06/16/2025
Over the years, you might have heard us talk about Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (ChicagoCAC), an organization that unites public, private and community partners to ensure the safety, health and well-being of abused children and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Through its Chicago Prevention Alliance initiative, ChicagoCAC convenes more than 20 organizations, including Imagination Theater, that provide sexual harm prevention education across the city. During our years of partnership, we have seen how deeply ChicagoCAC’s work connects with the work we do to help keep children safe from sexual abuse and other forms of harm.
That brings us to some exciting news: Imagination Theater and ChicagoCAC have mutually decided to build on our many years of collaboration by entering into a merger. Beginning July 1, Imagination Theater will become a part of ChicagoCAC rather than continuing as its own organization.
This is great news for many reasons. All of Imagination Theater’s current in-school programs will continue. We will now have the benefit of additional resources and personnel, which means we’ll be much better positioned to pursue new ideas, including new programs. (In fact, we’re working on a new program right now!) I will still be Artistic Director, and all current ensemble members have been offered contracts with ChicagoCAC.
On a personal note, this change will reunite us with our longtime Executive Director, Steve Leaver, who left Imagination Theater last August to become Director of Education, Outreach, and Prevention at ChicagoCAC. We have remained in close touch with Steve for these past several months and couldn’t be more thrilled to join his team at ChicagoCAC.
We know change can be difficult. But this as a big step forward for Imagination Theater and the work you’ve helped us do for so long. You’ll be hearing more soon from ChicagoCAC directly, and we’re sure you’ll see why we couldn’t imagine a better organization to become part of.
Thank you for supporting Imagination Theater’s work as we join forces with ChicagoCAC. We appreciate all of our donors, customers, and other supporters, today and always!
