MEF Featured in Crain's Giving Guide
The 2017 Crain's Giving Guide mentions Midtown Educational Foundation in several of the issue's articles, as well as in MEF's 2017 profile.
“Already building a successful career, Valencia continues to help at Metro because she sees a success story in herself that can inspire young girls. “I can identify with them,” she says.
Valencia understands what it’s like to have parents who don’t speak the language and can’t help with homework. “I know how difficult that is. I want to be an example to them and show them it is possible to succeed,” she says.”
- Claudia Valencia leads a story on The Virtuous Circle on pp. 2-3.
- Adrian Sakowicz mentions Dover's relationship with MEF in the story on corporate giving that follows on pp. 4-5. The article features a wonderful summer photo of the Metro girls at the park near Metro.
- On page 8, Bob Kornecki speaks about the apprenticeship programs and the communications workshop that will be hosted by DePaul and funded by the PRSA Foundation on Friday, July 14.
- Geoffrey Euston speaks about pro bono involvement on page 26 and how you can offer your professional talents in service to the non-profits that you are passionate about.
- The MEF advertisement featuring Randy DeVaul appears on p. 13 next to our one-page profile.
Read the whole Giving Guide online.
View a PDF of the Giving Guide here. If you would like a mailed hard-copy, please call Pam Williams, at 312.738.8300
“Midtown Educational Foundation, which helps low-income urban youth to succeed, has further strengthened its apprenticeship program. It provides paid summer coursework and visits to local firms in career areas such as engineering, law and architecture. This year a new apprenticeship in visual arts is being added.
Also, a one-day workshop for 120 students in the apprentice program will be hosted in July by the College of Communications at DePaul University. The program is supported by a grant from the Public Relations Society
of America.
”Communications is a fundamental component of success in any profession,” says Bob Kornecki, director of individual giving at Midtown Educational Foundation. “In an environment where anything goes, students need to understand the importance of communication.””
“Locally, Dover partners with the Midtown Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization that runs after-school and summer programs for low-income boys and girls. “We want to be good community partners,” says Adrian Sakowicz, president of the Dover Foundation and vice president of communications at Dover.
Sakowicz participated in Midtown’s summer apprenticeship program which teaches students about different career paths. He spoke at a session on communications. “It’s important to understand what kids are going through,” Sakowicz says.”
“Geoffrey Euston puts his commercial real estate expertise to use for the Midtown Educational Foundation, a group that offers low-income urban youth after-school and summertime opportunities. MEF owns a building at 310 S. Peoria St. that houses the girls program, the Metro Achievement Center for Girls. Euston helps negotiate leases for other nonprofit tenants in the building, and also oversees the work of a third-party property manager.
Euston began his involvement with MEF as a volunteer tutor in 1994, and has held several board positions at the organization, which has helped nearly 22,000 students. Over the last 17 years, 100 percent of MEF students have achieved high school graduation and college enrollment.
Currently, Euston is scouting a new location for MEF’s boys program, the Midtown Center for Boys. He helped establish criteria for the new location, analyzing where students and tutors live, area safety and the availability of public transportation. “I’m acting as I would for any client as a real estate advisor,” says Euston, senior vice president at CBRE, Chicago. “We’re making a huge difference for these kids.””
