On the Table Meals to Discuss City's Future, Strengthening Amundsen

OLD IRVING PARK — Thousands of Chicagoans will sit down for dinner with strangers on Monday as part of the Chicago Community Trust's 99th anniversary "On the Table" celebration.

Old Irving Park Association and Arts Alive Chicago, as well as Friends of Amundsen are among the nearly 1,000 individuals and organizations who've signed on to host a free meal as part of the city-wide event. Come for the food, stay for the conversation.

At the OIPA dinner, scheduled for 7-9 p.m., Irving Park Baptist Church, 4401 W. Irving Park Rd., people will be seated at tables of 10. The topic of discussion is how to make Chicago a better place to live: What are we doing right as a city, what are we getting wrong? People from all neighborhoods are welcome.

Friends of Amundsen will focus its conversation on ways the community can work together to create a quality K-12 public school system for neighborhood students. Residents in the 47th Ward have strengthened the area's elementary schools — how can they carry that momentum to Amundsen High School?

The meal and discussion will be held 7-8:30 p.m., Amundsen School Library, 5110 N. Damen Ave., enter at Door 3. Following a shared dinner, attendees will break out into small tables of about eight people.

The Chicago Community Trust, founded in 1915, is a public charity that connects donors with nonprofits across the Chicago area.