Invested in Our Communities

Transcription

1 2014 Invested in Our Communities

2 To promote wellness in the workplace and raise money for local charities, William Blair runners around the world compete as a team each year in the Chase Corporate Challenge. In London, the William Blair team raced through Battersea Park.

3 At William Blair & Company, we believe that the best investments are not found on a stock exchange. We are committed to serving our neighbors and being a long-term partner to the communities where we live and work. This is a legacy we inherited from our founder more than 80 years ago and proudly continue today. Through the firm s community partnerships, the William Blair & Company Foundation, and the personal efforts of our employees, William Blair is working to build a stronger tomorrow.

4 William Blair Foundation As the firm s charitable arm, the William Blair & Company Foundation provides financial support to organizations that make a direct impact in our communities through healthcare, education, social services, and the arts. Last year the foundation contributed to approximately 200 not-for-profit organizations, including: A Better Chicago American Cancer Society American Red Cross Art Institute of Chicago Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago Bright Promises Foundation Brookfield Zoo Camp of Dreams Chicago Council on Global Affairs Chicago Foundation for Education Children s Hospital of Wisconsin The City on a Hill Foundation City Year Daniel Murphy Scholarship Evans Scholars Foundation Gift of Adoption Fund Girls on the Run Chicago Goodman Theatre Hadley School for the Blind Hinsdale Hospital Foundation Horizons for Youth Inner-City Scholarship Fund Lawrence Hall Youth Services Lincoln Park Zoo Lyric Opera of Chicago Memorial Healthcare Foundation Methodist Healthcare Foundation Misericordia The National Museum of Mexican Art North Lawndale Employment Network Ounce of Prevention Fund Pathways Awareness Foundation United Way of Metropolitan Chicago The Poetry Foundation Springboard Foundation Fund St. Vincent de Paul Center Supplies for Dreams University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation University of Chicago Comer Children s Hospital 2 INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITIES

5 Civic Cultural Education Health WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY FOUNDATION 3

6 Community Partners Each year, William Blair forms strategic partnerships with several organizations that address the most pressing needs of our communities. Through our financial support and volunteers who roll up their sleeves to lend a hand, we team up with these partners to strengthen our communities and serve our neighbors. Midtown Educational Foundation Closing the Achievement Gap By funding a new computer lab and other technology upgrades, hosting college prep workshops and campus visits, and serving as tutors and mentors, William Blair s support of the Midtown Educational Foundation is helping more than 300 high school students close the achievement gap and prepare for college. Music Institute of Chicago Learning Through Music As part of our effort to help the Music Institute of Chicago bring music education to two under-resourced schools, William Blair hosted Community Music Celebrations at the elementary schools and supplied them with new musical instruments. The events gave students and members of the community an opportunity to try out new instruments and see performances by professional musicians. 4 INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITIES

7 For 14 consecutive years, 100% of Midtown Educational Foundation students have graduated from high school and enrolled in college. Whole Kids Foundation Planting the Seeds of Wellness Through a partnership with the Whole Kids Foundation, a not-for-profit founded by Whole Foods Market, we are helping families and children get inspired about nutrition and wellness. Volunteer opportunities for our employees include rolling up their sleeves to plant vegetable gardens at schools in inner-city neighborhoods and assisting with cooking and nutrition education classes for teachers and staff. These projects are helping kids get excited about fresh foods and healthy eating. More than 6,500 inner-city students throughout Chicago receive high-quality music education through the Music Institute of Chicago s ArtsLink program. Thanks to the support of the Whole Kids Foundation, more than 2,100 gardens have been planted to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for schools across the United States and Canada. WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY FOUNDATION 5

8 Invested in Our Global Community With offices in 16 cities across five continents, William Blair is committed to serving our neighbors around the world. Anne Frank Education Center in Frankfurt Experiencing the Lessons of History On the day that Anne Frank would have turned 85 years old, students from across Germany gathered in her hometown of Frankfurt to artistically express what the young author s experiences and words mean today. William Blair, along with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, sponsored a youth art competition at the Anne Frank Educational Center in Frankfurt, featuring paintings, poems, sculptures, songs, and multimedia pieces submitted by students from across Germany. Hands On London Drawing on the Art of Warmth Through its annual coat drive, Hands On London provides coats to London s most vulnerable residents. To kick off the 2014 campaign, William Blair hosted an event at London s Howard Griffin Gallery featuring acclaimed street artist John Dolan, whose love of drawing and his dog, George, helped him escape a life of homelessness and crime. 6 INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITIES

9 As part of an event sponsored by William Blair to celebrate Anne Frank s life, students from across Germany created a stunning array of artwork and multimedia pieces to express their interpretation of Anne s legacy today. Partnering with Hands On London to raise money for the 2014 Wrap Up London winter coat drive, William Blair hosted an auction featuring the drawings of acclaimed street artist John Dolan. WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY FOUNDATION 7

10 Making a Difference, One Person at a Time William Blair is extremely proud of the way that our employees have invested themselves in their local communities. Each year our employees personally contribute to hundreds of charitable organizations offering their time, money, and leadership. Jamie Wildman, Partner Investment Banking Distributing the Gift of Literacy Jamie Wildman s house is filled with books for his two young daughters, allowing them to explore the world and develop their reading skills. Unfortunately, far too many children in the Chicago area do not get exposed to books at an early age. As the vice chairman of the board for Bernie s Book Bank, Jamie is helping the Lake Forest-based organization work toward its goal of making sure every child in Chicago from infants to sixth-graders has access to books. Jamie s experience advising companies as an investment banker serves him well in helping guide Bernie s Book Bank and addressing the logistical, strategic, and fundraising issues involved in distributing millions of books each year throughout the Chicago area. Regardless of what you accomplish in your career, what really matters is whether you ve made a difference in the lives of others, Jamie said. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of an organization that provides at-risk children the tools they need to get a good education. Jamie also serves on the board of directors for the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago and the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest. Throughout the firm s history, giving back to the community has been a priority for business leaders. William Blair has done a great job of strengthening that tradition. 8 INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITIES

11 Kristan Rowland Private Client Advisors Traveling the World to Give Support Kristan Rowland has always had a passion for serving others and a deep interest in Indian culture. When she learned in 2004 about the opportunity to support a girls orphanage in Kozhikode, India, through the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, she was eager to contribute. But she wanted to do more than simply provide financial support; she wanted to experience firsthand how the orphanage is making a difference in the lives of girls from impoverished families. In 2006 and again in 2011, Kristan visited the orphanage and spent a week living with the approximately 50 girls and the nuns who run the orphanage. She used the trips to address some of the most immediate needs facing the orphanage, such as buying a computer for the girls to use in their computer class. Those trips have truly been life-changing experiences for me, Kristan said. Those girls have so little in terms of material goods, but the joy they have for life is simply incredible. Kristan is also on the board of the University of Chicago Women s Business Group and is involved with the Small Business Advocacy Council and ConnectVets, an organization that helps returning military veterans transition to the civilian workforce. Seeing firsthand the impact the orphanage is having in these girls lives inspires me to do everything I can to help. WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY FOUNDATION 9

12 At William Blair & Company, we believe that the best investments are not found on a stock exchange. We are committed to serving our neighbors and being a long-term partner to the communities where we live and work.