Case Studies

Partnerships In Action

Telling people what we’ve done is sometimes easier than telling them what we do. Here are some examples of how we’ve made it easy for others to help the Chicago Public Schools.

  1. Free Things Overload, March 2008

    The Opportunity:
    We received a phone call from a large company that was restructuring and wished to donate 1500 boxes of office supplies as soon as possible.

    The Solution:
    We directed the shipment of supplies to the CPS warehouse where we set about organizing and preparing the items for distribution. Using our database of school wishlists, we identified schools needing items like the one’s donated and had many of the larger items shipped directly to the requesting schools. Finally, we organized a Free Things Day and invited all CPS teachers and principals to come to the warehouse to select the remaining items and supplies for use in their schools and classrooms.

    The Result
    Students in over 150 CPS schools benefited from the donation of much needed supplies and furniture.

  2. They Came To Help, July 2008

    The Opportunity
    As frequently happens, we received a call from a local financial trading firm looking to support early childhood education. They wanted to donate funds to improve the early childhood facilities of an elementary school and to involve volunteers in the process.

    The Solution
    We narrowed down a list of schools most in need and they funded the renovation of a playground and two classrooms for one school. 50 volunteers from the firm served as the playground construction crew for one day in a customized team-building event.

    The Result
    Under the direction of the building services, our volunteers constructed a brand new playground in one day and had great fun making a difference in the lives of over 900 students.