Inspired by a powerful mission and stirring success stories, President and CEO Vaughn Moore encourages AIT co-workers to increase involvement with CEL
ITASCA, ILLINOIS – Last month, AIT Worldwide Logistics’ President and CEO, Vaughn Moore, accepted a thank you plaque at a meeting with representatives from The Center for Enriched Living (CEL) at the global supply chain management provider’s Itasca, Illinois corporate headquarters. CEL presented the plaque in acknowledgement of AIT’s support, particularly the company’s sponsorship of the charity’s annual fundraising events: Chef’s Night and the Charity Golf Tournament.
Based in Riverwoods, Illinois, CEL is an organization dedicated to serving their members – people of all ages with developmental disabilities – by improving their quality of life and facilitating continual lifelong learning. CEL offers a diverse variety of programs and activities focusing on helping members to build soft skills while fostering social inclusion and independent living.
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In her meeting with Moore, CEL’s Director of Development, Randi Frank, reported that CEL had a good year in 2012-13. She added that the support from AIT and other donors has enabled CEL to grow their programming over the past several years.
During her visit, Frank relayed a story about an individual who recently stopped coming to CEL after being a member for the 15 years. “He loved what he learned at CEL and he made many friends,” she said. “He was able to land a job at a local grocery store, move into an apartment with his girlfriend and he is now living a typical life. When that happens and a member is able to spend less time with us, we consider that a great success.”
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“The programs provided by CEL are especially critical for our members who are 22 years and older,” Frank pointed out. “Once someone with a developmental disability ages out from the education system, the availability of services diminishes drastically. If not for CEL, many of their members would have nowhere to go and no one to turn to.”
Moore commented on the wide array of CEL programs and the numerous openings for AIT co-workers who may be looking for a new way to give back to their community. “Our AIT Cares initiative encourages every co-worker to donate five hours of their time each year towards charitable efforts,” he explained. “CEL needs volunteers to help facilitate member programs every day of the week; they organize off-site excursions to sporting events and other seasonal activities as well as on-site happenings like dances, dinners and parties. We are now internally promoting CEL’s member events schedule which will raise awareness amongst the AIT family about the many opportunities to volunteer and help make a difference at CEL.”
“CEL is a happy place,” responded Frank. “Our mission is about empowerment – we focus on the abilities of our members rather than defining them by their disabilities. People who have spent time at CEL often express how the experience has initiated a change of perspective in their lives. Personally, I’ve found that I have become more aware of what individuals can do rather than what can’t be done or what has been lost. Recognizing and emphasizing the moments that are meaningful is a lesson that many of us have learned from working at CEL.”
She also said, “Not everyone knows about CEL and we want potential members to realize we are here to provide services for them. If you have family, friends or neighbors with developmental disabilities, please contact us; we are open seven days a week and serve people from all over the Chicago metropolitan area.”
Before departing, Frank reiterated the charity’s gratitude by saying, “CEL appreciates AIT’s ongoing interest in our mission and we thank Vaughn and AIT for the continued support.”
Moore later remarked, “Anyone who’s visited CEL knows it has a great culture with great people who create a really unique experience through the work they do. We think increasing this charity’s exposure within AIT will give our co-workers a chance to get involved with an indispensible organization and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with CEL as they continue to grow.”
On Monday, August 12 at the Ivanhoe Club in Mundelein, Illinois, AIT Worldwide Logistics participated as a sponsor of The Center for Enriched Living’s 18th Annual Charity Golf Tournament. Moore and Steve Taylor, AIT’s Director of Operations, Central Region, golfed in the tournament and a half dozen co-workers from AIT’s corporate office volunteered to assist with various aspects of the event.
About AIT Worldwide Logistics
Founded in 1979, Itasca, Illinois-based AIT Worldwide Logistics is a full service transportation management provider. With regional headquarters in Chicago, Amsterdam and Hong Kong, AIT’s offices are joined by 190 global service centers to form a vast network spanning six continents. By coupling a flexible non-asset based business model with robust technology that presents end-to-end shipment visibility, AIT delivers precisely tailored supply chain efficiencies for almost every industry imaginable. Leveraging creative, competitively priced multimodal solutions, AIT removes the complexity from global logistics puzzles, helping companies thrive by regaining focus on the core goals of their business. For more information, visit www.aitworldwide.com.
Our Vision
At AIT, we passionately value our co-workers, partners and communities while vigorously seeking opportunities to earn our customers' trust by delivering exceptional worldwide logistics solutions.
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