Army of volunteers prepare for DNC in Chicago: 'It's historic'

CHICAGO - With 50,000 people scheduled to arrive in Chicago next week, the Democratic National Convention host committee has recruited a large army of volunteers to keep everything moving smoothly.

Cindy Vogt, a retired history teacher from Arlington Heights, is answering the call in the hopes of witnessing history in the making.

"I am thrilled. This is something I have always hoped to be able to do—attend a convention," Vogt said. "Because I would love to be involved. To me, it’s historic. To be able to witness history is just incredible."

Vogt is one of about 15,000 volunteers who will be working for the DNC next week. They range in age from 16 to 100 and are doing everything from greeting visitors at the airport to driving them around the city and helping them find their way at the United Center and McCormick Place.

"These people—I kind of think of them as our eyes and ears," said Natalie Edelstein, spokesperson for the Chicago 2024 Host Committee. "They’re walking, talking billboards. You land at O’Hare or Midway as a delegate, and these people are here. They’re here to get you on the trains, give you restaurant recommendations, get you into the neighborhoods, really showcase all that Chicago has to offer."

Vogt is one of 77 special neighborhood ambassadors who signed on early and helped recruit other volunteers. She personally recruited about 200 people in the northwest suburbs where she lives.

"Most people were like, wow, I never thought of that. Where do I sign up?" she said.

DNC officials say they were blown away by the response. They were initially hoping for about 12,000 volunteers, but more than 30,000 responded, the vast majority from the Chicago area.

"Really, this is a home-grown convention," Edelstein said. "These are folks from Illinois. They’re from Chicago, from the suburbs. And they’re coming out in force."

Because of Vogt’s success in recruiting volunteers, she will get a seat inside the convention hall.

"I have been told that I will be able to be in there all four nights. I get goosebumps just saying that because it’s something I’d always hoped to witness—to witness history. And to me, this is such an important part of our democracy."