Friday, March 15, was an evening filled with energy, positivity, and inspiration! Thank you to EVERYONE who attended Lumity’s Annual Benefit and celebration of 40 years of service to Chicago! The night was filled with firsthand stories from young people explaining what Lumity has meant to them. Six uber-talented student teams from our STEM Career Prep program held court during cocktail hour, sharing their STEM Fair solutions for local business clients needing better websites, stronger social media presence, and operational improvements. Viking Ventures, a team of five seniors at Amundsen High School, took home the top prize thanks to their smart recommendations for client L&M Fine Foods. Special thanks to CDW for generously providing excellent prizes for our winning and second-place teams. And a Lumity shoutout to Accenture’s Johann Bittner, who mentored Viking Ventures as a volunteer coach.

Learning to communicate effectively is a key component of our STEM Career Prep program, so we brought in expert communicator Steve Johnson, founder and principal of SJConnects, to help students prepare for the evening. Steve designed and led a special workshop for our students where they learned about the power of storytelling, strategies for better connecting with listeners, and tips for interacting with an audience. We send a big Lumity shoutout to Steve for sharing his talents with our students! As emcee of Friday’s Annual Benefit, Steve witnessed firsthand how the young communicators put their new skills to the test in front of hundreds of Lumity supporters. And special thanks to Discover for hosting prep sessions at their fabulous Customer Care Center in Chatham!

Lumity’s Annual Benefit is a joyful celebration of Chicagoland youth and the transformational experiences that prepare them for lifelong STEM careers. It’s always an opportunity to express heartfelt gratitude to companies like Ferrara that make these experiences possible. Ferrara returned this year as a STEM Transformer sponsor of our Annual Benefit. This candy company’s generous sponsorship helps Lumity design and deliver programs that prepare young people for lifelong success in STEM careers. Partners like Ferrara are invaluable for the youth we serve. This past year, the Ferrara team has hosted multiple events for our students, including a career panel titled “If you can dream it, you can be it!” Their teammates serve as coaches, advisors, and role models day in and day out. Thank you, Ferrara, for everything you do! You are helping us to transform lives, one young person at a time!

The evening was a great celebration of how we’re changing young lives and a reminder of how important this work is for students across our great city!

Thank you to all of our 2024 Sponsors

STEM Transformer- $50K

Ferrara

STEM Innovator- $25K

Allstate
CDW
Creospan
UL Solutions

STEM Accelerator- $12,500

Clarity Partners
ComEd
Google Cloud

STEM Spark Igniter- $5K

Accenture
EY
KPMG
McKinsey & Company
Old National Bank 
USG