The Community Chest, Inc.'s (TCC) production of the fourth annual Taste of Durham (TOD) Festival on May 24, 2008 was another tremendous success thanks to our participants, sponsors, and focus on quality productions, and assistance from various part of the community. Thank you so much for supporting our festival and helping us build our reputation as a destination festival. The festival is the first large-scale project design to serve life-enriching opportunities in various levels for many members of vast communities. Our social values are woven into the festival programming. The attached media coverage will showcase our proof is in the "media pudding".

The momentum of the festival's growth and popularity stems from our constant focus to serve people of diverse communities. We estimate that there were up to 20,000 people throughout the day from Durham, Triangle communities, and other areas. People attend at various intervals to enjoy the eclectic mix of restaurants, food establishments, and a top-notch music line-up. We are planning for the fifth Taste of Durham on Saturday, May 23, 2009 and always trying to improve on each year.

Serving our Communities: This unique festival is infused with international arts and cultural experiences, eclectic food sampling, an opportunity to experience a wide variety of music genres, and an international dance showcase. It also provides an accessible and affordable opportunity to experience high-end entertainment, arts, and cultural events. These high-caliber gathering venues allow area businesses to connect directly with an attentive audience from various communities and to promote their businesses.

TOD also serves the community by creating another economic development support platform for area restaurants and businesses. Restaurant participants receive a large percentage of their collected proceeds. Each year we extend invitations to local and established Durham restaurants and it is their choice to participate. Participants not showing up and other food issues during the event are out of our control and feel the same disappointments as the patrons.

For artists and musicians who deal with many challenges and trends in the music and entertainment arena, the festival serves as a quality platform to showcase their talents. TCC efforts also encourage community engagement. There is great thought and planning to support and enrich many people, groups, and cultures. The main intentions of this initiative are to serve our growing community and to offer ways to experience the essence of "quality life" we hear about in mission statements and community-focused businesses, agencies and organizations.

Some of the notable accomplishments in our journey to launch TOD are: building our reputation from grassroots stages, establishing brand value, increasing sponsorship interest over the past four years and constantly building new working relationships within the community, increasing media coverage locally, regionally, and nationally, witnessing positive testimonials of benefits from participants, producing an outcome that results in high attendance, supporting restaurant and business participants, finding corporations willing to offer land to host a large scale festival, and bringing vast community groups together and encouraging community engagement in various other ways. Each successful year has proven our intentions and mission to serve and enrich communities in many ways. We will continue to take a strategic lead for continued success and growth.

During challenging economic times, working together and contributing to the quality of life for people in the community is smart business. Through our acts, we hope to remind others to welcome change, embrace cultural diversity, gain awareness of community needs, and participate in creating solutions to enrich lives. Thank you again for your support and contributions.

Gratefully yours,

Kimberly Ruskan

The Community Chest, Inc. Founder

Mission: The Community Chest (TCC) is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit philanthropic organization that supports community interests and enrichments through innovative and distinctive project-based initiatives which include but are not limited to festivals and niche programs. The heart of the mission is The Cycle of Giving: The synergistic effect of giving back to the community, building stronger community relations, supporting economic development as it pertains to community growth, and enriching the community by producing high-quality cultural and lifestyle experiences with concentrated focus on arts and cultural themes.

Contact: 919-401-2926 or 919- 572-6551
Address: P.O. Box 13793 Durham, NC 27709
Essentials: Saturday, May 23th, 2009
Website: www.tasteofdurham.org
Location: Outdoors at Imperial Center Surrounding Winchester Place (near Sheraton Imperial Hotel Page Rd Exit 282 off Interstate 40) 4309 Emperor Blvd., Durham, NC 27703