Welcome to everyone in the UCAN family and our new friends. 

 With last year’s Youth Leadership Awards in the books as my first experience, I am just as excited to again welcome you to our much-awaited signature event of the year!

 We continue to build on the success of last year’s YLA, as tonight is commonly known, by recognizing several remarkable young people for their academic and personal achievements; accomplishments and goals that our team or dedicated professionals are proud to have helped them develop, nurture and fine tune. We are committed to helping our youth find and unlock the power of their potential, and the  grant scholarships for higher education we will award tonight are an important part of their lifelong journey. 

We also are proud and energized to present the John D. Nichols Impact Award to the Steans Family Foundation, which will be accepted by Patricia (Pat) Ford, executive director. The Allstate Corporation will receive our inaugural Corporate Philanthropy Award, accepted by Mario Rizzo, president Property-Liability Insurance.

 Tonight is a night of celebration, accomplishment and networking, so I invite you to meet and mingle with the people at your table. Make new friends, start a new conversation and enjoy our program. All the while, please make it a priority to congratulate all of our honorees on their accomplishments and recognition. 

 Personally, and on behalf of the entire UCAN team from across Chicago, I want to thank you so much for your support tonight. Thank you for the time, talent and treasure you have shared and will share with us to benefit our common commitment to the children, youth and families we serve. We appreciate your engagement and support of youth who have suffered trauma but who will become our future leaders.

Christa Hamilton
President and CEO, UCAN