Celebrities, Lawmakers, and Local Leaders Share Their Support at A Time to Shine

Join the Celebration!

Share a Special Memory or Anniversary Wish for IAFC as We Prepare for A Time to Shine.

As Illinois Action for Children celebrates our 55th anniversary at our annual benefit, A Time to Shine, we’re encouraged by the outpouring of support we’ve received over the years from past featured guests and speakers.  

Read some of their expressions of gratitude, and if you have a special IAFC memory or anniversary wish, please share it with us! We’d love to feature your comments here on our website, on social media, or at our next A Time to Shine on October 10. 

Share A Special Message

“Illinois Action for Children exists today because it answered an important call—that American families, in order to be self-sufficient, need access to quality, safe, and affordable child care… [IAFC founder] Sylvia Cotton and my mother, Barbara Bowman, were contemporaries who fought side by side for the most vulnerable children and families among us.”

– Valerie Jarrett, Former Presidential Advisor, A Time to Shine 2016 

“Throughout my adult life, whenever working families and children needed an effective voice that could mobilize and get results, Illinois Action for Children was there at the front of the line leading the way. We are unequivocally better off as a city and state because of you. Your team has been a great partner to City Colleges of Chicago in our efforts to build a quality, affordable post-secondary pathway for early childhood educators.”

– Juan Zelgato, Chancellor City Colleges of Chicago, A Time to Shine 2021 

“Thank you for being an organization that cares, working each and every day to ensure that our youngest children have the resources they need to thrive in life.”

– Gabrielle Union, Actress, A Time to Shine 2021 

“I applaud Illinois Action for Children for what they do. You’re sowing seeds of positivity, seeds of encouragement, seeds of enlightenment. And really, truly, we forget that when we sow these positive seeds into our children, we are making this world a better place—you are effectively changing the world.”

– Dulé Hill, A Time to Shine 2023

“Can I just say how much I love this organization?… Since its founding more than 50 years ago, Illinois Action for Children has grown into a state leader and a national leader for early childhood care and education…Illinois Action for Children really does do it all.”

–  JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois,  A Time to Shine 2023 

“I want to thank you for the incredible work that you are doing to provide childcare, educational, and social support to empower the children and the families of Illinois…. During this really hard time, you have all gone to extraordinary lengths to continue serving families.”

– Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator, A Time to Shine 2021 

“I’m in awe of IAFC’s impact as they support and enrich people in the Chicagoland area and throughout Illinois…. I have been in my position for 11 years and have attended at least six events….I look forward to it every year!”

– Marcy Mendenhall, President & CEO, SAL Family and Community Services; Member of Illinois Early Childhood Education and Care Transition Advisory Committee 

Learn more about A Time to Shine and this year’s featured guests!