300 Philanthropists, Business Leaders and Youth from Chicago’s South and West Sides gather for Fifth Anniversary Celebration at The Standard Club $370,000 raised for innovative inner-city youth development programs

All Stars Project (ASP) celebrated its fifth anniversary in Chicago at the 2012 Partners with Youth Benefit Luncheon on Tuesday, June 19 at The Standard Club. David Heller, global chair of the finance department at Latham & Watkins LLP and Bill Lowry, Jr., special assistant to the president of The Chicago Community Trust were honored for their significant investments and advocacy on behalf of Chicago’s inner-city youth.  Diane Latiker, 2011 Top 10 CNN Hero and president and founder of Kids Off The Block, Professor Robert Halpern, director of the doctoral program and chair of the research council at the Erikson Institute, and Mark Jackson, resource coordinator for Family Focus, received Community Spirit Awards for their innovative work and commitment to inner-city youth development. ABC 7 sports anchor and reporter Rafer Weigel hosted the festivities.

Since 2007, more than 2,500 young people from Englewood, Gage Park, Austin, Woodlawn, Roseland and the city’s toughest neighborhoods have participated in All Stars’ free afterschool programs: the All Stars Talent Show Network and the Development School for Youth. ASP of Chicago is 100% privately funded through a strong partnership with the business community and has increased annual donations by 55% over the past three years.

Under the leadership of director David Cherry, ASP of Chicago has attracted support from dozens of companies including Latham & Watkins, Nuveen Investments, Equity Residential, Winston & Strawn, Grant Thornton and hundreds of individual donors. In 2008 and again in 2010, The Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation initiated challenge grants to encourage increased involvement. http://www.allstars.org/chicago