An exhibit running through March at the Graham Foundation in Chicago proposes action--practical, whimsical or outlandish--that city dwellers can take to make their hometowns a better place.

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More rain fell on Chicago on September 13th, 2008 than on any other day in more than 130 years. That evening in Oak Park, some 170 architecture lovers braved the historic downpour for a gala at Unity Temple, one of 25 Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the near Western suburb.

In semi-formal attire, the attendees drank, ate and mingled with fellow contributors to the building’s restoration fund, the men eventually removing their jackets in the rain-steamed, unventilated interior. Later, all enjoyed the music of Chicago trumpeter Orbert Davis in the temple sanctuary, a bright, intricately designed space that Wright called his “little jewel box.”

The gala, an annual event held by the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, was a small pocket of calm amid the storm raging outside. And it was a success. A silent auction brought in $7,000, a pittance compared to the estimated $15-million sum needed to restore the aging building. But, still, good for one night.

Furthermore, the Temple, which had had its roof repaired in 2001, appeared to have weathered the storm. A few leaks notwithstanding, things could have been worse. In nearby Plano, Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House was under two feet of water after the Fox River jumped its banks. Third flood in 12 years. Donations needed urgently. The crisis had kept Farnsworth’s caretakers from attending the gala.

Yes, things could have been worse. And then the ceiling caved.

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The recession has hurt all summer camps this year, but special-needs camps-—those serving children with cancer, diabetes and other diseases-—are especially feeling the pinch.

Perhaps the biggest hit has come from corporations, whose donations typically anchor these camps’ budgets. But this year many companies have shrunk their contributions or eliminated them entirely as hard times have constrained corporate generosity.

Chicago-based Children’s Oncology Services Inc., which runs the One Step At A Time camp for cancer and leukemia patients on Lake Geneva, in Williams Bay, Wis., has seen a 20 percent to 25 percent reduction in all donations, according to Executive Director Jacob Drescher.

Children’s Oncology Services drew on its cash reserves to make up for this year’s losses and cut costs wherever possible, for example, by limiting off-site travel.

“You just have to be creative with what you have and make it stretch a little more,” Drescher said.

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In a down economy, consumers’ loss might be the world’s leading fast-food chain’s gain.

With a stock price that has been climbing since mid-May and an expensive product rollout underway, McDonald’s Corp. is defying the recession despite—or perhaps because of—tightened consumer spending. As cash-strapped customers opt for a cheaper meal, the only thing the Golden Arches may have to worry about is an economic upturn.Read more

With the 90th annual National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago heading in to its third day, many attendees are disappointed with low turnout compared with past years.

The four-day event, which attracted an estimated 71,500 attendees and more than 2,200 exhibitors in 2008, has seen a significant slimming this year, as the recession has hit one of the largest restaurant-industry gatherings in the world.

"They're holding their own, but, like everything else, [the NRA Show has] been affected" by the economy, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said Saturday on the convention floor in McCormick Place. "This is a tsunami."

The NRA could not estimate attendance before the show ends on Tuesday because of a surge in late registrants, but Greg Kirrish, vice president of sales and marketing for the association, said attendance numbers would "undoubtedly" fall short of last year's figures.

A Coca-Cola spokesman estimated a drop off of 15 to 20 percent from 2008.

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The 90th annual National Restaurant Association Show will kick off Saturday at McCormick Place with fewer exhibitors and lower attendance expected than in past years.

Though thousands of exhibitors are scheduled to attend the convention, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau acknowledged that this year’s gathering will be smaller than in 2008.

“Like many of our conventions that are coming in, [exhibitors] are sending fewer exhibit personnel, and attendees may be attending for fewer days,” bureau spokeswoman Meghan Risch said.

Convention participants corroborated Risch’s assessment Thursday as preparations got under way for the four-day event.

Commercial food-equipment manufacturer Hobart LP, a perennial attendant, did not downsize its booth but did bring less equipment and fewer employees in response to economic pressures, said trade marketing manager Joyce Grooms, who has managed Hobart’s exhibit for eight years.

“I scaled back about 40 percent [on equipment] over last year” to minimize transportation costs, Grooms said.

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