We have a long history of hiring great associates, a number of whom happen to be disabled. The Manager of the Employment Unit for the DHS is Tom Minta, who first came to see us over 13 years ago with Dan Rivera, a hearing impaired individual, who has become a key member of our packaging team. Since that date we have worked closely with Tom and have been creative in developing strategies to hire the disabled.

Today we were surprised to be honored with the Spotlight Award, which recognizes a company that has promoted and advocated for persons with disabilities by making the issue an important part of the company’s mission and public image. We were in great company as the other awards went to companies including Jewel Osco, Home Depot and the Doubletree Hotel in Skokie. Employer recognition awards were also to other Eli’s customers including IKEA, Sodexho, Walgreen’s, Meijer and White Hen Pantry in Crystal Lake. It is a fact that the best companies work hard to hire the best associates and many of those talented people with a passion for the career are disabled.

In my opening remarks, I shared the importance with the over 300 in attendance to work together to insure that the State and Federal Government continue to allocate significant funds for training and development. We are working with Vaughn High School right now to help more of their disabled students get experience in the work place through expanded internship opportunities. Breaking down the barriers between educational and other institutions and the disabled populations will mean better jobs, better lives and less cost to government in the long term.

I also shared a newspaper article that I read that past weekend in Providence, Rhode Island. It was sadly an obituary that caught my eye because it was about a 34 year old woman, Cara Dunne Yates. Her age caught my eye as did her accomplishments; BA in East Asian Studies from Harvard, a JD from UCLA and medals in biking and ski racing. Pretty impressive, but made much more so, when I read on to learn that she was blind from the age of 5. She did all that while enduring three bouts with cancer, which ultimately was fatal.

To achieve so much, in such a short time, while overcoming so much adversity says a great deal about the human spirit and passion. I felt very good at the end of my remarks when one of managers at DHS shared that she knew Cara’s parents. As it turns out, Cara was born in Illinois, and sets a standard for all of us to aspire to.

The key note speaker for the breakfast was James Hasse, the owner of Hasse Communications Counseling. Jim was born with cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for him to communicate. That in no way stopped him for delivering the following speech with a great story of how ordinary people can become quite special by taking the extra step to help a disabled individual. There are many ways to make a difference and as you can see, the rewards are rich.

We were therefore really honored when DHS/DRS highlighted our parternship on its 2005 Calendar and Annual Report. How wonderful it is for other employers to learn how hiring the disabled is good business and good for the company spirit

Eli’s Corporate Office, Bakery, Retail Store and Dessert Café is located on the northwest side of the city of Chicago at 6701 Forest Preserve Drive (at the corner of Forest Preserve Drive and Montrose). You can call us at 800-ELI-CAKE or 773-736-3417. Or, you may fax us at 773-205-3801.

REGULAR HOURS:

Cafe/Retail Store:

Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, 9am-5pm Saturday

11am-5pm Sunday.

Corporate Office:

Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm

Eli’s will be closed on:

New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Closing early on: December 24, December 31 (dates subject to change, please call for details).

Eli’s is delighted to donate the baseball cheesecake as well as additional cheesecakes to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Harry Carays is located at 33 West Kinzie in Chicago, IL. Eli’s giant baseball cheesecake will be on stage in the tent.

According to Marc Schulman, Eli’s President, “Starbucks and Eli’s are companies deeply committed to quality and community. We are delighted with this partnership and the opportunity to serve Chicago the best desserts with the best coffee.”

For a free sample of Eli’s new Starbucks’ desserts, check out the Ultimate Coffee Break with Starbucks on Wednesday, July 14th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Equity Plaza (across from Union Station between Madison and Washington Streets). Starbucks signature beverages and other offerings will also be featured.

On Thursday, July 22nd, Eli’s will be sampling cheesecake and desserts at 13 Starbucks locations throughout Cook County. The sampling event will benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository. All monetary donations given to the Food Depository will be matched by Starbucks. In addition, Eli’s will donate the same value of cheesecake for distribution to the Food Depository

The times and locations for the Eli’s Cheesecake Sampling on July 22nd are as follows:

Eli’s Cheesecake was first developed in 1980 when famous restaurateur, Eli M. Schulman, decided to create a signature dessert for his Chicago restaurant, Eli’s the Place for Steak. Eli’s Cheesecake was so rich and creamy that his customers proclaimed it “Chicago’s finest.” It’s grown from a local treasure to one of the country’s largest specialty cheesecake bakeries. For more information, log on to.