Community Sponsorships
Clifford Law Offices Sponsors Legal Forum
Clifford Law Offices Sponsors Aviation Safety Initiatives
Robert A. Clifford is sponsoring helicopter Search and Rescue Unit Commander Dan Bitton to the Joint International Helicopter Safety Team (JIHST). The Team is a group of aviation experts, including experts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) who are attempting to reduce the rate of helicopter accidents by 80 percent by the year 2016.
Chicago Public Television
Through the generous support of Robert Clifford and Clifford Law Offices, WTTW, Chicago's public television station, was able to purchase equipment for the hearing impaired. For the first time in the station's history, local programming is now closed captioned. Mr. Clifford also sits on WTTW's Board of Trustees.
Sponsorships
Robert A. Clifford and Clifford Law Offices are among the proud sponsors of the Second Annual Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) and Vincent Vitullo Ethics and Professionalism Seminar.
Robert A. Clifford and Clifford Law Offices are proud supporters of the 2009 Legacy Award Campaign honoring Elzie Higginbottom sponsored by the Jane Addams Hull House Association.
Making the Holidays a Bit Brighter for the Homeless
Kevin Durkin and Keith Hebeisen made a sizable donation to the
Immaculate Conception Parish, 81st and Commercial Avenue, on Chicago’s
Southeast side in honor of Robert A. Clifford. Their Christmas gift to
Bob Clifford was a monetary gift in his name to the needy and homeless
in that area. The parish operates a daily food kitchen open to all
those in need, regardless of faith or walk of life.
All
of the attorneys at Clifford Law Offices also made a large donation to
the Franciscan Outreach Association sponsored by the Franciscan Order at
St. Peter’s Church in Chicago’s Loop. The Franciscans operate a
facility at 1645 W. LeMoyne St., Chicago, which houses an emergency
overnight shelter, dining facility, laundry and Case Management Service
which tries to assist the homeless and indigent with long-term service
care.
Pictured is Robert Clifford with partners Kevin Durkin,
Keith Hebeisen as well as Father Michael Enright of Immaculate
Conception Parish. Also pictured is attorney Karina Ayala-Bermejo,
Managing Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources for
the City of Chicago and a parishioner of Immaculate Conception. She
introduced the firm to Father Enright’s program for the needy.
Bob and Joan Clifford Co-Chair Successful Fundraiser for Underprivileged Children
NAPLES, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2012) – Surpassing the $100 million mark
in charitable giving was cause for celebration at the 12th annual Naples
Winter Wine Festival charity auction, which raised $12.2 million during
the live auction and reached a grand total of $106.7 million raised
since 2001. One hundred percent of auction proceeds benefit Collier
County’s underprivileged and at-risk children through Naples Children
& Education Foundation, the festival’s founding organization. Wine
Spectator has ranked the festival the most successful charity wine
auction in the nation since 2004.
Gathered
at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, in the Grand Lawn Pavilion,
winning bidders were among 580 guests. Lot totals ranged from $35,000 to
$1.2 million for 67 auction lots. The top money-raising lot captured
multiple bids in a modified Dutch auction that totaled $1.2 million for a
private concert by Grammy-award winner LeAnn Rimes. The concert and
reception will be held at a Naples beachfront estate, with cuisine
prepared by Tom Colicchio of “Top Chef.”
The top wine lot fetched a total of $1.1 million. The original lot featured eight rare bottles of Château Haut-Brion from 1935, 1945, 1959, 1961, 1975, 1989, 1990 and 2009, and six bottles each from the 2010 vintage of Haut-Brion Blanc and Rouge nestled inside a hand-carved red wine console. Following spirited bidding, a second identical lot was donated. Each captured a bid of $550,000.
This year’s highest non-wine bid raised $600,000 for a lot featuring a Baltic Sea cruise for six couples aboard a private, 201-foot Feadship yacht.
“The festival’s theme of ‘Believe in the Magic’ came true thanks to the generosity of patrons, sponsors, donors and other supporters who conjured up life-enhancing bids for thousands of children in need,” said NCEF trustee Bob Clifford, festival chair with his wife, Joan. “We are thrilled and profoundly grateful to our supporters, and we look forward to presenting grant checks to more than 20 charities this spring.”
“Every bid changes a child’s world,” said Joan Clifford. “When a paddle is raised at the $50,000 level, 100 children are assured a safe, nurturing after-school program and not left wandering the streets. A $150,000 bid means 200 foster children receive year-round academic tutoring, and a $300,000 bid guarantees that thousands of children suspected of abuse and neglect receive therapeutic counseling.”
Other top wine lots were $320,000 for a 35-bottle vertical spanning 84 years of Haut-Brion; $240,000 for a wine vertical that included a bottle from each vintage released from Rutherford’s Dana Estates and an estate visit; and a rare collection of Shafer’s Hillside Select and a stay in Napa Valley that auctioned for $220,000. An instant cellar of 556 bottles of U.S. West Coast wines – the most bottles ever in a single festival lot – captured a winning bid of $150,000.
Other high bids extended to a custom-crafted 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster fetching $450,000. Lifestyle lots that enticed high bids included an 11-night Italian extravaganza for four couples, with four nights in Milan at Bvlgari Hotel, Serpenti watches, tailored suits from Saint Andrews, that went for $400,000. Access to Elton John’s White Tie & Tiara Ball at his Windsor, England, estate for two couples, with Wimbledon Centre Court tickets and Chopard keepsakes, captured $320,000.
On-the-spot donations raised $280,000 for a fund-a-need lot to bring
improved vision to children in low-income schools and targeted early
childhood centers, where 90 percent of students who need eyeglasses do
not have them.
Festival events spanned three days, including a
tour of children’s charities; intimate vintner dinners at NCEF trustees’
homes where celebrity chefs including Tony Mantuano and Wolfgang Puck
prepared the cuisine, with wines personally poured by winery proprietor
HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg and other internationally acclaimed
vintners; a wine-down party post-auction; and a celebratory Sunday
brunch.
NCEF’s mission is to create and expand charitable programs serving underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County. The foundation currently supports more than 20 grantees and provides grants for long-term strategic initiatives focused on children’s early learning, medical/oral health, out-of-school programs, behavioral health and childhood hunger. As a direct result of NCEF investments, more than 150,000 children have had their lives improved. NCEF has 69 trustees that govern the foundation and host the festival.
The 2013 festival will be held Jan. 25-27. For more information, visit www.napleswinefestival.com.
Naplesnews.com Editorial: They've done it again
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
We could say that the leaders and patrons of the Naples Winter Wine Festival never surprise us.
They keep putting on bigger and better events. Over the weekend they raised $12.2 million to surpass the $100 million mark for the 12 years of fundraising festivities.
Then again, what we really mean to say is that these wine festival people always surprise us. Their ingenuity and generosity gets reinvented every year.
The new wrinkle this year was the sale of tickets to the 100 highest silent bidders to attend an intimate private concert at a Port Royal home by county music star LeAnn Rimes.
That novel idea alone raised $1.22 million.
Top that, Naples Winter Wine Festival 2013.
Seldom has our country seen an example of philanthropy where so much money from so few people gets put to work to help so many others. They raise money in such significant amounts that their efforts make an impact.
They make a difference — for the thousands of children who have taken part in their dental and mental health programs and skilled pre- and after-school mentoring.
Our community is fortunate that they choose Naples as home base for their activities and leadership.
