From American Red Cross of Greater Chicago:

Lester McKeever Jr. is paying it forward. Every day, through his work with the United Way and with young men in his community, Lester is giving back the support he received as a young man. His work helps young men become more confident and independent. A gentle man with a knack for juggling business and community service, Lester will be honored with the Citizenship Award at the 2008 Heroes Breakfast on April 1.

Find out more about the Heroes Breakfast and Lester McKeever by visiting the Red Cross website.

WHAT: Good Shepherd Center’s Parent Day Institute
WHEN: March 28th, 2008, 8:30am to 3:30pm
WHERE: South Suburban College, 15800 S. State Street, South Holland, IL
WHY: To show how we LIVE UNITED!

One of our partner agencies, Good Shepherd Center, is holding its Parent Institute Day on March 28, 2008.

This back-to-school day is a major undertaking, bringing together parents, educators, and volunteers from health and human service agencies to educate each other on the needs of their community. Many of the issues being discussed at the Parent Institute Day tie directly to our LIVE UNITED message. This is a wonderful opportunity, both to help one of our partner agencies but also to show a very visible United Way presence in the South Holland community.

The Good Shepherd Center needs approximately 100 volunteers to help with child care, to serve lunches, and to assist with traffic control and guidance. Lunch will be provided to volunteers who commit to a minimum of three (3) hours.

If you are able to participate in this unique opportunity with Good Shepherd Center, please contact Gwendolyn Sims at (312) 906-2299 to volunteer. We look forward to volunteering beside you at the Parent Day Institute!

Tocqueville Society co-chairs Deborah L. DeHaas, Ray McCaskey and Pam Strobel hosted the 14th annual United Way Tocqueville Society Recognition Dinner on March 6 at the Adler Planetarium.

This year’s event celebrated the 75th birthday of United Way and featured a “Tribute to a Legacy of Caring” video, featuring event honorees Frank M. Clark, W. James Farrell, Lester H. McKeever, Andrew J. McKenna, James J. O’Connor, William A. Osborn, Sheila A. Penrose and Richard L. Thomas, as well as DeHaas, McCaskey and Strobel.

Also honored at the event were United Way Challenge Grant sponsors National City, ComEd and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

“Thanks to those here with us tonight, our most generous donors, our 75th anniversary celebration extends beyond this building and into the community around us—to all the lives they have changed through their support,” said Janet Froetscher, United Way President & CEO. “Our Challenge Grant sponsors and our Tocqueville Society members allow us to make lasting changes to advance the common good.”

The United Way Tocqueville Society is comprised of extraordinary philanthropists who give $10,000 or more annually to United Way, creating a profound and lasting impact on metropolitan Chicago and on the lives of all those who live and work here.

United Way will sponsor a public breakfast dialogue about solutions and collaborations to decrease violence in the North Lawndale neighborhood on April 8 at 9 a.m. at Lawndale Christian Health Center Gymnasium.

Since 2006, United Way has been working through its African American Initiative to develop new, sustainable approaches that will improve the future of at-risk African American young men. The young men participating the in the program in North Lawndale have voiced concerns about safety in their neighborhoods.

By sponsoring this breakfast, United Way hopes to bring together community leaders and social service experts in North Lawndale to talk about what has been successful for them in decreasing the violence in the area and making youth feel safer. By facilitating discussions around the topic, area agencies can have a forum to discuss what resources are already available and network to create collaborative solutions.