Oprah's former personal chef Art Smith started a non-profit Common Threads in Chicago in 2003.
Common Threads provides after-school programming to children from eight to twelve years old who are on the free or assisted lunch program. The classes are offered once per week in eight different Chicago neighborhood locations during the school year. In addition, Common Threads provides a day camp for six weeks during the summer where our children learn to plant, harvest, and cook fresh vegetables from the Common Threads World Garden. The Common Threads Movement Program promotes physical fitness and culture by providing classes in Yoga, Capeira (Brazilian dancing), Tai Chi and African Dance and drumming.
