Participating in several volunteer activities led me to join the YLS Membership Development Committee. By being on this committee, I have a chance to support and encourage current and prospective YLS members as well as continue to take part in all that YLS has to offer.

At one of our events this spring, we honored YLS “Community Rock Stars” at the House of Blues. These individuals were recognized for their dedication and outstanding service within the community. It was truly inspiring to learn about how and why these YLS members dedicated their time and effort to different causes. In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of YLS members, the entrance fee to the event was a clothing or monetary donation to the Jane Addams Hull House (JAHH), an association that seeks to improve social conditions for underserved people and communities in Chicago.

Another YLS event that stands out in my memory is Healthy Kids Day at the Rauner Family YMCA in the neighborhood of Pilsen. We had a chance to learn about how the YMCA acts as a center for people of all ages within the community, and in particular how teenagers work with younger children in after-school activities. We discussed healthy habits with visiting families, distributed snacks, and led games and dance sessions for all who wished to take part. We had a lot of fun while also sharing healthy diet and fitness advice to participants.

I continue to stay involved with YLS because I share their belief in the importance of staying connected, informed and involved in our community. I also continue to LIVE UNITED by taking on the role of Vice-Chair of the Membership Development Committee this year. I am excited to continue supporting current members and to recruit more people to get involved and to give back to the community.

Ingrid Schwab
Rotary International
& YLS 2010 Member Development Vice Chair

Related Posts:

• Definition of a Community Rock Star
• Breaking through the Niceties on Failing Education
• Volunteering at the Chicago Youth Center
• YLS member spotlight: Michael Harris
• YLS Member spotlight: Elaine McDermott

This post was written by kmartin

“Young Leaders Society had a lot to celebrate this past year. Considering these trying times, YLS members still gave generously their time, effort, and money to United Way,” said Elaine McDermott, CPA for Peter Shannon & Co. and YLS committee chair for member development. “It was important to us to celebrate all that YLS accomplished this past year and help continue the momentum into the next year.”

Around 45 people attended the event, which applauded the past year’s accomplishments and awarded $1,215 to Katie Patterson of Arcelor Mittal as the lucky winner of the Split-the-Pot raffle. After graciously giving back a portion of her winnings, a total of $1,500 went back to our community programs through this event.

“YLS events allow attendees the opportunity to meet like-minded people – young professionals who care about their community and are excited to give back,” said Tim Petersen, foreign exchange analyst for Northern Trust Bank and 2010 YLS Volunteer Committee chair. “I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people at the events and, of course, the thrill of possibly winning a large sum of money!”

From left to right: Tim Petersen, Kelly O'Brien, 2010 YLS Executive chair, and Meghan Galbreth, fundraising manager at United Way

There are so many great reasons to be a part of United Way’s YLS group. Countless volunteer opportunities help young leaders stay connected, informed and involved in our community, while social events provide a great platform for networking and getting to know other young professionals in Chicago. But above all, YLS allows members to learn about the critical needs in our region and give support to programs that strengthen our community.

“[The celebration] event was different from all the other YLS events in the past,” said Petersen. “It is important to offer a variety of events because it will get people interested and excited to try new things.”

There are no special requirements or membership fees to be part of the United Way Young Leaders Society. Just visit our website at LiveUnitedChicago.org/YLS to sign up and someone from the YLS team will be in touch.

For general questions, please email yls@uw-mc.org or call (312) 906-2222. Or to explore a leadership role with the Member Development, Communications, Volunteer, Issue Awareness or Special Events committees, visit the leadership opportunities page.

Related Posts:

• America’s Billionaires Pushing Peers to Increase Charitable Giving
• YLS shines the spotlight on community Rock Stars
• Recognizing Community Rock Stars
• Definition of a Community Rock Star
• YLS helps out in Humboldt Park

This post was written by Christine Heim

Hi! I'm the media and community relations specialist at United Way. Hope you enjoy my blog posts!

I have been involved with the United Way Young Leaders Society’s Member Development committee since 2007.

The first event I attended was the Winter Cheer event, and although I didn’t know anyone there going in, I made several new friends before I left. After a couple months of attending YLS events I finally seized an opportunity to join the Member Development Committee.

My favorite YLS memory is undoubtedly the Exelon event with Frederick Douglass High School, where we assisted with the professional development of high school students. They were matched up with young professionals for one-on-one help with interviewing, drafting a resume and career guidance.

Among the bright and motivated students, one freshman in particular shared my passion for electrical engineering. I was floored. Not many students want to become engineers, and to know the exact engineering discipline was even more impressive. With my background in engineering, I was immediately drawn to him and we talked about renewable energy design, the work ethic required, and the benefits (who doesn’t love seeing windmills producing clean energy and powering your lives?). I gave him my business card and told him to continue working hard and maintaining good grades. I assured him that I would be there for him whenever he started applying to colleges. This was two years ago and I look forward to the day I hear from him.

This is just one of the many unique experiences I have found through my involvement with YLS. Never before have I been given the opportunity to affect classrooms full of high school students and provide them with guidance at a critical turning point in their lives.

I continue to LIVE UNITED as I take on the Chair role of the Member Development Committee this July, and I’m looking forward to an exciting year ahead with YLS.

Paul Pabst
S&C Electric Co.
& YLS 2010 Member Development Chair

Related Posts:

• YLS Member Spotlight: Ingrid Schwab
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• Volunteers serve up breakfast to help those in need
• Help Chicago’s high school students graduate by empowering our youth
• YLS Member Spotlight: Luke Newcomb

This post was written by kmartin

On Sunday, April 18, five United Way volunteers spent their morning serving hearty breakfast meals on behalf of the Inspiration Corporation, a Chicago not-for-profit organization that helps people affected by homelessness and poverty improve their lives through various social services.

As part of the United Way Week of Caring, the volunteers arrived bright and early at the Living Room Cafe, a central hub for Inspiration Corporation participants on Chicago’s Southside. It provides job training skills and Internet access for job seekers.

Volunteers prepared a breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, grits and vegetable stir-fry from scratch. They then put together plates of the food as requested by the participants.

“Volunteering at the Living Room Cafe was a fun, hands-on volunteering experience that put our culinary skills to the test,” said Parag Thakkar, United Way volunteer. “We had the fortunate opportunity to cook for and interact with individuals who are trying to turn their lives around in a meaningful, positive way. We saw firsthand the impact that the Inspiration Corporation has on the community. We were glad to be part of it, if only for a day.”

Related Posts:

• YLS Member Spotlight: Ingrid Schwab
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• YLS Member Spotlight: Paul Pabst
• Help Chicago’s high school students graduate by empowering our youth
• YLS Member Spotlight: Luke Newcomb

This post was written by kmartin

Chicago’s youth can win a grant of $500-$1500 to support targeted local projects to reduce dropout. Additionally, national grants of $10,000-$20,000 will be awarded to 20 – 25 youth for the best ideas submitted to help increase a community’s graduation rate anywhere in the United States. Teens concerned about the dropout crisis are invited to plan and propose an idea to help increase the graduation rate in their community. With the help of a supporting non-profit organization or school, that young person will get the guidance and technical assistance to make their idea come to life.

AT&T representatives, Alliance partners and local youth will review and select the local and national winning Idea grants. As a Young Leaders Society member, we would like to invite you to be a part of this process to select the local winning My Idea grants. Please contact Lorrie Lynn at (312) 906-2490 or email: lorrie.lynn@uw-mc.org to sign up. The My Ideas Review Panel will meet July 13, 2010 from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

Related Posts:

• YLS Member Spotlight: Ingrid Schwab
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• YLS Member Spotlight: Paul Pabst
• Volunteers serve up breakfast to help those in need
• YLS Member Spotlight: Luke Newcomb

This post was written by kmartin

I was looking to get involved in an organization that has a proven track record of fostering community development along with the added benefit of meeting a diverse group of professionals that share a similar goal. My good friend, who is involved with the Young Leader Society (YLS) in Indianapolis, recommended that I get involved with the YLS in Chicago. I attended the event at the Erie Neighborhood House and by witnessing the pure generosity of the United Way volunteers around me I was quickly convinced that United Way was an organization I wanted to be a part of. I joined the Volunteer Committee shortly thereafter.

Being a part of YLS has been a very positive and rewarding experience. I have had the opportunity to meet and develop relationships through a wide array of individuals.

I also had the opportunity to directly affect the community by helping repair and renovate the playground at Erie Neighborhood House, by working directly with the children at the Chicago Youth Center in helping them prepare for college scholarships and, most recently, by participating in the food donation at the YMCA. All these are opportunities that I would not have if it were not for my involvement in YLS.

I will continue to LIVE UNITED every day. The more involved I become with YLS, the better I can understand how every bit helps shape the future of our community and I will continue to set this example for the people around me.

Luke Newcomb
Cortland Capital
YLS Volunteer Committee Member

Related Posts:

• YLS Member Spotlight: Ingrid Schwab
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• YLS Member Spotlight: Paul Pabst
• Volunteers serve up breakfast to help those in need
• Help Chicago’s high school students graduate by empowering our youth

This post was written by kmartin

By: Liz deAvila

On Saturday, April 17, more than a dozen YLS volunteers participated in a United Way Week of Caring Event at Washington Park Victory Garden on Chicago’s Southside.

Volunteers spent the morning picking up trash and pulling weeds from an area of the park to be dedicated to a community garden, which will grow fresh fruits and vegetables to combat the issue of “food deserts” in Chicago. A concentrated area of the city lacking easy access to fresh meats and produce is known as a “food desert,” depriving residents of nutritious, fresh foods and forcing them to travel miles to purchase groceries.

Entertained by locals playing drums and a violin, the volunteers quickly cleared the lot of debris and then went to work planting rows of flowers, edging the garden’s path area with colorful blooms and topping each one off with a healthy dose of water.

“The event was a huge success,” said Tim Petersen, YLS Volunteer Committee Member. “There was a very noticeable difference in the lot by the time we finished.”

View photos

Related Posts:

• YLS Member Spotlight: Ingrid Schwab
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• YLS Member Spotlight: Paul Pabst
• Volunteers serve up breakfast to help those in need
• Help Chicago’s high school students graduate by empowering our youth

This post was written by kmartin

Related Posts:

• Recognizing Community Rock Stars
• Definition of a Community Rock Star
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• Member spotlight: Paul Donnell
• YLS members tour Rauner YMCA and volunteer for Healthy Kids Day

This post was written by kmartin

I became an YLS member after meeting Joe Jerz in February 2009 at an agency site review as part of the United Way’s 2009 funding cycle. Joe told me about the group and the opportunities to network and volunteer with other young Chicago professionals. I have always been interested in getting more involved with my community and after speaking with Joe it seemed like YLS would be a perfect fit. After being a member for six months, I decided to take my involvement to the next level by becoming a communications committee member.

Being a YLS member over the past year has given me countless opportunities to help others. I particularly enjoyed the YLS events that have given me the opportunity to volunteer with agencies throughout Chicago. A recent and memorable event for me was the Kelly Hall YMCA Fresh Produce Day in West Humboldt Park and seeing firsthand how our efforts helped provide 250 families with food and clothing made the morning very enjoyable.

In addition to my involvement with YLS, I LIVE UNITED by volunteering with several programs including Junior Achievement, College Summit and as a United Way funding cycle agency reviewer. My experience as an agency reviewer has shown me how the donation I make each paycheck goes into the community to benefit social service agencies and their clients. It has also shown me the importance of why I should continue to make that donation.

I encourage others to take advantage of the all the UW and YLS opportunities to volunteer and donate within the community. It is easy to sign up via emails or through the United Way of Chicago’s website. Every person can make an impact regardless of how much they are able to donate or volunteer especially now as agencies continue to face budget cuts to their programs.
Read more

Brian Johns
Deloitte Consulting LLP
YLS Communications Committee Member & 2010 YLS Community Rock Star

Related Posts:

• Recognizing Community Rock Stars
• YLS Member Spotlight: Ingrid Schwab
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• YLS Member Spotlight: Paul Pabst
• Volunteers serve up breakfast to help those in need

This post was written by kmartin

Much to my satisfaction, each awardee has lived up to the definition(s) of a YLS community rock star as defined in my last post ( “Definition of a Community Rock Star” blog post)The program included an excerpt from each of the nominations for the award recipients, and in recognition of their accomplishments, I have relayed those excerpts below.

Brian Johns: Brian is completely committed to improving the community. He has gone above and beyond as a YLS Communications Committee member. Brian reviewed agency applications and attended agency site visits for the funding process of United Way’s 2008 Financial Stability and 2009 Health and Wellness cycles. Brian is involved with Junior Achievement as well as College Summit, which works in partnership with schools, school districts and colleges to develop a sustainable model for raising college enrollment rates community-wide.

Jessica Schaal: Jessica is passionate about making a difference and helping others. Her volunteer activities include reading programs, Junior Achievement, Tax Assistance, and YLS. As chair of the Issue Awareness committee, Jessica has been instrumental in creating programs that bring attention to important issues affecting the community such as preparing a volunteer fair to help encourage volunteerism.

Cody McCray: Cody was a key driving force in increasing physical activity during after-school hours for girls via the GoGirlGo! Chicago program. Program participants not only learned about the health benefits of healthy eating and fitness, but they began breaking down racial and cultural stereotypes by forging friendships and relationships beyond any economic, social, and geographical barriers.

Lauren Brinkmeyer Goebel: Lauren has chaired the United Way Campaign Committee at Rush for several years. She is the point person for their campaign and exhibits very strong leadership and commitment. She understands the vision of United Way and volunteers her time tirelessly to achieve measurable results. In addition to United Way, she is also active in other community organizations, such as Junior League of Chicago.

Kenyatta Anderson: Kenyatta is consistently looking for ways to bring innovative programs and services to the community. At the Women’s Hope and Life Center, she helps women and children who have been victims of domestic violence. Her latest project is to develop the computer center where women can receive training and assistance in securing jobs.

Daniel William Tornil: Dan gives to the community in all aspects of life. Through is church, he is a peer group leader for young adults, he serves meals in homeless shelters and distributes Bibles to the Statesville Prison inmates. He is in Engineers Without Borders where he traveled to Guatemala to help with massive flooding. He also supports the deaf community by volunteering as an interpreter, tutor and mentor.

Congratulations to each of you. You exemplify living united and the YLS tenets, and your recognition is well-deserved.

Thanks and kudos also goes to the event sponsors the House of Blues and State Farm for supporting this awesome event and really making it possible. It was great to see our members recognized in style!

Please share your experience and feedback by posting a comment to this post.

Related Posts:

• Definition of a Community Rock Star
• YLS shines the spotlight on community Rock Stars
• Young Leaders Society raises more than $3,000 at Split-the-Pot raffle
• YLS member spotlight: Brian Johns
• Member spotlight: Paul Donnell

This post was written by Jasmine Shaw

Jasmine M. Shaw - Accenture Consultant - YLS Communications Committee Vice Chair