BERLIN PACKAGING / PRESS RELEASE

“Not Forgotten,” a film wholly funded by The Andrew T. Berlin Family Foundation to honor the more than 60 Illinois State Troopers who have died in the line of duty since 1922, has been awarded a 2015 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Affairs/Current Affairs Programming. The documentary was produced to assist in fundraising for a memorial to Illinois’ fallen state troopers, now under construction in the state’s capital.

The Berlin Family Foundation, a private foundation founded by Berlin Packaging Chairman/CEO Andrew T. Berlin, has a strong history of supporting law enforcement, safety and security initiatives. Individuals and/or organizations wishing to assist the foundation in donating funds to complete the memorial can contribute via the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation website, www.isphf.org.

Andrew T. Berlin, along with his leadership of Berlin Packaging and other civic positions, currently serves as a Commissioner on the Public Safety Commission in the Village of Glencoe.

He is a partner at the Chicago Cubs as well as the owner of the Cubs’ single-A affiliate in South Bend, Indiana.

“Not Forgotten” is told through the eyes of three family survivors as well as through interviews with former Director of Illinois State Police, Hiram Grau; President of the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation, Ron Cooley; and former Illinois Governor, James R. Thompson. The film is credited for helping raise nearly half of the $3 million goal for the memorial park located immediately north of the Illinois State Police Headquarters on Lawrence Street in Springfield, Illinois.

“Much of the quality of life we as Illinoisans enjoy today can be credited to the courage and dedication of our State Troopers,” stated Berlin. “The Berlin Family Foundation considers a memorial to the state’s fallen officers an imperative, and something that is long overdue. We hope that this film, a project of the foundation, will encourage many, many people to endorse the construction of the memorial park through their financial support.”

In addition to funding “Not Forgotten,” The Berlin Family Foundation engaged The Big Idea Company of Mishawaka, Indiana to produce and direct the project. The film received its Emmy recognition in November at the 2015 Emmy Awards in Chicago.

The Andrew T. Berlin Family Foundation contributes to many causes at local, state and national levels. Its support for law enforcement and safety initiatives has included the following:

  • A $500,000 gift to Syracuse University to fund and support the Institute of National Security and Counterterrorism (www.INCST.syr.edu)
  • Funds to the Village of Glencoe’s Department of Public Safety for the purchase of new firearms
  • Founded and funded the Glencoe Safe Schools Project, assisting the Glencoe School System and the Glencoe Public Safety Department in enhancing and improving safety and security in the system’s schools (www.glencoeSSP.org)