Philanthropy - It’s All in the Family

For four years, CYC Corporate Board member, Al Reid, Divisional Vice President, Corporate Development, Abbott, and his two children, Ariel and Christopher have been providing laptops to CYC members through a program that they started called Laptops for Learning. Through this program, 15 CYC kids, from middle school through college freshman, have received a new laptop to help support their academic progress.

In an interview with Al Reid, he shared the following words about the program, his children’s involvement and the inspiration for their generosity:

What inspired you to provide this support?

“I was inspired to provide this support from my children's high school community outreach program. Since technology plays an increasingly important role in the learning process and is associated with productivity improvements, the Laptops for Learning program was formed. Laptops for Learning seeks to eliminate the digital divide between communities and students that do and those which do not have access to computers.”

What impact has this support had on the laptop recipients?

“The Laptops for Learning program has greatly benefited children who previously did not have access to computers to complete homework assignments or to do basic research on the internet. The recipients have all reported a sharp improvement in their academic performance as a result of having laptops in their home. Previously many of these students did not have access to computers once they left their schools and were not able to venture to public libraries due to safety concerns.”

Your children are involved with the program. What do you hope to teach them through this experience?

“My children, Ariel and Christopher, both college students (Stanford and Vanderbilt) have been touched by the way the laptops have made a difference in the lives of young students. They believe the Laptops for Learning program will allow students to exploit the opportunities from the expanding use of technology.”

CYC thanks Al, Ariel and Christopher for their ingenuity and generosity!

A Tree Grows in Pilsen

Gabriela Torres is Chicago Youth Centers’ (CYC) Sid and Sondra Epstein Believe in Kids Scholarship recipient and is paving a “green” path to success. “As a child looking out of my small bedroom window, there was a villain I could not stop. I felt as if I could see its dark cape swooping over my neighborhood with no regard. This cape still lingers over the neighborhood and obscures the beauty of local parks, museums and churches,” Gabriela Torres writes in her scholarship essay, and her community’s antagonist can’t remain much longer. That is because Ms. Torres is determined to defeat him by achieving her goal of becoming an environmental scientist, ensuring communities’ safe ecosystems, particularly in underserved urban areas, which are more prone to environmental hazards.

Her unwavering conviction to lead an environmental care initiative to eliminate permeating smog and waste in her community of Pilsen is just one of the very many reasons CYC has named Ms. Torres the 2013 Sid and Sondra Epstein Believe in KidsScholarship recipient. Each year, CYC awards the $5,000 college scholarship to a Chicago high school senior to be applied to the tuition of his or her selected college. The recipient demonstrates strong leadership characteristics, personal integrity and commitment to community service and serves as a role model for younger children. In addition, he or she holds a high school GPA of 3.2/4.0 or higher, serves on teen councils and actively mentors in CYC programs.

Ms. Torres was recognized and presented the award at CYC’s Believe in Kids Annual Dinner on May 2. Having recently graduated from Young Women’s Leadership Charter School, one of the seven locations at which CYC implements its 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, she is attending Loras College this fall.

In her essay’s conclusion, Ms. Torres states, “This villain that has terrorized many communities will soon be stopped as I will take all that I learn from my education and experiences and apply it to all those innocent communities like mine.”