Patrick Hatton, Vice President Field Operations at Hyatt Hotels, took the stage at the 2024 WITS Blackboard Affair earlier this month to accept the Alter & Stone award on behalf of the Chicago Athletic Association. Read the full speech from the event below.
Patrick’s Acceptance Speech
Thank you, Jennifer and Eveart. It’s an honor to share the stage and responsibility of planting seeds for literacy every day for our community with you.
I’d like to start by acknowledging some friends. To my Hyatt crew! Thanks for showing up to support the Chicago Athletic Association and WITS tonight. We have representatives (and support) from our amazing corporate office team, a proud Chicago-based organization, and the Hyatt hotels of Chicago, plus, as you see in the silent and live auctions, love from around the country. Can we give it up for our Hyatt crew!
To my fellow Board members and amazing AB, thank you. We have THE best Boards in Chicago, and I enjoy learning from you every time we connect.
To the WITS staff, a special shout out to our program coordinator, Tra’lisha Renteria; thank you for your commitment to and love for the work we do.
My wife, Teresa, is here tonight, standing with me and supporting our work. You are the heart and soul of the Hatton family, and we learn compassion, care, and kindness from you every day. Thank you for always supporting me and the kids.
Finally, to my CAA crew! Can I get a Woot Woot? Thank you for jumping on the WITS bus with me nine years ago and believing that breaking away from the most volatile and unpredictable business on the planet for 90 minutes during the busy season was not only possible but necessary. You are WITS, and I’m honored to celebrate this recognition tonight with you.
When Tena, Ashley, and Jennifer suggested that the Chicago Athletic Association should receive the Alter and Stone award at this year’s Blackboard Affair, I laughed; you see, traditionally, award winners were recognized for their volunteer hours and financial contributions. At least, that was my perception. Hospitality is a tough business, and recovery over the past few years has been difficult.
But what Tena, Ashley, and Jennifer saw was a commitment to the cause, even in our hardest times. Every year, we show up. We did not allow our hardship to soften our resolve. We didn’t use the recovery as an excuse to do less. Instead, we leaned in and found different ways to support our community. Our mentors showed up virtually and in person. We retained representation on the Associates Board and Board of Directors and found ways to raise money via charity cocktails, reservation promotions, personal fund-raisers, and even featuring WITS on our “Beard of Directors” one month a year. Hospitality professionals are scrappy and agile, so I can proudly say that the CAA community is being recognized tonight for our grit and creativity.
And I guarantee our students see that in each of our mentors. And that matters.
I need to share a story about a moment I had with my student last school year. I’ve told it 1,000 times, and it reminds me every time why the work we do matters.
Zamir was my student for the 2023/24 school year. He is a positive, energetic, and magnetic 3rd grader who was first in the room and last to leave. He was a shining light that gave big bear hugs to start and end sessions each week. As a matter of fact, EVERY Mentor got a hug at the end of each program starting mid-year. He was an average reader but a beautiful dreamer, imagining all the things that were possible. One day, all the kids arrived at the library, but Zamir wasn’t there. Tra’lisha assured me that he was there and would be in shortly. As the mentors and students started their day, I sat anxiously, waiting for Zamir. Eventually, Zamir arrived, low energy and head down. He sat next to me with no hug and no words. I saw his head down and asked if he was okay. The smallest headshake, no, was his response. I asked if he wanted to talk about it, and he looked up, with buckets of tears streaming down his face, and shook his head no. I grabbed some Kleenex, and we sat for a minute.
The last day we had the program before Thanksgiving, we talked about our favorite holiday dishes. I remembered that his was mashing up Mac and Cheese and mashed potatoes. I shared with him that my nieces made a “fancy” mac and cheese that was terrible and that I wasn’t able to enjoy the mash-up…..he looked at me and smiled, telling me about his Thanksgiving dinner. We laughed, did our check-in question, and read…..at the end of the program, he gave me that big bear hug and proceeded to give every mentor a hug. He left the room in a positive place, and I guarantee that the rest of his school day was productive and positive. So was mine. We may not have improved his “literacy skills” this day, but because of the relationship we have built, both mine and Zamir’s day was better….and that matters,
The work that we do matters. It’s also expensive. I ask you to help us turnaround more days for students like Zamir through your generosity. The future of our city, our community, and our work depends on us.
Thank you for being a part of our mission.
