The celebration recognized WITS superheroes who fought to support Chicago students over the past few years, a challenging time for the educational community as students, teachers, and parents all struggled with the social and emotional challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Through its community partnerships, WITS supports more than 5,000 students attending Chicago Public Schools in 34 schools through literacy mentorship and teacher professional development courses. For 30 years, WITS has teamed up students and adults to share the joy of reading. William Blair colleagues have actively supported WITS’ Workplace Mentoring Program, working with scholars attending the LEARN Hunter Perkins Academy, a Chicago middle school committed to academic performance for all students.
“This year’s corporate partner of the year, William Blair, exemplifies what it means to be a WITS partner,” said Tena Latona, CEO of WITS. “Since its program started in 2018, William Blair has been one of WITS’ largest corporate partners. Averaging 30 mentors annually, William Blair employees have volunteered more than 4,000 hours with students from LEARN Hunter Perkins.”
William Blair has a long tradition of community engagement, beginning with its founding leaders more than 87 years ago. Today, William Blair employees partner with nonprofits worldwide, helping them strengthen the communities where they live and work through financial support and volunteer time.