Dear Colleagues:
As we witness the invasion of Ukraine unfold, it is easy to feel despair about the state of the world and feel powerless to change it, but we do have power here in Chicago to make a difference.
The Campaign gives us the opportunity to come together with our peers in the legal community and make a powerful difference we could not on our own. Together, over the past 15 years, we have raised over $20 million to help thousands in our community each year get the legal help they need. In the process, we have leveraged millions more in additional support for these efforts. Thanks to your leadership and generosity, the Investing in Justice Campaign has become the largest campaign of its kind in the country.
All of us have faced challenges and uncertainties like never before in the past two years, but in our legal community, we have taken them on, innovated, and adapted to continue to support our clients. Our clients have needed us more than ever, not only for our legal knowledge and expertise, but also for our tenacity in advocating for them despite whatever is thrown at us. At the same time, our experience in the past two years has sharpened for us the contrast of what it would be like to go through the legal system without a lawyer.
Let’s step into the shoes of our legal aid clients for a moment. Imaging being a domestic violence survivor, and having your daughter kidnapped by your former abuser and taken out of the country. Imagine having served your country but being denied public benefits while suffering from PTSD. Imagine getting locked out of your home despite being current on your rent payments.
Now, imagine navigating through these situations with limited resources during the pandemic. In each case, getting legal help was a turning point in their lives. Silvia got her daughter back. John got double the public benefits he was previously getting, which he needed to support him and his young son. Jenna was able to get back home. These are just a few of the many stories of people you are helping through the Investing in Justice Campaign, bringing life to the principle of justice people deserve, not just what they can afford.
The Investing in Justice Campaign is our way to show our community that we believe in justice for all and that we are committed to leading by example to make that fundamental American principle a reality. It is our way to show our friends, families, and neighbors that they can count on us to do our part to ensure justice is here for all Chicagoans. It is our way to show the world that our city is a place of hope, where “justice for all” is alive and strong.
I look forward to working with you to make this year a year of hope and progress for everyone in our community.
Sincerely,
Carrie Di Santo
Managing Director, Head of ERM & Global Chief Compliance Officer, CME Group
Chair, 2022 CBF Investing in Justice Campaign
To learn more about the Investing in Justice Campaign and its impact visit https://chicagobarfoundation.org/campaign/.