The son of John J. Lothian & Company, Inc. advisory board member Clive Furness has released a holiday song online with the proceeds donated to the U.K. children’s charity Futures For Kids. Sam Furness, 23, has released HO! HO! HO! (Way to Go!), a 3:49 minute track of  Christmas-themed 60’s pop music in an effort to raise funds for Futures for Kids.

The song is available at http://samfurness.bandcamp.com/ to listen to and you can download it after naming your own price to donate to Futures for Kids.

The younger Furness is a year removed from graduating from university with a drama degree.  He wrote the song and played all the instruments except the drums.  He also did all the vocals.  He is pursuing a career as a musician, while also working for a headhunting company in the music industry.

From the Chicago Board of Trade building management:

The season of thankfulness and family is fast approaching, however, not everyone is as lucky as we are. Please join GlenStar and the CBOT building, for the annual Greater Chicago Food Depository Food Drive.

Please help by donating nutritious non-perishables. Foods that are needed the most are:

• Peanut Butter
• Canned Vegetables
• Pasta
• Rice
• Cereal
• Chili
• Soup
• Tuna
• Beans
• Canned Fruits

Barrels and collection bags will be located in the North and South Lobbies. For more information about the Greater Chicago Food Depository, contact them at (771) 247-FOOD or visit http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/bomafood . Every little bit helps!

Help support The National Multiple Sclerosis Society through Bike MS.

From Jennifer Ropiak of NYSE Liffe US:

This year, I will join 5,000 participants for Bike MS New York City.  I will ride 30 miles to raise money for the National MS Society on October 21, 2012.  This year’s goal is to raise 3 million dollars.  I registered for Bike MS New York City because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed – and because I want to do everything to prevent more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with a diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.  To make a donation, please visit my personal page for Bike MS.

Here are a few examples of what your donations can do:

• $50 will provide a home care visit for someone living with MS.    
• $80 will pay for an occupational therapist to evaluate the safety of the home of someone living with MS.
• $100 will cover the cost of a walker for someone living with MS that has difficulty walking.
• $150 will pay for someone living with MS to get to and from their doctor’s appointment when they have no other form of transportation.
• $250 provides three sessions of rehabilitation therapy.
• $1,500 can cover the cost of a scooter for someone living with MS.

Bike MS raises funds for critical research, as well as comprehensive programs and services for people with MS.  When you donate, you become a part of the powerful movement that is doing something about MS Now.   Once again, to make a donation, please visit my personal page for Bike MS.

New York – Thursday, 10/11/12, 7pm – 12am
Chicago – Thursday, 10/25/12, 7pm – 11pm

From A Leg To Stand On:

The annual Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest benefiting A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO) has been recognized as one of the most unique and highly anticipated fundraising events in both the charitable and financial sectors. ALTSO’s signature event unites more than 1,000 leaders from the hedge fund and related financial services communities for a night of rock ‘n roll and acoustic music performed by industry professionals – to help ALTSO treat more children.

ALTSO provides free prosthetic limbs, corrective surgery, orthotic devices and rehabilitative care to children who have lost limbs in traumatic accidents or suffer from congenital limb disabilities. They work in countries where there is a staggering need for orthopedic treatment due to landmines, violence, and most simply – poverty.

Event Tickets:
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ALegtoStandOn/TicketPurchase.html

More Information:
http://altso.org/hedge-fund-rocktoberfest/

VIDEO: ALTSO – What We’re All About
https://vimeo.com/33405965

From Sarah Laufer of Cantor Fitzgerald:

Every year Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners commemorate the 658 employees they lost on September 11, 2001 through their annual Charity Day. This year’s Charity Day will take place on Tuesday, September 11.

“Celebrity brokers” will visit Cantor Fitzgerald’s trading floors at 110 East 59th Street and BGC Partners’ trading floors at 199 Water Street, to carry out real trades with both companies’ clients over the phone (with a licensed broker) in order to help raise money for selected charities.

Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliates have raised more than $77 million over the past seven years. Last year, approximately $12 million was raised in a single day which was donated to more than 200 charities around the globe.

For more information you can visit:

Cantor Fitzgerald
http://www.cantor.com/CD/charity_day_2012

BGC Partners
http://www.bgcpartners.com/about-us/charity/Charity_Day_2012/

From Steve Meizinger:

On January 5th of this year I had my miracle, I received my new heart.  The doctors & nurses at Newark Beth were extremely knowledgeable, caring & compassionate. During the past 18 months I have been fortunate to have the support of friends and family that have helped me throughout the most difficult time in my life. Please join us to show support and help raise money for the Heart Transplant Program by walking on October 14th in the Heart & Sole Walk.

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/stevemeizinger/heartandsolewalk2012

From Joanna Mallers of Mizuho Securities USA:

Friends, Family & Colleagues:

I hope you’ll grant me a few minutes of your time to tell you about something very important to me.  As many of you know, 3 years ago I adopted my dog Luke.  PAWS, the no-kill shelter had rescued Luke from the City Pound where he had been dumped by his previous owner.  I had no intention of adopting another dog…I already had 2…I was just going to look, and maybe foster…I’m sure you can guess how that turned out.  He was a bag of bones…he climbed into my lap, licked my face, and it was over.  Our journey started that day and together we’ve discovered and dealt with the fact that he is 100% deaf and has been since birth, learned how to communicate with a vibrating collar, remote control, hand signals, and wonderful trainers.  Through it all his tail has never stopped wagging and I’ve never stopped smiling. 

One of the unexpected benefits of adopting Luke has been getting to know the folks at PAWS and the great work they are doing.  For the past two years I’ve served on their Development Board and this year they’ve asked me to Co-Chair the Fur Ball, their annual black tie event and primary fundraiser.  My personal support and involvement with the PAWS organization is the product of their unwavering goal and progress towards a No Kill Chicago.  This year, the PAWS Adoption Center is on track to find homes for more than 5,000 homeless pets, and has established itself as a national model for shelter care.  The PAWS Lurie Clinic provides free and subsidized spay/neuter surgeries for pets of low-income families, performing over 18,000 surgeries this year.   Luke and I would love to have you join us at this year’s Fur Ball on November 9^th at The Drake Hotel (and yes, dogs are invited too!).  It is a wonderful event, and unlike any other I’ve attended.  If you are interested in buying a ticket, table* or making a monetary donation, please visit http://furball.pawschicago.org/ or email me for more information.  I’ve also attached an auction form (PDF) if you would prefer to donate an item. 

I’ve never done anything like this before and will be very grateful for anything you are able to do to support me in this effort.

Warm regards,

Joanna

*To accommodate printing deadlines, please respond by Friday, August 31^st so your family/corporate name will receive recognition in this year’s invitation.

Beckett Ryba

From John J. Lothian:

Beckett Ryba, the son of Mildred Ryba of the CME Group, is a special young boy. Besides being a source of joy for his family and friends, what is special about Beckett is his brain tumor. Beckett, who is 26 months old, was diagnosed with an a benign, but inoperable brain tumor in May of last year.

So far so good for Beckett’s treatment. He has responded well to the chemo therapy that is almost done and the tumor has shrunk significantly. If the tumor’s growth can be controlled his prognosis is very good. Beckett is one of the lucky ones. Some children with pediatric brain tumors are so sick that they do not make it.

Rocktoberfest Chicago Invitation

From A Leg To Stand On:

The charity A Leg To Stand On (“ALTSO”) is excited to announce the launch of its 1^st Annual Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest-Chicago.  Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest started in New York City in 2004 by ALTSO’s co-founder, C. Mead Welles, a hedge fund manager who wanted to create an event that combined his love for music and helping people.  In its 9^th year, Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest-NYC is arguably the most unique and highly anticipated fundraising benefit in both the finance and charity industries, uniting over 1,000 professionals from the hedge fund and related financial services industries for a night of rock-and-roll and acoustic music performed by industry leaders in support of ALTSO’s mission. 

ALTSO is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in NYC that provides free prosthetic limbs and corrective surgery to children in developing countries who have lost their limbs in traumatic accidents or were born with limb deformities.  Since 2002, ALTSO has treated more than 8,000 children and currently operates 16 programs in 14 emerging market countries.

ALTSO’s 1^st Annual Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest-Chicago will be held on October 25^th from 7pm – 11pm at City Winery (200 West Randolph Street, Chicago).  The organization is currently seeking musicians from the finance industry to perform at this inaugural event.  To learn more about this opportunity, or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.altso.org/rocktoberfest/, or contact the following event organizers: Ray McKenzie (raymack1999@mac.com) or Gabriella Mueller (gmueller@altso.org).

Event website: http://www.altso.org/rocktoberfest/

From Futures for Kids:

London’s futures and options industry joined forces with the foreign exchange community last Friday in the 2nd annual35 mile plus Walk to Work on 4 routes to the City for 4 children’s charities raising in the process almost £60k.

The Futures For Kids Walk to Work 2012 raised funds for four children’s charities with a mix of local, regional and international coverage – Demelza House, Hope HIV, Everychild and Variety.

The inaugural 2011 Walk consisted of a single route but this year the event was greatly expanded with walkers starting out on 4 routes from Tunbridge Wells, Guildford, Tring and Billericay.

Almost 100 Futures for Kids supporters joined the effort including executives from brokerage houses, banks, proprietary trading firms and software vendors. They were boosted by a very strong contingent of senior management from London-based derivatives and stock exchanges, trade associations and specialist publications. Exchanges represented included Turquoise, Deutsche Boerse, Eurex, NYSE Liffe, Nasdaq OMX, Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange and Singapore Exchange.