Helping motivated young people reach their educational goals is important to Kevin J. Conway. Fittingly, a grant in Mr. Conway’s honor was awarded this month to Launch U, which is a program dedicated to youth mentorship.
This prestigious honor was made possible by Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth—a program established twenty years ago by the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation, which allows the Chicago area legal community to provide guidance to students.
Launch U, a beneficiary of Lawyers Lend-A-Hand and the recipient of the grant made in Mr. Conway’s name, shares a very similar goal—to help ensure a successful future for disadvantaged young people by connecting them to mentors with various backgrounds and experiences. From the time it was founded a decade ago, Launch U has worked with over 600 kids, helping them follow their dreams of getting into college.
Mr. Conway recently had an opportunity to connect firsthand with students of the Launch U program, at an event held to celebrate the grant in his honor. While visiting with the students, Mr. Conway described the beginning of his legal career, as well as his life growing up in a large family. Mr. Conway lost his father when he was very young. He credits his mother, who raised seven children who all went on to have productive careers, for much of his success. He has felt a calling to mentor youth ever since.
In keeping with this mission, Mr. Conway devotes much of his time to causes for young people, including serving on the Board of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund and the Chicago Jesuit Academy. He is also a Life Trustee of St. Ignatius College Prep.
Mr. Conway also donates money to causes that further opportunities for young people, including matching the amount of the original grant to Launch U, making it a grand total of $10,000.
Kevin J. Conway to be Awarded Leonard M. Ring Lifetime Achievement Award