Lochner Leadership Packs 1,308 Kits for SOS Children’s Villages of Illinois
As part of Lochner’s Giving Back Initiative, employees throughout the firm participate in an annual group service project that benefits the local communities in which they live, work, and play. This week, we are featuring the volunteer efforts of Lochner staff who attended the firm’s Annual Leadership Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. On Thursday, June 6, 2019, a group of 76 Lochner employees, office managers, corporate staff, firm leaders, and their guests packed kits for SOS Children’s Villages of Illinois, an organization that provides aid, housing, and guidance to children and families in need. Divided into four groups of volunteers, each group assembled one of the following:
- Adult hygiene kit – complete with toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.
- Child hygiene kit – similar to the adult kit but with kid-friendly toothpaste, floss, bandaids, etc.
- School supply kit – containing pens, pencils, a notebook, etc., packed inside a backpack
- Birthday kit – a unique but often overlooked opportunity to give SOS children all the supplies they need for a birthday celebration, such as cake mix, frosting, balloons, decorations, and games
Adding a personal touch to the activity, Lochner volunteers also wrote notes of encouragement, which were then dispersed into the school supply and birthday kits.
In total, our employees and their families created 300 adult hygiene kits, 288 child hygiene kits, 600 school supply kits, and 120 birthday kits for SOS Illinois.
SOS Children’s Villages is an international network of over 2,100 facilities in 135 countries, and SOS Illinois currently operates four villages: Lockport, Chicago, Roosevelt Square, and Casa Tepeyac. These villages take a family-based approach to care by providing families counseling, education, and assistance as well as offering a long-term foster care alternative structured to keep siblings together.
Click here to check out other Giving Back activities from across the firm.