Steve Sherman with wife, Pam
Photo courtesy of Gail Pollard Photography
Fun Fact: Steve's wife, Pam, is also an enterpreneur. Pam is the owner of Chicago Anytime Assistants, a personal assistant service for busy Chicagoans.
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Our Volunteers
Steve Sherman has always been a big believer in supporting his community. In both his professional and personal life, Sherman makes an effort to promote positive long-term success in the local community.
Sherman is the COO and co-founder of GreenChoice Bank, the first green community bank in the Midwest that is scheduled to open later this year. The bank will minimize waste through paperless processes, online banking and products that reward customers for making sustainable choices.
GreenChoice Bank will located in the Green Exchange, an office building constructed on the Eastern edge of the Logan Square at 2545 West Diversey. The building, after sitting vacant for several years, is being renovated for nearly 100 various green companies.
Sherman's interest in helping his community doesn't stop at work. For over 13 years he has been a part of the Emergency Fund. Sherman attended a recruiting event in 1996 and saw a great organization that matched his desire to help build a better community. Sherman was very attracted by the Emergency Fund's efficiency of every donated dollar.
"I felt that Emergency Fund was small, but impactful and I wanted to become involved," Sherman said. Sherman, who sits on the Board of Directors at the Emergency Fund, was equally impressed with the expedient manner in which help is provided to those who desperately need it immediately.
"Preventing homelessness is a real need in the community," said Sherman, who is one of over 100 individuals who volunteer for the Emergency Fund.
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Legacy Society
The Emergency Fund Legacy Society was created to recognize those individuals who have made a significant commitment to supporting our mission by naming the Emergency Fund as a beneficiary in their estate plans. If you have included us in your estate plans, we want to know! Call us at 312.379.0301 or download the form below and mail to:
Emergency Fund
Attn: Legacy Society
208 S. LaSalle, Suite 1356
Chicago, IL 60604
Legacy Society Profile Form (PDF)
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2008 Statistics
In 2008, we provided $4.7 million to help 8,868 families, which benefited 20,373 individuals. Here is a breakdown of how our financial assistance was distributed:
Housing: $3,271,468
Home Items: $109,863
Transportation: $59,765
Medical Items: $18,835
Employment Support: $36,257
Utilities: $1,157,070
Child Items: $16,155
Food: $10,708
Other: $23,559
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Donor Levels
We have updated our donor acknowledgement levels to provide more gifting options for you! Call us with questions or to discuss methods for achieving a new level of giving to meet your charitable goals. The new levels are effective retroactively to January 1, 2009.
2009 Donor Levels
Up to $249: Circle of Friends
$249-$499: Good Will Circle
$500-$749: Fund Circle
$750-$1,499: Partner Circle
$1,500-$4,999: Leader Circle
$5,000-$9,999: President’s Circle
$10,000-$24,999:Founder’s Circle
$25,000 and up: Stone Circle
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2009 Outlook
Within the past year, the Emergency Fund has seen a 30% increase in the number of individuals and families seeking help. This number is expected to rise during 2009. For more than 35 years, your support has enabled us to provide the financial assistance so critical to helping people overcome obstacles that lead to homelessness. Our assistance is needed now more than ever, yet we remain optimistic because we know that during times of crisis, communities pull together to help one another. As Chicago’s leader in preventing homelessness, it is important that the Emergency Fund be at the forefront of this effort. In preparation for this leadership role, our Board of Directors recently set new strategic goals that will position our organization for growth to meet the need in our community, and leverage our expertise in order to secure opportunities that will benefit the entire sector.
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Social Networking
Emergency Fund wants to be your friend! Social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Myspace are on the rise. The Emergency Fund wants to gets get the word out about the exciting growth and opportunities we are experiencing. The astounding reality of social networking has allowed us to connect with over 1000 people! However, we would like to see that number grow and we need your help.
Joining the Emergency Fund network will not only give you access to exciting new updates and information, but it will allow you to connect with other people who truly care about Chicago area individuals and families in need. Building a network of friends who share our ideals is extremely important to us; and, as the leader in homelessness prevention in Chicago – we would like to provide the opportunity for individuals to connect.
This year, we will distribute over $4 million in direct financial assistance, yet need remains. With this innovative way of connecting with new friends, we feel we can reach a greater number of supporters and ultimately increase the numbers of individual and families we assist. Facebook alone has raised over $3.2 million for charities since June 2007 through their cause application where friends network to share their passion for helping others. The Emergency Fund hopes to be just as successful and would love your help!
How you can help the Emergency Fund by Social Networking:
- Become a “friend” of the Emergency Fund on Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace . Then, feature the Emergency Fund on your profile and invite friends to join.
- Join our Facebook pledge to get 500 friends and $500 by July 15, 2009
- Follow us on Twitter
- Watch our 3 minute commercial on YouTube, and then share it with your friends through e-mail or links on your own social networking pages.
- Have something great to say about The Emergency Fund? Post a comment, tweet, discussion, status or blog about the Emergency Fund!
So stop by any one of our social networking pages and find out about projects and people the Emergency Fund help everyday, through support of people like you! |
