'Lions for Hope' Banquet

Saturday the 31st of January

For the 'Lions for Hope'

invation click here

For directions to the

'Lions for Hope' Banquet

click here

PRESS RELEASE - January 20th, 2009:

Today, the Chicago Hope Academy and the Chicago Lions Rugby Football Club announced a ground breaking partnership to jointly develop a Youth Rugby program, and a new dedicated Rugby pitch for play at Youth and Senior levels in Chicago.  The program will be introduced on Saturday, the 31st of January, 2009 at the first ever 'Lions for Hope' banquet.  The event, which begins at 6:30 PM, will be held at the Clubhouse building at the field, which is at 2431 West Roosevelt Road, just west of Western Avenue.  The event will feature tours of the facility, exquisite food and spirits, live and silent auctions, Rugby related merchandise, and a special sneak performance by the Chicago Hope Players.  Attendance is expected to be high, and include local celebrities officials, school supporters, and Chicago area Rugby players, past and present. 

The event will be held in the 'Gut Heil' house, which was built in 1896 as a German Athletic and Social Club by the Forward Turners, and has a rich history in Chicago.  It was one of 11 similar buildings built in the latter part of the 19^th century and the last to survive.  The Forward Turners sold the building to the Mexican Patriotic Committee in 1945, and then it was converted to a succession of storefront churches until it was abandoned about 10 years ago.  The building was scheduled to be torn down in 2007, though it was on the orange list of potential landmarks.  That attracted the attention of Bill Lavicka and his son, Kelsey, who are noted Chicago area preservationists.  They undertook a complete restoration of the building, which is scheduled to be concluded this spring, and is to include private residences and a Clubhouse with showers, lockers, and meeting room space.

Bob Muzikowski, the founder and President of the Chicago Hope Academy, and a former Old Blue NY wing forward, said “This is a truly unique opportunity to advance the great sport of Rugby with urban youth and the program speaks directly to the mission of Hope Academy as a co-educational college and life prepatory school dedicated to nurturing the whole person . . . mind, body and spirit.  Rugby is ideal in that it requires a minimum of equipment, is suited for players of all sizes and shapes, and builds team play and interdependence.”  Mr. Muzikowski also said, “We’re already underway, as the Chicago Lions have provided equipment, and several players are leading the pre-season training for Hope students, while the Lions are also holding joint indoor practices at the Hope Academy gym.”  Bob Muzikowski noted that “This is a rare opportunity for two non-profits to combine and contribute to a common goal . . . the development of our youth, and benefit the surrounding community at the same time by providing a safe haven for athletics.”  

The Chicago Hope Academy was established in the summer of 2004 when a group of Chicago businessmen purchased the shuttered St. Callistus school from the Archdiocese of Chicago and began a full renovation, leading to the August 2005 grand opening.  At present, the school has 200 students and offers a challenging college prepatory curriculum that successfully balances physical, mental and spiritual development.  This year, the Hope Academy football team finished 8-2, including a state 1A tournament loss to the eventual champion, in a highly publicized first year of IHSA competition.  

The Chicago Lions RFC is one of the oldest and most successful Rugby clubs in the US dating back to its founding by a stalwart group of Chicagoans in 1964.  Now playing in the Rugby Super League, the highest level of play in the US, the Lions reached the semifinals in 2005, 2006, 2008, the finals in 2007, and won the National 7s Championship in 2007. Keith Brown, President of the Chicago Lions observed that, “Rugby is a truly global game with a World Cup that matches any sporting event in its audience and participation.  To be successful at that level, we must introduce the game at an earlier stage in the US.  Our partnership with the Chicago Hope Academy is bringing the game to urban youth, and providing the coaching, equipment and mentoring necessary for success.”  Mr. Brown added that, “This creates a purpose built Rugby field that can be used for competitions of all types, and can serve USA Rugby and international sides that come to Chicago for matches like the USA Eagles vs. Munster in 2007 and the Barclays Cup in 2008.“

Part of this program is the establishment of a permanent field at a former scrap yard on West Roosevelt Road that has already been redeveloped into a regulation Rugby pitch/field.  The Chicago Lions played two 'friendly' matches there in the fall as it was being improved and will play their Rugby Super League games there in the spring.  To date, the partners have invested $125,000.00 in the acquisition, scraping, seeding and sodding of the field to get it ready for play.  Adjacent to the field is a former Forward Turners building that has been converted.  This elegant property will be the site of the party on the 31st of January.

The Chicago Hope Academy is a private, non-profit 501c3 organization and more information is available on their website www.chicagohopeacademy.com.  The Chicago Lions are also a non-profit organization and their website, www.chicagolions.com, contains information about the Club and the spring schedule.

For more information, please call Bob Muzikowski, 312-781-2739, Keith Brown, kbrown@klaff.com, (C) 312-952-1028, or RSVP Courtney Allen, 312-447-3099.

The Building will eventually be renovated to house our Club Room on the First floor with showers and lockers in the basement.

The second and third floors will be Residential Condos.

It is just a start, and more details to follow on how you can be a financial partner and supporter.

Work in progress on the Pitch and the Building . . .