Human Connections Amplify Positive Work Happening in Englewood

Supporting Our Communities is one of the pillars of the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility program – Winston for Good – which encompasses hands-on volunteer opportunities, pro bono legal services, charitable giving, sustainability efforts, and other areas.

Winston’s Chicago office has undertaken a multi-faceted effort to partner with the challenged Englewood community and contribute to the positive work taking place there. We are working with Teamwork Englewood to identify opportunities for Winston to support the organization’s Quality of Life Plan, and a number of firm members also are participating in weekly Lend-A-Hand Tutoring sessions with Montessori School of Englewood students.

Our Englewood partnership kicked off in 2019 with a Lunch and Learn program focused on opportunities for firm members to get involved in these efforts. This interactive panel discussion featured Mark Thompson, Director of Operations for Teamwork Englewood; Dr. Marcus Robinson, Managing Director of Englewood’s Collaboration Theatre Company; and Maya Tatum-Lattimore, Coordinator for Capacity Building & Advisory Services with Chicago Cares. Winston Partner Sam Mendenhall, Winston Diversity Operations Lead Chiymelle Nunn, and Karen Gatsis Anderson, wife of Partner Kimball Anderson, each spoke about their work in the Englewood community, and Winston Senior Paralegal Ken Berry moderated.

Nunn, whose grandparents migrated to Chicago from the south and purchased their first home in Englewood in 1955, witnessed disinvestment in Englewood first-hand and wanted to do something to help this community survive. She and other members of the Monarch Awards Foundation, the charitable arm of her college sorority, decided to hold a Thanksgiving food basket distribution at the food pantry inside of her church in Englewood.

“We started the Community Feeding Program 15 years ago with 90 grocery baskets, and by 2019 we were able to provide a turkey and all the trimmings to 1,500 low-income Chicago households for the holiday,” said Nunn. A group of 20 volunteers from Winston were among those who rolled up their sleeves and helped out at the most recent Thanksgiving distribution, packing and handing out the food baskets, serving hot lunches, distributing shoes, coats, and hygiene kits, and touching the hearts and homes of many Englewood families.

Members of Monarch Awards Foundation and its partners also were able to provide toys and books to more than 300 families from three neighborhood schools, including Montessori School of Englewood. The firm donated soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers, and other items for the 1,500 women’s, men’s, and babies’ hygiene kits, which were assembled earlier in the month by 32 Winston volunteers.

“I’m from Englewood, my grandparents my entire family is from Englewood so for me it’s personal and comes from a place of love,” Nunn said. “I’m grateful that Winston has made a focused effort on this community to make what my group is doing even bigger and better.”

Berry, who has volunteered with the Community Feeding Program and other Englewood efforts for many years, noted that people line up the night before and sleep outside so they can be sure they get one of the turkeys. “I have personally been in a situation where I lost everything and needed help, so I know how it feels firsthand,” he said. “It is truly a blessing and pleasure to be in a position to help others.”

Anderson, a founding board member of Montessori School of Englewood, said “If you go to Englewood and engage with the people there, you learn that despite all of their struggles, they really want what’s best for their kids and to improve their community. Volunteers can go a long way toward making that possible.”

Many of our other Community Feeding volunteers echoed these sentiments, stating that:

“For me, service and volunteering are all about community engagement, connecting with those around us, and learning from others. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do so with Winston.”

“My desire is to give back to those less fortunate, and to let them know that they matter and should be granted the privilege to embrace and take advantage of the good deeds others are willing to share with them.”

“While I was there to volunteer, I did not leave empty-handed—my heart was filled with joy, memories of the conversations, smiles, and the outpouring gratitude from the residents throughout the community.”

“I’m very thankful and blessed to know I am able to help give back to communities that are struggling. Seeing how appreciative the recipients are warms my heart.”

“The feeling of gratitude and compassion that comes with helping others, getting to know and work with other Winston volunteers, and knowing that are creating a permanent relationship in the communities we work in are a few of the things that inspire me to give back.”

In October 2019, another group of Winston for Good volunteers participated in a hands-on project in Englewood at Growing Home, the first and only USDA-certified organic high-production farm in Chicago. Firm members built a storage shed, planter boxes, and architectural benches; helped with weeding and landscaping; and learned about the job training program, learning garden, and wide variety of produce Growing Home provides in the Englewood community.