100 Club of Chicago
First Responder Profile:
Chicago Fire Department
First Deputy Commissioner
Annette Nance-Holt
Being the only woman in the firehouse early on in your career, how was that dynamic?
“I think it goes two ways. I think if men give women opportunity to show they can do the job, like you do anybody else, and not kind of close their minds to the idea of having a woman work alongside of them, or think that a woman cannot do the same things, women can do this job. And we work as a team, nobody works alone and one of the things that needs to get across is that women and men work together, side by side. You work as a team. And on a team, everybody has a part to play in it. So it’s no one person alone. That should never be. And I mean, when there’s a will, there’s a way and we may not do it quite the same way that they do it, but we can do it. I worked with some great women over my career, some have retired already, and some are younger women who we’re trying to mentor and show that they can do this too. And just keep studying, keep working hard, you know keep doing what you do basically.”
Mission
The 100 Club of Chicago provides for the families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty. This membership based organization offers several forms of financial assistance, access to resources and moral support. All sworn federal, state, county and local first responders stationed in Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties are included.
Programs
Since its inception, the 100 Club of Chicago has served 272 families with more than $11 million through our programs. Through First Response Assistance, Educational Assistance and our Gold Shield Partners, we are able to provide for our families.
