As the world's largest corporate philanthropy dedicated to women's causes, the Avon Foundation has played an incredible role in supporting breast cancer research. Since 2003, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer has been their signature fundraising event, bringing in millions of dollars every year. Throughout the coming year, participants will gather in seven cities across the nation — from New York to San Francisco — to walk 40 miles to help end the disease.

For an impressive fifth year, Jacqui Hatch, accounting and benefits at TEAMS Chicago, will be among Chicago's committed walkers.

Since its debut in 1987, the SXSW Festival has grown from a mere music showcase into a ten-day binge of music, film, comedy, and interactive media. Each spring the festival brings thousands of musicians to Austin to play in countless official and unofficial showcases across the city.

Playing in two of this year's showcases was Lightfoils, a dreampop quintet hailing from Chicago. Nicole Baksinskas, the administration and communications coordinator of TEAMS Chicago, was thrilled to front the band through their first festival experience with shows at the Metropolis Apartments and Casa Chalapa.

When Dave Mucci set out to do a custom rebuild on a vintage Honda CX500, he wanted a design that wasn't too pretty. "Chicago has a way of destroying everything you love that’s shiny and clean," he said.

For being not too pretty, the resulting design has earned the TEAMS Chicago industrial designer some great buzz. Buying guide Uncrate recently showcased the bike, and when custom motorcycle blog Bike EXIF featured the bike, it shot to third on their top ten most-viewed posts of the past six months.

Update: Lightfoils has been named one of the top ten newcomers by shoegazr.de. Their eponymous EP is now available on Amazon, Spotify, and at major retailers.

Originally posted November 29, 2011:

Lightfoils, featuring TEAMS Chicago's own Nicole Baksinskas, is about to release their first EP. After many live gigs around Chicago, they honed several new tracks for the EP, due for release on December 30th. Their unique approach to Dreampop/Shoegaze has gained a lot of press, including rave reviews across the globe in high anticipation of the release. 

The Evening Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago is a member group for young professionals that enjoys after-hours events at the museum and around the city.

As a member of the Evening Associates Board, Senior Designer Julia Burke of TEAMS Chicago helps organize exclusive museum gatherings like gallery walks and "after-five" events in order to promote an understanding and appreciation of the arts. On December 9, she was on hand for a groundbreaking screening of Andy Warhol's Empire.

Tom Bajek, Senior Production Designer from TEAMS Chicago, is also a long-time professional violist with the Fox Valley Orchestra.

Bajek has performed at the Chicago Theater, Athenaeum Theater, Orchestra Hall, Norris Cultural Arts Center, Wentz Concert Hall, Medinah Temple, and the Music Institute of Chicago. He's also been featured on TV playing for the Elmhurst Children’s Musical Theater, and has preformed as a wedding soloist for media personalities Eric Mancow Muller and John Morales.

TEAMS Hamburg Designer and road-bike enthusiast Walter Heidenfels participated in this year's Cyclassics - the largest bike race in Europe - among 22,000 participants in the dense road-battle and finished the 100km track with an average speed of 34,6 km/h.

TEAMS Designer Paolo Corcagnani submitted his entry to Factory Five Racing's Project 818 design competition, having taken advantage of this opportunity to flex his creative muscles and demonstrate his considerable talent.

TEAMS Esslingen director Klaus Baumgartner is happy to fly the new self launching version of the Schempp-Hirth glider “Arcus”. This high-performance double-seated sailplane is a perfect basis for this engine powered version that can take of from any airstrip without support through a winch or airplane towing. The next soaring season starts in April and preparations are done.

International Women's Day has been observed in various cultures since the early 1900's. In some areas especially China, Russia, Vietnam, and Bulgaria, Women's Day is a national holiday. On March 8th TEAMS Design celebrated the International Women's Holiday by presenting the employees with a selection of books carefully chosen to celebrate women.