Meet Our 2024 Reach Innovation Award Winner – Levenfeld Pearlstein
Meet Our 2024 Reach Pathways Innovation Award Winner, Levenfeld Pearlstein– With this award, we honor a company or organization that has allowed Chicago Scholars and Reach Pathways to reach new heights due to their support and innovation. LP has been an incredible growth partner over the last year, and has allowed us to grow Reach to new stages, and introduce it to new audiences.
We spoke with Suzanne Shier, Of Counsel in the firm’s Trusts and Estates group, about what it means to be recognized for this award, and how it drives LP forward as they continue their work in partnership with Chicago Scholars. Read on for her responses!
What does it mean to you to receive this award?
“I and my LP colleagues are honored to receive this award and even prouder to be part of the Chicago Scholars and REACH Pathways community. Chicago Scholars and REACH Pathways change lives, and we are privileged to be part of that change.”
What has been the best part of working alongside Chicago Scholars?
“Being part of the innovative Chicago Scholars and REACH Pathways community with my LP colleagues and watching Scholars thrive and give back to their communities are a joy. Chicago Scholars’ launch of REACH Pathways, a “L3C”, is a bold step to expand the impact of Chicago Scholars through a powerful combination of personal relationships and gamified technology.
Collaborating with LP colleagues and the team at Chicago Scholars has been energizing and uplifting. It truly takes a village! And after almost thirty years, Chicago Scholars alums are now in leadership roles in professions across the country (and serving on the Board of Directors!). It has been inspiring, gratifying, and motivating to witness the exceptional lives of the program’s Scholars and to see the alums giving back for a better future for those who follow in their footsteps.”
Why should others get involved with Chicago Scholars’ work?
“You will get more than you give; the Scholars are inspiring and motivating. There are many ways to get involved – volunteering, donating, mentoring – and in doing so, you will play a direct role in changing the lives of not only the Scholars, but their families and communities as well.”
What is something you learned from working with Chicago Scholars?
“I have learned that access to education is access to opportunity, and access to opportunity changes lives, families, and communities. Chicago Scholars rise, and as they rise, so do others in their spheres of influence.”