Page 43 - October Newsletter

Easterseals student Derek sings the national anthem to start the groundbreaking ceremony.
on Sept. 27, please know that I will be thinking of your team and how much they have already done for a group of people very close to my heart. I have built incredible memories with your students and staff over the last three seasons. I look for- ward to the new memories and milestones ahead.
Congratulations on breaking ground for a healthier tomor- row.
Sincerely,
Jose Abreu
Chicago White Sox First Baseman
Standing in the foreground of where President Graham, Rocky, Officer Collazo and a host of others would dig in shovels for the honorary groundbreaking, Maurice stood as the beacon to a Healthier Tomorrow. A one-time student at the Hancock campus, Maurice now works for Easterseals and is one of its most powerful role models this side of his friend, Abreu.
Following the ceremony, he articulated the need for Lodge 7 members, corporate Chicago and the community to get in on the ground floor of Building a Healthier Tomorrow.
“This building is important because we want to give our chil- dren a brighter future on becoming physically and mentally motivated,” Maurice implored. “So building a healthier tomor- row is a wonderful example for students developing in the near future.”
As a student with disabilities who has flourished in the Eas- terseals program, Maurice went on to explain the impact that
police presence and FOP support have had on all the kids who need these services.
“Our kids look at them as very positive influences,” Maurice emphasized. “They let us know where to go when we need a helping hand. It’s a big deal that they step up and care for our needs. They always come through for us.”
The FOP presence with Easterseals has, of course, been one of its most fulfilling and longest-lasting partnerships. National- ly, FOP has raised more than $12 million as part of its presence.
As Easterseals begins the capital campaign for Building a Healthier Tomorrow, Nowaczyk, who is also the National FOP’s Easterseals Chair, submitted, “We have pledged to help them before, and we pledge to help them again. We are very proud to be a sponsor and participant in this wonderful venture.”
Rocky joked that he talked to Graham about the idea of hav- ing a ticket blitz one day throughout Illinois, with all the money raised going to support Easterseals. The remark elicited the in- tended laughs from the audience gathered for the groundbreak- ing.
But on the serious side, Lodge 7 members can chip in their support for Building a Healthier Tomorrow by pledging do- nations through the City of Chicago Employee Charitable Contributions Allocation form, which can be found at www. cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/fin/supp_info/Pay-
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