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.
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.
Sponsors
As of October 30Superintendent
Principal
Classroom
Mentor
Greenberg Traurig
GTCR
H.Debra Levin
Innovator ETFs
J.P. Morgan
Marquette Associates
Singerman Real Estate
Table hosts
As of October 15Billy Warden & Nina Ryan
Bobby Steinsdoerfer & Rickie Trudeau
Brenda & Ve Bui
Cboe
Craig Close & Terra Ellingson
Crystal & Franklin Reynolds
Diane Graham-Henry & Thomas Hall
Devereaux Peters
Emily & Ryan Stoner
Jennifer Alter Warden & Rob Warden
Joanne Firestone Nemerovski
Joyce Winnecke & George Houlihan
K&L Gates
KPMG
Lockton
Magnolia Capital
The Family of Marion Stone
Phyllis Tabachnick
Skybox Capital
Susan Berman & Ray Cahnman
In-Kind Sponsors
As of October 8
