Swinging in the Sun

This past Friday afternoon, under beautiful skies, 111 golfers teed off in the 10th Annual Kenway Consulting Charity Golf Outing Benefitting ALIVE Rescue.  After a hotly contested scramble, the outing concluded with a buffet dinner, awards to the winners, and our signature General and $12,500 Cash Raffle drawings.

ALIVE Rescue volunteers brought back the Puppy Kissing Booth by popular demand, with five puppies/dogs available for adoption giving kisses (many unsolicited) and displaying lots of affection.  They loved the attention from the golfers, and the golfers loved the attention from the dogs.

Congratulations to our Cash Raffle Winners, Anne Marie Kearns, Kim Brunner and Jaclyn McClellan.  Although their winnings totaled $12,500, they collectively donated $5,300 back to ALIVE Rescue, significantly impacting the total raised.

On behalf of everyone at Kenway, I want to extend a sincere thank you to our sponsors, golfers, donors, raffle purchasers and all who supported this event.  Taking into account all channels of fundraising for the outing, you helped us net $33,000 for this extraordinary charity.

If you are interested in adopting or fostering a cat, a dog or a rabbit, please consider doing so through ALIVE Rescue.

 

Golf Outing Proceeds Already in Action

This past Saturday, 112 golfers teed off in the 9th Annual Kenway Consulting Charity Golf Outing Benefitting Alive Rescue.  Through lots of laughs, whiffs, slices and hooks, the outing concluded with a buffet luncheon, awards to the winners, and our signature General and $12,500 Cash Raffle drawings.

Alive Rescue volunteers brought back the Puppy Kissing Booth by popular demand, with five puppies/dogs available for adoption giving kisses (many unsolicited) and love.  They loved the attention from the golfers, and the golfers loved the attention from the dogs.

Congratulations to our Cash Raffle Winners, Bob Kueker, Geoff Cella and Theresa Barcy.  Although their winnings totaled $12,500, they collectively donated $4,500 back to Alive Rescue, significantly impacting the total raised.

On behalf of everyone at Kenway, I want to extend a sincere thank you to our sponsors, golfers, donors, raffle purchasers and all who supported this event.  Taking into account all channels of fundraising for the outing, you helped us net $36,000 for this extraordinary charity, our largest total to date.

Post Script: On Sunday night, one day after the outing, I heard some distressed crying coming from my neighbor’s back yard. After some detective work and the involvement of a flashlight, I found a tiny, approximately 2-week-old kitten who had been abandoned by his mama/litter. Scared and hungry, he allowed me to pick him up. Through my Alive Rescue connections, I was able to get him to emergency care, at which he was bottle fed, and was cleared as healthy.
Alive Rescue has already found this kitten an amazing foster home (willing to perform feedings every three hours). They asked me to name him. I named him Charcoal, but he will answer to Charlie. If you are interested in Charcoal, another cat, a dog, a rabbit, please consider fostering/adopting through Alive Rescue.

 

 

Charity Golf Outing

Thank you to our sponsors!

 

 

 

Good For Goodness’ Sake

Inspiration Corporation (IC) is a Chicago-based charity that provides job training, job placement, housing and meals to Chicagoans impacted by homelessness and poverty. IC acts as a catalyst for self-reliance for individuals who recognize that they need to make a change, providing a gentle boost to those who are already working their way back to self-sufficiency.

Kenway Consulting is a Chicago-based company that provides consulting services to companies as they seek insight from their information, desire predictability and efficiency regarding their project lifecycles, and initiate and execute transformation for their enterprise. Kenway views itself as a catalyst for change for companies who recognize the need for change, and have a desire to expedite it.

Catalyst is defined as a person or thing that precipitates an event or change. In this sense, IC and Kenway have a lot in common. IC catalyzes changes in people. And Kenway catalyzes changes in companies. IC does it because of its desire to help people. Kenway does it because of its desire to help companies. And we both (at least to date) focus on our backyard of Chicago as the area in which we seek to catalyze this change.

Back in early 2010, when the country was still in what felt like an eternal recession and many were focusing inward on their own wants and needs, the folks at Kenway Consulting wanted to act outwardly and bring greater formalization to our philanthropic efforts. Up to that point, we had been making small splashes in many ponds by being involved in events like Chicago Cares, the Chase Corporate Challenge and the Junior Achievement Bowl-a-Thon, to name a few. These were (and are) great events for great causes, but we wanted to put our own brand, our own stamp, on an event and on a charity, and to make a big splash in a small pond. In September of 2010, Kenway hosted the 1st Annual Kenway Consulting Charity Golf Outing, and named Inspiration Corporation as its beneficiary. We raised a modest net proceed of $10,500.

On Saturday, September 12th, 2015, we hosted the golf outing for the 6th time. And for the 6th straight year, named Inspiration Corporation as our beneficiary. At this year’s event, with the help of hundreds of contributors, sponsors and golfers, we raised net proceeds of $22,000. And with that amount, we brought our 6-year total to $100,000 net proceeds to Inspiration Corporation. We have made the big splash in our backyard pond, and it feels good for goodness’ sake.

 

Boosting Self-Reliance for Those in Need

I like to surround myself with people who are driven, people who take it upon themselves to pursue their own happiness, people who seek to better themselves and improve their lives and the lives of those around them.  I am a firm believer that if each of us were on that path, the world, our country, our state, our city and our neighborhoods would be better places.  However, it is naïve of me to think that we are all on that path.  It is naïve of me to think that everyone was taught those principles early on.  It is naïve of me to think that everyone can get back on that path on their own.

In 2010, my colleagues at Kenway Consulting and I sought to find a charity to benefit from our first annual charity golf outing; a charity whose mission, whose charter, stood for many of the principles that we personally, and as a company, have adopted.  We wanted to find a charity that didn’t simply provide hand-outs.  Don’t get me wrong, there are great people and great charities that do wonderful work by providing hand-outs.  However, we wanted to find a charity who championed self-reliance, as we believed it was critical to align our philanthropic efforts (i.e. financial, voluntary, advisory) with a charity that taught the many principles we held dear.  We found that charity in Inspiration Corporation.

Kenway’s involvement with Inspiration Corporation has now included hosting 4 golf outings, sponsoring Inspiration Corporation’s signature event, One Inspired Evening, each of the last 4 years and volunteering as a group 6 times per year serving meals.  To fully explain all that Inspiration Corporation does in this space is daunting, so I will try to summarize.  You may have heard of Inspiration Kitchens, two public-facing restaurants (one in Uptown, one in Garfield Park).  However, behind the scenes, they do so much more.  They serve as job skills training centers in the culinary space, providing training and job placement to Chicago’s homeless and near-homeless population.  In addition to the Inspiration Kitchens' job training programs, there are also other job readiness programs, including interview training, resume assistance, and more.  To get people out of homelessness, employment is key, but so is a roof over one’s head.  To that end, Inspiration Corporation provides 160 housing units to over 300 formerly homeless people.  Other support services they provide include a meals program, serving roughly 36,000 meals annually, all served by loyal and dedicated volunteers who wait on tables rather than sending participants through a soup line.  The atmosphere of dignity permeates everything this great charity does, including other services such as addiction counseling, healthy-living workshops, etc.

Going back to those original points I made about people pursuing their own happiness, seeking to better themselves and improve their lives and the lives of those around them, I want to say a word about the participants of Inspiration Corporation.  Before coming to Inspiration Corporation, for various reasons, they fell off that path of continued self-reliance and self-betterment.  In some cases, they were on a path quite the opposite.  However, the steps they are now taking to seek betterment, to seek employment, to seek a clean and sober life, and to seek active, positive contribution to our community, is a wonderful first step.  To me, this step they are taking warrants praise, recognition and, when available, assistance from those willing to provide it.  Inspiration Corporation’s tag line is “Catalyst for Self-Reliance.”  I think those words speak volumes about their goals and their intent.

Kenway Consulting is hosting its 5th Annual Charity Golf Outing Benefitting Inspiration Corporation, and is trying to spread the word about this great event to solicit help.  This year, we are hosting the event at Carillon Golf Club in Plainfield, IL on Friday, September 12th, 2014.  And we’d love to see you there.  Help can come in many forms: from golfing, to buying raffle tickets, to sponsoring holes.  We have already raised some amazing raffle items, including hotel stays at the JW Marriott Hotel Chicago and Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago, Bears tickets, Bulls tickets, Second City tickets and various restaurant gift certificates.  And this year, we are including a $10K Cash Raffle, selling only 200 tickets at $100 apiece.  This will result in $10K raised for Inspiration Corporation and $10K awarded at the event, including $7K for first prize, $2K for third prize and $1K for third prize.  And you do NOT need to be there to win!

We hope that you are inspired to help, to enjoy a Friday afternoon outdoors, to buy some raffle tickets or to sponsor a hole.  All the information and instructions can be found kenway2014golf.eventbrite.com.  We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Golfing to Make a Difference – A Truly Inspirational Day

Last month, Kenway Consulting hosted our 4th Annual Kenway Consulting Charity Golf Outing benefiting Inspiration Corporation.  Because of the growth experienced in the first three years, Kenway expanded to a 27 hole course layout this year.  The result was a record turnout with 158 golfers and, most importantly, our largest donation yet to Inspiration Corporation of $19,500!  Sunny skies, virtually no wind and temperatures around 70 provided the perfect backdrop for the charity event.

Through its employment preparation, vocational training, housing and supportive services programs, Inspiration Corporation assists more than 3,000 individuals and families affected by homelessness and poverty each year - serving as a catalyst for self-reliance.  Donations came through multiple streams including green fees, raffle ticket sales, hole sponsorships and personal donations.  In four years, we have raised $56,500 for Inspiration Corporation.  A sincere ‘thank you’ goes out to all of the golfers, sponsors and other contributors for your support.

Over the past four years, it has really been enjoyable to watch the event grow as more and more people contribute.  This year, The Links at Carillon hosted the event and generated many positive reviews with regards to their beautiful course, spacious dinner area and attentive staff.  As a four time golfer myself, it is rewarding to see so many veterans of the event along with the growing number of new participants.  The second Friday in September is starting to become quite a tradition!  As perhaps the last golf outing of the summer, it provides time to catch up with friends we might not typically see and to bond with coworkers, clients, colleagues and partners outside of the office.  More importantly, the outing gives us the opportunity to give back to the community by taking a moment from our daily lives to focus on making a difference while having a great time doing it.

For information on next year’s outing, please contact us at [email protected].

 

Kenway Consulting considered a 'Model for Community Service'

Kenway Consulting was recently recognized by Inspiration Corporation for our dedication to our community service in Chicago. Visit the Inspiration Corporation website to read more!