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Kateryna Yushchenko Meets with Chicago Mayor’s Wife Maggie Daley

June 30, 2008, Head of the Supervisory Board of the Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Foundation Kateryna Yushchenko met with wife of the Mayor of Chicago Maggie Daley for a business lunch. Also present were representatives of Chicago public organizations and City Council working with people with limited capacities, educational institutions, Chicago Sister Cities Committee, Field Museum, and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee.

The guests discussed Chicago City Council’s programs and projects and activities of the NGOs dealing with people with limited capacities.

Mrs. Daley described special programs for children and teenagers, in part, the After School program offering various art projects for schoolchildren at one of Chicago’s most beautiful places, the Millennium Park.

In her turn, Mrs. Kateryna described the Ukraine 3000 Foundation’s work – programs and projects of its Ukraine Today, Ukraine Yesterday, and Ukraine Tomorrow areas. Mrs. Yushchenko spoke in more detail the Foundation’s medical initiatives: the Children’s Hospital of the Future and Hospital to Hospital, along with projects designed for people with limited abilities: Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements program, purchasing equipment for people with impaired hearing, supporting the Special Olympics for the mentally impaired, and the Touch and See tactile photo exhibition by Yuri Bilak. Mrs. Kateryna emphasized the fact that one of the Ukraine 3000 Foundation’s priorities is promoting barrier-free equal access to education, medicine, and culture for all disabled people in Ukraine, including people who are blind or visually impaired. She expressed her hope for establishing contacts between such organizations in Ukraine and the US.

The participants of the business lunch discussed possible cooperation between Ukraine 3000 Foundation and the Ukrainian group of the Chicago Sister Cities Committee in educational, cultural, and medical programs.

Before the lunch, Mrs. Daley gave Mrs. Yushchenko a tour of the Millennium Park, which was built in 2004. Mrs. Daley described volunteer programs initiated by the city for the Millennium Park along with numerous artistic and cultural programs held at the park.

Kyiv and Chicago are sister cities. In total, Chicago has 27 sister cities.

Chicago is one of the major candidates to host the 2016 Olympics.

Kateryna Yushchenko is staying in Chicago on a brief working visit. Earlier she has visited the Chicago Lighthouse Agency for the people who are blind or visually impaired.