Nathalie P. Voorhees Center

History

Mr. Alan Voorhees (right) founded the Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement in honor of his wife Nathalie (left) in 1978 when he served as dean of the UIC College of Architecture, Arts, and Urban Science. Both were interested in supporting work in neighborhoods. Alan was particularly concerned about “economic colonization” and the growing divisions by income across our regions.

 

Though he left UIC shortly thereafter, Mr. Voorhees remained an active advisor to the Voorhees Center until he passed in 2005. Nathalie Voorhees passed in the fall of 2000 after a long battle with cancer.

 

The memory of Alan and Nathalie and the generosity of the Voorhees family will continue to inspire the work of the Voorhees Center. The Voorhees' gift provides the basic operating support for the Voorhees Center and is used to leverage external support for projects.

 

Since its founding, the Voorhees Center has developed a record and reputation for responding to the technical assistance and research needs of the many community organizations and coalitions in the Chicago area. It has completed more than 300 projects with more than 100 partners during its 35 year history.