BAIRD PARTNERS WITH THE WINNETKA NORTHFIELD ROTARY CLUB TO DONATE $25,000 TO COMMUNITY, GLOBAL CAUSES

Baird announced today that an event hosted by the Winnetka Northfield Rotary Club and sponsored by Baird’s Winnetka, Ill., office raised $25,000 for community and global causes. More than 200 people attended an old-fashioned bingo night and spaghetti dinner on May 19 at the Winnetka Women’s Club. Guests donated more than $15,000, which was matched up to $10,000 by Baird for a total gift of $25,000.

Funds raised will be allocated to local projects including L.E.A.R.N. Charter School for disadvantaged children living in the North Lawndale community on Chicago’s west side; Rebuilding Together, which provides necessary repairs to low-income homeowners; and the Winnetka Historical Society. Two of the Rotary Club’s most urgent global projects will also benefit from the funds raised: construction of a children’s dorm in northern Uganda, and a library for Cambodian and Vietnamese orphans living in South Vietnam. The dorm will provide safety and shelter for children who are at risk of being kidnapped from their homes at night in civil war-torn Northern Uganda. In Vietnam, ground was broken recently for a library on the campus of an orphanage and school for children who have lost their parents to AIDS and crossed the border from Cambodia looking for a better life.

“Baird is committed to helping the Winnetka Northfield Rotary Club make a difference in our community and our world,” said Bill Finke, Branch Manager of Baird’s Winnetka office and president-elect of the Rotary Club. “We are compelled to do whatever we can to help.”

Core to Baird’s culture is a commitment to the communities in which its associates live and work. This caring commitment is a tradition built through the efforts of the firm, the Baird Foundation and the volunteer activities of Baird associates. A firmwide Charitable Gift Matching Program provides a match for associates’ financial contributions to eligible nonprofit organizations. Associates also receive an additional paid day off each year to perform volunteer service through the “Baird Cares” program.

About Baird
Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has nearly 2,200 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird oversees and manages client assets of nearly $73 billion. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird was recognized as one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird’s private equity operations. For more information, please visit Baird’s Web site at www.rwbaird.com.