Women Helping Women partners with Family Focus' Nuestra Familia center to collect winter basics for babies

The first three years of a child’s life, filled with rapid brain growth and the development of cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and motor skills, are critical to their future success. If a child is to truly have the opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential, they need a loving caregiver who affectionately sings, speaks or reads to them and has the knowledge and means to provide the child with a safe environment and healthy food. Family Focus, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the well-being of children by supporting and strengthening families in and with their communities, understands this. That’s why they are committed to providing financially struggling parents with critical resources and educational programs that promote the healthy development of their baby.

For its 2018 Mix-and-Mingle on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Rivers Restaurant, Chicago, Chuhak & Tecson’s Women Helping Women program (WHW) has partnered with Family Focus’ Nuestra Familia and its Baby Bucks program. Nuestra Familia is a support center serving families in Humboldt Park, the Hermosa communities, Cicero and Melrose Park. Hosted annually by the women attorneys of Chuhak & Tecson, WHW is an after-hours networking group that offers professional women the opportunity to build their businesses and support a charitable organization at the same time. While enjoying wine, specialty cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, each Mix-and-Mingle spotlights a different nonprofit agency serving women or women and their children in the Chicagoland area, and showers the organization with gifts and necessities.

Mothers and fathers participating in the Nuestra Familia program receive an incentive—Baby Bucks—for attending group meetings or programs that will positively impact the health of their baby. Baby Bucks are used to purchase much-needed baby items from the center’s store.

“Not only does the Baby Bucks program make critical baby items accessible for families, but it provides them with a sense of independence by allowing them to choose what items their child needs,” said president and CEO of Family Focus, Merri Ex. “We are grateful that Women Helping Women is helping us gather winter items for babies.”

Chuhak & Tecson attorney James Gottlieb first made Women Helping Women aware of the Baby Bucks program and the other important work Family Focus is doing at Nuestra Familia center.

“I have served on the Family Focus board for four years and am proud of their continued growth,” said Gottlieb. “The mothers especially benefit from the Baby Bucks program and that, along with all the programming hosted by Nuestra Familia, creates positive and lasting effects in the lives of their children.”

Attendees for the upcoming event are encouraged to bring winter basics for babies—blankets, pajamas and snowsuits—which are in high demand at the center. A pre-event collection drive will be held for employees of Chuhak & Tecson so they may contribute to this cause as well.

The fall Mix-and-Mingle takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. at Rivers Restaurant, 30 S. Wacker Dr. If you would like to receive an invitation, please contact Jane La Grassa at jlagrassa@chuhak.com.