Sawbridge Studios Hosts CEDLP Benefit




Mike Foran Public Relations client Sawbridge Studios hosted a special fund-raising evening for the Community Economic Development Law Project (CEDLP) at Sawbridge's Studios River North location at 153 West Ohio Street, Chicago.

Over 150 guests and members of Chicago's legal community previewed the latest hand-crafted furniture and accessory arrivals at Sawbridge, while enjoying a private, after-hours evening of shopping, cocktails and horsd'eouvres. Sawbridge also donated 15% of all sales to CEDLP.

CEDLP was launched in 1985 to respond to an unmet need in the delivery of legal services. The rationale was simple: initiatives undertaken by low-income communities require the same legal expertise, including tax, corporate, real estate and finance counsel, as any other enterprise in order to be successful. However, the cost of these services is beyond the budgets of most of the non-profit organizations serving low-income communities. Today, Project continues to be the only public interest legal organization dedicated to assisting non-profit groups with their neighborhood revitalization efforts.

Too many Chicagoans, and the organizations that serve them, have insufficient resources to meet the challenges posed by job loss, lack of affordable housing and poor schools. The Project remains a nationally recognized model for coordinated and effective legal support for community development programs and small businesses, marshaling an annual average of $2 million in pro bono legal services.

Photos by Angela Garbot.