The Big Shoulders Fund honored its president and CEO, Joshua Hale, with the 2016 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Humanitarian Award at its biennial celebration dinner May 26 at the Hilton Chicago. Before a crowd of 1,100, Hale accepted the honor from co-chairmen Monsignor Ken Velo, John Canning and Jim O’Connor. This is only the 14th time the award has been presented. The first honoree was Bob Hope in 1988.
Before the program and dinner in the International Ballroom, students from schools that Big Shoulders supports played hoops with guests as they enjoyed ballpark fare. Participating schools included St. Malachy, St. Nicholas of Tolentine, St. Sabina, St. Francis de Sales, Leo, Our Lady of Tepeyac and Holy Trinity. Dan McGrath, president of Leo High, called Big Shoulders “an inspiration and a lifeline for us.”
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Canning, Velo and O’Connor welcomed guests and then sat onstage as Broadway’s Jenn Gambatese serenaded them to “Popular” from the musical “Wicked.” Archbishop Blase Cupich offered a blessing and spoke about Bernardin’s vision for the organization he founded 30 years ago.
Joselyn Reyes, a Big Shoulders Fund scholar, addressed the donors in the audience. “You are helping to open doors across the city, strengthening schools that are critical to people like my parents for helping their children realize their dreams.” Reyes, an honor student at Our Lady of Tepeyac, plans to study engineering.
Canning spoke about honoree Hale and described his energetic style as “kinda like having a large chipmunk on speed.” Velo shared the impact Hale has had on the organization. “Under Josh’s leadership over the last 10 years, Big Shoulders has raised more than double what was raised in our first 20 years, reaching over $300 million today.” The Q Brothers performed a custom hip-hop musical based on Hale’s life accompanied by students from the Big Shoulders Fund choir.
During his acceptance speech, Hale announced the establishment of a new scholarship endowment in the name of founding chairman James J. O’Connor with a $1 million initial commitment from Rita and John Canning, a $1 million donation from Beth and Bruce White and a $500,000 donation from David Herro. Richard Driehaus was acknowledged and thanked for underwriting a “significant” portion of the dinner, and Elizabeth Cole, O’Connor’s daughter, was thanked for her work as chair of the arrangements committee.
The event was the most successful in the history of the organization, raising more than $12.5 million. The funds will provide education and leadership development and operational support for 82 inner-city Catholic schools that educate nearly 21,000 children, of whom 80 percent are minority, 61 percent live in poverty and 30 percent are non-Catholic. Ninety-five percent of Big Shoulders Fund students graduate from high school.
Hale concluded, “The future is so bright for Big Shoulders, and we believe, without a doubt, that our schools are central to the fabric of the city, keeping families and children rooted in their communities.”
Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved with many local organizations, including some whose events she covers.
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Find more photos and events at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace. Visit Candid Candace’s website at www.candidcandace.com, or follow her on Twitter @CandidCandace.
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