January 2008
Greetings!
With the new year upon us, we would like to take a moment to wish each of you a happy and prosperous 2008! Also, we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all of our volunteer attorneys for their dedication and support over the last year. Without each of you, CEDLP would not be able to meet the legal needs of Chicago's nonprofit organizations whose work is critical to the lives of many people across Chicagoland.
Also, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to everyone who attended our benefit at Sawbridge Studios. Your presence and support helped make the night an undeniable success.
Sawbridge Studios Benefit
On a chilly evening in November, approximately 80 friends and supporters of the Community Economic Development Law Project gathered at the beautiful showrooms of Sawbridge Studios. The owners of this furniture and housewares store opened their doors to CEDLP and graciously provided a festive environment for us to share.
This is the second year CEDLP has held this event the Thursday before Thanksgiving. It has been so successful that we are already preparing for the 2008 fundraiser on November 20th.
The 2007 sponsors at the Master Craftsman level included, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, McDermott Will & Emery, Winston & Strawn, Katten Muchin, DLA Piper & Foley & Lardner. The Artisans were Sidley Austin, Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, Chapman & Cutler, Mayer Brown and the Exelon Corporation. The McDonald's Corporation was also a sponsor.
Room2Play: Making a Difference in Chicago
In the months since its grand opening, Room2Play has been making a splash throughout Chicagoland. The recently launched small business aims to provide safe, educational, and affordable recreational facilities for youth under the age of seven growing up on Chicago's Southside. Southside parents who have visited Room2Play and utilized its state-of- the-art facilities rave about how such a service has been long-awaited in their area.
The concept for Room2Play was initiated by its co-owners Josephine Njoku-Sanders and Sherri Murphy, both mothers of young children, who were constantly meeting at youth recreational centers on Chicago's north side. Following their encounters, they realized that there was a tremendous need for similar play facilities on the south side. After all, as Sherri expresses, "all of the city's children deserve access to a safe place to play and learn." It was this belief that motivated them to create Room2Play. The fruits of their labor are certainly evident in the superb facility that they recently opened in the South Loop.
However, the path to the business' current success was filled with numerous obstacles, among them legal matters. Sherri and Josephine enlisted the support of CEDLP which led them to volunteer attorney Neal White, a partner at the law firm McDermott, Will & Emery. Neal and other firm attorneys Dave Deyoe and Kenneth Esson have provided exceptional legal services.
Josephine and Sherri are very appreciative of the support given by Neal White and his team. Sherri describes Neal as "amazing" and found his legal expertise "invaluable" to Room2Play. They agree that without the representation of the team from McDermott, Will & Emery, Room2Play would still be wading through various legal issues. From his perspective, Neal White enjoys providing legal support to Room2Play because he truly believes in its noble objectives. He feels that the business greatly benefits Southside communities by providing children a much-needed place to grow and develop.
When looking towards the future of their business, Josephine and Sherri express ambitious short and long-term goals. Initially, they would like to ensure that their flagship facility is operating at maximum capacity. Eventually, they plan to continue to expand and create more locations in order to enrich the lives of children all across Chicago.
Thank you for taking the time to read this edition of our newsletter. If you have suggestions for future articles or requests for general nonprofit legal information, feel free to contact our office at any time.