Celebrate #GivingTuesday With WLCO
In light of our upcoming 30th anniversary, and in our continued efforts to serve a rapidly changing community, we're making some changes. And today, #GivingTuesday, the global holiday to celebrate non-profits, is when it all starts. We'd like you to join us in welcoming a new President and Vice President!
As your neighborhood 501(c)(3), the West Loop Community Organization (WLCO) strives to improve the quality of life for everyone in our community by coordinating public planning, advocating community needs to our neighbors, and a whole lot more. Our team brings has vast experience in commercial finance, administrative management, participatory design practices, and progressive leadership. And we are proud to be racially and ethnically diverse, represent the LGBTQ community, and to be of many different faiths. We are an inclusive group of people passionate about our home, and we understand that the best way to influence change and develop a community is to build relationships, to share our stories of impact, and to engage and learn from the people within the community we serve.
But we can’t do this without you! Not only do we need your help now more than ever, we need you to spread the word. Please share this message of support to your friends and neighbors, and encourage them to help us too! Donations can be made through gofundme.com/westloop, and anyone can volunteer with us through westloop.org/contact. As they say: it takes a village.
In this time of great uncertainty, there's a fundamental truth that gives us hope: that together we can do extraordinary things. While the outbreak of COVID-19 is still affecting us all, never before have we seen the entire world come together to help out, give back, and heal. Whether that's through donations to community organizations, celebrating doctors and nurses at shift changes, or assisting a neighbor with groceries or other needs, generosity has been helping the entire world get through this global pandemic. Together. And that makes this #GivingTuesday the most important one, yet.
Thank you for being a part of our amazing community. We hope you and yours stay safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are grateful for everyone that helps to make the West Loop so special — including, especially today, all of the other great non-profits and social outreach organizations we work alongside.
And as we prepare for a new year, we welcome WLCO's new President and Vice President. Learn a little about them both below.
Damone Richardson is WLCO's new President, and he is a broker at Coldwell Banker. Damone's been a resident of the West Loop for the past seven years.
Damone is a native Chicagoan whose career in real estate is a natural extension of his passion for design and interiors. He co-founded Alpha One Studio, the exclusive USA agent of the Italian luxury furniture brand Flexform. He believes that your home should be one of the pillars of your well-being. As such, he is an expert at finding his clients living spaces that enhance their well-being and suit their lifestyles. Damone brings this passion to WLCO, where, as President, he will use his extensive knowledge of the West Loop neighborhood to help it grow and thrive for residents.
Paco Lebron is WLCO's new Vice President. He's the CEO and Founder at ProdigyTeks, an IT company helping small- to medium-sized businesses.
"It is a real honor to take on a more involved role with the West Loop Community Organization," he said. "It is my hope that we pool our skillsets together to help bring assistance, guidance and resources to our members during these difficult times. In these moments, we need to band together and help one another to see the true greatness we call home. Where everything is made better." We are thrilled to have Paco's infotech experience and passion for entrepreneurship leading us into 2021 and beyond as we adapt our important services for a more virtual age.