History:

Chicago Spirit Brigade is a 501(c)3 non profit organization and was formed in January of 2003 to raise money and awareness for other non profits providing direct care services to people with life-threatening challenges.  From a humble beginning of a handful, the squad now features over 30 performers who represent a cross section of American demographics.

The group was the brainchild of Richard Flack, who had participated with similar programs in the Dallas and San Fransisco areas.  After a few organizing meetings and lots of planning, Chicago Spirit Brigade was born.  The name, Chicago Spirit Brigade, itself, points to our ultimate goal of encompassing several different types of performing troupes, to service the vast amount of events and opportunities which exist within our communities.  In essence, a Brigade of individuals willing to contribute their talents and abilities to fulfill our team mission:

To fight disease through awareness and grassroots fund raising while entertaining, inspiring and motivating audiences to reach for their own personal excellence while celebrating the beauty and unity of diverse people.

We believe that life is to be celebrated whenever possible and that everyone has a duty to support one another and lend a helping hand to those who need it. We have chosen to take our athletic abilities and love of cheerleading and performing and use them as a means to raise funds for the direct care servicing of men, women and children living with life-threatening challenges. It is our way of giving back to the community at large as we Cheer, Dance and Twirl to Spread the Cheer!

---

---

Our Logo:

Over the course of our existence, we have utilized two logos.  Our current logo was adopted in the summer of 2006.  

---

Four Cardinals Agreements:

As members of Chicago Spirit Brigade, we ascribe to uphold Four Cardinals Agreements behind which is the foundation on which our organization is based.  These principles include the following:

Be impeccable with your word
Say only what you mean. The word is the most powerful tool we have as humans. Depending upon how it is used, the word can help us to become free or to enslave us. By practicing impeccability we can clear up communication problems, heal relationships and create enough personal power to break our old limiting agreements.

Don’t take things personally
Each of us lives in our own personal dream, and what we say, what we do, and the opinions we give come from the agreements that we have in our own minds – they have nothing to do with anyone else. By the same token, others’ opinions have nothing to do with us, so there is nothing to take personally. When we make the assumption that whatever happens is because of us, we continue to hurt each other and brood about what we call injustice. A huge amount of freedom is gained when we take nothing personally.

Don’t make assumptions
We make assumptions when we think we know what others mean or when we think they know what we mean. The problem with these assumptions is that we believe them as the truth and we blame others for the assumptions that we make. We must have the courage to ask what another means and the courage to say what we really mean. The day we stop making assumptions we communicate cleanly and clearly free of emotional poison.

Always do your best
This agreement makes the other three possible. When we simply do our best – not more and not less – we avoid self-condemnation and we have no regrets. Although our best is always changing, we continually strive to do our best.