News Releases

BMO Harris Bank's 5th Annual Holiday Bazaar Makes the Season Bright for Chicagoland Non-Profits

CHICAGO (December 12, 2012) – BMO Harris Bank today announced it will once again host its 5th annual Holiday Bazaar, a festive celebration designed to support various Chicagoland non-profit organizations during the holidays.
On Dec. 12 and 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., all are welcome to join in the festivities at BMO Harris Bank's 111 W. Monroe lobby in Chicago. The two-day event will include live holiday music, portrait sittings from , appearances from BMO Harris' beloved mascot, Hubert, and Scrooge from The Goodman Theatre's A Christmas Carol.

"Our Holiday Bazaar brings to light the positive impact these organizations have in our communities and helps us strengthen and expand their efforts throughout the year," said Judy Rice, Senior Vice President, Community Affairs and Economic Development, BMO Harris Bank.

Guests can purchase a variety of gifts from the bazaar including handmade jewelry, spa baskets, pet toys, gourmet baked goods and tickets to holiday concerts in Chicago -- all items that support local non-profits. See below for a list of participating organizations.

"We at Bright Endeavors are very excited to attend BMO Harris' Holiday Bazaar this yea r," said John Guido, Manager of Sales and Business Development at Bright Endeavors. "Through selling our line of locally-made soy candles and bath products (Dreambean Eco Home & Bath), we offer the community the chance to find a great eco-friendly holiday gift while supporting young, at-risk Moms in Chicago. We are so thankful for BMO Harris Bank's continued support and we look forward to seeing you at the Bazaar!"

Participating non-profits and sale items include:

• American Red Cross of Greater Chicago - holiday mail for heroes
• The Anti-Cruelty Society - holiday cards, pet toys, winter pet gear
• Aspire Coffeeworks - bags of coffee, mugs, travel mugs
• Bright Endeavors - eco-friendly home and bath products
• Chinese American Service League - personalized calligraphy, origami ornaments
• The Field Museum - SUE related items, Adopt-a-T-Rex memberships
• The Goodman Theatre - stocking stuffers including candy cane toppers, holiday nutcrackers, ornaments, t-shirts, holiday movies, games and books
• Lincoln Park Zoo - ornaments, plush animals, animal knit hats and ADOPT packages
• MayaWorks - handmade goods of indigenous Maya artisans in Guatemala
• Mitchell Museum of the American Indian - authentic American Indian made jewelry, dream catchers, cards, fetish carvings, ornaments, arrow heads, energy stones
• Project Onward - holiday cards, notecards, posters, original artwork and portraits onsite
• Salt Creek Ballet - ornaments, nutcracker figurines, porcelain ballerinas, nutcracker coloring books, music boxes, wooden nutcracker dolls, tutus & tiaras
• Sweet Beginnings, LLC - honey infuse d skincare products
• Thresholds - Urban Meadows - plants, flowers, gift baskets

About BMO Harris Bank
Based in Chicago, BMO Harris Bank N.A. provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through over 600 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. Deposit and loan products and services provided by BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank,^SM is a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with 1,600 branches, and a retail deposit base of approximately $180 billion.