Tom Ricketts to Headline LINK Unlimited Scholars’ 6th Annual Private Equity Luncheon

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - June 9, 2013 - PRLog -- (CHICAGO) -- Leaders in Chicago’s private equity community will gather to raise funds to support low income, African American scholars  at the 6th Annual LINK Unlimited (http://www.linkunlimited.org) Scholars Private Equity Luncheon at the offices of Winston and Strawn on Tuesday, June 11, noon - 1:30 p.m.  The group will host Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts as their featured speaker.  The event brings together the financial community to support the goals of LINK Unlimited Scholars, which includes providing a high quality education to disadvantaged African American youth, readying the scholars for college, offering opportunities for leadership development, ensuring personal development and encouraging interracial harmony.

The LINK Unlimited approach to education includes matching each incoming student with a mentor for their four years of high school. Mentors, who include experienced professionals from almost every industry, make a commitment to financially support the scholar’s private school tuition and are expected to be a role model and friend to the scholar.  They track the scholar’s progress and provide learning insights and opportunities that support their education. More than half the LINK Unlimited scholars come from homes with annual incomes of less than $40,000. Approximately 70% of the scholars are from single parent homes with a female head of household and the majority of scholars are the first generation in their family to attend college.  Since its inception in 1966, more than 1,800 scholars have received scholarships and mentor support.

“We are very excited to have forged this partnership with the private equity community over the past six years”, said Virgil Jones, President of LINK Unlimited.  We’ve had some dynamic speakers that are wholly in support of our mission to provide a quality education to low income African American youth, and we expect that Tom Ricketts will offer up an equally uplifting message to the group this year.”

Past luncheon speakers have included Patrick Fitzgerald, Northwestern Head Football Coach (2012), Ron Huberman, former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools (2011); Bruce Rauner, founder and former CEO of GTCR Partners (2010); John Canning, Jr., founder and former CEO of Madison Dearborn Partners (2009) and Mike Koldyke, founder of Frontenac Partners and the Golden Apple Foundation, (2008).

For the last 13 years, 100% of LINK Unlimited scholars have been accepted into four year colleges and universities and 85% of the 2013 class will be attending top tier institutions including Brown University, Washington University, Vanderbilt University, Williams College, Grinnell College, Stanford University, University of Notre Dame, Howard University, Colgate University, Hamilton College and Knox College.

2013 sponsors include Fifth Third Bank, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, McGladrey, Schiff Hardin, TCF Capital Funding, The Pritzker Group/Pritzker Foundation, Winston & Strawn LLP, Wintrust Financial/Schaumburg Community Bank, Goldberg Kohn, Crowe Horwath, GE Antares Capital, GEM Realty Capital, Inc., Mayer Brown, BDO USA, LLP, Bank of America, CapX Partners, CIVC Partners, Golder Investment Management, LLC, LIND Capital Partners, Morgan Stanley, The Jordan Company, Willis, and Wind Point Partners.

The event is completed SOLD OUT.  However, if you would still like to support LINK Unlimited Scholars or attend any of our other upcoming events, please contact Marcia Preston, Director, Foundation Giving & Special Events, mpreston@linkunlimited.org 312.225.5465.

ABOUT LINK Unlimited:

The LINK Unlimited Scholars mission is to provide educational college preparatory opportunities for economically disadvantaged African American high school youth.  LINK Unlimited integrates mentoring relationships, service initiatives and spiritual principles to foster academic success, personal development and interracial understanding and harmony.  The LINK Unlimited Scholars approach provides a rigorous support system built to develop and hone the academic and interpersonal skills necessary for admission to top tier colleges and universities, and ultimately, college graduation and a lifetime of success.  Since 1966, LINK Unlimited Scholars has successfully supported over 1,800 scholars.  The number one goal at LINK Unlimited Scholars is to provide every opportunity that will afford the scholars a concrete blueprint by which they can confidently and successfully change the trajectory of their lives

www.linkunlimited.org