Three Decades of Giving: How ‘Dreams for Kids’ Makes a Difference in Chicago

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IMG 4525 1 191212 003325 12/11/19

Three Decades of Giving: How ‘Dreams for Kids’ Makes a Difference in Chicago

For three decades, Dreams for Kids has provided mentorship, education and opportunities for underprivileged and underserved children across Illinois. Chicago trial attorney Mark McNabola has been involved since the start and serves on its executive board.

“Everything Dreams for Kids does has a direct impact,” said McNabola, founding partner of McNabola Law Group. “You can see the smiles on kids’ faces when they have a disability and have the opportunity to get on skis for the first time. You can see and feel the joy parents experience when children from underprivileged areas receive a gift for Christmas.”

Dreams for Kids was founded in 1989 by McNabola’s longtime friend and colleague Tom Tuohy. The first event was a holiday party at an Englewood shelter.

“I was one of these kids growing up,” said Tuohy, a Chicago attorney who specializes in estate planning and trusts. “My mother was a single parent who raised four kids alone. So, when I graduated from law school, I wanted to do something to help kids.”

Tuohy and McNabola first met in the late 1970s at DePaul University, where they were both mentored by the late Walter Brennan, a beloved Catholic priest and theologian.

“Father Wally was young and inspiring,” McNabola said. “He had great ideas and ambitions about how we can generate a force of people to do a greater good. He was very down to earth. He knew he was doing God’s work without looking to receive any trophies.”

McNabola and Tuohy both graduated from DePaul University College of Law and made philanthropy a priority in their personal and professional lives. McNabola is a current member of half a dozen different charitable boards. He and several DePaul classmates began fundraising activities when they founded Children’s Charities of Chicago, which raised money for Maryville Academy for many years. Tuohy, meanwhile, launched Dreams for Kids.

McNabola said supporting Dream for Kids is something he thoroughly enjoys.

“Tom and I have a mutual respect for each other,” McNabola said. “He knows there’s a huge void in social services, and he doesn’t lose sight of how important these programs are for children and their families. Tom is crunched for time just like everybody else, but he makes time to dedicate himself to this goal.”

McNabola has volunteered and raised funds for Dreams for Kids for over three decades. In 2019, he was appointed to the executive board.

“Mark is a generous soul,” Tuohy said. “He’s a very genuine person, and that can get lost in the practice of law. Mark has never acted as if he’s more important than anybody else. Whether he’s talking to a judge or someone who works a trade, he considers everyone to be his equal. I admire that about him.”

This month marks Dreams for Kids’ 31st annual Holiday for Hope event. More than 1,200 children and their families will gather at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway, on Dec. 14 to receive gifts and build memories that last a lifetime.

“A lot of the children are homeless. All of them are severely underserved,” Tuohy said. “We bring together families who are going through hard times so that everyone can have a day where they set aside those worries and just enjoy what the holiday spirit should be all about.”

In addition to the popular winter event, Dreams for Kids offers yearlong extracurricular and educational programming designed to empower children.

The Extreme Recess series creates adaptive events that allow kids with mental and physical disabilities to partake in outdoor and athletic events like horseback riding and baseball. This summer, 140 kids experienced water sports in Twin Lakes, Wisc.

“Kids were able to be on paddle boards for the first time in their lives, and some were able to fish,” McNabola said. “There is a sense of freedom and joy in that day. The excitement on these kids’ faces is amazing. When they get on a pair of skis for the first time after having been told most of their lives , ‘You can’t,’ it is remarkable. We said, ‘You can. You just haven’t had the opportunity.’”

When Extreme Recess launched 20 years ago, it was the first sports program in Illinois for kids with disabilities.

In recent years, Dreams for Kids has made a push toward social entrepreneurship.

“Social entrepreneurship will be the answer to some of the intractable social issues that we have,” Tuohy said. “Instead of giving a handout, you’re creating a business that generates income for the person who created it and also creates jobs and revenue. You have the ability to actually solve something rather than just throw money at it.”

Dreams for Kids offers a 10-lesson curriculum in which students hone basic entrepreneurship skills while learning about social issues. Each student then develops a social enterprise that can impact his or her community and generate income. One student, for example, recently developed a pack of playing cards with diverse zombie characters. Another designed t-shirts celebrating her Moroccan heritage.

“We want kids to know that no matter where you are, no matter who you are, no matter whether you have a disability, no matter whether you live in a city or the suburbs or any state in the U.S. — you can make a difference,” Tuohy said. “You don’t have to wait. We can help you do that.”

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$6.9

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Construction Negligence - A man lost his leg while working at a City of Chicago construction site. The man was working near his truck at the construction site when a driver struck him and pinned him against his truck. City workers failed to properly mark their construction site, failed to safely route traffic around the area, and failed to use flaggers to warn traffic to slow down and direct it to move one direction at a time. The offer prior to jury trial was zero. A Cook County jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff.

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$2

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Trucking Negligence - A woman driving on I-80 was cut off by a truck driver, forcing her off the roadway. Her car flipped, causing de-gloving of her right arm and serious injuries.

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Medical Negligence - A 58 year old woman died after a radiologist from a Chicago hospital misread the patient CT scan and failed to identify her bowel obstruction. 10 days later another CT scan was done and the obstruction was located and emergency surgery performed. She suffered complications which resulted in her death.

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Trucking Negligence - A 31 year old man was hit by a flatbed truck after he stopped and exited his car to gather a loose dog from the roadway. He suffered degloving of his left leg above and below the knee, vascular and nerve injuries. Plaintiff has been unable to return to work.

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$2.9

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Medical Negligence - A DuPage County record jury verdict for the family of a 5 day old baby who died when physicians failed to timely diagnose an obstructed bowel. The jury concluded physicians also delayed administering IV fluids, antibiotics and transfer to an institution with a pediatric surgeon available. The offer prior to trial was zero.

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$3

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Medical Negligence - A 60 year old man who suffered from uncontrolled diabetes and vascular disease was admitted to a Chicago hospital with an infected ankle wound. Doctors postponed the procedure and failed to timely readmit the plaintiff to undergo a procedure to reestablish blood supply to his leg. Plaintiff leg was amputated below the knee a month later.

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$4

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Medical Negligence - A young woman died at a Chicago hospital when doctors failed to timely diagnose symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. She had a cardiac procedure performed so that she could stop taking anti-arrhythmia medications. She was discharged from the hospital only to die two days later.

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$4.7

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Construction Negligence - A man was working on a ladder, painting a Chicago building, when his ladder came in contact with electrical wires. He suffered severe electric shock, broken ankles and ribs, and a fractured back. An Illinois utility company, ComEd, was called four times before the incident to shut off the lines but they never shut off the lines. The victim has undergone multiple surgeries and has not been able to return to his career since the incident.

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Medical Malpractice - A young girl who suffered from cardiac arrhythmias due to a cardiac abnormality had a cardiac procedure. Four weeks after the procedure, she was cleared to resume sports and other activities, she collapsed in gym class and later died. The case settled prior to jury trial.

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$5

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Construction Negligence - A 27 year old man’s legs were crushed causing below the knee amputations when a wall fell onto his legs after an employee cut a steel beam while demolishing a Union Pacific railroad bridge. $5 million was the extent of the insurance policy limit. This case concluded after it was set for jury trial.

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$5.8

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Automobile Negligence - A wheel assembly dislodged from the axel of a semi-trailer killing two seventeen year old boys. McNabola Law Group represented the family members of one of the two boys. The extent of liability insurance coverage for both families was six million dollars.

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Construction Negligence - A 30 year old man suffered severe injuries from a 30-foot fall at a construction site and received blood thinning medication at the defendant hospital that was intended for another patient. The offer before trial was zero.

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$6.8

million

Medical Negligence - A 48 year old woman suffered severe brain damage at a Chicagoland hospital after surgery to alleviate sleep apnea. Her breathing tube clogged because of inadequate monitoring by the nursing staff.

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$3.6

million

Medical Negligence - A 12 year old girl was deprived of oxygen for 15 minutes during a routine surgical procedure. Plaintiffs alleged the surgical residents mismanaged the young girl’s airway and negligently allowed her condition to deteriorate before attempting intubation at the bedside. Following a two week trial the jury awarded $3.6 million. The offer before jury trial was zero.

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$1

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Record High Settlement - After seven days of jury trial, the parties agreed to settle a work injury case involving a reflex sympathetic dystrophy injury to a 37 year old man. The plaintiff slipped on an unnatural accumulation of ice and water at the Bismark loading dock at Navy Pier, fracturing his right leg. The injury resulted caused RSD. According to the Jury Verdict Reporter, this is the highest result on record for this type of injury. The offer before jury trial was zero.

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Medical Negligence - A 42 year old high school teacher died of severe coronary atherosclerosis after a Chicago hospital failed to recognize or timely provide treatment for high cholesterol and hypertension.

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$3

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Automobile Negligence - A man’s automobile was struck by a taxicab and he suffered permanent weakness in his legs and a laceration of an artery in his chest. The extent of insurance company policy limit was $3 million.

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$5

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$1.1

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Medical Malpractice - A woman suffered a stillbirth despite having carried her baby to term through a healthy pregnancy as a result of the failure of the nurses and physicians to properly monitor and to timely reverse signs and symptoms of significant fetal distress.

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$7.8

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Negligence - A railroad worker was injured when he was working underneath a train car. The train car moved resulting in injuries to his shoulder, knees, hip and neck. The accident was caused by miscommunication between employees and the company that managed railcar movements in the yard.

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Construction Negligence - Plaintiff fell from a temporary staircase in his new home suffering a hip injury. Investigation of the staircase concluded it was not properly re-installed and secured after hardwood flooring was installed.

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Trucking Negligence - A woman was killed while driving on I-88 when an upraised backhoe on a flatbed trailer hit the underpass and fell on top of her car.

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Automobile Negligence - A 29 year old woman suffered a fractured cervical spine and subsequently died after the car she was riding in crashed into a construction pit. The jury held the contractor liable for failing to place concrete barriers at the construction site. The offer prior to jury trial was $1 million.

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Medical Negligence - An 8 day old baby died on the operating table when the anesthesiologist improperly managed the baby’s anesthesia during the surgery. The anthologist failed to advise surgeons of the baby’s low blood pressure and abnormal blood gas readings.

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$1.3

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Automobile Negligence - Three plaintiffs were in an automobile that struck and hit a construction barrel on I-94. The passengers took off their seat belts and one of the passengers exited the car. The defendant then struck the vehicle and the vehicle hit the passenger who exited the vehicle throwing her onto the CTA tracks. She suffered a brain bleed, fractures to her ribs, pelvis, tailbone, jaw and ankle. The plaintiffs that were in the car was ejected and died. There was a limited amount of insurance coverage.

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Construction Negligence - A 37 year old mason was working on a construction site when a forklift struck a crossbar of the structural steel frame, dislodged unsecured concrete planks, and fell killing him instantly.

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Record High Jury Verdict - A college student suffered burns on her face, arms and chest in an incident at a campus bar at the University of Iowa. A bartender poured grain alcohol into the bar well and lit it on fire. The flames went out of control and into the crowd. After a six-day jury trial, in Iowa City the jury returned a verdict in favor of the victim. According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the award is one of the largest in Johnson County history. The offer prior to jury trial was $200,000.

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$1.7

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Automobile Negligence - A young man was driving on a highway when his vehicle was struck from behind by a sports utility vehicle. Plaintiff suffered injuries to his back which required surgery.

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Trucking Negligence - An 81 year-old woman was struck by semi-tractor trailer resulting in multiple fractures to her right femur, left tibia, left ankle and right hip. The defense had two witnesses who claimed the plaintiff walked into the back of the trailer while crossing mid-block outside the crosswalk. The case settled during jury trial. The offer before trial was zero.

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Product Liability - A settlement against a furniture company in the case of a 3 year old who died when a poorly-constructed dining room chair toppled over. The front legs of the chair were one half inch longer than the back legs. The child suffered a seizure, became unconscious and died the next day at a Suburban hospital.

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$1.8

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Construction Negligence - A 39 year old man sustained bilateral hip fractures, shoulder dislocation, and a torn rotator cuff during a fall from inadequate scaffolding at a construction site.

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$14

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Medical Malpractice - A young mother died during child birth when doctors failed to monitor her properly. Her newborn baby also suffered irreversible brain damage during the delivery at a Chicagoland hospital.

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$12

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Medical Malpractice - A 52 year old man suffered an anoxic brain injury following routine bowel surgery when doctors and nurses at a suburban hospital failed to properly monitor and treat him post-operatively. The offer before jury trial was $3 million. Case settled after it was set for jury selection.

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$10

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Trucking Negligence - A young girl was killed when she was struck by a vehicle that had previously collided with a bus that was traveling too fast for conditions. After a ten-day jury trial, a Cook County jury returned a verdict in favor of the family. According to the Jury Verdict Reporter, this is a record high verdict for the wrongful death of a minor in a motor vehicle accident. There was no offer for settlement by the defendant.

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$9.2

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Medical Malpractice - A young woman suffered amputation of her legs as a result of complications following surgery at a suburban hospital. Doctors and nurses failed to develop and implement an appropriate plan to manage blood thinning medications pre and post-operatively leading to severe clotting and tissue death. The case settled during jury selection. The offer was $3 million before trial.

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$6

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Motorcycle Negligence - A teenager and her father were injured in a motorcycle crash. The 15 year old suffered severe fracture to her right ankle which required multiple surgeries. Her father sustained numerous injuries including a fractured wrist and ankle.

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$10

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Trucking Negligence - A Cook County jury entered the verdict in favor of a 72-year-old grandmother rendered wheelchair-dependent after a car vs truck accident. The offer prior to trial was $3 million.

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$9.8

million

Automobile Negligence - A 72 year old woman was paralyzed following an automobile accident. The defendant turned into the plaintiff’s vehicle causing her to sustain a spinal fracture and dislocation at C6-C7 requiring a fusion. She is wheelchair dependent. The offer for settlement before jury trial was $4 million.

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$27

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Product Liability - A married father of three was paralyzed in a boating injury when he fell from the upper deck of a yacht. The offer by the insurance company for the defendant was $3 million before trial and $25 million after 3 weeks of jury trial.

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$20

million

Construction Site Negligence - A man was demonstrating construction equipment known as a “man lift” and was elevated in the air. The lift collapsed and two men suffered permanent injuries. McNabola Law Group represented one of two men injured totaling $20 million. Prior to jury trial the offer was $3 million.

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