CHICAGO, July 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Global
(www.hilcoglobal.com) announced today that it will be donating
thousands of new children's toys and baby products to
underprivileged kids throughout Chicago and Boston with an in-kind donation totaling
$1,000,000 at retail. The
donation is part of an ongoing company program called
Hilco Helps, an
annual community service commitment that Hilco Global conducts each
year to support its corporate and employee commitment to various
causes, often focused on children and education.
The Hilco Global large-scale toy donation will be distributed
this summer in several ways. In Chicago, the toys will be
distributed at branches of the Chicago Public Library as part of a
promotion to encourage children in the city of Chicago to participate in its annual Rahm's
Readers Summer Learning Challenge. A special kickoff event is
planned for July 12th at
the Harold Washington Library to recognize the donation. The
Summer Learning Challenge encourages Chicago's kids to read 20 minutes a day and
participate in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and
Math) activities. Families can sign-up at their local branch and
participate in the program through September
1, 2018. Visit chipublib.org/summer.
Additionally, Hilco Global has partnered with Cradles to Crayons
(C2C) to distribute toys through C2C's network of non-profit
organizations to local kids living in poverty. C2C is an
organization that provides children from birth through age 12 who
live in homeless or low-income situations with the essential items
they need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play.
Jeffrey B. Hecktman, Chairman and
CEO of Hilco Global said, "We have been really impressed with
the work that the City of Chicago
and CPL have been doing through the Rahm's Readers Summer Learning
program to prevent the 'summer slide,' where children can lose up
to three months of math and science learning during summer months
if they do not remain engaged in learning." The CPL
program, which was relaunched in 2012 to go beyond a traditional
summer reading initiative has already shown quantifiable results.
Hecktman added, "We support proven programs that can
demonstrate that they are effective, and this program works."
An analysis by Chapin Hall at
the University of Chicago showed that
children participating in the Library's Summer Learning Challenge
demonstrated 15 percent greater reading gains and 20 percent
greater math gains when compared to their peers who did not
participate in the program. Hecktman added, "Hilco wanted
to find a way to help encourage as many kids as possible to
participate in this kind of a performance driven educational
program. We believe the toys provide an added encouragement
for kids to sign up and start reading this summer."
"Through this generous donation Hilco Global has demonstrated
their support for performance driven summer educational programs by
providing an incentive to participate in Rahm's Readers, not that
learning isn't already incentive enough," said Mayor
Rahm Emanuel. "Rahm's Readers has
proven to provide its participants demonstrable results, and I
would like to thank both CPL and Hilco Global for their continued
commitment to giving the children of Chicago a boost towards educational
success."
Research shows that having developmentally appropriate toys to
play with is critical to a child's learning and socio-emotional
growth. Cradles to Crayons provides high-quality toy sets,
along with mini libraries, clothing packs, hygiene items, school
supplies and other items to more than 60,000 Chicagoland children
living in poverty, homeless or crisis situations. As
part of its partnership with Hilco Global, C2C will inspect all the
toys and create age-appropriate toy sets for thousands of
Chicago children. "We are
really impressed with the work that Cradles to Crayons has been
doing in cities like Chicago and
Boston and look forward to working
with them on many Hilco Helps
programs we have planned in the coming year," said
Hecktman.
Hecktman indicated that another similar donation of toys and
baby gear will be announced in the coming weeks in the City of Boston, an important hub for Hilco
Global which has another large office with approximately 100
employees. "We're working with the Mayor's office in
Boston and Cradles to Crayons
there as well," Hecktman said.
Bernard Cherkasov, Executive
Director of Cradles and Crayons said, "We are thrilled to
partner with Hilco Global and Chicago Public Library. Toys
are not a nice-to-have, they are an essential need for a child's
learning and growth. Thanks to the Hilco Global toy donation,
thousands of Chicago kids will
have age-appropriate toys to call their own." Mr.
Cherkasov explained that through strong corporate partnerships with
corporate America and their employees we can really deliver on the
promise of helping children thrive by receiving the support they
need at home, at school and at play. "It clearly helps us
deliver on our mission of providing the essentials that every child
needs to grow, learn, and thrive." For more information
about all of Cradles to Crayons' programs, visit
www.cradlestocrayons.org
"Rahm's Readers Summer Learning Challenge continues to grow
thanks in large part to our generous funders and partners," said
CPL Commissioner Brian Bannon. "The
support from companies like Hilco Global and others through the
Chicago Public Library Foundation allows us to provide kids at all
80 CPL branches throughout Chicago
with the opportunity to have fun and keep their minds active over
the summer."
In 2017, Hilco Helps assisted in
raising millions through in-kind donations, direct donations, and
marketing/sponsorship) to support several organizations doing
outstanding work. In addition to direct financial support, Hilco
Global employees donated time to relief efforts in disaster zones,
churches, schools, etc. across the country and provided internship
opportunities to mentor and engage Chicago's youth. This summer the company will
again host several summer job internships for high school seniors
to students involved with Chicago's Youth Guidance and All Stars
Education/Arts programs. Hilco Global remains committed to
its company-wide Hilco Helps
initiative with a mission to improve the lives of those in need
(often children) in communities that are under served and require
assistance to maximize their full potential.
About Hilco Global: Hilco Global
(www.hilcoglobal.com) is a privately held diversified financial
services company and the world's preeminent authority on maximizing
the value of assets for both healthy and distressed
companies. Hilco Global operates as a holding company
comprised of over twenty specialized business units that work to
help companies understand the value of their assets and then
monetize that value. Hilco Global has a 30-year track record
of acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in any
transaction. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible
result by aligning interests with clients and providing them
strategic insight, advice, and, in many instances, the capital
required to complete the deal. Hilco Global is based in
Northbrook, Illinois and has 600
professionals operating on five continents.
About Chicago Public Library: Since 1873,
Chicago Public Library (CPL) has encouraged lifelong learning by
welcoming all people and offering equal access to information,
entertainment and knowledge through innovative services and
programs, as well as cutting-edge technology. Through its 80
locations, the Library provides free access to a rich collection of
materials, both physical and digital, and presents the highest
quality author discussions, exhibits and programs for children,
teens and adults. For more information, please call (312) 747-4050
or visit chipublib.org. To follow CPL on social media, visit us on
Twitter (@chipublib) or Facebook (Chicago Public Library).
About Cradles to Crayons: Cradles to Crayons
provides children from birth through age 12 who live in homeless or
low-income situations with the essential items they need to
thrive—at home, at school, and at play. Cradles to Crayons supplies
these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities
that have with communities that need, collecting new and like-new
children's items through grassroots community drives and corporate
donations. Cradles to Crayons is a national, non-profit with
warehouse operations in Chicago,
Philadelphia and Boston. For
additional information, visit www.cradlestocrayons.org.
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hilco-global-donates-one-million-dollars-of-toys-and-baby-gear-to-be-distributed-to-children-in-chicago-and-boston-300679753.html
SOURCE Hilco Global