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For more information,
to donate or volunteer visit our website:
333 S. Wabash
16th Floor
Chicago IL, 60604
(312) 822-6699
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The USO of Illinois
annually
serves more than 318,000 service members and their families at 5 USO Centers and through hundreds of programs and services.
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USO Star-Spangled Salute Gala Raises over $1,080,000
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 On Saturday, October 21st the USO of Illinois hosted its annual USO Star-Spangled Salute Gala. A night of stunning military pageantry opened with God Bless America, sung by Chicago's own, Alleece Baker; a procession of the 50 state flags by U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command (RTC) Flag & Drum Corps; and a salute to all five branches of the military. Highlights of the night include BBMC Mortgage receiving the USO Salute to Leadership award for their Patriot's Charity Initiative which has raised more than $1.9 million for military and veteran service organizations in three short years. For a second year, the USO of Illinois welcomed Mrs. Susan Schneider Williams, widow of Robin Williams, who was a great advocate of the USO before his passing in 2014. Mrs. Williams introduced Medal of Honor Recipient James "Doc" McCloughan, who received his medal in July of 2017, for his acts of gallantry and bravery during the Vietnam War. With tears in his eyes, McCloughan spoke about his time spent on the battle field and the great impact the USO had on his military service. The event raised over $1,080,000 for USO of Illinois programs and services that support more than 318,000 active duty, guard and reserve service members and their families annually.
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USO Great Lakes Opens Doors for Annual Thanksgiving Dinner
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 On November 23
rd USO Great Lakes hosted their annual Thanksgiving Dinner for service members and their families. The meal, catered by Real Urban BBQ of Highland Park, served 820 guests with all the holiday fixings, including turkey, ham, stuffing, corn, potatoes, and biscuits. Our partners at The Fresh Market in Lake Forest provided the hungry members of our armed forces 80 delicious pumpkin pies. After the meal, troops and their families gathered to enjoy the amenities of the USO Center including free Wi-Fi, movies and video games.
 The dinner could not have been possible without the 67 volunteers who aided in serving the meal, cleaning, and greeting the guests as they entered. Thank you to our USO Board members, volunteers, local professionals, family, and friends who helped with the Thanksgiving Dinner. A salute goes out to Navy personnel who helped to decorate the center and who were also responsible for the set up of the room and who stayed after to help clean up. A special thanks to Dan Hampton of the Chicago Bears and his family, who made a guest appearance to help serve!
The Thanksgiving Dinner is an annual program provided by the USO of Illinois. The feast is just one of the many programs that offers a 'Home Away From Home' for military service members and their families over the holidays.
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Freedom Run 5k Presents USO Rock Island and AUSA with Check for $12,000
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 December is a time to come together and celebrate with our friends, families, and community. On Friday, December 1
st, the USO of Illinois at Rock Island Arsenal was happy to open their doors and their hearts for their annual USO Holiday Reception. The reception featured festive holiday and military-inspired décor as well as delicious holiday treats for local military and their families living on and around Rock Island Arsenal.
In the spirit of holiday giving, Joe Moreno, Director of the Freedom Run 5k, presented a check for $12,000 to Julie Johnson, President of the AUSA, and Alison Ruble, President and CEO of the USO of Illinois. The USO of Illinois will receive $6,000 and the AUSA Chapter in Rock Island will receive the other 6. The money was raised during the Freedom Run 5k, held in August in East Moline, and was the most money raised during the event, to date. The race welcomed almost 1,500 runners from across the country. The funds will go to support the USO Emergency Relief Program that aids Quad Cities area military and military families in need and the Rock Island Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) this holiday season and throughout the new year.
"Thank you to all the runners that participated in the Freedom Run 5k, this year!" said Ruble. "The money raised during the patriotic race will go to support troops in need this holiday season in your local community. We are amazed and thankful for the record breaking donation. Since 2012, the USO Emergency Relief Program has served over 56 families with more than $26,700 which is a great testament to the Rock Island Community and the Freedom Run 5k."
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West Point Glee Club Surprises Visitors at USO O'Hare with Singing Flash Mob
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On Thursday, November 9th, the West Point Glee Club traveled to Chicago to take part in the City of Chicago's Veterans Day ceremony. At 9:30am the West Point Glee Club met in the O'Hare Terminal 3 Rotunda for a special Flash Mob performance in partnership with the USO of Illinois. West Point Glee Club has touched audiences world-wide for over 100 years through its concerts, recordings, and television appearances. Comprised of 80 auditioned members from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, the Cadets will serve the Nation as commissioned officers in the U.S. Army upon graduation. The camaraderie enjoyed by members in their pursuit of musical excellence is best summed
up in the club's time-honored motto:
No fun without music, no music without fun!
To watch the performance click
here
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Discovery Kids Make Memories at the Brookfield Zoo
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On Sunday, October 15, nearly 100 military youth and family members visited the world-renowned Brookfield Zoo for a USO of Illinois
Discovery Kids program! The families were treated to a unique learning experience during the Dolphins in Action live show where they learned about dolphin social structures and adaptations. The families also interacted with a sloth and screech owl during a private animal encounter and had time to explore the 216 acre nature park as a family unit.
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Illinois Honors our Veterans
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This Veterans Day, our partners across the state hosted events to honor our past and present military service members.
 The Chicago Blackhawks and The Boeing Company recognized 60 members of the United States Armed Forces during the National Anthem on Sunday, November 5 - including 30 World War II veterans, each who were partnered with a currently serving member from their respective branch. Additionally, during the first intermission, USO of Illinois President & CEO Alison Ruble hosted a symbolic passing of Service Core Values from one serving generation to the next. This ceremony paired a distinguished veteran from each of the five branches with a uniformed representative preparing to serve their country.
 On Sunday, November 12, the Chicago Bears hosted their annual Salute to Service Game in partnership with The Boeing Company. One hundred service members saluted while standing on each 20-yard line and Veteran Bear's season tickets holders unfurled a large American flag. Halftime included patriotic remarks from Alison Ruble, USO of Illinois President and CEO, a reenlistment ceremony and a medal presentation for three service members who recently returned from deployment.
 Military youth from our Teen/Tween with the Chicago Bears program participated in a Paint with a Vet event at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center! Arts n Spirits of Bucktown facilitated a wonderful canvas and paint activity that was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and the evening concluded with a round of Bingo with autographed prizes provided by the Chicago Bears. A special thank you to John Timu, #53 LB with the Chicago Bears who's also a military spouse, for spending the evening with our group!
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Pfizer Employees Build Bikes for Military Youth
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For the third consecutive year, the USO of Illinois partnered with Pfizer of Lake Forest in Operation That's My Ride! Pfizer's employee volunteers built 120 bicycles to be distributed to military units across the state. This local goal was part of an initiative to build 1,000 bikes across the world with USOs at 8 partnering Pfizer locations. The majority of the bicycles will be awarded to randomly selected military children attending military unit holiday gatherings this month. In addition to bikes, each child will also receive a helmet for safe riding!
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The USO of Illinois, with generous support from Constellation Brands and the Richard A. Perritt Charitable Foundation, brought holiday cheer to the military community through Unit Holiday Party Support and Military Family Holiday Support programs. The program sent a monetary contribution to more than 80 unit parties located throughout the state, that served more than 14,500 service members and their dependents. In addition, through nomination from local military leadership, the USO of Illinois Military Family Holiday Support program provided holiday gift cards to 176 military families which touched the lives of over 600 individuals in need this holiday season.
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Partnership Profile: West Monroe Partners
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 The USO of Illinois's mission is to not only provide programs and services to military in Illinois, but also to be a bridge between the civilian and military communities. Since 2013, West Monroe has been partnering with the USO of Illinois as part of their 1+1+1 program to improve local communities. West Monroe is a progressive business and technology consulting firm that partners with dynamic organizations to reimagine, build, and operate their businesses at peak performance. Their team of more than 950 professionals is comprised of an uncommon blend of business consultants and deep technologists.
The 1+1+1 program is a program designed for West Monroe to give back to the community that enables them to do well as a firm. The core value of social responsibility is an extension of the commitment they've made as an organization to put people first. The genesis of the 1+1+1 program is a commitment to deliver 1% of their people's time, 1% of their organization's talent, and 1% of the firm's profit to local communities. They give their talent and time through pro bono projects, such as their partnership with USO of Illinois, and other partnerships with Safe Families, the Chicago Police Department (through the Civic Consulting Alliance), Openlands, and many others.
 Over the past 4 years, West Monroe has partnered with the USO of Illinois on a database assessment and subsequent re-implementation, data cleaning, systems and infrastructure upgrades, email marketing, event management and overall program management. In addition to donating their time, they have also had a ton of fun outside of the office - supporting No Dough Dinners, Clark After Dark, the Gala, and donating tickets to Cubs games!
"West Monroe's people-first culture extends not only to our employees but to our neighbors, networks, and all those who call the communities we work in home. With Chicago being our largest office and West Monroe's original location, it is particularly meaningful to be able to support the USO of Illinois through our 1+1+1 partnership. We are grateful for the programs and services the USO provides to our service men and women because we realize that without their sacrifices, we would not be able to live and work in this community we call home today," said Doug Armstrong, Senior Managing Director at West Monroe Partners.
Thank you to our friends and partners at West Monroe for their continued support of USO of Illinois.
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Support Local Military this Holiday Season through the USO of Illinois
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All this year, they stood watch. The men and women of our Armed Forces - the less than 1% of the American population that volunteer to serve, stand watch to protect our freedoms and defend our nation. Let's be there for them.
For over 76 years, the USO of Illinois has been there to support active duty, guard and reserve service members and their families by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. This holiday season, as we gather with friends and family, we take a moment to acknowledge the members of our Armed Forces who stand watch stateside or are deployed overseas and will not be able to celebrate with their families. Whether stationed away from their loved ones or deployed abroad, they'll be fighting for the freedoms we hold so dear, and the USO of Illinois will be there for them, not just this holiday season, but every day.
If you have not already made your show of support, join us today by making your
gift
and becoming part of the Force Behind the Forces.
Thank you, and Happy Holidays!
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