We just really wanted to help both of them. They're two really good organizations,

Like other nonprofit organizations, we've had a tough year, and those added revenues from the signs would help maintain our level of offerings like concerts, theater and dance productions.

It surprised me how quickly things came together. A lot of organizations stepped up to help. They knew what we wanted to accomplish and they really stepped up to help give this community a little economic boost.

We're problem-solvers for organizations, we're team-builders and we help when things get hot. Typically we're called in when the company is in reactive mode. It would be better -- and cost less -- if we got involved sooner. But organizations are more comfortable with lawyers when conflicts become big problems.

Without the assistance of such organizations as the Lake County REACT unit and the Madison Police Department and the help of more than a dozen community volunteers, we could never put on such a successful event.

What we're really hoping is we can challenge other organizations to help.