Each year at our Annual Luncheon, Legal Aid Chicago recognizes one individual and organization as our Champion of Justice awardees. This year, we honor Ted Helwig and the AKArama Foundation, Inc. for their commitment to the fight for equal justice.
2024 CHAMPION OF JUSTICE AWARD | TED HELWIG
Legal Aid Chicago recognizes Helwig for his many years on Legal Aid Chicago’s Board of Directors, including two terms as the Board’s Co- Chair and Vice Chair of the Board. Ted retired as a partner at Katten Munchin Rosenman LLP in 2022 after 34 years of service. Before Katten, Ted was as an Assistant US Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago from 1983-1989.
Passionate about Legal Aid Chicago’s mission to provide high quality civil legal aid to people living in poverty, Ted is now on the Board of Legal Action Chicago, Legal Aid’s nonprofit subsidiary, where he continues to help focus on policies and systems that harm groups of people or entire communities, with a priority on addressing racial equity. We honor Ted for his outstanding long-term commitment to Legal Aid Chicago, our staff and our clients, and to our shared mission of equal justice for all!
COMMUNITY PARTNER HONOREE | THE AKARAMA FOUNDATION, INC.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® (AKA) is the oldest Greek sorority established by African-American women in the United States. Theta Omega Chapter was the first AKA graduate member chapter, chartered in Chicago in 1922. In 1981, Theta Omega Chapter established the AKARAMA Foundation to serve communities in need. The AKArama Foundation is dedicated to implementing the International programs Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. These programs are designed to enhance the social, economic, and educational well-being of the local, national, and international communities.
Legal Aid Chicago is proud to join the AKArama Foundation’s mission. For nearly a decade and a half, the AKARAMA Foundation has been host to our Woodlawn Legal Clinic, helping over 2,500 people to access free legal services. Their staff and members have been a welcoming presence to our clients at every Legal Clinic. Their support to Legal Aid Chicago is just one of the ways the AKARAMA Foundation and Theta Omega Chapter embody the Sorority’s mission of “Service to All Mankind!”
In the words of the Foundation’ President, Felicia Stanton Gray “We are humbled and pleased to celebrate a remarkable collaboration that has spanned over a decade: the AKARAMA Foundation, Inc., alongside the brilliant legal minds from DLA Piper and Legal Aid Chicago, have tirelessly worked to offer free legal assistance, transforming the lives of thousands of families in the Woodlawn Community. This exceptional partnership, not only focused on legal aid but supporting programs that addressed various social issues. It symbolizes our collective commitment to empowering our community, providing invaluable opportunities for growth, and learning, and nurturing a brighter, more hopeful future for all involved.”
Celebrate our Champions of Justice at this year’s Annual Luncheon on Thursday, June 20th!