Can We Get Your Cans?!

IMAGE TEXT: Can we get your cans!? Grab them as you get ready for Thanksgiving! Decorations preparation is underway to deck out the Great Hall at Historic Union Station for Snowball 2014!

We need your help! Bring your empty aluminum cans to the next general meeting. All can shapes and sizes accepted! We'll be using the bottles for decor at Snowball 2014. Please rinse out your cans. The decorations committee will remove labels and decorate them further. Thank you for your help!

Snowball Volunteer Infographic - How Can You Help with Snowball?

How can you help with Snowball? Let’s count the ways!!

We’ve outlined below who is leading what charge and how you can get involved! Please contact our Executive Board members with ideas or let us know you want to help and we will get you started!

CRUNCH Time!

Do you know what time it is?? Snowball CRUNCH time! 

Calling all Junior Council members!! Snowball isn’t too far away and this is the prime planning time! 

Have you secured any auction items? 

Have you wracked your brain on ideas for partnerships or sponsorships for Junior Council and Snowball?

Don’t delay – start your fundraising efforts today! We need auction items, tasting item sponsors, corporate partnerships and sponsorships, and much more! Visit the Snowball Get Involved page or the About Snowball page to learn more, or email Kate at jcsnowball@gmail.com to join the Snowball committee and start your efforts!

All #FORTHEKIDS! Thank you for working hard so we can support the Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS and HIV clinic and programs at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress to Play at Snowball 2014!

We are so excited to welcome back Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress for Snowball 2014!!

Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress (let's go with RTBP for short) played at this past year's 25th Anniversary Snowball and belted out tunes to keep our guests dancing till the very last minute.

RTBP performs with an amazing energy with a show that is unforgettable! Check out their site for upcoming shows! http://www.rodtuffcurls.com. We can't wait for them to take back the stage on February 8th for  Snowball 2014!!

{Below: Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress at Snowball 2103}

Are We Having Fun Yet?

 

As Bill Griffith said, "Are we having fun yet?"?!? This month let's get inspired by Mr. Griffith and kids from around the world! 

The elephant pictured above from a child's drawing is sure having fun...let's follow his lead! We work hard volunteering for the JC - planning events, raising funds and awareness, and much more - all for the kids at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Let's have fun doing it! Get inspired and bring your fun A-game to the JC table - we welcome you and need your help!

Learn more about the JC or join us at our monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00PM in the 1st Floor of the Lurie Children's building at 2430 North Halsted.

We look forward to seeing you! 

- Diana

Annual Wine Tasting Wed, Sept 18th

IT IS TIME TO WINE!
Join the Junior Council for our annual wine tasting event!

Wednesday, September 18th, 6:00PM - 8:30PM

Madison Vine Wines, 1340 W Madison St., Chicago

$40 package includes wine bar & appetizers. Our annual wine tasting event always sells out, so get your tickets online today! www.events.org/winetasting13

National Teddy Bear Day, September 9th!

It's National Teddy Bear day! We've paired up with Derby Bar & Grill to celebrate. Bring in a new teddy bear or new toy to Derby through Wednesday (9/10) and receive 20% off your bill!

All teddy bears and toys will go to the Brown Family Life Center at Lurie Children's Hospital. The Brown Family Life Center serves as the main respite area for all inpatients and their families, providing a variety of helpful activities, work spaces and rest areas. Lurie Children's Hospital knows every family member is affected when a child is in the hospital, so the hospital focuses on providing activities and purposeful spaces not only for our patients, but for their siblings, parents and relatives as well. The Brown Family Life Center is always accepting new toy donations, and the toys really make a difference to the patients and siblings at the hospital. Thank you for donating!

August Member of the Month!

Congrats to Holly Willis, our August Member of the Month!

We know all of our members lead busy lives and have many commitments besides the JC. We are so grateful to have committed members like Holly who make time for Junior Council.

Holly jumps into JC activities year-round including Spring Kickball, the Big Kids Kickball Tourney, social events, monthly meetings and, last but certainly not least.....SNOWBALL! Her ongoing dedication to the group and presence at so many of our activities make her an outstanding member - thank you Holly!

RMH Apron Winner!

Who wore the apron best?! It was a grueling competition as the ladies of the kitchen showed off their aprons. (Guys were encouraged to enter the contest but oddly enough no men did.)

As the contestants showed off their moves the competition became tighter and tighter. Is Kate’s plain, stiff green apron the most cooking effective? Do Anna’s polka dotted cupcake pockets rule the spatula storing phenomenon? Do Elinor's ruffles add the spice of life we're looking for in our dishes? I know I know, the masses loved the on-trend denim puffy painted ‘For the Kids’ apron, but alas I cannot name myself the winner.

After much deliberation…the winner is……. Kirsten! (top middle)

 

Kirsten’s apron (made by her grandmother) not only shined in the kitchen, but it also had hand-stitched history. To top it off Kirsten wore her apron the longest proudly exiting the building and continuing on her day without a flinch to untie the masterpiece. Well done Kirsten, well done.

Thank you to everyone who entered the apron contest. You are all winners in the apron world.

Till next time,

Denim-Apron Wearing Diana

Serving Brunch at the Ronald McDonald House

This past Sunday the Junior Council served brunch to the families at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. 18 JC members shopped, prepped, cooked and prepared brunch.

 

{Prepping and cooking up a storm!}

What a great morning! After a rewarding brunch, the JC was able to tour the Ronald McDonald House – the largest RMH in the world. We had the opportunity to talk with Ronald McDonald House Charities co-founder Bill Chunowitz who accompanied us on the tour.

The RMH is truly an amazing place. RMH focused on making the new building really feel like a home away from home for guests with play rooms, family rooms, special art work on the wall, a prayer room, a beautiful roof deck and much more. RMH’s wish (which to us looks like it is coming true!) is to provide care and comfort to thousands of families in need for years to come.

 

{Doors of Hope art work at the Ronald McDonald House}

 

 

{Beautiful mosaics fill the roof walls at RMH}

 

 

{Phone at RMH that interprets any language}

 

The RMH near Lurie Children’s runs with a staff of 12 full-time employees and 400 volunteers!

Always accepting volunteers, RMH has so many ways to participate – from volunteering on a more regular basis at the home, to serving breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner to the families, to one-off events and fundraisers. Check out http://rmhccni.org/pageslurie-ph/ for more information if you’d like to get involved!

We are so lucky and thankful for the opportunity to fill a small part in this great cause this past weekend. Thank you Ronald McDonald House Charities!

Happy Hour at Clark Street Ale House 8/21!

 

Join us this Wednesday, August 21st from 6-8PM at Clark Street Ale House, 742 N Clark Street.
Appetizers provided, 10% of proceeds during the happy hour go back to the kids!

 

(No package or ticket cost, just come and socialize!

 

10% of all proceeds at Clark Street Ale House between 6-8PM benefit the Junior Council.)

 

No need to RSVP, just bring yourself, bring some friends!

We're All in the Same Boat!

During our JC August Executive meeting we were reminded that when working on teams and boards we come together as a group from different backgrounds, all having valuable experience and input that contribute to our success. Bernard Baruch inspired us this month by summarizing it, "We did not all come over on the same ship, but we are all in the same boat."

Our boat is #ForTheKids! Thank you to our dedicated and hardworking Executive Board and JC Members who bring their experience, knowledge, and valuable time to the JC table.

500 LEVEL on Kickstarter!

Junior Council partner and supporter, 500 LEVEL, is on Kickstarter! Check out their project page! Officially licensed sports t-shirts, unique designs - we love the shirts!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/497899554/500-level-unique-officially-licensed-sports-tshirt

Artists create unique, one-of-a kind designs, the designs are voted on by fans, and soft, great to wear shirts are printed! The shirts include players from our favorite Chicago teams.

500 LEVEL thank you for your ongoing Junior Council support, good luck with the Kickstarter project!

Giving Hope to the Little Ones & Their Families

I came across this as I was searching for an email. This note came from a great individual we had reached out to while preparing for Snowball last year. Such a nice reminder why we work so hard to support the cause!

"Last year, my family was faced with the challenging news of my 11 month old niece being diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Cancer (2 weeks before her 1^st birthday)!  She had a tumor in her neck the size of a grapefruit!  With the incredible knowledge and support from the doctors / staff at Children’s Memorial, my niece is now on her way to 100% recovery after many tests, multiple chemo treatments and smiles / encouragement of the wonderful people there.  The tumor is the size of a bean and she continues to have her regularly scheduled checkups.  I am grateful for people like you and organizations such as this that help the people of Chicago and beyond understand how Children’s Memorial continues to give hope to the little ones and their families!"

July Corporate Showcase: The Parking Spot

We'd like to thank The Parking Spot for their recent support and donation to the Junior Council!

The Parking Spot was highlighted during our July member meeting in our Corporate Showcase.

Founded in 1998, The Parking Spot is the leading near-airport parking company in the United States with 34 locations at 22 airports. They pride themselves on hospitality, making it easy, comfortable and affordable to get a superior airport parking experience.

4 Reasons Introverts Can Be Successful Fundraisers

JC Member Anne Peterson passed along this great article we wanted to share!

From the Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland blog, written by Andrea Kihlstedt...

It’s time to broaden our thinking about what kind of personality it takes to reach out and make a positive impact with donors. According to my experience and research, introverts bring the following specific gifts to the fundraising table:

1. Introverts are great listeners – and aren't we always saying that listening to donors is one of the most important aspects of the fundraising process?
2. Introverts are sensitive to the people around them — often more  sensitive to their needs than their extroverted counterparts.
3. Introverts are willing to cede the limelight to others without feeling dismissed.
4. Introverts are great observers and take in all-important details of a conversation.

If you are an introvert, or you are managing staff members and volunteers who are eager to help but are not the life of the party, how can you build on the inherent strengths of introversion to enhance self-confidence and build fundraising success?

Read the whole article on  the Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland blog.

Charitable giving at PeopleFoundry

A special thank-you to ongoing corporate sponsor and supporter PeopleFoundry! PeopleFoundry's Michelle Joseph served on the JC Executive board for many years and now continues to support our cause with her company. Our donations to the clinic would not be possible without the support of company's like PeopleFoundry. Thank you!!

{The below content is re-posted from http://www.peoplefoundry.com/blog/charitable-giving-at-peoplefoundry/}

We believe in the importance of giving back to our communities and helping others whenever we can. That’s why as a former Junior Council co-chair of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Michelle Joseph wanted PeopleFoundry to show our support. We did so by making a charitable donation to the Junior Council’s 15-member team who ran in the “Move for the Kids” 5k race.

The Junior Council supports the Pediatric and Adolescent HIV and AIDS programs at the hospital—a program that cares for more children and adolescents than any other pediatric service in the region.

“PeopleFoundry is a long-time supporter of us and it’s donations like this that make it possible to gain the interest and support of the community.” — Diana Arand, Junior Council President

The race itself saw over 3,500 participants raise funds to help heal and save more children’s lives and to support the patients and their families. Beyond our close ties to Children’s Hospital we choose this event in particular because you really get to see the bigger impact that the Council works towards.
In 2012 charitable giving by corporations increased 12.2 percent, totaling $18.15 billion. This is definitely a trend that we hope continues.

Toews & Dr Yogev...

Spotted! Toews & Dr. Yogev! Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks - 2013 Stanley Cup Champions!!

Captain Jonathan Toews hoists up the Stanley Cup - what do ya know - we found Dr. Yogev in the same pose - hoisting up our team's hard work trophy at Snowball!

The Generosity That Begins In...

Some inspiration as we enter summer! The JC plans events all year long, with our largest event in February, the Snowball Gala. Lots of time and preparation goes into the event - and it starts now with our social events that support Snowball and all the Snowball planning that is about to begin!

We are inspired by Plato's poetic words which reflect the hard work we are putting in now - which turns into an amazing event in February - which in turn becomes our annual donation to the kids at Lurie. Along with Plato's words we're also inspired by Lurie patient Cara's beautiful artwork!

Thank you JC Members, Exec Board, supporters, partners and sponsors for all your generous support throughout the year which makes our donation possible!

Go Blackhawks!! Jonathan Toews Visits the Kids at Lurie

Two things we love: the kids at Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Blackhawks!

Shout out to the Blackhawks after the long, grueling, awesome triple overtime win in game one of the Stanley Cup finals last night.

We’ll be routing the Blackhawks on for the rest of the playoffs and the kids below will too! Thank you Jonathan Toews for visiting the kids at Lurie in April! Check out some great pictures below that capture the children's excitement. Good luck to Jonathan Toews and the Blackhawks during the rest of the Stanley Cup finals! We'll be cheering you on!

For more images visit http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=35189&location=/photos/community&pg=1

 

Source: blackhawks.nhl.com 

GO BLACKHAWKS!!