Auxiliary Board

The Midtown Educational Foundation Auxiliary Board is comprised of a group of young professionals and community leaders who are advocates for MEF in their personal & professional networks. The Auxiliary Board focuses on the following three primary goals:

Volunteer Recruitment

Over 300 young professionals work weekly with one 4th, 5th, or 6th grade student. The majority are referred by a friend.

“The friends, families and students who surround this organization are my main inspiration. It’s an organization where you can see that your time and/or money is making a direct, positive impact.”
— Auxiliary Board member

Volunteer Retention

Tutor socials, the annual Volunteer Appreciation Christmas Party, an MEF running team and more keep tutors engaged.

Fundraising

Primarily through the Raffle for the Kids and Summer Rooftop Soiree, the Auxiliary Board looks to raise funds to support the programs that help kids and parents at Midtown & Metro unlock their potential.

For questions about joining the board, contact Chelsea Gibson

Upcoming Auxiliary Board Events
6th Annual MEF Soiree
May 18
Architectural Artifacts
6th Annual MEF Soiree
Architectural Artifacts
Architectural Artifacts

MEF Auxiliary Board

Auxiliary Board News

*Bold: Executive Committee

CO-CHAIRS

Jack Diamond           
KIWI-TEK

Bryanna Gomez        
St. Giles School

Leadership COuncil

Nicole Bersani
Chicago Cubs

Melissa Burns
Aon

Cailie Furlong
CH Robinson

Chelsea Gibson
Midtown Educational Foundation

Steve Gorski
The Siegfried Group, LLP

Alexandra Krall
PepsiCo

JoAnn Lim
City of Chicago Department of Law

Sean Madison
Foxtrot Ventures, Inc.

Elizabeth Morgan
Indian Prairie School District

Maureen Ray
Ketchum

Camden Robertson
Golin

Steven Schwegman
Praxair

Rachael Skinner
CPS

Flor Torres
Evanston Capital Management, LLC
 

Sean Wallace
Oak Ridge Investment

Members

Matt Bares
Keno Kozie Associates

Maria Barrios
PepsiCo

Samuel Bell
Canon Solutions America

Greta Brauer
PMsquare

Amanda Chavez
JPMorgan Chase Bank

Ashley Christensen
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana

Justin Clapper
BMW Technology Group

Joseph Clark
Aldo

Randall DeVaul
Chicago Public Schools

Jessi Donaldson
University of Illinois at Chicago - College of Business

Trent Downey
IRI

Matthew Georgopulos
State Farm Insurance

Clemente Hernandez
Coyote Logistics

Aaron Hui
Glide Productions Inc.

Brian Kahn
Wells Fargo

Kathleen Kelleher
Salesforce

Peter Kenney
Northern Trust

Blair Kessler
McKinsey & Company

Anne King
Noodles and Company

Kevin Klein
KI Industries

Ela Kus
Premise Health Clinic

Carolyn McChesney
Korn Ferry

Monica McCormack
Northern Trust

Sarah Muntz
William Blair

Elizabeth Perez
FTI Consulting

Andrew Rehn
Xceltrati

Marty Riva
@properties

Christopher Saletta
Salo, LLC

Lekhani Sarker
Synchrony Financial

Hannah Shearer
Travelers Insurance

Ellen Strenk
Fifth Third Bank

Chris Unterfranz
Salesforce

Seejo Valacheril
Morningstar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured
New Series: MEF Tutor Spotlight

We’re kicking off a new series of posts spotlighting our wonderful tutors and the ways they go above and beyond for our students. Stay posted each month for a spotlight on a Midtown and Metro tutor!

Read More →
Raffle for the Kids Prizes Rolling In!
Raffle for the Kids Prizes Rolling In!

Tickets are 1 for $25 and 5 for $100. If you buy raffle tickets in advance, they are automatically entered to win the $5,000 grand prize! If you buy tickets at the event, you'll choose to enter your tickets to win one of the prize baskets or the grand prize.

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Honoring Volunteers During National Mentoring Month

Sam Bell, Dr. Kathryn Duda, Tad Brubaker and Sam Brilliant recieved the Volunteer of the Year Awards at the annual Volunteer Appreciateion Party.

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Auxiliary Board Co-Chair Profile
Auxiliary Board Co-Chair Profile

MEF's Auxiliary Board Jack Diamond talks about his experiences tutoring, exciting plans for the Auxiliary Board and this year's rooftop Soiree.

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Kickball Success!
Kickball Success!

Congrats to tournament winners AIM Consulting! Together, we raised over $11,000 for MEF kids! Couldn’t make it the kickball tournament, but want to give back? Consider joining Midtown or Metro as a volunteer this school year!

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It Started with a Tweet: MEF Socials
It Started with a Tweet: MEF Socials

The first MEF Social was organized via Twitter. Since then, over ten establishments across the city have hosted MEF Socials raising upwards of $6,000.

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Announcing Raffle for the Kids Prizes
Announcing Raffle for the Kids Prizes

The $5,000 Raffle for the Kids Grand Prize will be drawn at the Rooftop Soiree on May 28. Auxiliary Board members have collected over 50 other prizes to fill several prize baskets that guests can enter to win. Read more to see the full list!

Read More →
Auxiliary Board Member Feature
Auxiliary Board Member Feature

Chuka Onugu, an employee of GE, had been involved with MEF for about one year as a volunteer tutor before joining the Auxiliary Board. He had such a positive experience that he wanted to help the organization beyond weekly tutoring.

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MEF Announces Megan Miller as New Auxiliary Board Co-Chair

Starting this month, Megan Miller of the Chicago Sun-Times will assume the role of Midtown Educational Foundation Auxiliary Board Co-Chair.

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And the MEF Kickball Tournament trophy goes to...

At Oz Park on Saturday, September 6, the Auxiliary Board hosted their 2nd Annual Kickball Tournament

Read More →
Past Auxiliary Board Events
Charity Class at Barry's Bootcamp
Mar 24
Charity Class at Barry's Bootcamp
MEF Mingle: Sippin' with Sedgwick's
Feb 23
MEF Mingle: Sippin' with Sedgwick's
Volunteer Appreciation Christmas Party
Dec 12
Volunteer Appreciation Christmas Party
MEF Mingle: Old Town Social
Nov 16
MEF Mingle: Old Town Social
Oct 20
Bucktown Pub Chili Cook-Off
Midtown-Metro Kickball Tournament
Sep 9
Midtown-Metro Kickball Tournament
MEF Mingle: Ranalli's
Jul 5
MEF Mingle: Ranalli's
MEF Mingle: Benchmark
Jun 5
MEF Mingle: Benchmark
MEF Spring Soiree
May 19
MEF Spring Soiree
MEF Mingle: Sippin' with Sedgwick's
Mar 10
MEF Mingle: Sippin' with Sedgwick's

MEF Instagram Feed 

Who wouldn’t want a 6-month supply of KIND Bars? Thanks to our friends at @kindsnacks the MEF Soiree raffle just got that much better! Purchase your raffle tickets at midtown-metro.org/raffle
Who wouldn’t want a 6-month supply of KIND Bars? Thanks to our friends at @kindsnacks the MEF Soiree raffle just got that much better! Purchase your raffle tickets at midtown-metro.org/raffle
The #MEFsoiree and Raffle for the Kids are one month from TODAY!! Do you have your tickets yet? We can’t wait to celebrate with all the MEF fans and friends while benefiting the kids at Midtown & Metro! Get your tickets at midtown.org/soiree ➡️ link in profile!
The #MEFsoiree and Raffle for the Kids are one month from TODAY!! Do you have your tickets yet? We can’t wait to celebrate with all the MEF fans and friends while benefiting the kids at Midtown & Metro! Get your tickets at midtown.org/soiree ➡️ link in profile!
Good luck to all the #bostonmarathon2018 runners today!! Makes us remember fondly hearing from @kathrineswitzer at the #macluncheon - the first woman to officially run the #bostonmarathon (and she ran it again last year on the 50th anniversary of the occasion. Talk about inspiration!) Her message of positivity and perseverance is one we can never hear enough! 🏃🏾‍♀️Link in profile 🏃🏼‍♀️
Good luck to all the #bostonmarathon2018 runners today!! Makes us remember fondly hearing from @kathrineswitzer at the #macluncheon - the first woman to officially run the #bostonmarathon (and she ran it again last year on the 50th anniversary of the occasion. Talk about inspiration!) Her message of positivity and perseverance is one we can never hear enough! 🏃🏾‍♀️Link in profile 🏃🏼‍♀️
We’re kicking off a new series of posts spotlighting our wonderful tutors and the ways they go above and beyond for our students! First up: Gianna Abruzzo at Metro & Marty Riva at Midtown #MEFtutorspotlight • Midtown Tutor Spotlight: Marty Riva | When Marty had to switch to tutoring on Thursday evenings, his student pleaded with his parents to switch to Thursdays as well so that he could continue being tutored by Marty! That is the ultimate compliment for a tutor. Marty has even given the family a ride home after program so they wouldn't take the CTA home and have to deal with the cold. • Metro Tutor Spotlight: Gianna Abruzzo | The other night after program, a parent's car died and she had no way of leaving. Overhearing staff ask other parents for help, Gianna volunteered to jump it! She took the initiative to go search for the parent outside and then went back to the parking lot to bring her car around to jump it. She was incredibly thoughtful and the parent was able to get home safe!
We’re kicking off a new series of posts spotlighting our wonderful tutors and the ways they go above and beyond for our students! First up: Gianna Abruzzo at Metro & Marty Riva at Midtown #MEFtutorspotlight • Midtown Tutor Spotlight: Marty Riva | When Marty had to switch to tutoring on Thursday evenings, his student pleaded with his parents to switch to Thursdays as well so that he could continue being tutored by Marty! That is the ultimate compliment for a tutor. Marty has even given the family a ride home after program so they wouldn't take the CTA home and have to deal with the cold. • Metro Tutor Spotlight: Gianna Abruzzo | The other night after program, a parent's car died and she had no way of leaving. Overhearing staff ask other parents for help, Gianna volunteered to jump it! She took the initiative to go search for the parent outside and then went back to the parking lot to bring her car around to jump it. She was incredibly thoughtful and the parent was able to get home safe!
Work out for a cause! Thanks to everyone who came today for the Pre-soirée workout party! And thanks to @barrysbootcamp for hosting!! Don’t forget - early bird soirée ticket sales end 3/31 get yours today at midtown.org/soiree
Work out for a cause! Thanks to everyone who came today for the Pre-soirée workout party! And thanks to @barrysbootcamp for hosting!! Don’t forget - early bird soirée ticket sales end 3/31 get yours today at midtown.org/soiree
Over 120 students attended Mother/Daughter Day! They had the opportunity to write letters of appreciation for their mother and were able to accompany those cards with roses. Everyone had a lovely time!
Over 120 students attended Mother/Daughter Day! They had the opportunity to write letters of appreciation for their mother and were able to accompany those cards with roses. Everyone had a lovely time!
This note from a Midtown mom captures the magic that is happening everyday between MEF students and their mentors: Hello Mr. Parker, Just a brief note to inform you and share the great news. After successfully graduating from high school, my son will be attending Middlebury College in Vermont this fall. Thanks for your support and encouragement to our young men in need of male role figures and encouragement. My son truly looks up to you. I can simply assure you that you hold a very special place in my son's heart. May your journey continue to be blessed, always. Best, Midtown mom
This note from a Midtown mom captures the magic that is happening everyday between MEF students and their mentors: Hello Mr. Parker, Just a brief note to inform you and share the great news. After successfully graduating from high school, my son will be attending Middlebury College in Vermont this fall. Thanks for your support and encouragement to our young men in need of male role figures and encouragement. My son truly looks up to you. I can simply assure you that you hold a very special place in my son's heart. May your journey continue to be blessed, always. Best, Midtown mom
Metro is excited to host the annual Mother/Daughter luncheon today! This year the theme is The Infinite Value of a Mother's Heart. Stay tuned!
Metro is excited to host the annual Mother/Daughter luncheon today! This year the theme is The Infinite Value of a Mother's Heart. Stay tuned!
We’re still smiling ear to ear from the inspiring, fearless message from our student and keynote speaker last week at the #MACluncheon!! Read the Event recap - link in profile
We’re still smiling ear to ear from the inspiring, fearless message from our student and keynote speaker last week at the #MACluncheon!! Read the Event recap - link in profile
Packed house for the Metro Luncheon today with Kathrine Switzer!! #MACLuncheon
Packed house for the Metro Luncheon today with Kathrine Switzer!! #MACLuncheon
Don’t forget to bring your unused or half spent gift cards to the MAC Luncheon on Friday!! Through our partnership with @raise, we can convert them into donations to support MEF programs!
Don’t forget to bring your unused or half spent gift cards to the MAC Luncheon on Friday!! Through our partnership with @raise, we can convert them into donations to support MEF programs!
Anca used to tutor Carolina at Metro about 7 years ago. Now, Carolina has graduated and is working and they came to catch up at Friday’s #MEFmingle @sedgwicksbar! It was a great night with the Aux. Board benefiting MEF kids!
Anca used to tutor Carolina at Metro about 7 years ago. Now, Carolina has graduated and is working and they came to catch up at Friday’s #MEFmingle @sedgwicksbar! It was a great night with the Aux. Board benefiting MEF kids!
Mef alumni do you remember which field trip was your favorite one? Share with us!
Mef alumni do you remember which field trip was your favorite one? Share with us!
Early bird tickets for the #MEFSoiree on sale now! Get yours today at the link in profile. Special thanks to our sponsors so far @riveronconsulting William Blair and @c.h.robinson
Early bird tickets for the #MEFSoiree on sale now! Get yours today at the link in profile. Special thanks to our sponsors so far @riveronconsulting William Blair and @c.h.robinson
#throwbackthursday to another one of Metro's service projects! One-on-one students learned about compassion and generosity by using their talents to serve others. Students and tutors baked cookies and shared these treats with residents at St. Luke Renaissance-Greenview Place. #cookiesandcompassion #MEFfieldtrips
#throwbackthursday to another one of Metro's service projects! One-on-one students learned about compassion and generosity by using their talents to serve others. Students and tutors baked cookies and shared these treats with residents at St. Luke Renaissance-Greenview Place. #cookiesandcompassion #MEFfieldtrips
Last summer the Midtown boys had a great opportunity to attend the Bears' training camp! What an amazing experience! #MEFfieldtrips
Last summer the Midtown boys had a great opportunity to attend the Bears' training camp! What an amazing experience! #MEFfieldtrips
Here's a #throwback of Metro students volunteering at St. Chrysostom! We love to give back to our community in any way possible.
Here's a #throwback of Metro students volunteering at St. Chrysostom! We love to give back to our community in any way possible.
With winter in full swing and in the midst of the cold weather, we'll be recalling some of our fun summer field trips during the month of February! #MEFfieldtrips
With winter in full swing and in the midst of the cold weather, we'll be recalling some of our fun summer field trips during the month of February! #MEFfieldtrips
Super grateful for the 15 @walgreens employees who volunteered on Friday at Midtown painting and sprucing up the Center!
Super grateful for the 15 @walgreens employees who volunteered on Friday at Midtown painting and sprucing up the Center!
Ivette and Margaret are about to be live in 5 min on @tastytrade talking about the Apprenticeship programs! Tune in at tastytrade.com
Ivette and Margaret are about to be live in 5 min on @tastytrade talking about the Apprenticeship programs! Tune in at tastytrade.com

Find us on Instagram @midtownmetro!