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Planting seeds for literacy

Event Details

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024

Time: 5:30pm ~ 11:30pm

Cocktails: 5:30pm

Dinner & Program: 7:00pm

After-party: 9:00pm

Event Concludes: 11:30pm

Location: The Geraghty, 2520 S. Hoyne, Chicago, IL

What to Expect: The WITS Blackboard Affair will feature an open bar, a seated dinner, and an after-party. There will be several opportunities to learn about and invest in WITS.

2024 Alter & Stone Awardee

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Event Committee

Event Co-Chairs

Jennifer Alter Warden

Eveart Foster

Event Committee Members

Craig Close
Maria Ekern
Tom Garland
Pam Gordon
Joan Hannant
Patrick Hatton
Diane Graham-Henry
Debra Levin

Atajah Mothershed
Crystal Reynolds
Bobby Steinsdoerfer
Phyllis Tabachnick
Kathleen VanDam
Morrison Warren
Joyce Winnecke

We invite you to nurture the minds of Chicago’s youngest students, helping them develop the skills and self-confidence they need to succeed in school and life, by investing in WITS through our Annual Blackboard Affair.

As 2025 approaches, it marks the culmination of WITS' most ambitious strategic plan since our founding in 1991. This plan has laid the groundwork for WITS to fulfill its mission as the largest and most consistent provider of literacy and corporate programming to Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

As we enter our fourth decade of serving CPS, we aim to:

Double the number of students we serve in our Kindergarten through fourth-grade programs. We focus on these critical developmental ages to help students build resilience, curiosity, grit, and confidence in forming peer and adult relationships, setting them on a path for lifelong success. 

Increase the number of classroom libraries we build for teachers across CPS from 100 to 300 by 2028. WITS classroom libraries significantly increase access to diverse books across grade-levels and ensure students can read stories that reflect their lives. 

Triple the number of corporations making meaningful, long-term commitments to Chicago neighborhood schools and the literacy development of thousands of students. 

At WITS, we believe that reading is the foundation of all learning. By joining WITS, you are planting the seeds of literacy and nurturing generations of future leaders. 

Email WITS Chief Development Officer Ashley Bloom (ashley@witschicago.org) for more information about sponsorship opportunities. 

Tickets & Tables

Sponsors

As of September 26

Superintendent

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Principal

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Classroom

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Mentor

Greenberg Traurig

GTCR

H.Debra Levin

Innovator ETFs

J.P. Morgan

Marquette Associates

Singerman Real Estate

Table hosts

As of September 26

Billy Warden & Nina Ryan

Bobby Steinsdoerfer & Rickie Trudeau

Brenda & Ve Bui

Craig Close & Terra Ellingson

Crystal & Franklin Reynolds

Diane Graham-Henry & Thomas Hall

Devereaux Peters

Emily & Ryan Stoner

Google

Jennifer Alter Warden & Rob Warden

Jessica Jorsch & Greg Morrison

Joanne Firestone Nemerovski

Joyce Winnecke & George Houlihan

K&L Gates

KPMG

Kevin Yao & Eileen Flaherty

Lockton

The Family of Marion Stone

Phyllis Tabachnick

Rekroot

Skybox Capital

In-Kind Sponsors

As of September 26
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In-Kind Opportunities

Individuals and organizations can participate in the WITS Blackboard Affair by donating in-kind food, beverages, or auction items/packages. In-kind donations help WITS create a memorable event as we recognize your commitment to the future growth of literacy in Chicago.

In-Kind Donation Form