Ada S. McKinley




The fourth annual Ada S. McKinley Celebrity Golf Classic will be held August 7 at The Odyssey Golf Course and Banquets, Tinley Park, Illinois. A $250 donation for the event includes a continental breakfast, practice green, lunch, shotgun start, competitions and prizes, dinner, silent and live auctions, and raffles. Co-chairs Ralph Hughes, regional vice president of corporate communications for Federated Department Stores, Inc., and Lyle Logan, senior vice president of The Northern Trust Company, will join Celebrity Chair former 1985 Champion Chicago Bear Otis Wilson.For more information on the Golf Classic, or to promote your business by becoming a major sponsor, underwriting a contest, or sponsoring a hole, contact Valerie P. Avery at 312-385-2040.


The Benjamins Win Again: Triplet Sisters Win Top Prizes for Tag Day Five Consecutive Years For 35 years, Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc. has been an active member of the Children’s Benefit League of Chicago and Suburbs and has participated in the annual TAG DAY fundraising event. On April 21 and April 22, 2007, McKinley volunteers collected donations for youth programs at designated store fronts and intersections throughout Chicago and provided a tag to each donor to wear as evidence of their support. For five consecutive years, Arlene, Marlene and Darlene Benjamin have ranked among the top volunteers to collect the most donations during the annual McKinley Tag Day event. Each year as Tag Day approaches, Arlene Benjamin and her twin sisters Darlene and Marlene begin confirming their regular tagging locations in the South Chicago community. “Many volunteers in the community have participated and shown their dedication to their children’s programs; however, I must say that amongst all the volunteers none have been more dedicated and committed than Arlene, Marlene, and Darlene Benjamin known to us at McKinley Neighborhood House simply as ‘The Benjamins’,” says Miguel Alvarado, McKinley Tag Day Chairman and Director of McKinleyNeighborhood House. Since joining McKinley in 1988, Arlene Benjamin, the oldest of the triplet sisters and teacher at Ersula Howard Child Care Center, located on 7222 South Exchange Avenue, has volunteered her time to Tag Day. “I really enjoy tagging. I have arthritis, now, but I still enjoy doing it. Some people remember me and tag every year,” said Arlene. In 2000, Marlene and Darlene Benjamin joined the McKinley Tag Day volunteer effort. Marlene, the youngest of the sisters, is on staff at McKinley Wright Renaissance Center locatedon 7939 S. Western. Darlene is not employed with the agency but dedicates her time each year in support of the Agency. For the past five years, Arlene has been one of the top three (3) taggers in the agency. This year competition was tough as there were 50% more volunteers, most of them striving for the cash awards and prizes. “People told me, ‘Arlene you got a lot of competition this year. You’re going to have to step up your game’,” says Arlene. And she did. Arlene with comfortable shoes and a hefty goal was TOP TAGGER for 2007 collecting $552.87 in donations. Arlene will enjoy $100 cash and an overnight stay and dinner at a 4-star hotel in downtown Chicago. Marlene was just a few dollars shy of first place with $522.44 in donations. She will enjoy second place, a dinner at a downtown restaurant and $75 cash. Darlene collected $385.05 in donations, winning Third place and $50 cash. “The sisters motivate each other to do well and have somewhat of a competition going to see who raises the most money between the three of them,” says Miguel. “We all enjoy tagging!” stated Marlene when asked why they tag. Darlene added, “Our mother thought volunteering was very important and she instilled that belief in us.” To become a 2008 TAG DAY volunteer contact Cozette Carter at (312) 385-2055.


Ada S. McKinley recently was awarded a $1,000,000 Talent Search grant over four years to provide college preparation and placement services to an additional 600 high school and elementary school students. The program assists high school students prepare to take the ACT test, identify colleges, complete college application forms, and fill out financial aid papers. Tutoring is provided at three elementary schools. The current five-year Talent Search grant provides services for 1,800 students, totaling $2,590,763. Ada S. McKinley is the largest Talent Search college placement program in Illinois. More than 60,000 students have been placed in colleges and universities throughout the United States in the past 40 years.


Thank you to all volunteers and financial supporters of the 2007 McKinley Tag Day fundraising effort. The agency raised more than $7,000 which will be used for youth development at McKinley Neighborhood House. This year, the agency experienced a 50% increase in volunteer support and increased donations from staff. “We are very appreciative of the agency-wide support we received this year,” said Miguel Alvarado, McKinley Tag Day Chairman and director of McKinley Neighborhood House. “In the past, Tag Day was limited to staff volunteers from South Chicago Day Care programs and other child care programs under the Division of Therapeutic/Educational Services.” This year, representatives from each of McKinley’s six (6) divisions volunteered their valuable time. For 35 years, Ada S. McKinley has been a participating member of the Children’s Benefit League of Chicago and Suburbs. The Children’s Benefit League is comprised of eleven (11) non-profit agencies, created for the sole purpose of raising funds for the member agencies through the annual Tag Day event. “We hope to have even more support next year,” says Miguel.


Come join us on April 20 and 21, 2007 as we tag at 16 selected locations throughout the city and southern suburbs. To volunteer for Tag Days for Ada S. McKinley, please click here to fill out the volunteer form. On-line Donations Employee of the Month


On May 26, 2007, Aztlan held a Volunteer Day, hosting volunteers from CS Stars, Harrington College of Design, McKinley staff and participants of Aztlan’s Photography Education Project (PEP). The Photography Education Project (PEP) program uses digital technology as a tool for helping participants with developmental disabilities builds communication skills, independence, and self-advocacy skills. Equipped with digital cameras, PEP photographers travel throughout Chicago gathering images and determining their photographic style. After viewing the images, participants discuss approaches, critical connections and editing decisions. The program won the “Best of the Best” Peoples and Judges Awards at the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities Convention. With a monetary award from Harrington College of Design, the PEP Contemporary Photography Gallery will be built to display the work of clients and other photographers. “The gallery will serve to break stereotypes and will encourage the community at large to visit Aztlan, where we hope to educate them about the wonderful things that are being accomplished by people with disabilities,” says Jahee PEP Program Coordinator. “It will also enhance the facility by providing a much more enjoyable atmosphere for clients, visitors and staff.” While the main goal of Volunteer Day was to paint the PEP Contemporary Photography Gallery, volunteers also worked in the Aztlan garden and painted other areas of the Aztlan facility. The event was a great success that brought together more than 30 volunteers! A Gallery Showing is scheduled for early fall 2007.