Chicago Engineers Foundation of the Union League Club

The goals of the Chicago Engineers' Foundation (CEF) are to provide support and resources to every aspiring engineering student in Chicago. CEF seeks to be the organization students look to as they work towards a career in engineering. In addition, CEF hopes to continue to grow as a network for students, educators, and engineering professionals.

The strategies CEF is using to achieve our goals include expanding opportunities to reach out to young people interested in engineering concepts. The outreach and scholarship award programs are poised to reach neighborhoods across Chicago, including under-represented neighborhoods and students. Further, we are increasing our volunteer offerings to include more opportunities for those in the engineering field to get involved in the community. In addition, CEF is reaching out to professional associations and interested community groups to identify opportunities for partnership activities.

Chicago Engineers' Foundation embarked on its first 5-year strategic plan in 2017. The initiatives outlined in the plan are directly aligned with the organization's goals and overall mission focus. The first four years of the plan have already exceeded expectations with many initiatives underway, and more in development for the coming years. The plan has overwhelming support from the organization's leadership and community. In addition, the organization has an enthusiastic and growing volunteer base, and a working Board of Directors dedicated to achieving our goals and ensuring the long-term stability of the Chicago Engineers' Foundation.

The first four years of the Chicago Engineer's Foundation strategic plan have been promising and helped the organization grow in my many ways. The organization debuted several new initiatives for our Incentive Award recipients including corporate tours, career development workshops and an internship resume exchange. In addition, CEF leaders are actively working with both professional associations and community groups on developing partnership activities aimed at expanding outreach to more young people interested in engineering careers. Further, the CEF student outreach program saw incredible growth, going from 20 visits each year to more than 30 K-12 outreach activities, impacting 1,500 students. A growing base of professionals are volunteering their time to reach out to young people at schools and community events throughout the metropolitan area, with plans in place to continue to expand opportunities to inspire young people about all the engineering sector has to offer.

The 2021 academic year was challenging for a variety of reasons with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Chicago Engineers' Foundation took all student and volunteer activities virtual. CEF's new virtual programs have increased opportunities for K-12 outreach, learning activities, and career development for Chicago students. More than 100 active volunteers are facilitating career discussions, networking opportunities, one-on-one mentoring, and other activities to continue to inspire young minds and support college students when they need it the most.

Virtual activities are continuing into 2022, with plans in place to continue online student opportunities going forward, with a combination of in-person interactions when mitigations allow.