CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blackman Kallick Plante Moran, the newly-merged sixth largest accounting firm in Chicago, announced today the first round of online voting is open for its Chicago Community Champions donation contest where 90 Chicago-area not-for-profit organizations are competing to win a $25,000 award and to raise visibility for their causes.
The participating not-for-profit organizations would use the award to support community causes such as arts and culture, education, youth development, environment, social services, or community development. Supporters can review the organizations’ missions, see how they plan to use the award, and vote at bkmerger.plantemoran.com and click “Chicago Community Champions” at the top of the page.
Voting for the Chicago Community Champion will run in three rounds. The first round begins July 23 and ends August 3 at noon. The top 20 candidates will advance to a second round that runs from August 6 at 8 a.m. and ends August 10 at noon. Votes do not accumulate from the previous round. A third and final round of voting for the top 10 candidates will open on August 13 at 8 a.m. and close on August 17 at noon. All times are Central Daylight Time. The winner will be announced on August 20.
The participating organizations completed a self-nomination process and are:
- Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc.
- Adler Planetarium
- Advocate Charitable Foundation
- Alain Locke Initiative
- Albany Park Community Center
- Almost Home Kids
- Alzheimer's Association, Greater Illinois Chapter
- American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, Inc.
- American Friends of the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled
- Anderson Animal Shelter
- ARK
- Atia's Project Ladybug Fund
- Bernie's Book Bank
- Big Shoulders Fund
- Boys & Girls Club of Elgin
- Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Catholic School
- Cathedral Shelter of Chicago
- Center for Economic Progress
- Chicago Architecture Foundation
- Chicago Botanic Garden
- Chicago Cares
- Chicago Classical Recording Foundation
- Chicago Opera Theater
- Chicago Public Media
- Chicago Sinfonietta
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County
- Children's Home + Aid
- Children's Research Fund (f/k/a Medical Research Institute Council)
- Child's Voice
- Chinese Fine Arts Society (CFAS)
- Christian Brother Services
- Clean Energy Trust
- Common Threads
- Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4)
- Connections for Abused Women and their Children
- Connections for the Homeless
- Creative Go-Round
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago
- Erasing the Distance
- Evanston History Center
- Free Spirit Media
- Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance
- Generation Mirror
- Great Books Foundation
- Hektoen Institute
- Hispanic Housing Development Corp.
- Holiday Heroes Foundation
- Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
- IMD Guest House Foundation
- Infant Welfare Society of Chicago
- Inspiration Corporation
- Irish Music School of Chicago
- Japan America Society of Chicago
- Jewish Council for Youth Services
- K.I.D.S.S. for Kids
- KEEN Chicago
- Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago
- LEARN Charter School Network
- Lumity
- Luna Negra Dance Theater
- Mended Little Hearts of Chicago
- Merit School of Music
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
- National Able Network
- National Football Foundation - Chicago Metro Chapter
- National Latino Education Institute (NLEI)
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital Physicians Group (NMPG)
- One Hundred Club of Cook County (DBA 100 Club of Chicago)
- One Million Degrees (formally Illinois Education Foundation)
- Pioneer Center for Human Services
- Posse Foundation
- Ravinia Festival Association
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and NW Indiana
- Seguin Services, Inc
- Special Olympics Illinois
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company
- Strawdog Theatre Company
- Thresholds
- TRI Industries, NFP
- Trilogy Inc.
- U.S. Green Building Council - Illinois Chapter
- Union League Boys & Girls Clubs
- United Way of Elgin
- Wounded Heroes Foundation
- WTTW
- Youth Job Center
- YWCA Elgin
- YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Visit bkmerger.plantemoran.com for short summaries and mission statements for each candidate and access to the organizations' websites for more background. Voters are encouraged to visit the Chicago Community Champions page as often as they would like, and vote for the not-for-profit organization they would like to see continue to the next round.
About Plante Moran
Plante Moran is among the nation’s largest certified public accounting and business advisory firms, providing clients with tax, audit, risk management, financial, technology, business consulting, and wealth management services. Plante Moran has a staff of more than 2,000 professionals throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois with international offices in Shanghai, China; Monterrey, Mexico; and Mumbai, India. Plante Moran has been recognized by a number of organizations, including FORTUNE magazine, as one of the country’s best places to work. Effective July 1, 2012 the partners and staff of Blackman Kallick joined Plante Moran.