THE DEMISE OF PFAD

About 14 years ago, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley created (probably not him personally) The Principal For A Day Program (PFAD).  The theory behind the program was for local business leaders and corporations to “adopt” a school to be its advocate and mentor.  I was honored when White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf asked if I would partner with him at Doolittle School located on the south side not far from what was then Comisky Park (now U.S. Cellular Field) where the Sox played.  I was honored and accepted the challenge.

Because I do not do anything halfway, I immediately went to the school and met then Principal Lori Lennix and was assigned Diane Stemley from the front office to be my contact.  I fell in love with these two dedicated women which, in turn, led me to love the school.

Doolittle needed a mentor because its students were from the poorest of the poor families and nobody seemed to care about them.  I wanted to change that and let them know there was hope for their futures.

One of the first things I noticed was that this elementary school did not have a playground.  Other schools in Chicago had playgrounds, playing fields, tracks, etc. But Doolittle had nothing but dirt and grass.  I lobbied the division of the Public Buildings Commission that was in charge of building playgrounds and I got Doolittle a playground.  The children and the principal were thrilled because they saw there was someone who was going to speak out on their behalf.

Another early project of mine was to buy hats, coats and gloves for all 500 students.  It was winter and I realized that if a child were cold walking to school how could they perform at their best in class?  I was lucky to have a wealthy friend, John Dreyfus, who gave me $15,000 so I could outfit the children.  Dreyfus probably gave me close to $50,000 for various programs at Doolittle.  He never said, “no,” when I asked.

(Gingerbread house building at IIT)

Through the past 14 years I continued advocating for Doolittle. Hilton Hotels, The Chicago Fire, Illinois Institute of Technology, VanderCook College of Music and other corporations joined me at Doolittle when I asked for help.  As did groups of friends of mine who assisted me a number of times in painting the walls of classrooms so the students would have a more cheery environment.  Those same friends gave me money for gift cards at grocery stores so we could provide holiday meals for families and donated cash so we could sponsor an after school dance program.

I asked important government officials to come to speak to the students to inspire them and Secretary of State Jesse White came, State Senator Kwame Raoul, Alderman ( now Cook County Board President) Toni Preckwinkle, State Rep. (and now alderman) Will Burns and the list goes on.  Art Norman from NBC5 came to the school many times to document the special events the students at Doolittle were participating in.  The children loved being on TV!

During the past 14 years I probably held more than 100 events, including essay contests, gingerbread house building, Tea at the Drake, etiquette classes at The Hilton Chicago, etc.  My Doolittle file is huge on my computer.  I did all of this on my own with no support or input from the Chicago Public Schools system.  It did not cost one penny of taxpayer money for me and my wonderful friends to enrich the lives of students at Doolittle.

When John Kelly, the CEO of the Irish Chamber Orchestra visited Chicago, I invited him to Doolittle to play classical violin for the students.

I helped individual students—ask me about the Clifton story when you see me and I will cry when I relate the tale of a young special needs boy with a withered arm who got confidence in life when a group of us bought him a laptop.

The accomplishment I am proudest of is the Young Guitarist Program created by VanderCook College of Music and college president Dr. Charles Menghini.  We are now in our third year of after-school guitar lessons and I see students who bloom from being shrinking violets to proudly performing recitals in front of large audiences. (My friends and I painted the entire auditorium before one of the recitals so the students would feel good about the space.)

Principal Lennix and Diane Stemley have moved on from Doolittle, but Principal Lauren Norwood and counselor Lisa Connors have embraced me.

Two weeks ago I met the new Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO, Jean-Claude Brizard and I talked to him about my love for Doolittle and the importance of the PFAD program and I how I wanted to inspire principals at other schools how to engage community leaders.  He agreed with me, took my card and said I would be hearing from his office.

Guess what?  Brizard lied.  I know because I received an e-mail Monday afternoon that read, “The Annual Principal for a Day (PFAD) event historically hosted by CPS in late October will not take place in 2011.  We plan to revisit this program for next year and create a new experience for the participants and schools that will go beyond the program’s current structure. When information is available, we will let you know.”

A cold, heartless e-mail to tell me that the volunteer work I have done for the last 14 years is meaningless.  If my work were significant they would not have cancelled the program.  I don’t care that the “official” PFAD has been cancelled; I won’t abandon the children even though CPS thinks my work has no merit.  I won’t leave a child behind.