You could call the recent Midtown Educational Foundation’s 26th annual Reach for Excellence dinner an investment seminar—so long as you realize that the targeted investment is in the lives of some 1,149 Chicago area at-risk boys and girls—and their families--served by the Midtown Center for boys and Metro Achievement Center for girls.

Indeed, Kelly Wright, co-anchor of Fox’s America’s News Headquarters and emcee for the evening, noted that MEF was about “investing in the life of a child” and, equally, playing an important role in their families. The investment theme carried the evening.

To wit: When John J. Conroy, Jr., president of MEF’s board of directors, thanked Walgreens for investing in the Reach for Excellence dinner since its inception and for its ongoing support of MEF’s programs. When Kristi Savacool, strategic advisor at AON, and Ed Wehmer, founder and CEO of Wintrust Financial Corporation, accepted recognition as outstanding business and civic leaders supporting MEF. When, from the 544 attendees, dozens of individuals and firms opened their wallets to support the dinner, bidding on items raising to a grand total of one million dollars for MEF.

When, during a comedic skit, MEF students Rebecca Cano-Beltran and Zahir Giwa and auxiliary board member Elizabeth Morgan and Midtown staffer Brian Parker role-played a familiar sibling rivalry annoyance and how students are taught to use the values and character traits learned at MEF to overcome life’s often-daily challenges.

In the financial world, investment prospectuses carry the caveat: “Past performance does not guarantee future returns.” However, after 52 years serving some 23,000 at-risk students, MEF need offer no such warning. If anything, its prospectus can guarantee returns in the form of money well invested and the incalculable dividends of helping changing lives for the better. And forever.

For more information, http://www.midtown-metro.org/