of community spaces, from a recording studio to an auditorium to a sledding hill. Obama Presidential Roadshows Feature Brand New Spaces This year, we launched the Obama Presidential Center Roadshows, which offer our neighbors in Chicago an inside look at what they’ll experience when the campus officially opens. Recently, we had the opportunity to showcase two exciting spaces: Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit & Vegetable Garden and Teaching Kitchen: Held at the South Merrill Community Garden, community members saw renderings of the future OPC garden and classroom kitchen and received seeds and other garden materials from partners including Gardeneers and the Chicago Botanic Garden.  Visitors also participated in spring planting at the garden while learning about our commitment to supporting sustainability, community food systems, urban agriculture, health, and wellness. Programs & Athletic Center: Community members and organizations across the sports-based youth development landscape were brought together to learn about what will be a dynamic hub for Foundation programming and community activities at the intersection of fitness, teamwork, and leadership.  The 45,000-square-foot structure will include things like an NBA regulation-size basketball court, flexible breakout rooms, event capabilities, and more. Our OPC Model Virtual Reality Headsets made an appearance at this Roadshow and people were excited to virtually stand in some of the key spaces at the OPC! The Obama Presidential Center Workforce Goals Since the onset of planning, it’s been important that the Obama Presidential Center be built by a diverse workforce representative of the city of Chicago. Here’s a quick look at the progress towards our ambitious workforce and business diversity goals for construction: 55 percent of the construction contract amounts awarded to-date have been awarded to diverse vendors 32 percent of the construction workforce live in the South and West Sides of Chicago 158 community residents placed in construction-related jobs around the city Artifacts and Collections continue to grow The Obama Presidential Museum will tell the story of President and Mrs. Obama’s time in the White House and explore how we can all take inspiration from their story to create change in our own communities.  Over the last few years, we’ve been curating our museum collection to ensure a diverse range of stories and perspectives are represented through the artifacts we showcase. Our materials tell the stories of the communities and individuals that helped to shape–or were impacted by–the Obamas’ unique journey.  Visitors to the museum can look forward to viewing artifacts from the Obamas’ early lives and careers, as well as items from the Presidential campaigns, administration, and beyond.

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