Ronald McDonald House - 4/10 - 10:00 a.m.

Last week we received our first little bump in the road and received a little bit of bad news - followed by some really good news! The bad news is that unfortunately we are not going to be able to meet on 3/21 for our first GGB event. As it turns out, Feed My Starving Children is completely booked for the next several months. It is great news for the organization, but since we want to get started with the whole giving back thing now, we decided to try something else.

So, here is the good stuff: Liz took initiative and reached out to the Ronald McDonald House to see what kinds of volunteer opportunities were available. RMH is an amazing organization that provides food and shelter, completely cost-free, for the families of children who are suffering from longterm illnesses that leave them hospitalized. For example, if a little girl was hospitalized at Children's Memorial Hospital with Leukemia, her family could stay for free at RMH and be close to the little girl's side. When sickness and disease happens in a family, the last thing the family wants to worry about is finding a hotel to accommodate them for an unknown amount of time. RMH is truly a great cause that I first learned about while living in Knoxville, TN. We volunteered there on a weekly basis, providing cleaning services and food for the families. The impact we made was very, very evident and it would be amazing to get involved with the local RMH and help them out in the same kind of way.

The response Liz received from the local chapter was very enthusiastic! They have requested that we visit the house on April 10th to prepare lunch for the visiting families. We are all going to wear comfy clothes just in case they need us to do some scrubbing after. This is going to be great!

Here are the details:
We are going to meet at the Ronald McDonald House at 10:00 a.m. on 4/10. The exact address is Tripp Avenue at Air Mail Road, Hines, IL 60141, right by the Hines V.A. Hospital. If anyone wants to join us, you are more than welcome, but only ten of us will be able to be in the kitchen at one time...Menu ideas will follow as we get a little closer to the date.

Give A Day Get A Disney Day

Hey Girls ~ This looks fun! Check it out...

We want to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service to a participating organization in their communities. So we're celebrating these volunteers' good works by giving each of them a 1-day, 1-theme park ticket to the Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free. There's no better time to make a dream come true for others and let us make a few come true for you.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=Give-A-Day-Get-A-Disney-Day

WLMA Non Profit Networking Expo - Great Networking and Idea Generator! 2/18/2010

WLMA Non Profit Networking Expo

Join guest speaker, Connie L. Lindsey, Executive Vice President, and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at The Northern Trust Company, for a discussion focused on Non Profit Board Membership and Volunteerism; what it means to be a Non Profit Board Member and the many ways to find and become involved in an organization you care about. Along with her CSR expertise, Ms. Lindsey has extensive involvement on Non Profit Boards, including her current position as National Board President of Girl Scouts of the USA, the highest ranking volunteer of this 3.4 million member organization, among others.
AGENDA
4:30 – 5:00 pm Cocktail Reception
5:00 – 5:20 pm Guest Speaker Presentation
5:20 – 6:30 pm "Expo-Style" Networking Reception

Following the speaker's presentation, connect with fellow WLMA members and their guests as well as several local Non Profit organizations for an "Expo-Style" networking reception.

If you have questions regarding our event, please contact Tina Maloney, tmaloney@navigantconsulting.com.

Feel free to forward this invitation to friends and colleagues.
When: Thursday, February 18, 2010 4:30 – 6:30 pm
Where:
McDermott Will & Emery
227 West Monroe, 44th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606
312.372.2000

Please RSVP by February 11 by clicking here. https://surveys.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1551605

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDE:
Arts & Business Council of Chicago
Be Bright Pink
The Boys and Girls Club
Chicago Children's Advocacy Center
Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind
Children's Memorial Hospital
Connections for Abused Women and their Children
Friends of Prentice
Girl Scouts
Little City Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois
Northwestern Memorial Foundation
A Silver Lining Foundation
Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation
Steppenwolf Theatre
The Women's Treatment Center
The Young Women's Leadership Charter School