Annual Luncheon: Sept. 17, 2019

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2019 Annual Luncheon on Tuesday, September 17

Union League Club of Chicago

Thank you to all who attended and contributed to our 2019 Annual Luncheon! JHA was proud to honor the following for their commitment to criminal justice reform:

  • Legislator of the Year: Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

  • Changemaker Award: Kathy Bankhead, Independent Juvenile Ombudsman for Illinois

  • Volunteer Award: Sherise Anderson

  • Partnership Award: Brian Massengill and Mayer Brown

We would like to thank Matthew Charles for attending our luncheon and sharing his experiences both in prison and re-entering society. Matthew was the first beneficiary of the federal First Step Act, and now works for FAMM sharing his story across the country.

We would also like to thank keynote speaker Dr. Homer Venters for joining us and sharing his thoughts on prison healthcare and the need for increased oversight and tracking. He shared that he estimates that at least 1/4 of deaths in prisons and jails are “jail-attributable” - but also asks “why don’t we know this figure (instead of having to estimate it)?” He argued for better tracking of health outcomes in correctional settings, just as is done in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.

Thank you to the following sponsors:

Host:  Anonymous

Platinum:  Anonymous, Frederic J. Artwick, Bluhm Family Foundation, Cynthia Kobel, Project 1-11, Paul & Sarah Jane Titteron/GATX Corporation

Gold:  Ariel Investments, Denton’s LLC USA, Exelon, Jawanza & Preeya Hughes/Goldman Sachs, The Kadens Family Foundation, Kevin McCall/Jenner & Block

Silver:  Terry & Annette Faulk, Mayer Brown, John & Bozena McLees, Joni Stahlman, Patricia Unsinn

Bronze:  Camille Bennett, Arthur and Arlene Don, Craig & Rebeca Huffman, Jane Addams College of Social Work, Illinois Department of Corrections, Loyola University Chicago Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology, MacArthur Foundation, PortionPac Chemical Corporation, SAFER Foundation, Peter Senechalle & Michelle Olson, Joseph F. Vosicky, Jr., Esq., Winston & Strawn LLP

JHA would also like to thank IDOC’s Sheridan Correctional Center for making and donating the event’s centerpieces, and FAMM for sponsoring Matthew Charles’ attendance at our event.

Emma HarrisonPast