At Eicoff, Mentoring Matters

SPARK is a mentoring program for urban middle school kids that Eicoff has been participating in for several years. Mentors and mentees go over basic professional skills and work on an aspirational project together. It’s fun, educational, and bonding. The three-month program culminates in the Share Your Spark event on June 1st, where our mentees show off their projects in Chicago’s Daley Plaza. The goal is to encourage our SPARK mentees to follow their dreams, no matter how big they think they seem.

Eicoff’s mentors come from all departments. John from Creative says: “SPARK kids are great, and even if they come from a difficult background, that shouldn’t have to define their future.” Margot, a Media Analyst, says: “Working with my mentee, it made me think back to when I was reaching for the stars. To this day I can remember the mentors and people who helped me, and encouraged me to try. Knowing that I can help Antonia become the woman she wants to be is so worthwhile.” And Lauren, an Account Coordinator, realized: “It's amazing how big the kids' dreams are. Anything we can do to help them achieve those goals makes SPARK so rewarding.”

To finish out our time with them strong, SPARK has started a fundraising drive called “Mentoring Matters.” Mentoring Matters is a peer-to-peer fundraiser that aims to raise critical funds to support Chicago mentees and expand the program. For the remainder of this month, participating companies across the city are raising money. A total of $40,000 is the goal, with each individual company aiming for $2,000. But whether you donate $5, $50 or more, know that it all counts, and it can make a difference in a young person’s life.

If you want to help Eicoff’s SPARK team, click the link below:

Eicoff Team Headquarters: https://donate.sparkprogram.org/team/168220

Our mentors and mentees thank you.