Bob Love to speak at Salvation Army appreciation event

Bob "Butterbean" Love, #10 Chicago Bulls, will be the special guest speaker for The Salvation Army's Community Appreciation event from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.

The appreciation event is free to donors, vendors and supporters of The Salvation Army of Aurora. Fifth Ward Alderman Carl Franco and Laurie Franco will host the event as Honorary Christmas Chairs and kick off this year's red kettle campaign.

Love's NBA career spanned 11 years including eight of those seasons with the Bulls. On Jan. 14, 1994, Bob became the second Chicago Bull to have his jersey (No. 10) retired. He is a three-time NBA All Star and is ranked third on the Bulls' all-time scoring list with 12,623 points. He serves as an honorary spokesperson for the National Stuttering Federation of America. Additionally, he serves on the board of the National Brain Injury Association of Illinois. He also released a documentary about his life titled, "Find Yourself a Dream: The Bob Love Story", and spoke across the country to audiences about the film, which documents his struggles to overcome adversity and his stuttering disability to make his dreams come true.

For over 130 years, The Salvation Army of Aurora has provided emergency assistance including food and shelter to those in need in Southern Kane and Kendall counties. In 2015, more than 7,800 bags of groceries were given out to families to combat hunger (a 28 percent increase over 2014).

Last year, over 1,100 individuals were assisted with lodging or rent assistance to combat homelessness (a 30 percent increase over 2014). As community needs grow, The Salvation Army continues to support individuals and families with programs and services that provide a holistic approach to meeting those needs.

For information about the appreciation event or to RSVP, contact Beverly Peterson, development director for The Salvation Army, at beverly_peterson@usc.salvationarmy.org or (815) 222-1773. Visit www.salarmyaurora.org.

The appreciation event is free to donors, vendors and supporters of The Salvation Army of Aurora, if you would like to attend this event and become a new donor, vendor or supporter, contact Beverly Peterson.

The Salvation Army of Aurora has served southern Kane and Kendall counties for over 130 years of dedicated service. The Aurora Corps provides basic human needs such as food, rent and utility assistance, as well as case management, youth programming, ESL classes and spiritual assistance to those in need. The Aurora Corps is located at 437 E. Galena. It is part of The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division.

In 2015, The Salvation Army is celebrated its 150th worldwide anniversary and 130 years of service in the Chicago area. As one of the largest direct providers of social services in the state of Illinois, The Salvation Army operates 29 corps community centers, as well as other facilities in neighborhoods across the greater Chicago area, offering shelter, meals, child care, disaster relief, after-school programs, recreational activities, music education and more.