Thomas A. Demetrio Award of Excellence Granted to Chicago Lights Tutoring
From left: Andy Grass, Tutor; Rita Planera, Corboy & Demetrio; Devon Collins, Student; Alex Cornwell, Chicago Lights
Corboy & Demetrio is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2019 Thomas A. Demetrio Award of Excellence is Chicago Lights Tutoring, which provides students at the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago with one-on-one tutoring and mentoring services. The Award was presented at the Chicago Bar Association Lawyers Lend-A-Hand Annual Spring Awards Dinner on April 25, 2019.
“Chicago Lights is a home for me and so many others,” said Devon Collins, a student at Christ the King High School, who spoke at the dinner and who has received tutoring from Chicago Lights since the first grade. “I am so happy I went to Chicago Lights tutoring because they inspire me to be the best that I can be,” Collins added.
The Award, named in honor of Thomas A. Demetrio, President and Co-founder of Corboy & Demetrio, and funded by him, is given annually to tutoring and mentoring programs that impact the lives of underprivileged youth in Chicago.
Background on Lawyers Lend-A-Hand and Thomas Demetrio
In 1992, the Lend-A-Hand Award of Excellence was created by Thomas A. Demetrio while he was President of the Chicago Bar Association(CBA), with a desire to impact the lives of Chicago’s underprivileged children by recognizing the efforts of exceptional tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago communities. The CBA under the leadership of Thomas Demetrio, initiated the Lend-A-Hand Program in 1995, and it has continued to evolve ever since. The Lend-A-Hand program was created in dedication to the lasting memory and generosity of Tom’s mentor, the Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz. In addition to the Demetrio Award, the LAH has given gifts of more than $1.6 million to worthy mentoring programs. Thomas Demetrio is a Life Fellow of the Chicago Bar Foundation and has served on the Lend-A-Hand Advisory Board since 1994.