CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2006--Employees and Sales Associates from all of Baird & Warner's 31 offices will be out in the community on Saturday, October 28, participating in the 15th annual Make a Difference Day. This is the largest single day of volunteering in the nation, bringing 3 million people together to make a difference in the lives of others.

Last year, Baird & Warner was selected as one of ten national Make A Difference Day Award recipients by USA Weekend Magazine and the Paul Newman Foundation. The firm implemented a variety of projects, from collecting items for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina to volunteering at local homeless shelters, visiting nursing homes - even building houses for homeless families.

"We were tremendously honored to win this prestigious award," said Baird & Warner President and CEO Stephen W. Baird, "but the real reward came through helping the communities in which we live and work in a very real and meaningful way."

The driving force behind Baird & Warner's Make A Difference Day efforts is the firm's charitable foundation, the Baird & Warner Good Will Network. The Good Will Network is funded with $10 from every company transaction, in addition to employee donations, voluntary payroll deductions and proceeds from special events. Since its inception in 2002, it has raised over $1 million dollars for area non-profit organizations, with a special emphasis on those that work with the homeless.

Baird & Warner, Illinois' largest and the nation's oldest independent real estate brokerage, is celebrating 151 years in business in 2006. Baird & Warner has 31 offices throughout Chicago and its suburbs and some 1,800 sales professionals serving more than 300 communities. Information about Baird & Warner's involvement in Make A Difference Day can be found at goodwill.bairdwarner.com. Below is a list of Baird & Warner Branch Office projects:

B&W Arlington Heights, 210 W. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights, IL 60004 (847-392-1855) is helping a village resident who is reported to be in distress. A local church has identified her and reports that she has physical disabilities and is being evicted from her home. Team B&W Arlington Heights will clean up the front yard for neighbors, and help this woman with packing and moving of her household.

B&W Barrington, 754 W. Northwest Highway, Barrington, IL 60010 (847-381-1855) will spend the day picking up donations for charity Fellowship Housing's resale store Simple Abundance, which is located in the same shopping center as the Barrington office. Team B&W Barrington will be out in the neighborhood picking up donations on the 28th, and will also be helping with the store's "antique road show" on a different date.

B&W Bolingbrook, 473 South Weber Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60490 (630-759-7755) will assist the Meadowbrook Manor Nursing Home (431 West Remington Boulevard in Bolingbrook, Illinois) with projects that are important and needed by them.

B&W Buffalo Grove, 314 McHenry, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 (847-459-56000) has a project that is certain to warm your "sole." Team B&W Buffalo Grove is hosting a new and gently-used winter boot drive, to benefit Shelter, Inc. Chicago's harsh winters are particularly difficult for homeless and this project is intended to help warm the "soles" of those who give and receive the winter boots. (Shelter, Inc. is located at 1616 N. Arlington Heights Road Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004.)

B&W City North, 4040 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618 (773-549-1855): Team B&W City North has two projects underway. One group will be dispensed to the help with gardening, painting and general clean-up at the local Boys & Girls Club and the second team will provide similar help at the John Coonley Elementary School's library (4046 North Leavitt, Chicago).

B&W City West, 833 W. Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622 (312-738-7600). Team B&W City West is helping La Casa Norte, 3533 W. North Avenue, Chicago, IL, give life to "Solid Ground" this non profit's brand new shelter for homeless teens.

B&W Downers Grove, 724 Ogden Avenue, Downers Grove, IL. Plans are currently in development for this office's Make A Difference Day activity.

B&W Edgebrook, 5430 W. Devon Avenue, Chicago, IL (773-775-1855). Team B&W Edgebrook will be working with neighboring agency, Orchard Village (7670 Marmora Avenue Skokie, Illinois 60077), by helping them clean and update a group home for developmentally disabled adults.

B&W Evanston, 2926 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201 (847-491-1855). A long-time supporter of the Child Care Center of Evanston, Team B&W Evanston will help clean, paint, and landscape the Center's building and grounds located at 1840 Asbury Avenue, Evanston, IL.

B&W Far North West, 6500 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 (815-459-1855) will help the Light Center Foundation, an organization that helps developmentally or behaviorally challenged individuals and at-risk youth. Team B&W Far North West will help the Light Center ready for winter by cleaning up the grounds, even building a lean-too for small horses or a chicken coop (Light Center Foundation, Inc.,
17421 Marengo Rd., Union, IL 60180).

B&W Fox Valley, 962 S. Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174 (630-377-1855) is working with the Mid Valley Neighborhood Improvement Association and their partnership with the Re-Use-It Center. This is a group that demolishes house or commercial buildings and collects architectural remnants, appliances, cabinets, sinks, furnaces, etc. The collected items are resold in order to raise funds for needy families' house emergencies. Team B&W Fox Valley will spend the day demolishing the Batavia Fire Department's former home. (The organization's site is www.mvnia.org).

B&W Financial Services & Title Services, 1350 E. Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018 (847-296-5757) are hard at work on plans to host a Halloween Party for the Junior High Adventures group of Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook (3100 W Lake Ave Glenview, IL 60026). Some of the events they are planning for the kids include a pinata, a pumpkin carving contest and a face painting contest where the kids paint staffers faces. We are also planning on asking for a 'wish list' from each of the kids containing a school item, fun item and personal item that they would like to have. The presents will be wrapped and passed out at the party.

B&W Glenbrook, 2300 Lehigh Avenue, Glenview, IL 60026 (847-724-1855) is working on a project to help the troops. In May this office collected 55 boxes of personal items that were shipped overseas to the military. For Make a Difference Day, Team B&W Glenbrook will be collecting items for our soldiers and/or their families.

B&W Glen Ellyn, 543 Pennsylvania, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (630-469-1855) will spend the day collecting "wish list" items for DuPage PADS Shelter, Inc. located at 705 West Liberty Wheaton, IL.

B&W Gold Coast, 737 N. Michigan, #1800, Chicago, IL 60611 (312-640-7010) will spend the day volunteering at one of the Salvation Army's shelters located at Des Plaines and Grand Avenues. Team B&W Gold Coast will spend the day painting and providing food service as well as spending time with shelter residents.

B&W Highland Park, 1920 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IL 60035 (847-432-0500) is providing labor and supplies for general improvements for the Glenkirk organization located at 3504 Commercial Avenue, Northbrook, Illinois.

B&W Hinsdale, 28 W. Hinsdale, Hinsdale, IL 60521 (630-323-1855) is hosting a food drive at Kramer Foods to benefit the Hinsdale Community Service food pantry.

B&W Home Office, 120 S. LaSalle, 20th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603 (312-368-1855) staffers will gather to paint and decorate a health and wellness room at Housing Opportunities for Women building located at 1607 W. Howard, 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL. Among the plans include painting a mural in a room that will host small children who seek medical attention.

B&W Lake Forest 207 E. Westminister, Lake Forest, IL 60045 (847-234-1855) will be working with North Chicago School District located at 2000 Lewis Avenue North Chicago, IL to provide labor and resources for general clean-up and repairs.

B&W Libertyville, 216 Peterson Road, Libertyville, IL 60048 (847-367-1855) will spend the day volunteering at the Grayslake Park District's community "Ghost Walk" at Central Park. This effort is designed to entertain under-privileged children.

B&W Lincoln Park, 2762 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614 (773-697-5555) plans to spend the day remodeling a room (the lounge) at the Cornerstone Community Shelter located at 4628 N Clifton Ave, Chicago, IL 60640.

B&W Mt. Prospect, 426 W. Northwest Highway, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 (847-259-1855). Team B&W Mt. Prospect will spend the day in the kitchen cooking for "Bessie's table," a community meal that is provided to local residents who are homeless or without food. The meal will be served on the following Monday at the 1st united Methodist church in Des Plaines.

B&W Naperville, 836 W. 75th Street, Naperville, IL 60565, is holding a "Dress for Success" clothing drive. Team B&W Naperville will spend the day collecting new and gently used professional clothes (business attire) for clients of a local non profit who are seeking to improve their lives with a new job!

B&W North Lake County, 1100 E. Washington Street, Grayslake, IL 60030 is hosting a "Baby Drive" for the Staben House, a shelter for women & children located at 149 South Genesee Street, Waukegan. Recently the shelter became guardian of an abandoned 9 month old child and another resident is soon to delivery a baby. The Staben House is a transitional housing facility for homeless women with children. The organization is dedicated to fostering self-sufficiency and independent living skills.

B&W North Randall 2255 Randall Road, Carpentersville, IL 60110 (847-426-7510) will conduct a "Needs Drive" at the Elgin Wal-Mart and Elgin Jewel/Osco to benefit local shelter, PADS of Elgin. Team B&W North Randall will be staged outside of the entrance of these stores handing the customers a list of "PADS Needs" and encouraging shoppers to purchase one or two items on the list and hand it to team members at the store's exit. Team North Randall is also hosting a Shop N Share rebate program with Jewel to benefit PADS of Elgin.

B&W Oak Park, 805 W. Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301 (708-697-5000). Team B&W Oak Park is working in concert with the Oak Park Senior Services organization. They will be held a local elderly resident who needs some help with her home's maintenance, in particular, helping her ready for the winter season.

B&W Orland Park, 9145 W. 151st Street, Orland Park, IL 60462 (708-460-1400). Plans are currently in development for this office's Make A Difference Day activity.

B&W Palatine, 819 N. Quentin Road, NW Highway, Palatine, IL 60067 (847-991-5000). Team B&W Palatine will spend the day collecting donations of Food for the Palatine Food Pantry. Team members will stand outside area Jewel and Dominick's grocery stores encouraging others to contribute to this effort.

B&W Park Ridge, 27 N. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068 (847-823-1855), This team will be helping local WINGS Shelter (Women in Need of Growing Stronger) located at by painting rooms, cleaning cabinets and re-varnishing a kitchen. A second team effort will be sorting books for the Friends of the Park Ridge Library.

B&W Schaumburg, 11 W. Schaumburg, Schaumburg, IL 60194, (847-524-4444). Team B&W Schaumburg will once again spend the day helping non profit Clearbrook sort, size, organize and stock their resale shop located at 1815 West Central Road in Arlington Heights.

B&W South Suburban, 3236 Vollmer Road, Olympia Fields, IL 60461 will host a food drive to benefit three local pantries, Respond Now, Rich Township Food Pantry and Bloom Township Food Pantry. Team B&W South Suburban also will also spend time helping an elderly resident lady in Homewood who needs work done around her house. And, if that's not enough, some team members of this office will visit an area nursing home and bring in balloons to provide some good cheer for patients/residents

B&W Wheaton, 400 W. Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, IL 60187 (630-665-1855) will host a local food drive to benefit Du Page PADS.

B&W Winnetka, 714 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093 (847-446-1855).
Plans are currently in development for this office's Make A Difference Day activity.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

Baird & Warner

Baird & Warner

Baird & Warner is Illinois' largest independent real estate firm. At 151 years of age the firm is also the nation's oldest family-owned and-operated real estate brokerage. Baird & Warner has grown to 33 offices throughout Chicago and its suburbs, with nearly 1,900 sales professionals serving more than 300 communities. In 2005, the firm enjoyed a record-breaking year, posting a residential sales volume of $6.6 billion. Baird & Warner has evolved over the years to become a one-stop-shopping experience for its clients, offering an integrated family of services all under one roof - residential brokerage, mortgage, title, and home services. Baird & Warner's website www.bairdwarner.com is continually rated as the "#1 Real Estate Website in Chicagoland."

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