The Concerned Calumet Citizens Committee, CCCC, is an organization in East Chicago that focuses on providing community togetherness, education and charity to the people of East Chicago. They have been doing this through programs and events for the past 20 years. However, the origins of the committee date all the way back to the early 1970s.
At this time, the Calumet community was broken up into Block Clubs. Each neighborhood block had individual meetings to come up with ideas for events to benefit the community. These clubs hosted garden parties, sewing groups, book clubs, back-to-school parades, block parties and many other events. They were well respected and enjoyed by everyone in the community.
The Block Clubs also met with each other to discuss issues going on in the community as a whole. They were especially devoted to helping local schools and churches.
In 1993, several of the original leaders of the Block Clubs and members of East Chicago churches got together to plan the first Calumet Day celebration. These leaders were very dedicated to creating an event that would celebrate the city of East Chicago and the people who lived there. The event was such a success that the group decided to continue working together and today’s CCCC was born.
The Calumet Day celebration promotes community togetherness in East Chicago. Each year, CCCC members give out backpacks and school supplies to needy families at the Calumet Day picnic as a means of spreading charity within the city. Finally, the awards ceremony that takes place each year on the first night of the event is one way that the CCCC achieves their third goal of supporting education within the community.
In 1994, an East Chicago student received the first ever CCCC award in the form of a $25 savings bond. Today, the CCCC gives out several college scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each to East Chicago students at the Calumet Day Weekend celebration.
Both the celebration and the CCCC have grown tremendously since they started back in 1993. This growth could not have happened without the help of the citizens of East Chicago and local supporting organizations. To learn more about the CCCC and Calumet Day Weekend, visit www.calumetdaycommittee.com.
