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The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) in conjunction with its members and annual CHA Summer Convention & Trade Show held at the Rosemont Convention Center, hosted a three-hour Kids Craft Fair for 150 kids at the General Robert E. Wood Boys & Girls Club of Chicago (BGCC) Center on July 16, 2008 as a way to give back to a community that has hosted the annual Summer Convention & Trade Show for over 20 years. In honor of the Kids Craft Fair an official proclamation designating July 16th as official "Kids Craft Day in Chicago” was issued by the Honorable Mayor Richard Daley, mayor of Chicago.

In his proclamation Mayor Daly sited sharing a passion for crafts with kids, inspiring creativity, fostering manual dexterity, promoting social skills, enforcing spatial and conceptual faculties and helping build good will within the community as factors behind his support.

“Kids Craft Day is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to explore their creativity, learn new skills and have a unique experience,” explained Angela Benke, BGCC Program Director. “Kids love to do new things and Kids Craft Day offers just that. We are very grateful to the Craft & Hobby Association for supporting this event at the Club.”

CHA members including Terri O, Duncan Enterprises, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, FloraCraft Corporation, Arte Latin-Oh!, Creative Hands, Scrapbook Retailer Magazine, Memory Makers Magazine, EK Success, Ellison/Sissix, Pack-o-Fun Magazine, Leisure Arts, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, and research partner Phoenix Multicultural, all donated product, time and effort to make this event special for the children of the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago. Over 40 companies donated craft supplies to insure that the BGCC had a complete year’s worth of crafting curriculum. All told, over $40,000 worth of craft products and supplies were donated.

Additional contributing companies include:

1. Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
2. Arts and Crafts by Rayson
3. Beacon Adhesives
4. BOC Design Group
5. Janlynn Corporation
6. Canvas Corp LLC
7. Caren's Crafts
8. Colorbok, Inc.
9. Clearsnap, Inc.
10. C-Line Products, Inc.
11. Coats & Clark
12. Cream City Ribbon
13. Creative Imaginations
14. Creative Treasures
15. Crescent Cardboard Company, LLC
16. Create and Treasure from C&T Publishing
17. Darice, Inc.
18. Eyelet Outlet
19. Fibre-Craft Materials Corp.
20. Fire Mountain Gems
21. F+W Media
22. Happy N Scrappin'
23. Indus trading Company
24. Jack Dempsey Needle Art
25. Jann Johnson, Designer
26. Julianna Hudgins
27. Kalmbach Publishing
28. Kathy Peterson Designs
29. KS Productions
30. Laura Kelly Designs
31. National Nonwovens
32. Magic Mesh
33. Making Memories 34. Mark Richards Enterprises, Inc.
35. MCS Industries, Inc.
36. Kathy Peterson
37. MomCentral.com
38. Martingale & Co. - Knitting with Gigi
39. McGill, Inc.
40. Memories Across Miles
41. Mundial Inc.
42. On the Surface
43. OTT-LITE Technology
44. Pabric (IPLOW Group)
45. Plaid Enterprises
46. Polyform Products
47. S & S Worldwide
48. Ryland Peters & Small
49. Sakura Color Products of America, Inc.
50. Sbar’s Inc.
51. Scrapbook Mania
52. Scrapbooking BY Inches
53. ScrapMap.com
54. Sillycone Inc.
55. Spanish Memories, Inc.
56. The DMC Corporation
57. T.Hee Greetings, Inc.
58. The Butterfly Loom
59. The Craft Pedlars
60. Walnut Hallow
61. World Piece Emporium
62. Xyron Education
63. Retrospect by Smead/The Smead Manufacturing Company