Harold E Eisenberg Foundation

THE HAROLD E. EISENBERG FOUNDATION ADVANCES CANCER MEDICINE BY SUPPORTING CRITICAL GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER RESEARCH. IT ALSO EDUCATES AND MENTORS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, COLLEGE STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ASPIRING A CAREER IN REAL ESTATE, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON CREATING OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO INCREASE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) WITHIN THE INDUSTRY. THE FOUNDATION IS COMMITTED TO CATAPULTING THE CAREER PATHS OF THE NEXT GENERATION BY PROVING HANDS-ON, REAL WORLD EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, INCLUDING MENTORSHIPS, JOB FAIRS AND CAREER READINESS TRAINING.THIS TWO-PRONGED MISSION HONORS THE LEGACY OF HAROLD "HAL" EISENBERG, THE FOUNDATION'S NAMESAKE, A REAL ESTATE VISIONARY, TEACHER, LEADER AND MENTOR WHO LOST HIS LIFE AFTER A SHORT BATTLE WITH LIVER CANCER AT THE AGE OF 53.

GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) CANCER RESEARCH - THE ORGANIZATION FUNDS CRITICAL RESEARCH AIMED TO ADVANCE GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER MEDICINE AT THE ROBERT H. LURIE COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER OF NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, A NATIONAL LEADER AND TOP COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER. THE FOCUS IS ON TRANSLATING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH INTO PERSONALIZED PREVENTION, DETECTION, AND TREATMENT METHODS. ANNUAL GIFTS FUNDS ALL OF THE EFFORTS MENTIONED BELOW AND ESTABLISHED THE HAROLD E. EISENBERG FOUNDATION GI CANCER ONCOSET, AN UNPRECEDENTED INITIATIVE TO DELIVER PERSONALIZED, EFFECTIVE CANCER TREATMENTS TO PATIENTS WHO CURRENTLY HAVE VERY LIMITED OPTIONS. THE FOUNDATION ACTIVELY INVESTIGATES ADDITIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER RESEARCH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND WORKS TOWARD INCREASING ITS LEVEL OF SUCH SUPPORT.HAROLD E. EISENBERG FOUNDATION GI CANCER TISSUE BANK - THIS TISSUE BANK CURRENTLY STORES OVER 27,000 TUMOR SAMPLES AND IS GROWING EVERY MONTH. TISSUE BANKS ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF CANCER MEDICINE AND HELP TO EQUIP THE LURIE CANCER CENTER AS IT BUILDS UPON ITS ENHANCED GENOMIC PROFILING AND PRECISION MEDICINE OFFERINGS. SAMPLES ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO STUDY WHAT CHARACTERIZES CANCER TISSUES SO THAT THEIR INVESTIGATIONS CAN IMPROVE CANCER PREVENTION, DETECTION, AND TREATMENT. RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARD - THIS $50,000 AWARD, GRANTED THROUGH THE LURIE CANCER CENTER FROM FOUNDATION FUNDING, FURNISHES INGENIOUS SCIENTISTS WITH THE RESOURCES AND PROTECTED TIME NEEDED TO ASK NOVEL RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND TO EXPLORE NEW IDEAS RELATING TO GI CANCERS. THE PRESTIGIOUS AWARD RAISES THE BAR FOR SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. MOST RECENTLY, WE AWARDED $50,000 TO RESEARCH SCHOLAR ARTHUR PRINDLE, PH.D. WHO IS USING HIS FUNDING TO INVESTIGATE ENGINEERED PROBIOTICS FOR EARLY DETECTION OF INFLAMMATION AND PREVENTION OF TUMORIGENESIS OF THE COLON. CLINICAL TRIALS - THE ORGANIZATION INVESTS IN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS TO ADVANCE RESEARCH EFFORTS AND COORDINATE ALL ONGOING CLINICAL TRIALS, IDENTIFY STUDY PARTICIPANTS, AND WORK WITH THESE PATIENT PARTICIPANTS ON ALL FOLLOW-UP. PATIENT CARE AND OUTREACH - THE ORGANIZATION IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING CANCER PATIENTS. IN 2019, WE ESTABLISHED OUR CANCER CARE PACKAGES PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES PATIENTS WITH PRACTICAL COMFORT ITEMS TO HELP EASE THE SYMPTOMS OF TREATMENT. HEIDI RAY, AN ONCOLOGY NURSE LOCATED AT THE INFUSION CENTER AT NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, HELPS TO DISTRIBUTE THESE PACKAGES TO NEWLY DIAGNOSED GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER PATIENTS PRIOR TO THEIR TREATMENT.

REAL ESTATE EDUCATION - THE ORGANIZATION HAS DEVELOPED MULTIPLE HANDS-ON EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAMS AIMED TO GIVE STUDENTS EXPOSURE TO THE REAL WORKING WORLD OF REAL ESTATE AS WELL AS ACCESS TO AND MENTORSHIP FROM INDUSTRY LEADERS. THIS YEAR ALONE, THE FOUNDATION INVESTED OVER $50,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND PROGRAMS AND IMPACTED THE LIVES OF OVER 1,000 STUDENTS FROM OVER 30 UNIVERSITIES NATIONWIDE. THESE PROGRAMS ARE DEVELOPED AND ADMINISTERED BY THE ORGANIZATION'S STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS. OVER 300 DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATE IN THE EDUCATION PROGRAMS, WHICH CONSIDERABLY DECREASES THE FOUNDATION'S EXPENSES. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE WHEN REVIEWING CHARITABLE PROGRAM COSTS. THE EDUCATION PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:LEVEL PROGRAM: LEVEL WAS CREATED TO BUILD A PIPELINE OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED JOB APPLICANTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY COMMUNITIES BY RAISING AWARENESS AND PROVIDE MENTORSHIPS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY. THE EISENBERG FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH EMBARC TO WELCOME GROUPS OF 25-50 HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS ON A 'JOURNEY' TO TOUR A LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SITE, MEET INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AND MORE. MENTORSHIP & CAREER COUNSELING - THE ORGANIZATION'S PILLAR EDUCATION INITIATIVE, THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, OFFERS COLLEGE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND A FULL-DAY SHADOWING AN INDUSTRY LEADER. THE FOUNDATION AVERAGES TWO MENTORSHIP DAYS EACH WEEK AND HAS COMPLETED OVER 1,700 TOTAL DAYS. BUILDING ON THE TREMENDOUS SUCCESS OF THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, THE CAREER COUNSELING PROGRAM OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET ONE-ON-ONE FOR SHORT COUNSELING SESSIONS. REAL ESTATE CHALLENGE - THIS ANNUAL COMPETITION CHALLENGED FIFTEEN GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT TEAMS TO ACT AS INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES BY CREATING PLANS FOR A SIGNIFICANT SITE IN THE CHICAGO AREA - OGDEN'S PASSAGE NEAR GOOSE ISLAND. THE WINNING TEAMS (UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE) WERE EACH AWARDED A $5,000 SCHOLARSHIP. APPROXIMATELY 30 VOLUNTEERS ASSISTED WITH THE COMPETITION. CAREER DAY: CAREER DAY IS A TWO-DAY, IN-PERSON EDUCATIONAL FORUM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN BUILDING A CAREER IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES CAREER READINESS PROGRAMMING, A SITE TOUR OF A CHICAGO-BASED PROJECT, THE OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK WITH REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AND CONCLUDES WITH A CAREER & INTERNSHIP FAIR WITH 20+ EMPLOYERS!SCHOLAR PROGRAM - THIS PROGRAM IS A TEN-MONTH DEEP DIVE THAT PROVIDED SIX EXCEPTIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH REAL ESTATE INNOVATORS. IT INCLUDED PARTNERING WITH A "SUPER MENTOR", MENTORSHIP AND CAREER COUNSELING SESSIONS, ACCESS TO INDUSTRY EVENTS, FIELD TRIPS, AND A SCHOLARSHIP OF UP TO $5,000 PER STUDENT. APPROXIMATELY 25 VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROGRAM. SCHOLARSHIPS - THE ORGANIZATION AWARDED SIX SCHOLARSHIPS TO DESERVING REAL ESTATE STUDENTS INVOLVED IN FOUNDATION EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, WHO ATTEND A VARIETY OF COLLEGES. THEY WERE CHOSEN BY A COMMITTEE OF VOLUNTEERS BASED ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, COMMITMENT TO SERVICE, AND DEDICATION TO PURSUING A CAREER IN THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY.