On Wednesday, September 21st, the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago will celebrate its 14th Bill of Rights in Action Awards Benefit by paying tribute to the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and by honoring Victor G. Rosenblum, Carol Marin and the Chicago Tribune with the 2005 Bill of Rights in Action award.

The award is given annually to individuals and organizations who, through their professional life and community involvement, provide exemplary models of citizenship for our nation's young people; the Board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) believes that the 2005 honorees represent well the spirit of this award.

Victor Rosenblum , who celebrated his 80th birthday on June 2, 2005, is a Life Trustee and veteran member of the CRFC Board. Mr. Rosenblum has been on the faculty of Northwestern University for 45 years as a professor of political science and law; in 2002 he became the Nathaniel L. Nathanson Professor Emeritus of the Northwestern University School of Law. His professional associations include a long-standing involvement with the American Bar Association as well as the American Judicature Society. His career reflects his commitment to the law as an educator, a mentor and a scholar (his vitae lists nearly 50 books, articles and reviews to his credit).

Carol Marin is well known to CRFC and Chicago. She has in the past emceed the Bill of Rights in Action Awards Benefit and is an award-winning member of the Chicago media. She is currently a special assignment reporter for NBC5 and writes a twice-weekly column for the Chicago Sun Times .

The Chicago Tribune published its first edition on June 10, 1847 in a one-room plant located at LaSalle and Lake Streets . The original press run consisted of 400 copies printed on a hand press. A leading national newspaper, the Tribune was the first to print the complete Watergate tape transcripts and in 1999 published a five-part series on the death penalty in Illinois, prompting then-Governor George Ryan in 2000 to call for a moratorium on state executions.

Non-profit and non-partisan, the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago has conducted democracy education programs in Chicago, in Illinois, across the country and around the world since 1974.

The Annual benefit is an opportunity for individuals and organizations who support the goals of civic education - teaching the fundamental ideas of American democracy, preparing young people to take on the rights and responsibilities of self-government, inviting critical thinking and discussing complex issues - to make a financial contribution to the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Your financial support assists CRFC in helping students and teachers in grades K-12 discover ways in which the democratic principles that underpin our constitutional heritage can be practiced and understood.

Individual tickets are $75 and contributions are accepted at a variety of sponsorship levels. A special ticket is available to educators who are invited to bring up to two students with them for $50.

For information on the 2005 Benefit, including tickets and ways to contribute, please contact us by calling 312-663-9057 or by e-mailing chan@crfc.org .


Last updated: September 8, 2005

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