Harris Helps Non-Profits With Holiday Celebration

Two-day Event Features Toys for Tots Drive and Gifts for Sale from Local Non-Profits


CHICAGO, Dec. 9  /PRNewswire/ -- Harris will ring in the season this week with holiday cheer and much-needed support for numerous local non-profits with its Holiday Celebration.

Taking place Dec. 9 and 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the event includes an appearance from Chicago mascots Benny the Bull, Tommy Hawk, and Harris' Hubert the Lion, as well as a raffle for Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks and Goodman Theatre tickets. The celebration also features performances from the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and the Harris employee choir, a donation drive to support Toys for Tots, and a holiday bazaar with handmade wares from more than a dozen non-profits available for purchase - all taking place at Harris' Chicago headquarters at 111 W. Monroe.

Guests can skip the stress of holiday shopping and feel good about purchasing gifts that support non-profits such as The Enterprising Kitchen, Urban Meadows, Chicago Honey Co-op, Sweet Miss Giving's Bakery, and El Valor. Items for sale range from pet toys to vintage decor to artisanal jewelry and crafts to origami ornaments.

"We are so excited to be a part of the holiday bazaar," said Lynne Cunningham, executive director of The Enterprising Kitchen, a non-profit social enterprise that produces natural spa products while providing workforce development and support services to women who are working toward self-sufficiency. "It's a wonderful way to share our story and our products with more people."

"Harris hopes to start a new tradition of giving with the Holiday Celebration," said Yasmin Bates-Brown, executive vice president, Community Affairs and Economic Development, Harris. "By making it easy for our employees and customers to support non-profits, we hope to help these vital organizations raise funds while spreading the joyful spirit of the season."

"Last year, Harris branches in Illinois and northwest Indiana collected over 30,000 toys for Toys for Tots," added Justine Fedak, senior vice president and head of Marketing and Customer Strategies, Harris. "Now in our ninth year of regional sponsorship, we're aiming even higher, and we know we can't reach our goal without the generosity of our employees and customers."

  Participating non-profits and sale items include:

  --  Anti-Cruelty Society - cards, pet toys
  --  BUILD, Inc. - handmade jewelry
  --  Chinese American Service League (CASL) - personalized calligraphy,
      origami ornaments
  --  Chicago Children's Museum - gift shop items, memberships
  --  Chicago Honey Co-op - honey, beeswax candles, body products
  --  Common Threads - first edition of new cookbook
  --  El Valor - poinsettias, artwork, cards, bamboo plants
  --  The Enterprising Kitchen - natural soap and spa products
  --  Howard Brown - vintage holiday decor and gifts from the Brown Elephant
      store
  --  Lincoln Park Zoo - cards, ornaments, gifts, memberships
  --  Mitchell Museum of the American Indian - artisanal jewelry and crafts
  --  Sweet Miss Giving's Bakery - gourmet baked goods
  --  Urban Meadows - plants, flowers, gift baskets
  --  Women Craft - handmade cards, paper, stationary


  About Harris


Harris is an integrated financial service organization providing more than 1.2 million personal, business and corporate clients with banking, lending, investing and wealth management solutions. The organization is a member of the BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), which also provides corporate and investment banking services in the U.S. under the BMO Capital Markets name.

Harris® is a trade name used by various financial service subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp.  Banking products and services are provided by Harris N.A., The Harris Bank, N.A. and their bank affiliates, Members FDIC.  Brokerage products are offered through Harris Investor Services, Inc. (HIS), a registered broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, and SEC-registered investment adviser.  Insurance and annuities are offered through Harris Bancorp Insurance Services, Inc. (HBIS). Investment banking services are provided by BMO Capital Markets Corp. (BMOCM), a registered broker dealer and member NYSE, FINRA and SIPC.  HIS, HBIS and BMOCM are affiliated companies and are wholly owned subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp.  Products offered by HIS, HBIS and BMOCM are Not Insured by the FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by Any Bank or Bank Affiliate, May Lose Value.  The purchase of insurance or an annuity is not a condition to any bank loan or service.  Financial planning and investment advisory services are provided by Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney, Inc., an SEC registered investment adviser.  Family Office Services are provided by Harris myCFO, Inc.  Investment advisory services are offered by Harris myCFO Investment Advisory Services LLC, a SEC-registered investment adviser and wholly-owned subsidiary of Harris myCFO, Inc. Investment advisory services to institutional clients are provided by Harris Investment Management (HIM), a SEC-registered investment adviser.   Not all products and services are offered in every state and/or location. 

DATASOURCE: Harris



CONTACT:  Rachel Gerds of Harris, [phone]

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