CHICAGO — More than 12,000 volunteers will gather at Wrigley Field on Thursday for a big kick-off rally ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention, where they’ll be busy greeting delegates, shuttling attendees around the city and generally be at the ready to ensure a smooth event.
“We’re excited to welcome them tomorrow, thank them for giving us their time, and also to really rally and energize them for next week,” said convention volunteer director Laura DeCastro. “They’re giving us a lot of their time and spending resources to get here and we could not be more appreciative of that.”
Roughly 50,000 people are expected to descend on the city for the convention. Those arriving at Chicago’s two airports will be greeted by volunteers.
Nicole Robinson, the CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, is among them, and she’s not a rookie. She helped out during the 1996 DNC in Chicago when she was 25 years old.
“I was assigned a coveted volunteer spot, being a driver and an assistant to Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who at that time was one of two women – only a few women in the Senate. She broke lots of barriers advocated for things like child care, pay equity.”
Robinson said the experience inspired her as she forged her own career and prompted her to give her time to be part of the DNC again. “It is a big influence of how I got here and why I do what I do today, figuring out I want to be a change maker,” she said.
The more than 12,000 volunteers she’ll join range in age from 16 to 100 years, with three-fourths of the helpers coming from Illinois. Nearly 40 percent are from Chicago.
At Thursday party, volunteers will have the opportunity to take photos with the 2016 World Series trophy, stand on home plate, and hear from Gov. JB Pritzker and Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts.
Another welcome party for delegate and media will be held Saturday and Sunday at Navy Pier.
Democrats will host their nominating convention in Chicago August 19-22. Chicago has hosted Democrats 12 times, the last being nearly 30 years ago when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.