Our Thanks to legendary folksinger/song writer Greg Brown for his benefit concert for PACTT Learning Center at the Harris Theater on Thursday, March 19, 2009.

Thanks to generous grant support from Target and Loyola University, the students and teachers at PACTT Learning Center and PACTT Vocational Services are enjoying a 6-month series of art classes taught by artists from Artreach at Lill Street Art Center. While PACTT students experience hands-on art on site at PACTT Learning Center, their teachers have their own weekly advanced classes at Lill Street. The art classes were launched as a two-month pilot project funded by Loyola University and have been extended with a broader four-month schedule of classes funded by a grant from Target. This added series of classes enables PACTT teachers and students to advance their ability to work with clay and to explore other art forms such as painting and silk screening.

On May 16, Team PACTT fielded 27 walkers and raised $2,000 for Autism Speaks' 2009 Walk Now for Autism at Soldier Field. Thanks to our terrific team co-captains Lisa Shanahan and Kathleen Falco and their hardwalking crew!

THANK YOU, Yale Volunteers!! On May 16, 2009 Yale University alumni around the world joined in their first ever Yale Day of Service, with over 3500 members of the Yale community volunteering in nearly 170 sites in 40 states and twelve countries. Here in Chicago, two terrific teams of volunteers from the Yale Club of Chicago came to PACTT Learning Center and to PACTT’s Oak Park group home. At PACTT, the dedicated Yale crew worked side by side with PACTT staff to put a new roof on the Oak Park garage, paint and repair rooms at the Learning Center and plant flowers and freshen landscaping at both sites. Our thanks to our wonderful new Yale Club friends and to PACTT board member and Yale alum Robbin Schoewe who connected us to this terrific group. These spirited volunteers from the Yale Club of Chicago joined PACTT staff in putting the hammer, shovel, rake, drill, broom and paint brush to their school’s great tradition of giving back – all in support of the children, teens and young adults with autism at PACTT.