Over the summer, my fellow Crowe Horwath volunteers and I boarded a train bound for downtown Chicago to participate in the 17th Annual Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon. Little did I know how gratifying this experience would be! We were in for an adventure filled with a lot of hard work and a little bit of compassion. The event began at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, with an inspiring kickoff emceed by my friend Gaynor Hall, a WGN/CLTV reporter, and words of wisdom from Governor Quinn and Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman. From there, “Team Crowe” hopped on a bus and traveled to the far south side of Chicago to begin our assignment, R.H. Lawrence Jr. School for Mathematics and Science. The school had seen better days: walls needed painting, furniture was ancient and time-worn (a bookshelf in the teacher’s lounge dated back to 1954), and landscaping was sparse on the school grounds. We could see our sweat and TLC were needed and would go a long way in sprucing up the inner city school. Fresh coats of paint in classrooms and hallways, hand painted murals in common areas, and hand crafted benches and planters on the school grounds gave the building a fresh look and a landscape for the imaginations of the students who attend the school. Our mission was a huge success and the look of appreciation on the school principal’s face made it all the more worthwhile. The day was such a rewarding experience that we’ve already committed to participating in next year’s event!The opportunities for activities and events such as the Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon that are available to me while working at Crowe have given me great sense of accomplishment and pride in my firm. What experiences have you had that make you proud to work for your company?
To view more photos of this event, click here.
