Nonprofit Spotlight

Art in Motion: Levinson and Stefani supports the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s annual fundraiser

June 11, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Art In Motion benefiting Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Last night, the Levinson and Stefani team was proud and wowed at the annual Art in Motion event, a fundraiser hosted by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Associate Board and benefiting RIC’s amazing art therapy program.

The Fundraiser features a silent auction of art created both by local artists and participants in RIC’s art therapy program. RIC has a dedicated artist-in-residence, guiding RIC patients as they endeavor to relearn motor skills and coordination. The benefits of the program are much wider than that, though. The struggles addressed, and challenged, through creating these beautiful works of art help patients express the emotions they feel as they adjust to a new, challenging way of life.

At the fundraiser, RIC artists mingled with guests and even were painting throughout the evening. The art is installed in the lobby at Northwestern University’s Lurie Center Ryan Family Atrium, 303 E. Superior St., Chicago, Illinois, through June 18, 2015. We encourage anyone with the chance in downtown Chicago to visit the exhibit and see the amazing work of these talented artists, each with a unique story to tell.

More information about the event can be found on the Art in Motion Facebook page. Information about RIC can be found here.

Levinson and Stefani remains a dedicated sponsor of Art in Motion and RIC, and we are honored to support the renowned and consistently excellent Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The work RIC puts in for its patients makes it one of the preeminent rehab facilities around, and we are already anticipating next year’s Art in Motion event benefiting this wonderful organization!

Nonprofit Spotlight Event: The TEARS Foundation Rock & Walk 2015

June 9, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The TEARS Foundation is a strong, devoted organization operating in fourteen states and Puerto Rico, with the goal of helping families in one of the toughest times imaginable: after the loss of a baby. Yesterday was the annual Rock & Walk, an event to raise money for families benefiting from the Foundation’s support. Aside from financial support, the event lets them know that they are not alone in their time of need. During the event, the community comes together to walk – or rock in rocking chairs – for their bereaving friends and family members. We’ve profiled this excellent organization back in 2014, as one of our first Nonprofit Spotlights.

Levinson and Stefani is an annual supporter of the TEARS Foundation, and was a Presenting Sponsor of this year’s Illinois Rock & Walk. Despite the clouds and rain, the community joined the TEARS Foundation for this important event that serves a deep and special purpose to those families calling upon the Foundation’s support. Ken Levinson, the founding partner of Levinson and Stefani, spoke to the crowd of supporters at last Sunday’s event, which was held at the St. James Forest Farm Preserve in Warrenville, Illinois. Ken reiterated how honored we were to help support such a wonderful organization and that we will continue to do our part in the future. The event honored many of the children that attendees lost, and reminded the families they are never alone after such a tragic loss. For Ken, being asked to address those in attendance was a humbling moment.

If you’d like more information on The TEARS Foundation, the Rock & Walk, or how you can get involved, visit http://www.thetearsfoundation.org/ or contact Raquel Gorman or Dianne Umphress at (815) 546-4133.

Non-Profit Spotlight: Synapse House

May 29, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Deborah Giesler is no stranger to mental toughness. Giesler, Executive Director of the non-for-profit Synapse House and a speech therapist by trade, details what her fledgling organization has dubbed “Caregiver Boot Camp,” one of several new components of a fully immersive program that focuses on the long-term quality of life/recovery for people working to overcome the effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

The Synapse House was established in 2011 and found a home base in Florida before relocating to Elmhurst in 2014, a step closer to Giesler’s home state. Just a year later Synapse House has nurtured relationships with local partners and worked closely with organizers to bring a much-needed service to aid in the recovery process of its members. Its mission is to reconnect individuals with acquired brain injuries back into the community, the workplace, and family life. Membership is open to any individual with acquired brain injury, at any point after acute therapy has ended.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the highest priorities in public health and medicine because of its magnitude, rehabilitation cost, and extend of resulting disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1.7 million people in the U.S. sustain a TBI annually. But as technology advances and as hospital stays become shorter, the burden of care typically falls squarely on the shoulders of family members.

“No one gets better sitting on the couch,” Giesler says. “That just doesn’t work. Nowadays you go into a hospital and your length of stay is so short. It’s only a week or two and then [the patient] is home. The family is tasked with helping their loved ones, but they still need more assistance.”

That’s where the Synapse model comes into play. Synapse House focuses on the Clubhouse method, a technique adopted as early as the 1940s to help patients assimilate back into the community, pouring resources into the idea that recovery is also about providing meaningful pursuits. Participants are called members and engage in the day to day work of the organization through Work Units, whether it be answering phones, drafting documents, project research and reaching out to prospective members. The benefits speak for themselves.

This is accomplished in several ways: by giving members an opportunity to perform tasks that might be perceived as too difficult to accomplish on a regular basis. What Giesler has noticed in just four short years is how much Synapse’s clubhouse method has served head injury victims, but family members, too. She recalls the first Caregiver Boot Camp where several participants—most of them spouses—expressed great relief knowing others had gone through similar situations.

“It’s a difficult process,” Giesler says. “These women were just looking for an outlet, a place to vent. It’s an adjustment for everyone.”

Next month, Synapse marks its 2nd Annual Strokes for Stroke & Brain Injury Fundraiser June 3rd at the Schaumburg Golf Club, a benefit aimed at raising awareness of the aftereffects of traumatic head injuries. It’s also a way to raise financial support to promote its mission. Synapse House recently announced a new partnership with Heels for Combat Boots, another non-profit helping members of armed forces dealing with PTSD/TBI. The list continues to grow.

“We’re new and we’re always looking for volunteers, people who want to join the auxiliary board, or people who want to be involved,” says Giesler, noting that the work at Synapse House has only just begun. “If your needs are met you can stop. If you need us again you can come back; there is no endpoint.”

Food, friendly competitions, beverages and an afternoon BBQ will be included in the as part of the fundraiser. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please see the sponsorship opportunities to the left of this page. For more information about becoming a sponsor, call 877-932-1120 or go to www.synapsehouse.org.

We’re Gearing Up for the St. Jude Give. Thanks. 5K, Nov. 22

November 13, 2014 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The Bears may be down but the atmosphere at Soldier Field is about to get a lot better.

On November 22, Chicagoans will gather in the shadow of the great lakefront stadium for the St. Jude Give. Thanks. walk and run, an annual family-friendly event in support of the life-saving mission of St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Since it began, the nation-wide fundraiser has raised upwards of $17 million for the hospital. Along with Chicago, an additional 65 communities from across the country are set to join in.

For more than 50 years St. Jude has relied on the generosity of every day folks to help children fighting cancer and other diseases. Through donations, patients never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food, with a portion of the funds going toward the St. Jude research center, a pioneer in the field of cancer research. On average, St. Jude has more than 67,000 patient visits each year, maximizing on a daily operating budget of $2 million. The operating budget is primarily covered by individual contributions.

Levinson and Stefani is proud to be one of the many supporters of St. Jude and we’re excited to announce that we’ll be taking part in our first walk. Our wonderful team is prepared to brave the elements with a little help from our friends. In the coming days, the Levinson and Stefani team will be setting up personal pages associated with St. Jude, which will give friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances an opportunity to make a small donation toward our team goal. We’re looking to raise $1,500 in nine days, though we wouldn’t say no to more. Rest assured that every dime and penny we receive will benefit St. Jude Hospital.

It’s worth noting that St. Jude is offering incentives to top individual fundraisers, like 25,000 AAdvantage miles from American Airlines. We say this not because we’re out to win, but in the hopes that a little enticement will encourage our friends to register and raise money as well. Registration is free, and should you choose, you can donate from the comfort of your own home and still participate as a virtual walker. We hear that Soldier Field will be decked to the rafters with a number of pre and post-event activities for adults and kids, including a surprise cameo from Santa and live music.

Check out our team page and then click on any team member’s name to donate. Don’t forget to check back on our progress! We hope you’ll join us, and thousands of others, to help improve the lives of those in need.

Non-Profit Spotlight: The TEARS Foundation

October 14, 2014 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The TEARS Foundation is our second Non-Profit Spotlight this month.

October is Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month. On October 15th, organizations and communities across the U.S. will come together to raise awareness for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death System, the leading cause of death among infants 1 month to 1 year old) and other life-threatening diseases, many of which continue to bring about unspeakable heartache for millions of parents around the country.

Given the importance of the month and the October 15th event, it’s only fitting that we salute the TEARS Foundation as our second Non-Profit Spotlight this month. The Seattle-based 501 (c)(3), with local ties in LaGrange, IL, has been providing emotional and financial support to bereaved parents and families since 2002. In 2012 TEARS commemorated its 10^th anniversary, noting that it had helped more than 1,000 families through its services.

TEARS aims to “compassionately lift a financial burden from families who have lost a baby by providing funds to assist with the cost of burial or cremation services,” according to its mission statement. TEARS also provides free support groups and specially trained “peer companions” (generally a bereaved parent or family member that has been through similar circumstances) that have completed a highly comprehensive TEARS training program. Peer Companions make themselves available to speak over the phone or in person.

“We believe that every baby’s life deserves to be honored and memorialized in accordance with the grieving parents’ wishes and are committed to helping bereaved parents with this experience,” continues the organization’s mission statement. “We also believe that every grieving parent deserves access to ongoing bereavement support.”

The non-profit has received recognition and awards both for the foundation and for its founder, Sarah Slack, including the award for Innovation in Service by the Non-Profit Excellence Awards and the Pay It Forward Award by Principal Global Financial; Slack was named a finalist for People Magazine’s Heroes Among Us Award in 2009, and was named one of the Top 5 Women of the Year by Seattle’s Evening Magazine.

Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks selected the TEARS Foundation to be a charity partner of the Super Bowl-winning cornerback’s Blanket Coverage Foundation, which held the second annual Richard Sherman Celebrity Softball Game earlier this year, bringing even more attention to the foundation and its mission of support.

Each day, 13 babies will be lost to SIDS and other sudden, unexpected infant deaths. More than 70 new mothers will suffer stillborn pregnancies, and countless lives will be lost to miscarriage and other complications with pregnancy. Locally, there are over 1,500 infant deaths in Illinois each year, a near incomprehensible reality that can be devastating in more ways than one. Thanks to the TEARS Foundation, parents and families that have suffered the loss of a child take comfort in the fact that they’re not alone.

“TEARS was there for us and lifted a financial burden when our daughter died,” reads one testimonial on the TEARS website. Just one of many you can find on the TEARS website. “It meant so much.”

Though the Illinois chapter remains relatively young, that hasn’t stopped them from planning ahead. On June 7, 2015, TEARS kicks off its now-annual Illinois Rock & Walk at the St. James Forest Preserve in Warrenville, a chance to raise money and support for grieving families. Registration opens on the TEARS website shortly.

“God bless The TEARS Foundation,” says another testimonial. “They were there for my daughter through all her pain, grief, agony, and financial strain. They helped her in her saddest moment in life.”

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Illinois Chapter of The TEARS Foundation, contact Raquel Gorman or Dianne Umphress at (815) 546-4133 or IllinoisWalk@TheTearsFoundation.org.

Nonprofit Spotlight: Kids In Danger

October 3, 2014 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As part of a new series on the blog, we’re highlighting Illinois and Chicago-based not-for-profits, ones that we believe are doing great work for the community on several fronts.

Today we salute Kids In Danger (KID), an organization that protects children and educates adults when it comes to child product safety. Faulty child products are one of the leading causes of death among children. According to KID, more than 80,000 children under the age of 5 suffered injuries related to nursery products in 2010. That number continues to rise as we head into 2015, in just one of many categories related to product safety.

Like the start of so many awareness-based groups, KID is rooted in tragedy. University of Chicago professors Linda Ginzel and Boaz Keysar founded KID in 1998 following the death of their son in an unsafe portable crib, an item that had been recalled only months earlier. More than 10 years later, KID has led the charge to increase awareness and prevent would-be victims of dangerous children’s products, many of which find their way onto a recall list. Ironically, the same recalls fail to find their way onto the radar screens of parents; by then it’s sometimes too late. More alarming than the frequency of product recalls is how unsuspecting and harmful they can be.

A recent example: the Colors of Benetton Boys Jacket was recalled earlier this month due to an entanglement hazard related to its drawstring. These and other seemingly benign qualities have the potential to change your family’s life in an instant. Preventing your child from these unsuspecting dangers simply requires a greater awareness, and KID provides several easy-to-access tools and safety guides directly on its website.

Some items that intrigue us: The organization hosts a central portal of information that encourages parents to review the latest product safety regulations, along with listing the latest government-mandated product recalls on its blog and Facebook page. The site’s news portal includes links and downloadable pamphlets with useful safety information, such as creating safer environments around the house. Below you’ll see how Kid breaks down three of its most important programs:

Safe from the Start — SFTS educates a large and diverse body of parents, childcare providers and healthcare professionals about dangerous and recalled children’s products.
The Debby Sayah Grandparent Outreach Project – provides this essential population of caregivers with focused product safety information.
Teach Early Safety Testing — TEST promotes and encourages designers and engineers to incorporate safety and testing into product development, primarily by working with undergraduate engineering programs.

One of the most appealing resources on the site: KID highlights major news stories and timely events each month, ranging from major settlements to ongoing legal cases with far-reaching implications, as part of a monthly roundup. The organization also publishes Recall Digest each month, a comprehensive list of the latest products that have been recalled, along with explanations for why. Visitors can also subscribe to the organization’s YouTube page featuring video tutorials and Public Service Announcements.

Thanks to KID, you can stay up to date with the latest in child product safety and useful information like KID’s “three steps to safety”: KID often references the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which recently enacted the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

Levinson and Stefani is proud to spotlight KID this month. If you’re skeptical of our choice, you can check out GreatNonProfits.org, where KID has earned the distinction of a Top Nonprofit.

“KIDS is an amazing organization,” says one reviewer. “The value of information that is presented to the world is unique. We recommend utilizing the site and signing up to get the alerts. KIDS really helps save lives.”