Romanucci & Blandin Senior Partner Frank A. Sommario and Partner Bruno R. Marasso present $20,000 from the Justinian’s 20th annual Children's Endowment Fund

The Justinian Society of Lawyers held its 20th annual Children’s Endowment Fund (CEF) Grant Reception on March 17, 2022. Justinian 1st Vice President Bruno R. Marasso and Justinian Society’s Endowment Fund Chairman Frank A. Sommario presented a $10,000 grant to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and a $10,000 grant to CASA Kane County.

The Justinian Endowment Fund, the fundraising arm of the Justinian Society of Lawyers, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which consists of the Scholarship Fund and the CEF. Currently, the CEF has over $195,000 and the Scholarship Fund has over $137,000 in their accounts, and these monies have been raised by its members over the years as well as by other donors. Each year, the scholarship fund awards scholarships to deserving law students and the CEF awards an annual grant to a worthy recipient. The CEF especially thanked Joseph Feinberg and the Feinberg Foundation for their consistent annual donations of significant amounts of money to the CEF. Last year the Justinian Society of Lawyers celebrated its Centennial Anniversary on October 21, 2021, where it raised additional money for these two funds in order to continue giving back to the community - and the scholarships awarded in November 2021 and now the CEF Grants awarded last week reflect that.

The in-person March 17, 2022 event was held at Lux Bar, 18 E. Bellevue, Chicago, IL, where over 55 people attended and enjoyed a wonderful meal and cocktails, while enjoying the initial NCAA basketball games that were being televised. There was also a special impromptu performance by Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band of Chicago, since it was St. Patrick’s Day. Anthonia Warren, Clinical Coordinator of Lurie Children’s, and Gloria Kelley, Executive Director and Amy Deaschler, Grants & Development Manager of CASA, were on hand to graciously accept the grants and provide short descriptions of what Lurie Children’s and CASA are about and how the grant money would be used by each.

The mission of the CEF is to assist disabled or disadvantaged children in our community. Since establishing the CEF in 2002 during his term as president, Antonio M. Romanucci, Founding Partner of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, and his fellow Justinian members have raised crucial funds for a wide range of recipients, including Make-A-Wish Foundation, Bear Necessities, Ronald McDonald House of Chicagoland, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Reflections Foundation, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Child’s Voice, Maryville Academy Children’s Healthcare Center, and many others.

During this presentation, several members of the Society made spontaneous personal additional donations to the CEF, which will be tabulated and directed to Lurie Children’s Hospital and CASA as an additional donation. This generosity has continuously been done in the past at in-person events and it was extra special seeing it done now after the pandemic.

“The Justinian Society is fervent in continuing to give back to our community and we thank all members who have contributed,” said Romanucci & Blandin Partner and Justinian 1st Vice President Bruno R. Marasso.

“Lurie Children’s Hospital and CASA are incredibly worthy recipients of these funds and we commend them for all that they do for children in need,” said Romanucci & Blandin Senior Partner and past Justinian President Frank A. Sommario.

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death. Founded in 1998, we have decades of history securing verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars and others record-setting awards.  Our expertise ranges from medical malpractice and sexual abuse cases involving individual or institutional negligence to civil rights, police misconduct and workers compensation, making Romanucci & Blandin a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors differentiate our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We are different from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured. We are often inspired by our clients’ experiences and commit resources to create change in our communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000.

 

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago provides superior pediatric medical care in a setting that offers the latest benefits and innovations in technology, research and family-centered design; as the pediatric teaching hospital of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, they strive to be a leader in pediatric healthcare delivery; research in the causes, treatment and prevention of diseases that affect children; education for physicians, nurses and allied health professionals; and advocacy for the general well-being of all children.

 CASA Kane County

CASA Kane County serves the best interests of abused and neglected children from age of birth through 21 by recruiting trained and supervised community volunteers who serve as a child’s Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and Guardian ad Litem (GAL) for children in court due to abuse, neglect or private guardianship.