"Presence," not Presents

The following observation, from a member of Midtown Educational Foundation's development team, appeared in the Chicago Tribune's Voice of the People column on Wednesday, December 18. In FY13, Midtown and Metro volunteers spent 17,900 hours tutoring and mentoring at-risk children. Their "presence" makes an incalculable difference in 1,100 lives a year.

Chicago Tribune:VOICE OF THE PEOPLE 

CHICAGO - December 18, 2013 - As thousands scurried to take advantage of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Week sales, I was reminded of a quote from St. Vincent de Paul: "Your mere presence will touch their hearts."

Perhaps that is the greatest gift of all for family, friends and associates this Christmas. Our "presence," devoid of iPhones, iPads and iTunes, means so much more when we truly connect with the people we love and cherish.

- Bob Kornecki, Chicago

To read the original article on ChicagoTribune.com, click here.