Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Foundation to Host Premiere Gala “Converging on the Positive” Celebrating 10-Year Anniversary

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Deliver Keynote
Arne Duncan Former U.S. Secretary of Education Delivered the Keynote Address att he JTDCF 10-year Anniversary Fundraising Gala.
Arne Duncan Former U.S. Secretary of Education Delivered the Keynote Address att he JTDCF 10-year Anniversary Fundraising Gala.

Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Foundation to Host Premiere Gala

“Converging on the Positive” Celebrating 10-Year Anniversary

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Deliver Keynote

The Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) Foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary by hosting “Converging on the Positive” fundraising gala on Friday, September 27, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The JTDC Foundation aims to divert youth from the criminal justice system by helping them regain positive control of their lives. Gala honorees include the Union League Boys & Girls Clubs and its president and CEO Mary Ann Mahon Huels, businessman and politician Dr. Willie Wilson, The Resurrection Project CEO Raul Raymundo, and S.T.A.R. Barber College Managing Director Bobby D. Mattison. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is keynoting the event.

“We are extremely excited to host our first fundraising gala and invite everyone to join us in celebrating 10 years of fostering community involvement in the lives of youth in detention,” said Sharon Grant, executive director, JTDC Foundation. “This is such an important event as it helps us raise public awareness about the challenges these youth face and shares how we all can support them in a respectful and nonjudgmental way.”

Proceeds from the gala will support programming that enriches the lives of the more than 300 youth. Programs are designed to inspire cultural awareness and foster community involvement and include The Karman Garden, observances of Black History and Hispanic Heritage Months, and JTDC’s signature program, The Court Involved Youth Project. The Court Involved Youth Project helps youth aged 12-18 return to and remain in their homes and communities by providing them with solid opportunities to increase their educational attainment, labor force participation, and leadership abilities.

“I cannot express the gratitude and how much the JTDC Foundation has changed my life. In a four-year time period, I was nurtured, loved, and taught how to become a successfulyoung lady as a result of the educational, recreational, and life and soft skills programs offered by JTDC Foundation,” says JTDC Foundation graduate Destine Phillip. “I always dreamed of graduating college and becoming something bigger than myself. The Foundation is now supporting my dreams 100 percent. JTDC Foundation is not only saving me and my family, but other youth and generations coming behind me.”

As managing partner at Emerson Collective, Duncan returns to Chicago on a mission to improve the lives of young adults in his hometown. Through partnerships with local business leaders, community organizers, and nonprofit groups, he works to create job and life opportunities for disconnected youth between the ages of 17 and 24. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Duncan served as chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools. Emerson Collective is an organization dedicated to removing barriers to opportunity so people can live to their full potential. Its work centers on education, immigration reform, the environment and other social justice initiatives.

About the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Foundation The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Foundation was founded in 2009 by Earl Dunlap, federal court transitional administrator, and Sharon Grant, executive director, JTDC Foundation. JTDC provides temporary secure housing for youth, from the age of 12 through 21 years, who are awaiting adjudication of their cases by the Juvenile Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Center also provides care for youth who have been transferred from Criminal Court Jurisdiction. These youth would otherwise be incarcerated in the county jail. Each year, the JTDC Foundation supports facility-based programming and activities, serving nearly 3,200 court-involved youth by providing education, life and job skills, and resources needed for them to successfully return and remain in their communities as productive, violent-free citizens. For more information on the JTDC Foundation, how to purchase tickets, or sponsorship opportunities, contact 312-800-3273 or Dannie Stevanovich dstevanovich@jtdcfoundation.org or visit http://www.jtdcfoundation.org.

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