Reason to Give

This summer, Reason to Give decided to go one step further to help our families get healthy. We created Reason to Get Fit, so that our families could learn how to exercise the correct way in their own backyard.  Each Tuesday at 6pm we meet in Humboldt Park for 90 minutes of cardio, strength training, yoga, and more. Reason to Get Fit is suitable for beginners, but will challenge even more advanced exercise enthusiasts. We workout in the community, taking advantage of the parks, playgrounds, the 606, and everything the neighborhood has to offer. 

For more information, or to get involved, contact shannon@reasontogive.com or just show up at the park enterance (corner of California and Divison) Tuesdays at 6pm. 

We could really use your donations to help make Reason to Get Fit a regular part of our programming. We are also in need of small workout equipment such as matts, medicine balls, resistance bands, dumbbells, kettle bells, boxing gloves/mitts, etc. Please contact shannon@reasontogive.com to help. 

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Reason to Give is now a satellite host for Cooking Matters, offering our students a 6 week healthy cooking and living program. We believe strongly that success in life starts at home. Reason to Give has been offering healthy living on a budget classes as part of our 20 week life skills program for years. Now, Reason to Give graduates and incoming students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in an intensive program to help them lead healthier lives. Students will learn to shop healthy on a budget, cook nutrient rich foods, increase their understanding of nutrition and fitness, and gain all the tools to live healthy. Graduates of the 6 week program will go home with a Cooking Matters workbook, hundreds of healthy recipes, and a grocery bag full of nutrient dense ingredients. 

That's not all! In addition to our Adult Cooking Matters program, we will also be offering the same 6 week course to our youth students! Reason to Give youth will learn how to make their own healthy snacks and meals, how to identify healthy foods, and why nutrition and physical activity are important for their futures. We are very excited to start this program and have 40 students signed up for round one! Reason to Give Cooking Matter's classes begin Tuesday April 18th, 2017. 

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Reason to Give and long time partner Adler University teamed up this spring to offer Reason to Give graduates and incoming students a four week break-out program on parenting. Classes were taught by Liz Muckley, LCPC, RDT-BCT, a Clinical Counselor and Professor of Family Therapy and Parenting Skills at Adler University. She works with young people at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital and at the Institute for Therapy Through the Arts. The intense program covered: The “Whys” of misbehavior and learning techniques to change the pattern; understanding how punishment and rewards may be short term fixes with long terms costs; changing the cycle of frustration and fatigue in response to children’s mistakes and failures; and using encouragement to build character and strengthen bonds with your children and between siblings.

The program was a extremely helpful for our students. We hope to work with Adler again in the future to offer this program. 

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It was a long road, but these awesome men and women made it to the finish line. We are proud to announce our Reason to Give Class of 2017. They are confident, armed with knowledge and tools, and ready to take on the world. Congrats to all of you! You did it! Now go forth and succeed! Special thanks to our Adler student interns....we couldn't have done it without you. Check out the pictures from Graduation Day!

 

 

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Share your experience and know how: Teach a Reason to Give Class on Tuesday evenings this February and March 2016

Reason to Give students have officially completed the first phase of our Adult Education Program, and are well on their way to living a more successful personal life. We now move into phase two: Success in the Professional World. We would love for you to pass on your knowledge and experience to our students.

We are looking for volunteer facilitators to help with any of the following class topics (curriculum and guidelines provided):

1. General Computer Skills / Using Gmail and Google Drive
2. Professional Networking and Social Media
3. Finding and Applying for jobs online
4. Resume Writing
5. Job Interview Skills (Volunteers also needed for mock interviews)
6. Emotional Intelligence and Professionalism (Stress Management)
7. Balancing Your Personal and Professional Life / Time Management (esp. for working parents) 

Interested in helping out? Please fill out our online volunteer application or contact shannon@reasontogive.com asap

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Reason to Give is planning a volunteer event to reinvent Erie's music room. We are looking for talented artists and carpenters, enthusiastic DIYers, and anyone else that doesn't mind getting their hands dirty to come out on anytime Tuesday July 15th through Thursday July 17th to Erie Charter School. Our plan is to create DIY acoustic panels for the walls and curtains for the windows to help with the sound, built-in shelving and cabinetry for organization, and a fine arts themed mural painted on the wall to make the space more inviting. We would also appreciate materials or donations to help us purchase materials for this project. Read the Full Story and Sign Up to Volunteer Now!

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On June 3rd, 2014, Reason to Give graduated its fourth class of our Live and Learn Adult Education Program. Throughout our tenth month program, students set life goals and then participated in workshops that provided them with the skills and resources to achieve their goals. Upon completion, each graduate received a laptop. We are extremely proud of the success and dedication shown by our students. We are also very appreciative of our generous donors and volunteer facilitators that make this program so successful. Check out pics of our graduates and read the full story of our 2013-2014 Live and Learn Program.  See all the photos of our Graduation Celebration on Facebook. 

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Reason to Give is at it again with our 6th annual community project. This year we are teaming up with Erie Elementary Charter School to make over their music and fine arts classroom. Read their story, watch the video, and get involved! We need your help to purchase materials for the project. We're also looking for volunteers to come out and make a real difference for Erie students. Email shannon@firebellyfoundation.org to get involved today! 

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Reason to Give's 2014 Live and Learn Adult Education Program has reached the halfway mark. So far this year, students have completed trainings on goal setting, job preparedness and professionalism, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, healthy living, self defense, and retirement planning. The next five months will cover a host of other topics, including active parenting, substance abuse, anger management, health and disease, options in higher education, financing an education, and computer training. All will lead up to our graduation on June 3rd, when graduates will be rewarded laptops for all their dedication and hard work.

Join us on Facebook for the latest Live and Learn Happenings

We are always looking for volunteer facilitators and volunteers to help with the youth program. If you would like to get involved, please email shannon@firebellyfoundation.org

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We had so much fun last year, we have to do it again. Join us on Saturday March 22nd for bowling, prizes, food, drinks, and lots of fun. Register Now and help us raise funds to keep up our good work in 2014. 

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Last night Reason to Give families had a blast cheering on Chicago's own WNBA team. The Chicago Sky provided tickets and transportation for the game. All the kids really got into the game and especially loved all the extra entertainment. Thanks Chicago Sky for a great night out. We hope to do it again soon. See the photos. 

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On February 9th, Reason to Give hosted our first ever Reason to Bowl. Everyone had a great time with delicious food, plenty of PBR, and prizes for the good and not so good bowlers. Thank you to all our sponsors, bowlers, and volunteers for helping us raise $14000 to continue our work in 2013.  

Read the full story and see the pics.

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The Live and Learn adult workshop program has been successfully providing our parents with real life skills for three years now. We thought it was time for an additional endeavor, so this year we are starting the Live and Learn Youth Program!  We are always looking for volunteers and supplies for our workshops. Interested? Contact us. Or follow this link for more details.

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Reason to Give is hosting our first annual Reason to Bowl fundraiser, Saturday February 9th at Timber Lanes. Come join us for late night bowling, music, food, and drinks. Register solo or grab your friends and coworkers and put together a team. For sponsorship opportunities contact shannon@firebellyfoundation.org.

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On August 22, 2012, Reason to Give partnered with Kits for Kidz and World Vision to provide each of our students with a year's worth of school supplies, new backpacks, hygiene products, new clothes, and school uniforms. Thanks to our loyal donors and hard working volunteers, we were able to give our students a great start for the new school year.

Read more and check out all the pics

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Congrats to the Reason to Give participants who graduated from our Live and Learn workshop series. Our moms dedicated the last 10 months to attending bi-weekly life skills workshops, ranging in topics from finding a career to healthy living to household management. In June 2012, we celebrated the end of the program with a pot luck and graduation ceremony. Those who attended every workshop were presented with a certificate of completion and a computer to take home to their families. We appreciate the dedication to learning our graduates have shown, and know that the workshops provided as much education as they did space for networking with others in the Humboldt Park community dealing with similar life situations. 

See our 2011-2012 Graduating Class and ceremony

If you are interested in volunteering or facilitating a workshop, please contact shannon@firebellyfoundation.org 

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Art + Science Salon generously donated their space and stylists for a full day of pampering for Reason to Give mothers and their daughters. As a special treat for our 2012 Live and Learn graduates, everyone received full service cut, color, and style. See the pictures of the amazing transformations and all the fun we had!

Reason to Give's Live and Learn workshop series teaches real life skills, many of which assist our participants in finding careers and gaining employment. Art + Science donated their time so our mothers could look their best and feel as they forge ahead in the future.

View full story and photos
 

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Reason to Give and Home Depot along with over 60 volunteers joined forces to makeover the Singleton family home. Read the full story and check out ABC 7 Evening News coverage of the project. It was a big success. 

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Reason to Give and the Chicago Vipers Arena Football Team are hosting a raffle for the month of March. Tickets are on sale now for $5. Winners will be drawn every Thursday in March for prizes of hundreds of dollars in GNC gift cards, fee messages and chiropractic sessions, IPOD watch, free t-shirts and Vipers gear.

The grand prize winner will be announced Thursday March 22nd. The winner will receive an exclusive behind the scenes tour of Chicago's ESPN Radio for you and your friends. Sit in and listen to former Chicago Bear Tom Waddle and Marc "Silvy" Silverman. This tour gives you the opportunity to listen to part of the show, meet the Silvy and Waddle, take photos with them while asking your own sports questions that you would like answered.

Winners will be announced on the radio and on ReasontoGive.com. Proceeds from this raffle will benefit Reason to Give youth programming. Buy tickets online today through our homepage Give button ($5 each or 5 for $20) or contact shannon@firebellyfoundation.org for more info. 

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Reason to Give has started it's Live and Learn workshop series for the fall of 2011. October was Job Readiness month and included two workshops on resume writing and interviewing skills presented by experts in the field. We have had a great turnout thus far, and hope to continue our success through the spring! November is Financial Security month, so participants will be learning how to budget their household, plan for the future, and start their own small home-based business. Due to the large turnout of children for childcare, we are also incorporating youth computer based workshops at the same time. Participants of the Reason to Give program who graduate from the Live and Learn series will receive a computer for their families.

If you are interested in volunteering to work with the adults or youth at any of our workshops, please contact shannon@firebellyfoundation.org. Workshops are held Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings.

 

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Reason to Give is once again giving it our all to help families in need! We want you to join us and spread some holiday cheer this season. Afterall, isn't that what the holidays are all about? 

Want to get involved, here's how:

We need new and gently used coats and clothing, new toys, and gift cards to give to over 50 families at our Annual Holiday Community Pot Luck on December 17th. Drop off at our office or even better host a drive at your place of business.

Ask your friends, loved ones, or coworkers to adopt a family for the holidays, and you can even come with us on the delivery to see the difference you can make first hand!

Donate online to help us fulfill all of our family's needs before the end f the year! Or donate to our annual Holiday Gift Card Drive to help provide families with the means to purchase their own dinners and gifts!

Volunteer at our Annual Holiday Community Pot Luck! We need volunteers to help with set up Friday December 16th and supervise the free stores on Saturday December 17th. 

For more information or to get involved today contact shannon@firebellyfoundation.org!

 

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It's that time again: Back to School!  This year we are offering a two-day computer programming workshop at i.c.stars for teens. The workshop will be highly beneficial for any youth interested in learning more about computer programming - a highly competative field with lots of career opportunities.

Thanks to the hard work of Feltpad and the generosity of Getty Images each student in attendance will receive a very special surprise at the end! It's a secret... so we can't tell you now, but check back soon for a video of the big reveal!

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It's that time again: Back to School!  This year we are offering a two-day computer programming workshop at i.c.stars for teens. The workshop will be beneficial for any youth interested in learning more about computer programming - a highly competative field with lots of career opportunities.

Thanks to the hard work of Feltpad and the generosity of Getty Images each student in attendance will receive a very special surprise at the end! It's a secret... so we can't tell you now, but check back soon for a video of the big reveal!

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Rumble Arts came to Reason to Give because they need help offering scholarships to youth who want to participate in their Summer Arts Camp but cannot afford the fee, despite the organization’s attempts to keep costs as low as possible. The Camp, in its first year, was a direct response to the community’s call for more day time activities for youth when school is not in session.

The Rumble Arts Summer Arts Camp will run five days a week from June 20th to August 12th and will offer an exciting range of artistic activities and learning opportunities for youth ages 7 to 9. The camp will cost approximately $7.50 per student per day. Several families in Humboldt Park would love for their children to attend the camp, but cannot afford the registration costs.

Give Today!

Check out the video!

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Reason to Give is Striding for Strings to help our adopted school, Lafayette Elementary, save their music program. 

Join us on Saturday April 30th, 8am for a 5k walk at the Humboldt Park Field House. Reason to Give staff, participants, volunteers, and friends will be walking that day. If you cannot make the walk, please help us by raising funds. Pledges can be made by cash, check (made payable to Firebelly Foundation), and at ReasontoGive.com via Paypal.

If you plan to walk and/or raise funds, please contact Shannon@firebellyfoundation.org ASAP. All pledge sheets with money must be turned in by Thursday April 28, 2011 to Shannon at 2701 W Thomas St, 2nd Floor, Chicago.

Sponsor Reason to Give in Striding for Strings by donating now and help us reach our goal of $5000 raised by April 30th! 

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For the past year and a half, Reason to Give has been working to put together a comprehensive resource guide for residents of Humboldt Park, giving them easy access to hundreds of local services and important phone numbers. The resource guide is in English and Spanish and is a comprehensive guide to all the community has to offer, including descriptions, contact information, and bus routes. Thanks to funding from the Chi West Resource Net, Reason to Give was able to print over 1000 copies for distribution.

On January 17, 2011, Reason to Give and Public Allies Chicago hosted a Martin Luther King service day to deliver the Reason to Give Community Resource Guides to 1000 Humboldt Park residents and organizations. The event was held at Lafayette Elementary school. Read the full story here.

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Our first Thanksgiving food drive, hosted by Barista Coffee house, provided five families with complete Thanksgiving dinners. An additional five families also received side dishes for their Thanksgiving meals. 

Reason to Give would like to thank Barista Coffee House for hosting the drive, G.P.A. (Greatest Post Alive) Livingston for holding a canned food drive at his November show, and Arami for generously donating all the turkeys. 

The Thanksgiving drive was a great success and a big help to our families. We hope to do it again next year and be able to provide for even more of Humboldt Park's families.

Check out the video!

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On December 18th, 2010, Reason to Give hosted its 3rd Annual Holiday Celebration for all past, present, and even some future program participants. Lafayette Elementary School generously donated their auditorium for the day. We had over 200 participants in attendance.

Everyone received tickets to shop the free stores. Families went home that day with winter coats, hats and gloves, clothing, shoes and boots, home goods, and every kid got a great toy! Participants also had their family portraits taken and were able to call anywhere in the world to wish their loved ones happy holidays. In an effort to launch our new Adult Education Workshop Series, we raffled off gift cards throghout the day. Families brought food to share and everyone had a great time.

Watch the video of the event here!

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Centiv, a local business in Chicago came to Reason to Give in December 2010 and asked if they could adopt a family for the holiday season. Donations from Centiv met all the needs of Angel and Leticia's family and even spread some holiday joy for the whole family with toys and gift cards.

On December 21, 2010, Reason to Give delivered a car load of wrapped presents for Angel, Leticia, and their four children. The children were over joyed by all the gifts and began thanking "Santa" before we could even get through the door! They all sat in a row on the couch and opened their gifts one at a time with priceless smiles and thank you's to the camera after each one. 

The family received coats, clothing, hats, gloves, shoes, toys, and gift cards! The experience was wonderful for all involved. Thank you Centiv for making the holidays so special for this family!

Check out the video!

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Thanks to the amazing artists that donated their talents to Reason to Give this fall and all of you who came in support, Reason to Give's first gallery opening, New Life for Old Classics was a huge success. Check out the video below!

We have now raise $1280 to help support the Lafayette Elementary School Orchestra!  We're not done though, and will continue to raise the funds until we meet our goal of $5000! The artwork will be available for sale at Barista Coffee House through the end of November, so please come out and show your support!  Or make a donation online to save the music program!

You can view the gallery on our Flickr page. And if you'd like to order online, email shannon@firebellyfoundation.org.

Everyone who makes a donation to the art show will also receive a Lafayette Orchestra CD, so you can hear exactly what your money is going to support. They are a talented and motivated group of young musicians and the Merit Music program is essential to their future success in high school and life. 

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On Friday November 19th at the Logan Square Auditorium I Shoot Rockstars will be hosting an event to celebrate the VISITORS Project.  This project was completed by Kyle Lamere.  The project depicts pictures of everyone that visited Kyle's house over the past year.  The event is being held to raise money to publish the 319 VISITOR coffee table book.  The VISITOR coffee table book will be published in December.  Additional proceeds will also be contributed to Reason to Give.  Admission is $10.  The event begins at 8pm.

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On Friday November 19th at the Logan Square Auditorium IShootRockStars will be hosting an event to celebrate the VISTIORS Project.  This project was completed by Kyle Lamere.  The project depicts pictures of everyone that visited Kyle's house over the past year.  The event is being held to raise money to publish the 319 VISITOR coffee table book.  The VISITOR coffee table book will be published in December.  Additional proceeds will also be contributed to Reason to Give.  Admission is $10.  The event begins at 8pm.

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Join us Friday November 5th, 7-10pm at Barista for the gallery opening!

Local artists have teamed up with Reason to Give to create new life out of old classics.  These artists have repurposed children's reading books that could not be used and turned them into pieces of art work that can be purchased at Barista Coffee House. 

All proceeds will benefit the Lafayette Elementary School to help to save the Merit Music program.

Artwork generously donated by local artists includes prints, illustrations, felt work, jewelry and more. Artwork will be on display for the entire month of November. So be sure to stop by Barista Coffee House on Damen and Iowa in Ukranian Village.

Show your support for the community, local artists, and the children of Humboldt Park by taking part in this opportunity.

(image of artwork provided by Ciara Panacchia)

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On August 28, Reason to Give families, past and present, came together to celebrate the start of the new school year.  We had a full house of 58 children in attendance!  Thanks to great contributions from Barista Coffee House, the G-Team, and all our generous donors the first annual It Takes a Village school supply drive was a tremendous success. Watch the video and see for yourself.

Each student in attendance was given a backpack full of the school supplies needed for the upcoming school year.  Additionally, SAT and ACT books, study guides, and a scientific calculator were raffled off during the event. 

Every family contributed one of their favorite homemade dishes to the pot-luck and adults spent the day mingling with one another, while the children danced and made new friends.

 

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We only need $450 to provide school supplies to 64 youth in Humboldt Park! Visit our campaign and give whatever you can.

Let's show our youth that we are invested in their futures - Let's help give them the tools to have a successful 2010-2011 school year!

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At the 3rd annual Camp Firebelly, 10 passionate and energetic young designers teamed up with Mike Fretto and Rosa Loves to raise money for three Reason to Give families. Campers were given the opportunity to meet with each of the families, hear their stories, and ask questions to better understand the Humboldt Park community.

Inspired by their encounters, each camper designed and screen printed a t-shirt that represented one of our families. Check back as these limited edition shirts will be on sale soon through the Firebelly Design store

On the last night of camp, Firebelly hosted a gallery show and fundraiser for Reason to Give. Campers were forced to test their networking and fundraising skills on Chicago-area designers and past campers. The night was a success, and thanks to all the hard work of Firebelly Campers and Mike Fretto, not to mention the generosity of our guests, t-shirt sales pulled in over $450 for Reason to Give families.

Camp Firebelly was once again an enlightening experience for all those involved, and we appreciate all the sleepless nights that benefited Reason to Give. Camper Ben Wagner summed it up best. "Overall, Camp Firebelly was a fantastic experience. I don’t think I’ve ever accomplished so much in 10 days...It has been inspiring to design for a good cause, and to see how we can use our unique talents to make a difference."

 

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Reason to Give and Barista Coffee House at 852 North Damen in Chicago are teaming up this summer to host a school supply drive for Reason to Give families.

Stop by Barista on Friday July 16th through August 27th with school supplies and get an iced coffee for just $1.

Reason to Give families are in need of any school supplies, new or gently used. Pick up an extra notebook while shopping for your kids or bring in an old calculator and help kids in Humboldt Park prepare for the new school year!

New and gently used supplies needed:

Book Bags, Lunch boxes, Calculators,  Notebooks (spiral and composition), Paper (ruled, computer, and graph), Pens/Pencils/Cases/Sharpeners, Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils, Protractors/Compasses, Rulers, Folders/Binders, Glue sticks

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Reason to Giive recently adopted the Lafayette Elementary school Orchestra as one of our reasons to give! We spent an entire afternoon with the young musicians listening to them practice and interviewing them about the impact the Merit Music program has had on their lives. The students were so enthused to participate in our program and share their talents with us that we thought it only right that they get the first screening of the video.Principal Shrode and Mr. Weible gathered all the students into the auditorium after school for a special viewing of themselves on the big screen! The students' reactions were priceless! We just had to share them with all of you.

Watch the students watch themselves!

And if you haven't checked out their story yet - now is the time!

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On December 12, 2009, Reason to Give held a holiday party for families that are currently in program as well as families that were involved with the program within years past. EP Theater generously donated their facility for the event. Photographers Kyle LaMere and Brendan Shanley volunteered their services to take family portraits. Everyone received free coats complements of Cafe Barista. Special thanks to Mary Morelli for her generous contribution to the free store.

Volunteers included: Ana Rosales, Blake Valenta, Kevin Smith, Omar Vargas and Greg Medic. The event was coordinated by Shannon Medic. The event was filmed by Grant Grieshaber.

Check out the family portraits!

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Reason to Give's intern Kevin hosted his 23rd Birthday Party at the Chicago Bulls game last Saturday as a fundraiser for Reason to Give participant Steven to go on an educational trip to Europe with his high school. Thanks to Kevin and 24 of his closest friends, operation "Reason to watch the Bulls" was a success. Rosabel and her son Steven were delighted to hear about the success of the event and send their appreciation to everyone that participated.  Read more about Rosabel and Steven's cause.

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank you to the Chicago Wolves for their generous donation of 15 tickets to Reason to Give. The tickets were raffled off at our annual holiday party. Three families received four tickets each: the DeJesus family, the Brown family, and the Martinez family. The game was great, a triple overtime win for the Wolves! Thanks again to the Chicago Wolves for brightening the holiday season for these three families.

 

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Come out to see Derrick Rose and the Bulls take on the Portland Trailblazers at the United Center on Friday February 26th at 7:00pm. Tickets are $46 and half of the ticket price goes to help Rosabell Castillo send her son Steven on an educational class trip to Europe. This will be a fun night for a good cause. To reserve tickets email Kevin at kgsmith2@gmail.com.

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What a beautiful day it was when we had our local ABC 7 television crew run around with us for hours. We are so thankful to them and those who made an immediate donation in response to their 2 minute segment. If you missed it or just want to see it again and again, here's the link.

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The 1st Annual Reason to Golf Benefit was a huge success! On Saturday August 22, 2009 at the Western Acres Golf Coarse in Lombard, Reason to Give threw its first official benefit. With 56 golfers and over 85 in attendance at the 10th Hole Party, along with all of our wonderful sponsors, Reason to Give was able to raise over $8000.

The golfers ranged from PGA pros to first timers. The food was delicious, the music rocked, and everyone had a great time. Thanks to our generous sponsors and guests, we had some amazing prizes and very successful raffles and silent auction.

We plan to keep up the new Reason to Golf tradition in 2010 and hope to see everyone back again, along with new faces as well. If you attended the benefit or even if you missed out on the good times this year, be sure to check out the video here!

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Julie Lowenbaum and her daughter Katie contacted Reason To Give in early January with a great idea to celebrate Katie’s 10th birthday and help the families of Humboldt Park at the same time. Rather than the traditional party, Katie and 20 of her girlfriends and chaperons went on a scavenger hunt through Northbrook Court Mall and collected basic items for Reason To Give participants.

The girls were divided into three groups and given a list of clues and a mission for each destination, where they purchased items with pre-purchased gift cards.  Arnie Cohen, the mall manager, also donated a beautiful luggage set for one of our families. Reason to Give sent t-shirts and postcards over for the event.

Julie said the party, “Donate with Kate was a big, big hit,” and the girls purchased basic items (socks, hats, and scarves) as well as fun items (stuffed animals and key chains) that the kids in our program are sure to love. We thank Julie, Katie, and everyone who participated in the scavenger hunt for their generosity, and commend them on such an innovative alternative to the traditional birthday party! The idea is already catching on among Kate’s friends, and we anticipate a trend towards charity birthday parties to sweep Chicagoland soon.

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Just 3 days before Christmas, when everyone needed to be finishing their last minute shopping, the wonderful folks at Art + Science Salon in Wicker Park, Elizabeth Neish (a fabulous makeup artist for MAC), Chris Kirzeder (a dear friend and amazing photographer) and a handful of RTG volunteers (Ana, Amy, James and Shannon), came together to give all the RTG families a special experience they will never forget. The entire day was devoted to giving the families a day of beauty, including hair cuts + colors, makeup and photographs. It was truly a special day for all of us. And of course it wouldn't have been complete without a delicious lunch from our friends at the Latin American Restaurant and Coco (two fantastic restaurants in Humboldt Park I can't reccommend enough).

Please check out the photos Chris shot. They really show the essence of what a great day it truly was.

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After a generous outpowering of support this season, Reason To Give was able to issue gift cards to each participating family. Watch the beautiful video of everyone receiving their gifts and share in some of the photos. 

We also delivered several items like new winter coats, warm boots and kitchen items—all purchased by Givers using Reason To Give as an alternative to traditional gift exchange. With a hefty year-end donation from Ecko Unlimited, we could even surprise several young people with cool new clothes from one of the most recognized streetwear brands they love.

Watch the  beautiful video of everyone receiving their gifts and share in some of the photos. It was an all-day affair but of course, the coolest part of what we do at Reason To Give. The families were so incredibly grateful. Thanks to everyone who gave. Happy Holidays!

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We are grateful to Art + Science Salon in Wicker Park for opening their hearts to us. Portrait of a Culture in Exile: a photographic journal by David Raccuglia was not only a stunning gallery opening, but our first ever fundraiser. David amazed us with his immense generosity -- proceeds from his photograph's sales benefit Reason to Give!

If you didn't make the event, you can still buy a beautiful piece of artwork and help those in need at the same time. The show will be up through the end of the year, so stop by the salon (1554 North Milwaukee Avenue) and see first hand the rich reality that David captures. Treat yourself even more, call ahead (773.227.4247) to make an appointment with one of their talented staff; your hair will thank you.

Special thanks to Tara and Paul for making this all happen...

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