For 135 years, the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association and Club has served as a cherished local hub helping shape the social fabric of the Oak Park community.
Established in 1891 in tandem with the start of many women’s clubs across Illinois, the club was launched as a place for women to both value community involvement and focus on charitable activities.
Through providing charitable services to area nonprofits and college scholarships, promoting multicultural programs featuring music, art, literature and the social sciences, and making its historic facility available to local groups, the club has worked tirelessly to better serve the community for more than a century.
“Community or private clubs for women typically had a purpose, whether that was civic engagement, learning and study, the arts or philanthropy,” said Jeanne Schultz Angel, executive director of the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association. “Because women lacked almost all voting access at that time, often, clubs functioned as the legitimate space where women had a voice in community concerns or issues.”
In fact, Schultz Angel says, several members of the club were leaders in the suffrage movement in Illinois and were instrumental in women’s voting enfranchisement.
One program in particular which the club is proud of continuing over a century later is its tradition of Monday Enrichment — programming which originally began as weekly study clubs for arts and humanities.
Since the 1990s, membership to the club has opened up beyond women, and now, thousands of women and men have benefitted from the Monday Enrichment series. A unique opportunity for social networking, the Nineteenth Century Club’s Monday programming captures Oak Park’s love of cultural diversity and passion for learning.
From October through May, the club hosts weekly Monday Lunch and Enrichment, with the occasional weekend and evening event scheduled as well. Programming is hosted at the club, located at 178 Forest Ave.
Beginning at noon and open to the public, Monday Lunch offers a three-course, sit-down meal for $30 a person, with club members receiving a discounted rate of $25. The menu is posted with registration (which is required) and the chef can accommodate a variety of dietary needs.
Immediately following Monday Lunch is Monday Enrichment, also open to the public. Beginning at 1:15 p.m. and with a suggested donation of $15 per person to help cover speaker costs, Monday Enrichment remains a unique opportunity in Oak Park for camaraderie and education.
Lunch and Enrichment can be done together or separately, and guests do not need to attend both. Guests who attend the luncheon and those who are club members are offered attendance to Monday Enrichment for free.
On average, Schultz Angel says between 60 to 85 people join each Monday for Lunch, with that number doubling for Enrichment. As programs are on Monday afternoons, audience members tend to be older adults or retired people from Oak Park and the surrounding communities, though everyone is welcome from across demographics.
When the club was founded, Monday programming was seen as a unique, valuable asset to the Oak Park community. Though we now live in an increasingly digital age, Schultz Angel says the Nineteenth Century Club still holds local, modern-day relevance.
“To the original members of the Nineteenth Century Club, these programs were vital to their ongoing growth and life-long learning,” she said. “Women did not necessarily have open access to learning beyond primary and secondary school, and this was a way to learn about the world and improve their communities. While our audience has expanded beyond just women over time, the benefits of community members coming together for shared learning is still relevant and vital. Programming that helps spark curiosity and engagement can combat loneliness and foster social connections in older adult communities. In addition, these programs are curated by members of the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association through a committee process, thereby allowing life-skills and experience to be utilized.”
Schultz Angel, in her second stint as executive director with the association’s board, says she is thrilled to volunteer at a place she considers “very special.”
“This organization has both an amazing legacy and promising future as a hub of community activity and learning with arts, culture and the humanities,” she said.
A sneak peek into this season’s Monday Enrichment programming includes topics such as “The modern marvel that is vaccines,” “What we know about black holes,” “Today’s Supreme Court in the context of U.S. history,” and “Early Chicago history through the eyes of Juliette Kinzie.”
To Schultz Angel, the answer for why someone should check them out is simple.
“Come for a program, stay for the community,” she said. “If you are looking at a place to learn and grow with other curious people, this is your place.”
For information about the Nineteenth Century Club or to register for Monday Lunch and Enrichment, visit ncca.memberclicks.net or call (708) 386-2729.