Honoring Sharad Kapur and John G. Levi and celebrating the merger of Family Focus and Chicago Child Care Society Dear Friends, Welcome to the Family Focus Stronger Together celebration! This is our first public event after merging Chicago Child Care Society and Family Focus on January 1st, 2021. We’re so glad you are joining us tonight to celebrate that achievement! This evening you’ll meet the people and places that make Family Focus special. There is a lot of fun, from carpool karaoke to celebratory words from local and national figures, and celebrities. But along with all the fun, there is an important message about the power of sustained, authentic family support delivered with passion, respect for various cultures, and the unwa- vering belief that we all want opportunities, purpose, and joy for every member of our community. The response from donors to tonight’s event has been humbling and exhilarating. We are on the path to raise a record amount in critical support of the 19,000 people who count on Family Focus annually. The first $50,000 in donations received from June 22nd – June 30th will be matched 1:1 through a special challenge gift to help us reach and exceed that goal. Enjoy the show, whether you are watching from home, in the company of friends, via Zoom or at one of the Family Focus Center viewing parties. From wherever you watch, know that you are part of a community of support changing lives. We’re STRONGER TOGETHER! Sincerely, Stronger Together Event Committee Anne Gibson Jennifer Russart Francia Harrington Lynn Rosinsky Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021, 6:30 p.m. CST Watch online at https://www.ffcelebration.givesmart.com and join President and CEO, Dara Munson, and Board Chairperson, Dennis Abboud, on a virtual tour of our centers in Chicago and NE Illinois: 6:00 p.m. Pre-show featuring congratulatory messages 6:30 p.m. Hop in the car with Dara and Dennis for the tour 6:50 p.m. Presenting theBernice Weissbourd Award for Family Support to Sharad Kapur 7:00 p.m. Presenting theDream Builders Award to John G. Levi 7:15 p.m. A special performance by The Stephen Hull Experience Thank you to the Host Committee for supporting our event: Mayor Daniel Biss Dara Munson Judith S. Block Dr. Geoff Nagle Barbara Bowman Attorney General Lester Crown Kwame Raoul Amy and Ryan DeVore Karin M. Norington-Reaves Senator Tammy Duckworth Suzanne Resnick Arne Duncan President Craig Esko Toni Preckwinkle Janice Feinberg Lynn Rosinsky Anne Gibson Jennifer Russart Katie and Brent Gledhill Congresswoman Phyllis Glink Jan Schakowsky Francia Harrington Elizabeth Sonnenschein David D. Hiller Kevin Sutton Denise Dell Isola Anne and John L. Tuohy Tiffany Hamel Johnson Bernice Weissbourd Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot Marny Zimmer Thank you to our Sponsors: Gold Silver The Crown Family Caragh DeLuca Margie Block and Kevin Stineman Bronze Katie and Brent Gledhill Thank you to our Sponsors: Premier Abbott Foundation Penguin Random House Ernst & Young PNC Bank First Bank Chicago Suzanne and Lindsay Resnick FlexPrint SEEL David Hiller Rita Sussman, PhD. Joseph & Bessie Melinda and Drew Turitz Feinberg Foundation Walmart Patricia Mulcahy Wintrust and Vaughn Gordy Wells Fargo Patron Anonymous Jonathan and Schuyler Levin Ariel Investments Nancy and Joe McMullen Donna Barrows Pritzker Traubert Margie Block and Kevin Stineman Family Foundation CIBC RSM US LLP Crowe LLP SB Friedman The Friedman Family Development Advisors Julie Hamos Simon & Schuster Irving Harris Foundation William Blair Jill and John Levi Bernice Weissbourd Award for Family Support Recipient Sharad Kapur joined the Family Focus Board of Directors in 1998. He quickly went from board member to Treasurer and has led the strategic planning of Family Focus’ financial future ever since. Professionally, Sharad spent his entire career at Accenture, the world’s largest global consulting firm, including 16 years as a Partner before his retirement. In his retirement he has been attending school to become a holistic medical doctor. In addition to his work as a board member, Sharad has done several personal projects for Family Focus. He hosts an annual holiday event at the Cicero center in which he donates $100 to families with critical needs, and takes staff out to lunch to celebrate their hard work. In recognition of his monumental $250,000 gift to Family Focus, the Aurora center will be renamed in his honor at their newlocation. Past individual winners of the Bernice Weissbourd Award for Family Support: 2019: Merri Ex 2015: Delores Norton, Ph.D. 2018: Bryan Samuels 2014: The Steans Family 2017: The Kiphart Family 2013: Barbara Bowman 2016: John W. Rogers, Jr. 2012: Bernice Weissbourd Dream Builders Award Recipient John Levi is past President of the Board of Directors and a Life Member of Chicago Child Care Society. He has served on the board since 1974. John has been a dedicated leader and trusted advi- sor to every Executive Director and CEO in all critical decisions. A partner at Sidley, John currently leads the firm’s adoption of Kanoon Magnet School in Little Village and has done so for over 30 years. John is a true champion for children and education, also serving on the board of High Jump in Chicago for youth with academ- ic ambition to attend outstanding high schools and college, and was secretary of the board of Cook County Justice for Children to advocate for fair and effective administration of the Cook Coun- ty Juvenile Justice System. John serves on many other boards and associations, not the least of which is his nomination by President Obama in 2009 to the Legal Services Corporation Board, where he has been Chairman since 2010. Past winners of the Dream Builders Award: 2019: John W. Rogers, Jr. 2018: Elizabeth Thompson Take a tour of the new Family Focus centers... Meet your drivers: Dennis E. Abboud is Chairperson of the Family Focus Board of Directors. He is President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of ReaderLink, LLC. He has been honored by The UJA-Federation of New York for publishing leadership and has accepted the Foreign Policy Association’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award on behalf of ReaderLink. ReaderLink and the Abboud Family Foundation support many charitable organizations, focusing primarily on human health and welfare, food insecurity, education, literacy, and literary causes. Dara Munson is President and CEO of Family Focus, and formerly was CEO of Chicago Child Care Society since 2016. Her past roles include President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit, COO of Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan, and Senior Director of United Way of Southeastern Michigan. Dara’s particular passion is serving Black and Brown children, youth and families on their paths reach their highest potential. She is also a member of many civic and volunteer organizations. Who’s along for the ride? Lori E. Lightfoot Tammy Duckworth Chicago Mayor United States Senator Dick Durbin Mary Pope Osborne United States Senator Bestselling author of the Magic Tree House series Gabrielle Union Actress, Author, Activist Ryan Chiaverini and Val Warner Katie Couric Co-Hosts, Windy City American Television Live Journalist Thank you to all who have donated in honor of our Stronger Together Virtual Celebration: Supporters: Assurance Rose and Robert Johnson BGJ Group Jeanne C. Marsh, PhD Burhop Box & Packaging and Steven K. Shevell, PhD. Julie Beringer Dara Munson and Robert Jermon Gwendolyn Rogers HLA Group, Merrill Private James Raaf Wealth Management Caterina Varvaro Friends: American Book Company Nancy Nolden Snyder Citadel Michael Pietsch Donna and Jim Gottlieb Sasser Family Companies The Graham Company Andrew Schapiro Jeffrey Hines Deb Schlies Barbara Kipper Nicole Sims Steve Majsak and Terry Sukenik Thomas Souleless Craig Martin Steven Zacharius Boosters: ADM Madeline Mcintosh Simon Tasker Alliance Pension Mary Quigg David Travetto Consultants Carole Schecter Jacqueline Updike David Barker James Shriver Chad Keuneke Kevin Sutton Meet the new Family Focus: Family Focus and Chicago Child Care Society joined our shared missions to provide early childhood education, youth development and family support services in under-resourced communities across northeast Illinois. The new Family Focus combines the strengths and expertise of both agencies to offer one comprehensive continuum of services for the entire family reaching an expanded geographic footprint. Mission Statement: Family Focus invests in strengthening families and their children in Chicago and NE Illinois so they build social capital and achieve upward economic mobility through high-quality innovative programs and services, grounded in anti-racism and social justice. What does your gift support? Sponsorships and donations to the Stronger Together Virtual Celebration support Family Focus programs and services. In a single year, Family Focus: • Provided 10,000 home visits to more than 1,000 families • Served over 3,000 students enrolled in after-school programming • Supported 2,300 participants seeking to preserve and reunite their families with help from our Family Advocacy Centers • Enrolled more than 2,700 participants in the early childhood programs. … and more. Many programs cannot cover expenses with grant funding, so your gifts play a critical role in maintaining and growing program activities to help us reach 19,000 community members in Chicago and NE Illinois. Join the virtual party... Snap a picture or video of you watching our virtual event and share it online with hashtag #FFCelebration We’ll be following along with the event on all of our social accounts and sharing the pictures we see. Take a snapshot of you toasting the merger or dancing to the band at the end. Tag us at @familyfocus_org on Twitter and Instagram, and “Family Focus” on Facebook! … and celebrate our merger with a drink to toast: Family Focus Refresher (Mocktail) Ingredients: To make: Mix lemonade and ginger ale or 8 oz.