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Northwestern Mutual - Rosemont Interns Serve with Purpose

An internship with Northwestern Mutual - Chicago's Rosemont district office provides real world and career experience as a financial advisor. It also provides a first-hand look at what it means when a company lives a core value of service to others.

For the past eight years the internship team has engaged their students in an Annual Community Service Day.

"With the time our college students are devoting to school and their internship, they don't always have the time to serve others like they would like to, said Jeannie Andresen, associate director of the Internship. "We've incorporated our annual community service day into the internship to have them experience the impact of helping others both professionally and personally."

Embracing the financial planning firm's Childhood Cancer Impact Initiative, this year students spent the day at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children's Hospital. The team toured the facilities learning about the care and resources the house provides to keep families close when they have a child facing cancer and other illnesses. They painted benches that will be used as seating for a rooftop fire pit area, created a mural, assembled furniture and restored bookshelves for a family play room, and prepared and served a meal for families staying at the house.

"It was an amazing experience," adds Andresen. "The team was energized to be part of something so hands-on and impactful."

Last year the internship team built custom lemonade stands used by the firm in its community outreach efforts. Teams and individuals host lemonade stands at block parties, sporting and school events to increase awareness of the need for funding for childhood cancer research and to raise funds for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Partnering for Impact

In past years, the financial planning firm has shared their philanthropic outreach and worked together to transform a section of Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. Working with Young Men's Education Neighborhood over five years they created a playground, community garden and provided light construction and painting services. The volunteer effort earned the firm Northwestern Mutual's 2012 Community Impact Award and a $50,000 grant for YMEN.

The Childhood Cancer Impact Program was created in 2014 to increase awareness and funding for childhood cancer research and to provide support to families affected by the disease.

Since then, Northwestern Mutual - Chicago has raised more than $225,000 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.

The firm has provided support to families of hospitalized children by preparing and serving meals at Ronald McDonald Houses in the Chicagoland area, assembling care packages for children at Comer Children's Hospital and providing inspirational greeting cards through Cards for Hospitalized Kids.

The efforts have earned the firm the Northwestern Mutual 2016 Childhood Cancer Impact Award. Recently the firm awarded a $25,000 grant to the Ronald McDonald House of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. In October a $25,000 grant will be presented to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for their Young Investigators program. The grants are designed to fill the critical need for startup funds for young researchers to pursue promising research ideas.

About Northwestern Mutual - Chicago

Northwestern Mutual - Chicago is a leading Chicago-based financial planning firm providing expert guidance to help clients manage financial risk and achieve financial security. Ranked one of Chicago's Best Places to Work for six straight years, according to Crain's Chicago Business (2009-2014), Northwestern Mutual - Chicago (formerly the McTigue Financial Group) provides career and internship opportunities to individuals who are committed to growing a successful financial service practice. The network office is located at One North Wacker Drive in Chicago, and the Rosemont district office is located at 8600 W. Bryn Mawr. Further information can be found at http://rosemont.nm.com/~Internships.htm

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