Help nonprofits serving suburbs win an opportunity to receive $120,000 in Grants from Baird & Warner's Good Will Network

CHICAGO - Baird & Warner, Chicagoland's largest locally owned independent residential real estate services company, has announced its charitable arm, the Good Will Network, will donate $120,000 in grants this year to nonprofit organizations that provide shelter and homelessness services to people at risk.

This year's Good Will Network initiative, called "$24K of Solid Good," invites the public to vote online in choosing the five winning organizations that will each receive $24,000. The donations mark a 20 percent increase from last year's Good Will Network donation amount.

"Baird & Warner has been serving every corner of the Chicagoland area since 1855, and any time we see an opportunity to give back to the communities we serve, we seize it," said Jennifer Alter Warden, chief operating officer and executive vice president of Baird & Warner, who leads the Good Will Network's efforts. "Homelessness affects an estimated 82,000 people in the city of Chicago alone. We increased the amount awarded this year to sustain a broader positive impact and help lower the number of homelessness in communities across the entire region."

Baird & Warner's broker associates, loan officers and employees nominated the 10 "$24K of Solid Good" finalists, each of which help serve a variety of community needs with a focus on housing, particularly for women and children. The public is encouraged to vote for the five winners by visiting vote.bairdwarner.com through Aug. 31.

The grants will be awarded to the five charities that receive the most votes. Finalists are:

• Almost Home Kids

• BEDS Plus Care Inc.

• Deborah's Place

• Hephzibah Children's Association

• Housing Opportunities for Women (HOW)

• Marklund (based in Geneva)

• Naperville Responds for Veterans (Naperville)

• PADS of Elgin, Inc. (Elgin)

• REALTORS Against Homelessness (Serving students of Township High School District 211)

• Turning Pointe Autism Foundation

The five winning charities will be announced in September.

Last year, the Good Will Network provided 10 housing-related nonprofit organizations with grants of $10,000 each. From local food drives to annual fundraising events, each and every Baird & Warner office embodies the mission of the Baird & Warner Good Will Network, which was created in 2002 to further the firm's philanthropic spirit. To date, the Good Will Network has donated more than $2.2 million, as well as thousands of volunteer hours, to a wide array of Chicagoland nonprofit organizations focusing on shelter and homelessness.