BUTLER RUBIN AND LEND-A-HAND SPONSOR TAKE-YOUR-CHILD-TO-WORK DAY WITH THE JUAN DIEGO COMMUNITY CENTER

On July 13, 2005, 25 kids ages 7-16 from the Juan Diego Center spent a day at Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd to learn more about a career in the law, visited judges, had some fun and enjoyed the visit of a magician and balloonist.

Rosa Perea, Assistant Director, Centro Comunitario Juan Diego had this to say..

“Thank you! Believe me, when the bus returned every one ran out to tell us what they had done. Everyone was talking at the same time. They were so excited. Even the adults couldn't stop talking about it. They kept thanking me …and describing the children and their emotions as they experienced the day. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Please let everyone at Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd know that they have touched every single one of these kids in a very special and profound way. I don't think this is something they will soon forget.”   

                                                                                                                   

CHICAGO, July 07, 2005 – Chicago-based litigation boutique Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP and the Lend-a-Hand organization are sponsoring a Take-Your-Child-to-Work Day at the firm with children from the Juan Diego Community Center on July 13.

As part of the program, children from the Juan Diego Community Center will have the chance to walk in a lawyer’s shoes for a day. The children will start off their day touring the Butler Rubin offices and will have the chance to meet Judge Jesse Reyes and Judge Elizabeth Loredo Rivera.  The children will also have a chance to see the sites downtown and walk to Millennium Park.

“This is such a fun day for the kids and the adults too,” said Colleen McCrea Karabetsos, the Office Manager at Butler Rubin. “It is such a treat to be able to introduce these kids to what we do as lawyers. Who knows, there may be a future lawyer or judge in the group?”

The program is part of Butler Rubin’s ongoing efforts to reach out to the community and particularly to Chicago youth.  Recently, the firm developed a relationship with Lend-A-Hand, which supports a number of youth mentoring programs, and now houses the organization in donated space at the firm’s offices.  It is co-sponsoring the Juan Diego program with Lend-a-Hand.

“It has been a pleasure to provide such a special opportunity to this group of children, who both want and need role models,” said Karina Ayala-Bermejo, Executive Director of the Lend-a-Hand organization.  “This is a day that they’ll remember for a very long time and a continuation of the many ways in which we support youth mentoring.”

The Lend-A-Hand Program was launched in 1994 as part of the Chicago Bar Foundation; it was re-launched in 2003 as part of the Chicago Bar Associations thanks to a generous gift from the CBF made possible by the estate of The Honorable Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz.  Since 1994, LAH has taken the lead in mobilizing lawyers around youth mentoring and continues to be the only profession or bar association, in Chicago, and around the country that mobilizes lawyers to be volunteers, mentors and donors in Chicago area one-on-one tutor/mentor programs.  Information about the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend-A-Hand programs is available on its website at www.lawyerslendahand.org.

The Centro Comunitario Juan Diego, Juan Diego Community Center, is a grassroots community based organization that operates many vital programs focused on healthcare issues, community organizing, social services and education based in Chicago’s South Side.  Through their efforts, it is their hope to foster confident leaders for today and tomorrow.  Information about the Centro Comunitario Juan Diego, Juan Diego Community Center and its community programs is available on its website at www.ccjuandiego.org.                                                                                                           

Formed in 1980, Chicago-based Butler Rubin has established itself as a well-known litigation boutique assisting clients nationally and internationally in the core practice areas of reinsurance and general litigation, including antitrust matters and legacy liability issues.

Information about the firm and its community programs is available on its website at www.butlerrubin.com.