Blast from the Past

Community and civic leadership has been a motivating force for Theresa Jaffe throughout her career. She is a true and exceptional pioneer in strategic philanthropy for organizations such as CDEL, and her efforts have helped transform the delivery of legal services to the less-fortunate in the Chicago-area.

Early Beginnings

Theresa is not a lawyer, which is remarkable for someone who has had such a tremendous impact on the legal community. In her professional life, Theresa has been at the forefront of the marketing, business development and professional services world in accounting, healthcare, law, and technology. She was the first person to serve as a Chief Marketing Office in the Chicago legal market, and one of the first nationally to occupy this role. Early in her career Theresa served as the Executive Director of the Easter Seal Society of Metropolitan Chicago providing rehabilitation services for children and adults with disabilities regardless of their ability to pay. Her work at Easter Seal confirmed her life-long passion to be an advocate for those in-need. Theresa became involved in what is now known as CDEL when she joined the Board of its predecessor organization, the Legal Clinic for the Disabled.

A Philanthropic Pioneer and Leader – Chicago Bar Foundation and CDEL

In 2006, Theresa joined the Board of the Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF), another first for a non-attorney. Around that time, the CBF and the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice released a study, “Investing in Justice: A Framework for Effective Recruitment and Retention of Illinois Legal Aid Attorneys,” which documented the glaring need for more legal aid lawyers. Already an advocate for serving the poor, Theresa became a fierce advocate for legal aid. She approached her fellow CBF Board Members with the idea for the first-ever, large-scale fundraising campaign where private practice lawyers would support their legal aid colleagues; and the CBF’s Investing in Justice Campaign was launched. Since its inception in 2007, the Campaign has raised more than $20 million to support legal aid services in Chicago.

Theresa’s vision, commitment, direction, leadership, tenacity, enthusiasm and ability to motivate, guide, and rally others have benefited CDEL and the recipients of its services in many ways. She created “Light Up the Loop,” CDEL’s annual Winter Awards Benefit and served as its chair for several years. Under Theresa’s leadership, the Light Up the Loop has grown exponentially to become CDEL’s signature fundraising event and a significant part of CDEL’s annual budget. She served as CDEL’s Vice President of Development and every year since she has become involved, Theresa has used her incredible range of talents to keep CDEL’s vital work going. In recognition of her tremendous efforts to advance access to justice, CDEL honored Theresa with its 2017 Impact Award. Theresa was elected CDEL’s Board President in June 2022.

What is it about CDEL?

“CDEL serves and protects the rights of low income seniors and people with disabilities. Through direct representation and advocacy, CDEL volunteers and staff recognize the dignity of our clients and gives them the peace of mind they need and deserve,” states Theresa. “CDEL is living proof that the legal system can deliver justice for our community’s most vulnerable citizens. Our CDEL clients experience fear, loneliness and frequently lack the support system that is a part of most of our lives,” she continued. “At CDEL I have the privilege of working with volunteers and staff who believe that every human being is entitled to dignity, stability and access to justice. I refer to my colleagues as fellow “CDEL-lites” because our work truly does bring hope and light to our clients who are facing very challenging situations,”adds Theresa.

One of Theresa’s favorite quotes is one by Winston Churchill who said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

“It is my great pleasure to serve CDEL alongside a phenomenal group of people. I am grateful for the tireless efforts of all of our CDEL-lites,” adds Theresa. “The community service work I’ve done, especially for CDEL and in the legal aid community, has given me a chance to pay all my blessings forward. It’s a way to never forget how very fortunate I am, and it allows me to be a better person.”