Northern-ILL Association in Retrospect

Northern-ILL Chinese Association (NCA), originally named Naperville Chinese Association, was founded in 1975 by a few Chinese families living at Naperville. The activities of NCA sought to promote friendship among Chinese member families. The transliteration of “Naper” is Rei-Bo, which means “Luck and Longevity”. “Rei” means good luck, good fortune, or good omen. “Bo” means cypress – a tree traditionally held by Chinese to symbolize youth and longevity. The NCA logo is four people inside a circle. They stand hand-in-hand representing the unity of NCA members helping one another and working together for a better community.

With the growth of the Naperville and the surrounding communities, NCA has also grown. In 1977 NCA changed its name from the Naperville Chinese Association to Northern-ILL Chinese Association. Because our membership is increasingly comprised of families from all areas of Chicagoland. The NCA activities have evolved into many well-organized functions, e.g., annual Chinese New Year Celebration, Summer Picnic, Moon Festival Party, etc. NCA also participates in Meals on Wheels, the Naperville Labor Day parade, and other Multi-cultural activities.

NCA’s Challenge

As technology advances, the time and space which historically separated people is shrinking. Nations are impacting each other more then ever before and our various cultures are diversifying. Because of our cultural background, the Chinese community has experienced this trend deeply. The great process of change calls upon us to participate and offer our experience, our perspective and our abilities. The NCA committee proposes the following directions for us to pursue:

1. Cultivating cross-cultural friendships

2. Participating in community activities

3. Preserving key elements of Chinese culture

4. Enhancing members’ images

5. Fostering community integration