CHICAGO (March 18, 2015) -- Early in 2014, the Chicago Fire Soccer Club joined nearly two dozen local businesses and organizations in entering the inaugural Chicago Charity Challenge.
Throughout the remainder of the year, the club’s front office staff left little doubt that they were up for the test.
The Chicago Charity Challenge, also known as the Chicago Cha Cha, invites businesses to partner with one nonprofit enterprise to provide volunteerism and financial contributions throughout the year. As a result of the Fire’s ongoing support of the Chicago Fire Foundation, the Chicago Cha Cha honored the club as the winner of the Helping Hand Award at a downtown awards ceremony on Tuesday (March 17). The distinction is presented to the participating organization that contributed the most volunteer hours per employee and carries with it a $5,000 donation to the Chicago Fire Foundation.
“Participating in the Chicago Charity Challenge over the last year has been a great privilege for our club,” said Jessica Yavitz, Executive Director of the Chicago Fire Foundation and Senior Director of Community Relations for the club. “This honor is a testament to the club-wide commitment to giving back, which starts with the leadership provided by Andrew Hauptman and Atul Khosla and is contagious within the organization.”
The idea behind the Chicago Charity Challenge was conceived by Chicago-based communications services provider Call One and is intended to maximize the philanthropic efforts of corporations throughout the region.
Over the course of 2014, Fire front office members contributed to the outreach of the numerous Chicago Fire Foundation programs and initiatives, including City Year Chicago, classroom book readings, and the P.L.A.Y.S. Program, among others.
“It’s been amazing to see the number of organizations working so hard to make a difference in Chicago, and we were thrilled to be among those recognized at the conclusion of the Challenge,” said Yavitz. “We’re excited to continue growing the Chicago Fire Foundation’s many initiatives and to once again participate in the Chicago Charity Challenge in 2015."
Click Here to learn more about the Chicago Fire Foundation and its initiatives.
