We know the importance of giving back to our community here in Chicago as well as worldwide. Here are just some of the organizations we care deeply about.
AmericaShare is dedicated to improving the lives of the children living in Mukuru, the second-largest informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. Through their education and community outreach programs, they seek to provide disadvantaged children with access to basic education resources in order to facilitate sustainable change. Paul Klein Travel is a proud sponsor of one of the children in the program and his name is Sebastian. He writes to us regularly and his studies are going very well. We are especially proud of his dedication and this organization.
Friends of Conservation (FOC) helps to fund, train and facilitate the FOC Maasai Scouts who patrol on foot, in pairs, outside the Masai Mara National Reserve. Together, with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) they work to apprehend poachers of any kind. Keeping records and reporting to the KWS on wildlife sightings, they also take a frontline role in the prevention of a newer form of poaching from which no wildlife is safe – the rapidly growing illegal bush meat trade. Scouts also patrol for illegal use of other natural resources, such as the cutting of trees for timber, firewood or charcoal sales and the harvesting of sandalwood.
In addition, FOC’s Community Conservation Officer, with assistance from FOC Scouts, conducts seminars for locals on diverse and valuable issues of community interest such as, HIV prevention, trash collection and disposal, human wildlife conflict resolution, conservation issues and resource management.
The Smart House Program understands that the needs of catastrophically injured service members and first responders are unique. A smart home from their Smart Home Program is designed and constructed to meet the specific needs of its recipients. Smart homes host a myriad of features such as automated doors and lighting, wider halls and doorways, special showers to accommodate wheelchairs, automatic door openers, cabinets, counters, and stove tops that can be raised and lowered, back-up generators, and central heating and air conditioning systems that can be controlled by tablets. These homes enable our most severely injured heroes to live more independent lives.
BrainUp is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness to brain cancer – a disease that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. BrainUp is a Chicago based foundation that works with all of Chicago’s top hospitals and doctors as a team to find a cure for brain cancer. To date BrainUp has funded over 1 million dollars to research with some very impressive breakthroughs. Dena Krenzien, the C.O.O. of Paul Klein Travel is one of the Board of Directors of this great cause.
A World Free of MS. The Society’s mission is to cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives. The Plan: This integrated plan guides the impact we will achieve. The addresses the unique experiences of all people affected by MS and our role in reaching that future, while highlighting our firmly held belief—together we are stronger. As the owners of Paul Klein Travel and learning our eldest daughter was diagnosed with MS in December 2020, we became huge advocates for the MS Society and we hope you will join us in our mission as well.
After the death of a local father Patrick J Mangin of four girls all 17 years and younger, the Mangin Children’s Fund was established to assist in their education efforts. Patrick was a huge advocate of many charitable organizations during his time here on earth including sponsoring a large golf outing for the Make a Wish Program, which he ran every year.
Wine Auction returns to Lyric on Saturday, May 13, 2023! Since its inception in 1988, Wine Auction has raised over $11 million in support of Lyric Opera of Chicago. Held every three years by the Women’s Board, Wine Auction 2018 netted a record-breaking $2.2 million and was named a “Top Charity Wine Auction” by Wine Spectator.
Under the leadership of the Women’s Board, Wine Auction 2023 will make a profound impact on Lyric’s ability to present grand opera of the highest quality to audiences in Chicago and beyond. This formal affair draws 400 guests from around the country and features a reception, elegant dinner, and live auction.