For Immediate Release

Contacts:
Rick Johnson
847-221-7831
rjohnson@littlecity.org

Lisa Reyes
(847) 221-7825
lreyes@littlecity.org

PALATINE, IL, Aug. 26, 2009 – Bucking the trend felt by many nonprofit organizations in a tight economy, the 46th Annual Little City Invitational Golf Tournament held Monday (Aug. 24) illustrated incredible community support for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The event set a new fundraising mark for both the tournament and Little City, while helping generate awareness for those in need. An early estimate puts the total funds raised at more than $400,000, which tops last year’s previous record total of $375,000.

That’s good news for the organization that is preparing to celebrate 50 years of groundbreaking and innovative services to people with disabilities.

“This is an amazing accomplishment in today’s economy,” said Long Grove resident Ed Hockfield, Executive Vice President of Little City’s Board of Directors and one of the chairpersons for the golf event. “Members of our golf committee and myself have participated in several nonprofit golf events this year, and nearly every one of them has seen a reduction in golfers or fundraising from previous years. We were apprehensive about ours as well, but we have exceeded even our wildest expectations.”

Hockfield believes a major factor in Little City’s record effort was the person the organization honored with its prestigious Morrie Kellman Humanitarian Award. This year’s award went to Larry Richman, President and CEO of PrivateBancorp, Inc., and The Private Bank-Chicago, a wholly owned subsidiary of PrivateBancorp.

The award is presented to a person who exemplifies Mr. Kellman’s ideals of passionately supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other humanitarian efforts.

“Larry is a strong believer in philanthropic causes, and because of that he has a lot of friends who support him for his efforts,” Hockfield said. “The success of this year’s event is as much a tribute to the people who believe in Larry’s humanitarian efforts as it is to those who support Little City.”

“I believe we selected the right person for the right time,” added Shawn Jeffers, Executive Director for Little City. “Larry Richman is a man who has touched and made a difference in many lives over the years, which is why we knew he was the perfect person to receive our Morrie Kellman Humanitarian Award. A lot of other people who know Larry feel the same way, and their attendance at our tournament in support of Larry enabled Little City to enjoy a very successful fundraising event despite tough economic times.”

Richman, a resident of Arlington Heights, was introduced as the honoree to the audience by Bruce Lubin, a Long Grove resident and himself a past winner of the award. Lubin was also one of this year’s chairpersons along with Hockfield and Marcus Montanye of Clarendon Hills.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by Little City, which truly is an amazing organization with a rich heritage of helping the developmentally disabled,” Richman said. “I am pleased I was able to play a small role in helping them continue to succeed.”

More than 280 golfers registered to participate in the Little City Invitational, one of the oldest nonprofit tournaments in the country. The invitational was held at Twin Orchard Country Club in Long Grove.

Prior to the dinner, the audience was entertained by two songs performed by Jerry Rose, a resident of Little City. Several of Little City’s Special Olympics golf team also attended the event as special guests.

The invitational supports the Palatine-based Little City Foundation, which provides services and programs, including residential care, for children and adults with disabilities. The agency will celebrate its 50th year of providing services in October.

For more information, visit www.littlecity.org or contact Rick Johnson at rjohnson@littlecity.org or (847) 221-7831.

 

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About Little City

Established in 1959, Little City Foundation is committed to developing innovative and personalized programs to fully assist and empower people with disabilities in all stages of life. Little City offers a variety of residential options for children and adults, as well as vocational and employment opportunities. Programs and services include a special needs foster care and adoption program; in-home support to families raising a child with developmental disabilities; a full complement of recreational activities, including Special Olympics competition; and an award-winning Center for the Arts program that features visual, performance, media and fabric arts. The organization has a 56-acre campus in Palatine and offices in Chicago.