We pride ourselves on not just working in a community, but reaching out to the community around us as well. We, the employees of American Street Mortgage Company, believe that dedicating our time and money to charities is an important part of one’s life. Every month we work with a local Charity , be that serving dinner at a local soup kitchen, visiting local children’s charities or pounding the pavement for a local charity 5K. Charity sees the need not the cause. - German Proverb
1/29/10 The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
1850 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608-1298 http://chicagolighthouse.org/ For 103 years, the Lighthouse has been a national trendsetter in offering far-reaching programs that have opened the doors of opportunity for people who are blind or visually impaired. Housed under our roof are the nation's oldest and most prominent Low Vision Clinics; one of the few clock manufacturing facilities left in the U.S. in which visually impaired workers produce clocks that are distributed around the world; a nationally acclaimed school for children with multi-disabilities; an innovative Legal Clinic to assist people who are blind in combating discrimination; and a VA program to assist veterans in all 50 states With the unemployment rate among blind people surging near 70%, the Lighthouse under the leadership of past executive director, Jim Kesteloot, has worked tirelessly to protect and expand job opportunities for people with visual impairments. In that effort, the Lighthouse is proud to have solicited the past support of President Barack Obama, US Congressman Danny Davis and many others. At the Lighthouse, helping people with visual impairments find jobs is job one! In addition to offering a wide array of educational and training programs, the Lighthouse offers extensive job counseling and placement services.
3/5/10 Bingo Games
1400 West Monroe - Monroe Pavilion Health and Treatment Center The American Street team provided snacks and drinks to disabled veterans at the Monroe Health and Treatment Center, all while participating in a fun filled, yet competitive, game of Bingo. American Street President, Amir Syed, got Bingo twice (he made us tell you this). Bingo!
3/29/10 Dreams for Kids and Monday Night with the Kids Clara’s House
1650 West 63rd Street, Chicago, IL 60636 Dreams for Kids and Monday Night with the Kids (MNWK) are two organizations teaming up to host an event with children from underprivileged areas at Clara’s House. The main focus for our visit was to interact with the children from Clara’s House. The mission of the Monday Night with the Kids’ organization is to help children from underprivileged areas by providing exciting experiences with positive male role models. Teaming up with community centers and tutor programs, MNWK offers unique opportunities for the children in the centers and programs to interact with celebrities and entertainers. Through these events, MNWK aims to provide children with a safe retreat and exciting new experiences. In attendance were the American Street team, former Chicago Bear Jerry Azumah, and NBA bound Jerome Randle.
4/12/10 Lance Briggs-Briggs4Kidz "A Reason to Dream"
Lumen Bar - 839 West Fulton Market Street Chicago Bears’ Lance Briggs is hosted “A Reason to Dream” fundraiser for his nonprofit organization Briggs4Kidz on April 12th, 2010. The event was held at the Lumen in Chicago in an effort to introduce Briggs4kidz to the Chicago area. Attendees included artist BenOne, Copeland Bryan with the Detroit Lions, former Chicago Bear Jerry Azumah, Otis Wilson, Richard Dent, Emery Moorehead, Bruce Herron, Shafer Suggs and many more. Along with Tim Shaw, Nick Roach and a panel of fellow Chicago Bears players and community VIPs, were present to support the cause. “A Reason to Dream is a way that we can make a change in our community and give kids a reason to dream” says Lance. Briggs4Kidz (www.lance-briggs.com/foundation) focuses on raising funds and providing guidance during hard economic times for today’s poverty stricken youth. “A Reason to Dream” featured a silent auction, music by DJ Jem, and other fun entertainment throughout the evening. Signature Room at the 95th will be provided special appetizers, and Stoli will provided an open bar from 6PM-9PM.
December 24, 2009 – On Wednesday evening, Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas, along with his charitable foundation, joined forces with the CARA Program to surprise and present Lateefah Allen, a single mother of six, with the gift of a home makeover for the holidays. When Lateefah Allen and her children arrived home from work and school, Thomas greeted them at the door to unveil the updated home. Thomas redecorated the family’s living room and dining room and providing new furniture, paint, wall, floor and window treatments. In addition to the makeover, Thomas played the role of Santa and provided a new Christmas tree stocked with gifts for Allen and all six children. The gifts, which were personally wrapped by Thomas, included clothes, toys, and educational materials. Thomas would like to thank the following partners for helping to make this event possible: CharitaBulls, American Street Mortgage Company, Midway Moving & Storage, Peacock Design and the McDonald’s Owners of Chicago and Northwest Indiana. TYRUS THOMAS, INC.:
Tyrus Thomas, Inc is dedicated to serving the Baton Rouge and Chicago areas. As a result, the mission of Tyrus Thomas, Inc. is to cultivate and improve the Greater Baton Rouge and Chicago communities by implementing programs geared towards youth outreach, enhancing community development, and providing support to other organizations with similar initiatives and goals. CARA PROGRAM:
The CARA Program is a local organization that assists motivated individuals affected by homelessness and poverty to transform their lives and achieve real, lasting success, by providing comprehensive training, permanent job placement, and critical support services. When Lateefah Allen and her children arrived home from work and school, Thomas greeted them at the door to unveil the updated home. Thomas redecorated the family’s living room and dining room and providing new furniture, paint, wall, floor and window treatments.
December 15th, 2009 - Alexander Graham Bell School, Chicago, IL American Street Mortgage Company enjoys giving back to the community all year long, but during the holidays we place a special emphasis on it with some unique philanthropic events. On December 15th, 2009, for an hour American Street Employees met with the Bell school's students at Alexander Graham Bell School in Chicago. Alexander Graham Bell School is a Chicago Public School that serves almost 950 students from pre-school through 8th grade. The main focus for our visit was to interact with the children of the Bell School Deaf Program. The mission of the Bell school's deaf program is to provide a program that is child-centered, with a variety of opportunities and hands-on experiences to enhance learning for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. They increase the child's love for learning using a curriculum rich in literature and fine arts using teacher-adapted materials. It has served the deaf and hard-of-hearing community since 1917. |
December 14, 2009- Monday Night with the Kids Hosts Annual Xmas Jam  Monday Night With the Kids, hosted it's 2009 Xmas Jam at Sinai Community Institute on Monday December 14th. Children from the Sinai Community Institute sponsored after school program as well as the Lawndale Community Center were in attendance along with special guests multi-platinum recording artist Twista, Chicago Bears pro-bowl defensive lineman Lance Briggs, and recording artist Ben-One. The event was hosted by Power 92.3 FM radio personality, Lisa E.
The event was similar to the organizations previous events and featured a variety of activities for the children and provided an opportunity for the children to interact with the special guests. The children also received Christmas presents at the culmination of the night. MNWK is now entering its second year and remains focused on its original mission to reach out to underprivileged youth and stress the value of education, determination, and hardwork through events which pair them with entertainers and athletes who found success after overcoming societal hardships. Special thanks to organizations and businesses such as NFL Alumni Association, the Chicago Bulls, Bacci's Pizza, American Street Mortgage, 2K Games, EA Sports, Walgreen's, and Signature Room at 95th Floor have all graciously lent their services to help make this event possible.
May 19, 2009- Celebowl with the Chicago Bears MNWK linked up witih Jason McKie, fullback for the Chicago Bears, and his Jason McKie foundation, raising money through a charity bowling event which featured the Chicago Bears.MNWK had two lanes which featured several of the Bears players throughout the night including middle linebacker, Brian Urlacher. Our friends from American Street Mortgage also lent their time for the cause and you will see Sharbel and others from American Street in the pictures bowling away to help the kids!
Jan 26, 2009- Martin Luther King Jr. Center Children from the Martin Luther King Jr. Boys and Girls club attended a pajama jam where they received pajamas and got the chance to interact with Chicago Alderman Bob Fioretti, Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, and Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Fred Evans. The children enjoyed the night playing NBA 2k9, Rock Band 2, and dancing with the special guests. Pizza was graciously sponsored by Papa Luigi's and the event was hosted by Power 92's Lisa E!
Dec 15, 2008- James R Jordan XMas Jam Children from the North Lawndale Community center joined the children at the James R Jordan foundation at the Jordan Foundation (2102 W Monroe) for a XMas Jam where the children got presents and got a chance to interact with Chicago entertainers Twista , Ben One, and Slique. The event was graciously hosted by Power 92.3 Chicago's Lisa E and featured performances from the guest entertainers as well. Food was sponsored by Bacci's Pizza and Papa Luigi's and some presents for the children were sponsored by American Street Mortage. The children also received scarf and mitten sets along with their presents. Younger children enjoyed arts and crafts while the older children tried their hand at Rock Band 2 and Wii Sports. Click here to download images from this event. To simply view the images and to view the event video look below.
Saturday, April 19th 2008 - Schools for Humanity 5K Fun Run, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL  Schools for Humanity is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and learning for the world’s disadvantaged children. Three American Street employees toed the line and braved the windy mist of Lake Michigan to take part in the 5K fun run. Times were not kept, but there was an exciting sprint for the line by two of our employees. We would like to thank CapGemini Group & Sigma Chi Fraternity for partnering on the even with us.
Saturday, March 17th 2008 - Kohl House, Chicago, IL  Kohls House of Children’s Memorial Hospital is a home-away-from-home for transplant patients and their families. A state-of-the-art facility located just steps from the hospital, it offers families a convenient and affordable accommodations during a time of healing and recovery.
Vice President of Sales, Sharbel Shamoon’s team visited Kohl House to meet with a few of the families in residence, and to lend a hand cleaning up the kitchen and living spaces. This was a pleasant surprise to everyone and they really enjoyed the helping hand that American Street offered.
Wednesday, March 5th 2008 - Good News Community Kitchen, 7649 North Paulina, Chicago, IL  The entire American Street family was in attendance to serve dinner at the Good News Community Kitchen. The Good News Community Kitchen serves approximately 150 people between 5:30pm and 6:30pm daily. The volunteers that run the Kitchen have the process of serving that many people in such a short time down to an art. Everyone was amazing, and they loved us lending them a hand. This is an amazing organization and they are doing great things for the local community!
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