Changing Lives. Strengthening Neighborhoods. Building Communities. "Our Stories are Your Stories"

May 2014 Newsletter | sga-youth.org

Notes on the Benefit

Guests of SGA's 2014 Benefitwrote heartfelt notes to theyoung people SGA serves.

Here's a taste of what they said:

"Keep Reading. It's the key toknowledge."

"Chin up. Eyes Open.Vote."

"Read. Be Inspired: Live theDream."

"Our story is your story. Your storyis our story. We are with you. Never

Stop!"

"We are proud of you and knowyou will go forward and succeed."

"All is possible."

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A Night Out for SGA

Alex Kotlowitz, speaker, Vicki Noonan, board chair, andJanet Davies, master of ceremonies

SGA's May 8th Annual Benefit at the FourSeasons Chicago was, by all accounts, asmashing success! Bringing together over 325stakeholders and supporters from Chicago'sbusiness, civic and philanthropic communities tochange lives and strengthen neighborhoods, theBenefit raised nearly $500,000 to support criticalcommunity programs.

Alex Kotlowitzspoke passionatelyon the realities ofyouth living indisadvantagedcommunitiesthroughoutChicago.

With stories of young people striving not only tosurvive, but to live full, successful lives,Kotlowitz's words painted a profound picture ofthe work that SGA is undertaking. And the stories

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ICOY Pay for Success GrantWon!

SGA, as a part of thecollaborative 7-partner

Conscience CommunityNetwork, has been awarded a 5-

year, $30M Pay for SuccessInitiative Grant.

With many organizations andnetworks competing for this

opportunity, we are excited to beat the forefront!

Click here to read more.

Board of Directors

President & CEOSusana Marotta

Board ChairVictoria Noonan

Immediate Past BoardChairDonald A. Belgrad

Board of Directors

Jack AblinNanette BufalinoJoel T. CooperJohn W. CultraJohn E. DancewiczDavid DoigMary G. FedorakJoe FeldmanElaine FifferSusan Fisher-YellenJames W. Forhan

of Little Mikey and Ryan - two young men turningtheir lives around - illustrated the impact andpower of reaching out to those who are leftbehind.

A special thank you, once more, to SGA's benefitco-chairs, Karen Kaplan and Peggy Swartchild,our board chair, Vicki Noonan, and theorganizations and supporters that made our nighta success. To see photos from the events, visit SGA's flickr

page by clicking here or going towww.flickr.com/SGAyouth.

Restoring Futures through Bridges toPathways

Amire Rose and Alderman Walter Burnett duringBurnett's visit to the Roseland Children's Initiative

You can't underestimate the power of a secondchance. Eighteen year old Amire Rose is anexample of this idea, as a beneficiary of theBridges to Pathways program. Bridges toPathways - a program of the Roseland Children'sInitiative - helps young ex-offenders reintegrateinto their communities while receiving aneducation, job training, case management andsocial and emotional support. Born and raised onthe South Side, Amire joined the Bridgesprogram eight months ago in an effort to turn hislife around, get his high school diploma and addstrong, marketable vocational skills to hisresume.

Andrew R. GelmanJohn J. GoodmanMarilyn P. HelmholzDavid H. HoffmanPatricia HofstraKaren Stone KaplanJohn KinzelbergKathy LeckKatharine B. MannRob MetzgerRobert D. NewmanMatt SchmeltzJeffrey SeamanNeal SeltzerTat-yeung ShiuLynn A. SmallAnne Harlan StrohmPeggy B. SwartchildJeffrey M. TonerGloria R. WashingtonMarcus Wedner

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Special Thanksto our 2014 Sponsors

Corporate Sponsors

Working with instructors Hassan Rashid andKasandra Henderson, Amire was placed in a jobwhere he has learned to restore classic modelcars and vintage items like pinball machines, gaspumps and candy machines - giving unwanted,discarded items a second chance as well. He says the job means a lot to him because he'sproud to look back on the work he has done andthe future he can now have. "You have to be a self-starter," Amire explained."It doesn't matter what you do, you have to do agood job. Your work ethic is your best skill." Every day, Amire shows up on-time, ready to goand show his boss he's serious about his work. "Iwanted to work," he said, "Once you get a job,you have money in your pockets and you are offthe Chicago streets. And I'm a hard worker, soit's a win - win!" Amire has excelled as a part of Bridges andtakes great pride in his ability to succeed. "WhenI step into a room, I want to be the one to shine,"he says. "You never know who you are going tomeet or what opportunities there will be." Asked for one piece of advice that he would passon to other young ex-offenders in the Bridgesprogram, Amire said, "It's not just about themoney. You have to take the initiative. When youwork hard, people notice and help you gofurther."

Northern Trust Believes in Us

Many of you mayknow The NorthernTrust is a one ofChicago's leadingproviders ofbanking, assetmanagement andservicing and fundadministrationservices to peopleand organizationsthroughout the cityand the world. Butyou may not knowthat the Northern

Trust is also one of the city's biggest philanthropicsupporters and generously gives to local nonprofitsworking to enrich and provide quality services for

Ashley David of theHigher Sights program

And our IndividualSponsors:

Karen & Matthew Kaplan Susan & Roger StoneFamily Foundation Schnadig-Belgrad

Foundation Joseph Pedott Memorial

Trust Mr. Mark Stone

Mr. & Mrs. Donald BelgradVicki & Robert NoonanPeggy & Jim Swartchild

Hunt Memorial TrustMills Family Charitable

FoundationRachel & Neal Seltzer

Mr. & Mrs. RobertNewman

Debbie & Jim FranczekKatharine & James Mann

Have a story you wantfeatured?

E-mail us: ShareWithSGA@sga-youth.org

disadvantaged youth and their families in Englewood,Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Washington Park, WestTown and beyond. A long-time general operating supporter of SGA, theNorthern Trust's recent grant award of $15,000 allowsSGA the flexibility to provide high-impact cradle-to-career services to young people and families in greatestneed. This type of commitment helps SGA meetemerging needs, fill crucial gaps and continuallyinnovate to change lives and build communities. On behalf of the youth, families, schools andcommunities we serve, SGA thanks The Northern Trustand the passionate members of its philanthropic team,including Alexis Geocaris, Senior Program Offices, andJerome Harper, Senior Consultant and Second VicePresident, for their generous, ongoing support of SGA.

Who's Who in the Hallway: Ashley David

Have you met Ashley David, a key member ofSGA's Higher Sights program? If you haven't,you might catch Ashley running from onemeeting to another or rearranging her scheduleto help one of her students. Asked whateveryone knows about her, Ashley says, "Peoplesay I'm flexible!".

Where are you from: Clinton, IowaHow long have you been at SGA: Ihave been with SGA for a year and ahalf. How long have you lived inChicago: 3 years What is yourfavorite thing about working atSGA: I enjoy my work as a schoolbased clinician, specifically assistingstudents in learning skills to bettertheir lives. What makes youexcited about what you do: I getexcited being able to assist studentsin need of support, and help themlive fuller lives. The challenges areworth it when a student tells me thatsomething that we worked on"clicked" was helpful to them.Knowing I have made a difference,even if just a small one, makes thisjob very rewarding! What's beenone of your best experiences witha youth at SGA: A couple of theseniors I work with at Kelly High School wrote letters abouthow the group has affected them. Reading those letters wasa great experience, especially understanding how the grouphas been beneficial to them in preparing for college, but alsobenefit personally. What is your favorite ice creamtopping: hot fudge Favorite color: Red Favorite Sportsteam: College: Iowa Hawkeyes Pro: Bears Most excited toachieve at SGA: I was most excited to achieve employee ofthe month.

Correction: Featured last month,Higher Sights counselor workingwith Sparrow is Mr. Darrell Boyd.

A college education, a high school diploma, a successful career - a gift to SGA helps us make thesepossible for the youth and families that we serve.

Giving is as simple as clicking below, and truly makes a difference.

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