Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. is lending a hand to the world’s four-legged friends.

On September 28, the firm will host a Team Shirt & Jeans Day to benefit PAWS Chicago. By donating either $10 or pet care supplies, attorneys and staff will earn the right to wear jeans and their favorite sports jersey to the office. Items being collected for PAWS include leashes, collars, stainless steel bowls, brushes, cat toys and cleaning supplies.

Located in Lincoln Park, PAWS Chicago finds new homes for thousands of homeless pets each year. Since the organization’s founding in 1997, the number of homeless dogs and cats euthanized annually in the city has dropped more than 50 percent. PAWS provides a number of services in addition to adoptions, including a spay/neuter clinic and community outreach program.

The PAWS collection will serve as the 19th event in Chuhak & Tecson’s 25 Ways to Give Back service initiative. In honor of our clients and our silver anniversary, the firm is participating in 25 community service events throughout the year. Projects include everything from volunteering at senior centers, to preparing a meal at Ronald McDonald House, to a backpack collection for underprivileged youth. For more information and ongoing updates, visit 25 Ways We’re Giving Back.

With summer winding down, employees at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. completed two service events in the month of August.

Event Partner: Ronald McDonald House

As the 16^th event in the firm’s “25 Ways to Give Back” service initiative, Chuhak & Tecson employees and their families provided and prepared a meal at Ronald McDonald House, located in downtown Chicago. About 15 volunteers prepared and served a full taco bar to 100 people currently staying at Ronald McDonald House while their children undergo medical treatment nearby at Lurie Children’s Hospital.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana provide a home away from home for families of pediatric patients. These houses allow families to stay together just blocks from the hospital where their child is being treated.

Event Partner: Bridge Communities

On August 24, Chuhak & Tecson held a Jeans Day to benefit Bridge Communities. On Jeans Days, employees who donate at least $5 earn the right to wear jeans to the office. Collectively, the firm met its goal of raising $840, which will provide one month of housing for one family served by Bridge Communities.

Bridge Communities provides services to help break the cycle of poverty and end homelessness. Transitional housing units, located in seven communities throughout DuPage County, give families a place to live for a year or two, which provides them with peace of mind and allows them  to accomplish other goals, such as finding a job. Visit www.bridgecommunities.org to learn more about their programs and transitional housing.

As part of the firm’s 25^th anniversary service initiative, about 30 attorneys and staff from Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. will participate in Race Judicata on September 13. Now in its 19^th year, the 5k walk/run is sponsored by Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation and supports the Foundation’s mission of providing free legal services to low-income Chicago residents.

Founded in 1964, CVLS has provided pro bono legal services to more than 18,000 Chicagoans. The organization is comprised of nearly 3,000 volunteers who donate their time in order to assist people who otherwise would not have access to legal representation. All proceeds from Race Judicata will go toward general operating costs of CVLS. The race is one of several fundraisers sponsored by CVLS each year. For more information, visit cvls.org.

Race Judicata will serve as the 18th event in Chuhak & Tecson’s 25 Ways to Give Back service initiative. In honor of our clients and our silver anniversary, the firm is participating in 25 community service events throughout the year. Projects include everything from volunteering at senior centers, to preparing a meal at Ronald McDonald House, to a backpack collection for underprivileged youth. For more information and ongoing updates, visit 25 Ways We’re Giving Back.

On September 14, Chuhak & Tecson principal Lindsey Markus will participate in a panel discussion on “High Stakes Planning: Advanced Directives and the Issue of Mental Capacity” at Northern Trust in downtown Chicago. The program, which is hosted by Northern Trust and Advocate Charitable Foundation, will begin at 8 a.m., following a breakfast at 7:30 a.m.

First, Raymond C. Odom, national director of wealth strategies for Northern Trust, will give a presentation titled, “Purpose Driven Wealth Transfer: Changing Estate Planning Apathy into Philanthropic Passion.” This will be followed by the panel discussion, featuring Markus, Edwin DuBois, MD, director of clinical ethics at Advocate Health Care; William Rhoades, chairman of the Department of Medicine for Advocate Lutheran Hospital; and Stacy Singer, central region fiduciary practice leader of Northern Trust. The panel will be moderated by Michaeline Gordon, an attorney at Anthony J. Madonia and Associates.

Advocate Charitable Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Advocate Health Care. The foundation builds relationships and partnerships throughout Chicagoland and central Illinois, working to inspire charitable giving that supports the mission of Advocate Health Care. Advocate Charitable Foundation’s philanthropic program focuses on attracting national, regional and local support for patient care, education, research and community-based health services across Advocate’s 250+ sites of care.

Markus, who concentrates her practice in Estate Planning & Asset Protection, works closely with business owners and families to develop individualized estate plans that maximize wealth preservation and minimize gift and estate taxation. She assesses how the law affects her clients, generates creative solutions to their complex situations and carefully communicates these options. Markus sits on the Advocate Gift Planning Advisory Committee for Advocate Charitable Foundation and her passion for philanthropy is evident through her work with many charitable causes. Licensed in both Illinois and Florida, Markus has been recognized as an Illinois Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

For more information or to register for the presentation, visit advocatehealth.com/advisorevent.

Venue Information:

Northern Trust

6^th floor

50 S. LaSalle St.

Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.; program at 8 a.m.

Chuhak & Tecson will hold a Jeans Day August 24 to raise money for Bridge Communities, a not for profit committed to ending homelessness in DuPage County.

On Jeans Days, employees who contribute at least $5 to a selected not for profit organization can wear denim to the office. The firm aims to raise $840 for Bridge Communities, which will provide one month of housing for one family.

For the 45,000 people living in poverty within DuPage County, the risk of homelessness is high. Bridge Communities provides services to help break the cycle of poverty and end homelessness. Transitional housing units, located in seven communities throughout DuPage County, give families a place to live for a year or two, which provides them with peace of mind and allows them  to accomplish other goals, such as finding a job. Visit www.bridgecommunities.org to learn more about their programs and transitional housing.

Jeans Day will serve as the 17th event in Chuhak & Tecson’s 25 Ways to Give Back service initiative. In honor of our clients and our silver anniversary, the firm is participating in 25 community service events throughout the year. Projects include everything from volunteering at senior centers, to preparing a meal at Ronald McDonald House, to a backpack collection for underprivileged youth. For more information and ongoing updates, visit 25 Ways We’re Giving Back.

Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. employees donated clothing, school supplies, and food in separate collection events held throughout the month of July.

Event Partner: Brown Elephant Resale Shop

From June 25 to July 3, the firm collected 15 boxes of clothing and accessories for the Brown Elephant Resale Shops for men, women and children. The Brown Elephant is the official resale shop of the Howard Brown Health Center, which is one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health care organizations.

The resale stores, located in Oak Park and Chicago serve over 220,000 people and sell over 740,000 items annually. The stores help fund over 50 percent of underinsured or uninsured individuals that come to the Howard Brown Health Center seeking services. 

Event Partner: Volunteers of America of Illinois – Operation Backpack

Between July 2 and July 24, Chuhak & Tecson employees brought in new school supplies and backpacks for Operation Backpack. Over 60 backpacks full of school supplies including pens, pencils, notebooks and calculators were donated to Volunteers of America of Illinois. The items will be given to children in foster care throughout Chicagoland.

Part of the mission of 25 Ways to Give Back is to encourage others throughout the Chicago area to give back as well. Garvey’s Office Products took this mission to heart and participated in Operation Backpack, donating eight boxes of supplies, including 25 packs of markers, 25 dozens of ballpoint pens, 25 boxes of crayons, 25 notebooks and 25 three-ring binders.

Volunteers of America is a not for profit focused on empowering people of all ages and backgrounds, while providing community-based human service programs for over 114 years. For more information on Volunteers of America of Illinois, visit www.voaillinois.org.

Event Partner: Lakeview Pantry

From July 23 to July 31, Chuhak & Tecson collected non-perishable food items for Lakeview Pantry. The collection resulted in 182 canned goods, boxes of pasta and snacks donated by employees. The food will go to families and individuals that come to Lakeview Pantry seeking nourishment.

Lakeview Pantry was founded in 1970 and serves over 2,600 people per month. Not only do they provide food to the hungry, they also provide clothing to those in need, and help clients manage and discuss issues that cause food insecurity, such as unemployment and housing instability. For more on Lakeview Pantry, visit www.lakeviewpantry.org.

A meal provides a family with a chance to catch up from the past day, spend time together and relax. For families who have children in the hospital, mealtime is crucial to help them unwind and prepare for the next day ahead.

On August 6, attorneys and staff from Chuhak & Tecson, P.C, will provide and prepare a meal for Ronald McDonald House Charities’ Meals from the Heart program. About 20 firm employees and their family members will create a menu, purchase food and prepare dinner for 75-100 people at Ronald McDonald House, located near Lurie Children’s Hospital in downtown Chicago.

This is the 16th event in Chuhak & Tecson’s yearlong “25 Ways to Give Back” service initiative. In honor of its clients, the firm is participating in 25 community service projects to celebrate its silver anniversary. Projects include everything from serving meals to the homeless, to volunteering at senior centers, to providing backpacks filled with school supplies to children in need. Visit 25 Ways We’re Giving Back for more information.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana provide a home away from home for families of pediatric patients. These houses allow families to stay together just blocks from the hospital where their child is being treated. To learn more, please visit http://rmhccni.org/.

From July 23 to July 31, Chuhak & Tecson , P.C. will collect non-perishable food items for Lakeview Pantry as the next project in its “25 Ways to Give Back” program. The firm will donate all collected items toward the pantry, which strives to eliminate hunger throughout the Chicagoland community.

Lakeview Pantry provides on-site food distribution, food delivery service to homebound clients, donated clothing giveaways and a case management program to help clients address issues that frequently cause food insecurity, such as unemployment and housing instability.

The food drive serves as the fifteenth activity in Chuhak & Tecson’s yearlong community service initiative. In celebration of its 25^th anniversary and in honor of its clients, firm employees are participating in 25 service projects assisting those in need. Projects include everything from serving meals to the homeless, to volunteering at senior centers, to providing backpacks filled with school supplies to children in need. Visit 25 Ways We’re Giving Back for ongoing updates.

Founded in 1970, Lakeview Pantry is one of the oldest food pantries in Chicago. Today, the pantry provides food to more than 2,600 people in need every month. For more information about Lakeview Pantry, visit http://www.lakeviewpantry.org/.

Throughout July, Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. will collect new school supplies and backpacks for Volunteers of America of Illinois’ Operation Backpack program. The donations collected through Operation Backpack go to the hundreds of children served by VOA’s Chicagoland foster care program.

New backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators, protractors and other school supplies will be collected for the sixth annual Operation Backpack. Donations may be dropped off at Chuhak & Tecson until July 27.

This is the fourteenth event in Chuhak & Tecson’s “25 Ways to Give Back”  service initiative, in honor of the firm’s 25^th anniversary. Throughout the entire year, the firm is hosting a series of service projects in honor of its clients. Visit 25 Ways We’re Giving Back to learn more.

Volunteers of America of Illinois has been providing local human service programs for over 114 years. Volunteers of America is a not for profit focused on supporting and empowering people of all ages and backgrounds. For more information, visit http://www.voaillinois.org/.

Legal Assistant Tracy Bulow volunteered at Plymouth Place Retirement Community with other Chuhak & Tecson employees on June 9. The activity served as one of Chuhak & Tecson’s "25 Ways of Giving Back," a yearlong community service initiative celebrating the firm’s 25th anniversary.

 

The month of June marked the halfway point in Chuhak & Tecson, P.C.’s yearlong community service initiative, “25 Ways to Give Back.” Chuhak & Tecson employees and their families volunteered at several area organizations committed to improving the quality of life for individuals.

Event Partner: Plymouth Place Senior Living Community

On June 9, 20 Chuhak & Tecson attorneys, staff and family members spent the morning volunteering at Plymouth Place Senior Living Community, located in La Grange Park. Volunteers talked with residents, called bingo numbers and assisted participants with completing their bingo cards. Each resident received a prize provided by the firm.

Plymouth Place is a not for profit senior living community that has been providing quality care to residents since 1947. Their mission is to ensure that older adults retain their dignity at all ages. To find out more about Plymouth Place, visit www.plymouthplace.org.

Event Partner: Grace House

Chuhak & Tecson employees participated in the Alliance for Women Everywhere’s 13^th annual day of service on June 22. The firm was assigned to Grace House, an organization that provides interim housing for women exiting the Illinois prison system. Chuhak & Tecson attorneys and staff painted the interior of Grace House and planted flowers along the path leading to the house to welcome residents as they embark on new beginnings.

Grace House provides interim housing, emotional support and professional counseling to women leaving the Illinois prison system. The women elect to stay at Grace House voluntarily and work with staff and volunteers to become more empowered to lead lives with dignity. Learn more about Grace House at http://slministries.org/gh/#facilities.

Event Partner: My Brother’s Kitchen

Chuhak & Tecson held a bake sale and an ice cream social in June to raise funds for My Brother’s Kitchen, a family-run organization that serves meals to the less fortunate. Between the two events, Chuhak & Tecson employees donated $925 to the organization. That amount enables My Brother’s Kitchen to serve patrons for a month.

Located in Chicago, My Brother’s Kitchen was founded by brothers Frank and Pete Vito. Since its founding in 2003, both brothers have passed away, but it is still run today by their family members. To learn more about volunteering at My Brother’s Kitchen, visit My Brother’s Kitchen.