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com/5u5uns5 June 20, 2011 Education Committee, Illionis State Senate The Hon. James T. Meeks, Chairperson The Hon. Kimberly A. Lightford, Vice-Chairperson The Hon. Annazette R. Collins, member The Hon. Susan Garrett, member The Hon. Iris Y. Martinez, member The Hon. John G. Mulroe, member The Hon. David S. Luechtefeld, member The Hon. Christine J. Johnson, member The Hon. Kyle McCarter, member The Hon. Suzi Schmidt, member Dear Senators: I'm a writer whose articles have been published by Andrew Breitbart's Big Government, the American Thinker, and elsewhere. I'm reporting about the following information published in a June 18 Chicago Tribune article by reporter Monique Garcia: Illinois lawmakers have a few other items to tackle besides keeping summer construction projects rolling when they return to Springfield on Wednesday....The Senate also is expected to act on a handful of recent Quinn appointments, including naming former Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico to head the Illinois State Board of Education. Before getting to my question, I'd appreciate you reviewing some brief background information. Last year I made repeated good faith efforts to obtain answers to questions about his longtime relationship with the Save-A-Life Foundation, a Chicago area nonprofit that has been under investigation by the IL Attorney General's Charitable Trust Bureau since last year. (Links to related blog reports may be found beneath my signature.) As you may be aware, since November 2006, SALF has been the subject of dozens of print and broadcast exposes around the country including this ABC7 Chicago story by reporter Chuck Goudie that included: One of Illinois' highest profile charities teaches the Heimlich maneuver to children while maneuvering the truth to get money from government and big business. It's called the Save-A-Life Foundation and is known across Illinois as an organization that teaches schoolchildren how to respond in emergencies. For the past few years, Save-A-Life has received millions of dollars in government funds and corporate donations. An ABC7 I-Team investigation has uncovered a series of misleading claims and deceptive credentials that raise doubts about Save-A-Life's integrity, funding and training. Mr. Chico's relationship with SALF was the subject of a February 17, 2011 Huffington Post article, Gery Chico Save A Life Foundation Connection: What Was His Role At Troubled Charity? By Will Guzzardi. I never received a reply from Mr. Chico (or from his wife who was also affiliated with SALF). Here are the questions I asked him: 1. SALF is reportedly under investigation by the Illinois Attorney General. Have you or has anyone you know been contacted by anyone connected with that investigation? If so, please provide details. The US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) awarded $3.33 million in federal grants to SALF. In financial reports submitted to the CDC, SALF stated that the money was used to provide first aid training classes to thousands of Chicago Public School (CPS) students. In 2009, SALFs founder/president Carol J. Spizzirri told the Chicago Tribune that her organization trained hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Chicago Schools students. However, in response to a federal subpoena and FOIA requests, CPS records fail to support these claims. In fact, CPSs entire records re: SALF apparently consist of 22 invoices dating from 2000-2007 indicating that at best a few hundred students may have received training.

As described in a Bagwell for Congress press release, a public letter was sent by Tim Bagwell to the Inspector General of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) requesting an investigation to determine if the CDC millions were properly administered. 2. Do you recommend that the HHS Inspector General conduct such an investigation? At a 1999 Chicago School Board meeting, in response to your question asking how much her organizations first aid training program costs, Ms. Spizzirri stated, "It's at 75 cents a child. Except it's a dollar for the instructor." The 22 invoices show CPS paid SALF about $62,000 from 2000-2007. Again, however, CPS records indicate that at best a few hundred people may have received training. 3. Do you think that CPS Inspector General James M. Sullivan should initiate an investigation to determine if the $62,000 in public funds paid by CPS to SALF was properly administered? Further, as president of the Chicago School Board, Mr. Chico signed the attached May 26, 1999 resolution inviting SALF to train students in the Chicago Public Schools. The resolution stated: (SALF) has trained 35,000 statement in 1998, including 10.000 Chicago children and 23,000 more students who are schedule to complete the Save a Life Training by April 1999. However, as explained in my second question to Mr. Chico, the only records the Chicago Schools have been able to produce indicate that at best a few hundred students were trained. Therefore it's unclear how Mr. Chico arrived at his claim that 35,000 students were trained in 1998. It's also unclear what happened re: the 23,000 students he claimed were supposed to receive training by April 1999. Further, on August 27, 1999, just three months after Mr. Chico signed the resolution, the IL Board of Education (ILBOE) awarded $600,000 to SALF. Last year in response to a FOIA request I submitted the ILBOE's public information officer informed me that no records except the attached ledger showing the payout. There are no applications, no review forms, no follow-up reports, no correspondence nothing. Senators, thank you reviewing the preceding information. Here's my question for you: Before voting to confirm Mr. Chico to head the State Board of Education, do you intend to ask him to answer any questions about his (and his wife's) relationship with SALF? If so, I'd appreciate you asking him my three questions which he ignored. I'd also appreciate you asking him to substantiate the training numbers in the 1999 resolution he signed. Finally, I'd also appreciate you asking him that if he's appointed to run the State Board of Education, will he investigate what happened to the $600,000 awarded to SALF? Thanks for your consideration and I look forward to your reply. Sincerely,

Lee Cary PO Box 1309 Little Elm, TX 75068 e-mail: lee.cary@att.net cc: Annie Thompson, Springfield press secretary Office of Governor Pat Quinn Monique Garcia, Chicago Tribune Chuck Goudie, ABC7 Chicago Will Guzzardi, Huffington Post Peter Heimlich, The Sidebar

11/30/10: Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico asked about Save-A-Life Foundation investigation(s) 12/13/10: Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico says he wants "more openness, transparency and accountability." But will he walk the talk by answering questions about the "shady non-profit" he was "instrumental in bringing to the Chicago Schools"? 1/27/11: Are these documents the reason Gery Chico won't answer questions about the Save-A-Life Foundation? 2/7/11, Since her husband Gery is apparently hiding, Lee Cary asks Sunny Chico about her ties to SALF

A Resolution
adopted by Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees of the City of Chicago, Illinois
WHEREAS, the Save a Life Foundation has declared their mission to be the promotion of training and continuing education of life supporting first aid and has developed the Save A Life for Kids and Bystander Basic curriculum for students in grade K-12: and WHEREAS, because 2.5 million children needlessly die or are injured nationwide in school or home accidents, it is widely held that the Save A Life Foundation instructional curriculum should be implemented in as many Illinois schools as possible: and WHEREAS, Save A Life Foundation instructors are either fire or police/emergency medical service providers who have successfully completed a rigorous program of instruction, and all candidates were appraised and received a passing evaluation by a Senior Instructor, as well as a favorable background check by the Illinois State Police; and WHEREAS, the foundation has trained 35,000 statement in 1998, including 10.000 Chicago children and 23,000 more students who are schedule to complete the Save a Life Training by April 1999; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the President and members of the Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees, gathered here this 26th day of May, 1999, do hereby deem is desirable for the Save A Life Foundation to expand their efforts and include additional Chicago Public School K-8 students to receive the Save A Life for Kids' training, as well as the Bystander Basics Program for additional students ill grades 9-12.

Disbursement Detail

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ENTITY NAME: SAVE A LIFE FOUNDATION PROGRAM: Special Appropriations PROJECT: 2000 - 3999 - 00 - 65108936051

Disbursement Detail
EFT Processed By Comptroller* 08/27/1999 2000-00004134 $600,000.00 $0.00 $600,000.00 09/02/1999 Total: $600,000.00 $0.00 $600,000.00 Released next business day Total Net Disbursements: $600,000.00 State Comptroller's Web Site Voucher Date State FY-Voucher Number Grant Year Actual Disbursed Recovered Net Funds Disbursed

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^fP|y|^IRY
EIMTIT T IMAIVIE. S H V t M L i f t TUUIMUATIOIM PROJE^Cr200Sp3999 001 651a8936051 DATE: THRU : 06/30/2000 SUBMIT : 09/28/2000

Expenditure Detail
EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTING 2 Instruction Attendance & Social Work Services Guidance Services Health Services Psychological Services Speech Pathology and Audiology Services Improvement of Instruction Services Educational Media Services Assessment & Testing General Administration $145,119 $12,531 $403,752 $9,171 $570,573 $29,427 $29,427 SALARIES 3 (Obj100's) EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 4 (Obj200's) PURCHASED SERVICES 5 (Obj 300's) SUPPLIES & MATERIALS 6 (Obj 400's) CAPITAL OUTLAY** 7 (Obj 500's) OTHER OBJECTS 8 (Obj 600's) Return to Project Summary TUITION 10 (Obj 800's) ROW TOTALS

LINEFUNC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1000 2110 2120 2130 2140 2150 2210 2220 2230 2300

TRANSFERS 9 (Obj 700's)

2400 School Administration 2510 2520 2530 Direction of Business Support Services* Fiscal Services* Facilities Acquisition & Construction**

Operation & 2540 Maintenance of Plant Services 2550 2560 2570 2610 2620 2630 2640 2660 2900 3000 4100 5000 Pupil Transportation Services Food Services Internal Services* Direction of Central Support Services Planning, Research, Dev. & Eval. Services Information Services Staff Services* Data Processing Services* Other Support Services Community Services Payments to Other Governmental Units Debt Services

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COLUMN TOTALS:

$145,119|

$12,5311

$403,7521

$38,5981

$600,000 $0 $600,000

Outstanding Obligation: $0 + Indirect Cost: $0

otal Approved Exp./Oblig: