Merri Dee, Host and Keynote Speaker

Dee's broadcasting career is legendary. She's one of the few
women who have enjoyed true staying power. For 37 years, Dee held
a number of high-profile positions at WGN-TV, from newscaster,
talk-show host and staff announcer to editorial spokesperson, before
moving into the management ranks. She is a recipient of the
Silver Circle Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Chicago
Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. Dee's professional successes
become even more admirable in light of her personal
circumstances. She endured horrific abuse as a child, was put out
at the age of fourteen by her stepmother, struggled for years as a
single mother, and nearly died after being kidnapped and shot. In
each case, Dee's positive spirit helped her not only to overcome but to
thrive. Her passion and drive to make a difference have served
her well in her role as manager of WGN-TV Children's Charities, where
she raised over $30 million for various children's organizations in
Chicago. She also made the welfare of children waiting to be
adopted in Illinois her personal project.

The Chicago Community Trust

The Chicago Community Trust has generously funded the
coalition's work since 1992. The Trust has been the major funder
of our statewide housing campaign -- this includes successful efforts
to increase funding for homeless prevention grants, and to persuade
Illinois to create a rent subsidy program that will help more than
4,000 households statewide. Three years ago, the Trust began to
fund the advocacy led by our youth campaign, No Youth Alone -- again,
the major funder for this important project. The Trust also
joined with the Chicago Bar Foundation last year to begin a new
initiative, Advancing Justice grants, which fund much-needed legal aid
projects across the metropolitan area, including our Youth Futures
legal clinic.

The Chicago Bar Foundation

The Chicago Bar Foundation has
supported the work of the CCH Law Project since it began 11 years
ago. In fact, it was funding from the Chicago Bar Foundation that
allowed CCH, 4 years ago, to launch a mobile legal aid clinic for
homeless youths -- the only such clinic in the Chicago area devoted to
the needs of homeless and unaccompanied youths. Since then, the
Chicago Bar Foundation has continued to support the youth clinic, and
worked with CCH to secure new funding so that a youth attorney could
continue this important work for years to come.

State Representative Greg Harris (D-13)

Greg Harris was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2006.
Harris serves as Representative for the 13th District including Uptown,
Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, North Center and Bowmanville. Harris
is also the highest-ranking openly gay elected official in
Illinois. This past year, Rep. Harris was the sponsor of CCH's
legislation to increase funding for homeless youth services in
Illinois. He has dedicated himself to the issue of youth
homelessness and has been a staunch ally on all of CCH's initiatives to
end homelessness.

Homeless Experts Living Life's Obstacles (H.E.L.L.O.) Youth Activism Group

Founded in 2004 by CCH's Youth Futures attorney and The Night Ministry,
the H.E.L.L.O. group brings together homeless youth to advocate for
solutions to the issues that affect their lives. About 15 youth
attend weekly meetings. Overall, more than 200 youth have
participated, many of them actually living on the street at the time
they are involved. H.E.L.L.O. is the longest continuously meeting
homeless youth advocacy group in the country. We would like to
give special honors to the following long-term active members: Candice
Doumel, Antoine "Rabbit" L. Smith, Derrick "D-Realist" Barrett and
Norma E. Salazar.

Flora Koppel, Les Brown Award

The Les Brown Award is given to an individual who shows leadership in
advocating for systemic policy change. This year we are proud to
honor Flora Koppel, Executive Director of Unity Parenting and
Counseling Center. She is the current chair and a 23-year veteran
of our youth committee. Flora has been involved in issues of
youth homelessness since 1974. She moved to Chicago in 1983 to
work at Travelers and Immigrants Aid where she was instrumental in
creating Neon Street's programs for homeless youth. In her
current role, she provides oversight to a range of youth and homeless
programs, including Harmony Village, a housing program for homeless
youth, and Umoja Village, a housing program for chronically homeless
disabled youth.

Rev. Tom Behrens, John "Juancho" Donahue Award

The John "Juancho" Donahue Award is given to an individual who has
excelled in bringing people together around a common cause. This
year we are proud to honor Rev. Tom Behrens, Founder and Chief
Strategist of The Night Ministry. For over 30 years, Tom Behrens
has raised awareness and increased services on behalf of homeless youth
and other marginalized populations in Illinois. In 1976, Behrens
left his comfortable 9-5 job as a mortgage loan officer to found The
Night Ministry. As The Night Ministry's sole staff, Behrens spent
nights walking the Lakeview community as a street outreach minister to
provide a listening ear and respond to requests for help from
individuals. Based on what he heard and saw on the street,
Behrens developed The Night Ministry into what it is today, an
organization with multiple service and housing programs for homeless
youth.