In The News

Community Stakeholders To Host Benefit Concert To Help Fund Youth Summer Work Experiences In Wake Of Statewide Budget Cuts In Social Programs

CHICAGO, IL – August 4, 2015 – Despite recent cuts in social programs in the state of Illinois, the Community Coalition for Youth Summer Work Experience (CCSYE), a new initiative spearheaded by the Loretto Youth Healthcare Council, will host a “Tribute to Legends” benefit concert to help fund summer work experiences for at-risk youth in Chicago’s Austin and surrounding communities.

The community benefit concert will be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at 6:00 p.m., at the Wire, 6815 Roosevelt in Berwyn, IL, and will include an evening of great music featuring Chicago’s own Phase Two Band, and renditions of popular hits by renowned legends of modern time.

Tesa Anewishki, Director of Marketing at The Loretto Hospital, also serves as the Foundation Administrator for the Loretto Hospital Foundation. Anewishki is one of the stakeholders involved in organizing the Community Coalition for Youth Summer Work Experience Campaign and the benefit concert.

“When the state announced its new budget plan – which included cutting social programs that were actually put in place to support and enhance the lives of young people and help keep them safe and off the streets – we knew we had to rally together to come up with a plan of our own to ensure that the youth represented in communities such as Austin, Berwyn, North Lawndale and other nearby communities would not suffer from these cuts,” Anewishki said.

“Since the cuts are just too deep and quite devastating, we need the financial backing of the entire community in order to provide our youth with these meaningful opportunities. We hope to fill every seat at Wire, and for donations to continue to roll in long after the concert is over,” Anewishki said.

Tickets for the “Tribute to Legends” community benefit concert can be purchased at www.wireismusic.com. Tickets are $125 in advance and $135 at the door. Donors can also show support at GoFundMe.com/LYCHealthcare.

To become a sponsor of the “Tribute to Legends” community benefit concert or for more information about the CCSYWE, please contact Tesa Anewishki at 773-854-5502 or via e-mail at tesa.anewishki@lorettohospital.org.

ABOUT THE LORETTO YOUTH HEALTHCARE COUNCIL (LYC)

The Loretto Youth Healthcare Council (LYC) is a program created by the The Loretto Hospital Foundation to bring together, educate and involve students in and around the Austin Community about the relevant health issues impacting today’s youth. The LYC serves as a platform for members to not only discuss these topics, but to also empower them to be health advocates for themselves and their peers while fostering camaraderie and healthy relationships with other youth in the community. Members participate in interactive, informational, and age-appropriate peer think tanks and workshops that focus on issues such as: youth violence, mental health, drugs, and HIV/AIDS; hear from motivational speakers; and, most importantly, be encouraged in becoming the next generation of health care leaders. The program is tailored for high school and upper level elementary school students. For more information about the LYC visit Our Programs page at lorettohospitalfoundation.org.