Get Involved with the Ounce of Prevention Fund

Home > Get Involved with the Ounce > Our Donors: Why We Invest

Our Donors: Why We Invest

Thanks to the investment of our dedicated donors, the Ounce of Prevention Fund is creating brighter futures for children living in poverty.

Read why our donors invest their time and resources to change the life trajectories for at-risk children.

"As a businessman and as an investor, I always think about risk and reward because that's what it's all about. I urge you all to think about the risk/reward ratio in an endeavor like the Ounce. The reward is producing and creating an opportunity for disadvantaged children to become part of our society. The risk is if we don't do it or we fail at it, we will pay for it in the future, whether it be in unemployment benefits or incarceration costs or degradation of society."
Sam Zell
8th Annual Luncheon Co-Chair, April 2009
8th Annual Luncheon

"I directly support the model of early childhood education programs that I envision being made available for all at-risk kids. What does it mean to be behind at 18 months old? Differences in vocabulary growth between children of professional parents and children of parents on public assistance are staggering and begin to appear as early as 18 months. And as the children grow toward school age, and enter school, the differences only get larger. A child of professional parents hears an average of 11 million words a year, where as a child of parents on welfare hears an average of only 3 million."
J.B. Pritzker
Board Member, Ounce of Prevention Fund

"With a high school dropout rate in the Chicago Public Schools exceeding 40%, reforming our education system to meet the needs of children, families and our future economy has never been more critical. The CME Group Foundation is committed to promoting the educational success and well-being of children, particularly those who are disadvantaged. The Ounce exemplifies the importance of business and philanthropic efforts to ensure that education policies and funding decisions include the first years of a child's life."
Leo Melamed
Chairman, CME Group Foundation
CME Group Foundation Breakfast, Feb. 2009

"An achievement gap persists between poor, minority children and their more advantaged peers. The gap is apparent in kindergarten and compounds every year thereafter. If we want to truly shift the odds for these at-risk children, we must ensure that each one learns to read by grade three."
Rebecca Schanberg
Ounce Young Leaders Event Committee Member
Young Leaders Group: The Politics of Early Childhood, Nov. 2009

33 West Monroe Street, Suite 2400 | Chicago, IL 60603 | 312.922.3863

"As a businessman and as an investor, I always think about risk and reward because that's what it's all about. I urge you all to think about the risk/reward ratio in an endeavor like the Ounce. The reward is producing and creating an opportunity for disadvantaged children to become part of our society. The risk is if we don't do it or we fail at it, we will pay for it in the future, whether it be in unemployment benefits or incarceration costs or degradation of society." Sam Zell 8th Annual Luncheon Co-Chair, April 2009 8th Annual Luncheon

"I directly support the model of early childhood education programs that I envision being made available for all at-risk kids. What does it mean to be behind at 18 months old? Differences in vocabulary growth between children of professional parents and children of parents on public assistance are staggering and begin to appear as early as 18 months. And as the children grow toward school age, and enter school, the differences only get larger. A child of professional parents hears an average of 11 million words a year, where as a child of parents on welfare hears an average of only 3 million." J.B. Pritzker Board Member, Ounce of Prevention Fund

"With a high school dropout rate in the Chicago Public Schools exceeding 40%, reforming our education system to meet the needs of children, families and our future economy has never been more critical. The CME Group Foundation is committed to promoting the educational success and well-being of children, particularly those who are disadvantaged. The Ounce exemplifies the importance of business and philanthropic efforts to ensure that education policies and funding decisions include the first years of a child's life." Leo Melamed Chairman, CME Group Foundation CME Group Foundation Breakfast, Feb. 2009

"An achievement gap persists between poor, minority children and their more advantaged peers. The gap is apparent in kindergarten and compounds every year thereafter. If we want to truly shift the odds for these at-risk children, we must ensure that each one learns to read by grade three." Rebecca Schanberg Ounce Young Leaders Event Committee Member Young Leaders Group: The Politics of Early Childhood, Nov. 2009