Breaking Free - Bon Appétit
Community Culinary Event
"Eat, Drink & Be Married"
Friends of Garfield Farm Museum
Dinner and Awards Ceremony
Saturday, April 16, 2016 &
Sunday, April 17, 2016
St. Charles Singers
"Choral Eclectic" Performance
The Conservation Foundation
Earth Day Benefit Dinner
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Mutual Ground "Food For Thought" Reception and Fundraiser
Sunday, April 24, 2016
For Scout Foundation -
A Social For Scout
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Casey's Safe Haven - Pancakes For Ponies Breakfast Fundraiser
Friday, April 29, 2016
Changing Children's Worlds Foundation - Improv Night and Silent Auction
Friday, April 29, 2016
Senior Services Associates
Celebrates the USA with Auction,
Raffle & Show
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Elderday Center - Caring from the Heart Gala
|
|
________________________________
Letters of Intent Due
|
In order to submit a grant proposal, the first step for all organizations is to complete a Letter of Intent. This brief online application is available on the Foundation's
grantmaking page
.
The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent for the Spring 2016 Grant Cycle is
Friday April 8, 2016
.
|
|
________________________________
Grantee Spotlight
|
Presence McAuley Manor
Presence McAuley Manor is an 87 bed Joint Commission accredited nursing center located on the campus of Presence Mercy Medical Center in Aurora. It has one of the shortest length of stays in the area. Presence Health is the largest Catholic health system based in Illinois with more than 150 sites of care, including 12 hospitals. Presence Health's approximately 20,000 associates and 4,000 medical professionals are engaged in a common mission to "provide compassionate, holistic care with a spirit of healing and hope in the communities we serve."
Above, a short-stay resident enjoys the therapeutic benefits of the Matrix Functional Trainer.
In 2016, the Foundation awarded Presence McAuley Manor a $17,000 grant to purchase circuit training equipment. The new equipment enables in-house therapists to better meet community needs for short-term rehabilitation for hip or knee replacement, unplanned surgery or stroke.
_____________
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams recently received a $2,500 grant from the Community Foundation for the purchase of solar heated water tanks for their rescue horses. The water in the outdoor troughs freezes in the cold temperatures, and the ice must be manually broken apart with a sledgehammer multiple times a day! With the purchase of the solar heated water tanks, these horses can now enjoy chilled, but not frozen, water year round. Pictured here is Spree, one of the rescue horses, drinking from the solar water tank.
The mission of the rescue is to educate people about the plight of abused, unwanted and neglected horses and to reduce the number of equines in these situations. Field of Dreams celebrated 10 years of equine rescue in the fall of 2015.
To learn more about the rescue, please visit their website at fodonline.org.
|
|
________________________________
Our Donors
|
|
We are deeply grateful to the individuals, businesses and organizations that commit to the charitable needs of the community. Follow the links below to view our donors from the past year.
The lists of our donors are updated quarterly. They are available to view on our
website.
|
|
 |
|
Former Mayor, Foundation Chairman Passed Away
|
The Community Foundation's former chairman of the board Albert D. McCoy passed away on March 26, 2016 at the age of 89.
Al was a lifelong resident of Aurora. He graduated from Marmion Academy in 1944 and attended Aurora University and the University of Montana.
He was a combat veteran of World War II, serving on the aircraft carrier USS Monterey in the South Pacific. He received five battle stars for his service in the war.
From 1965 to 1977, Al served as mayor of Aurora. During his tenure, Aurora annexed over 6,800 acres of land giving rise to Aurora's distinction as the second largest city in Illinois.
Al was a member of the board of directors of the Community Foundation (known then as the Aurora Foundation) for twenty-seven years.
Sharon Stredde, our former president and current president emeritus, worked with Al for most of those twenty-seven years. "Al was a truly kind and thoughtful man. He was so supportive of my role with the Community Foundation. I could always count on him to give a helping hand when he served as a director and as the chairman of our board."
Al met his wife Mary Ann in Aurora and they were married for fifty-three years. The McCoys were active in numerous civic and charitable organizations. Mary Ann passed away in 2008.
|
| Our Retiring Board Members |
Five Foundation Board Members Have Retired
|
Five Community Foundation directors have retired after serving nine-year terms on the board.
In addition to serving nine years as a director,
Patricia Fabian
was involved with the scholarship committee for twenty-two years. "My involvement on the scholarship committee brought me into contact with people and places in this community that I otherwise would never have known," Fabian said. "The honor of being included for nine years on the board of such a highly esteemed part of my community is something I'll always cherish."
 Hedy Lindgren
served on the board of directors from 1995-2005 and again from 2007-2016. Her
involvement with the Foundation was primarily with the distribution committee, both as committee member and chairman, and with the executive committee. "Community service is important to me, and the Community Foundation has been the perfect vehicle for me to continue to serve," Hedy explains. "It has been a distinct honor and privilege to be a part of this exceptional organization."
Katherine Navota
was a dedicated member of the
d
istribution committee, serving as chair of the committee for the last number of years. "I liked reviewing and awarding grants to non-profit organizations," she recalls. "I enjoyed visiting those non-profit organizations and seeing the grants in action. The Community Foundation is a very special organization, and through the grants and scholarships, it has helped a lot of people. That has been very rewarding to me."
During his time as a Community Foundation director,
Robert O'Connor
served as chair of the scholarship committee. He was also a member
of the distribution and executive committees. During his time as scholarship committee chair, the Foundation saw its scholarship applications increase to more than 700 in 2016. Additionally, in 2015 the scholarship committee committed more than $1 million in scholarships for the first time in its history.
O'Connor is an alderman-at-large in Aurora. He is also an attorney and practices law in the area of estate planning, wills and trusts and real estate representation.
Edward Schmitt, Jr. was chair of the Foundatio
n's audit committee. During his time on the board, the Community Foundation saw its assets increase to more than $75 million while total grants and scholarships surpassed $60 million. Schmitt is president of Schmitt Management Corporation in Aurora.
At the Community Foundation's annual meeting on March 10th, chairman of the board Mark Truemper announced that five $1,000 scholarships will be awarded this spring in honor of the five retiring directors.
"I want to extend my gratitude to our five retiring directors," Truemper stated. "Their contributions and dedication have undoubtedly played a significant role in the Foundation's growth over the past several years. It's truly been an honor having them on the board."
|
CFFRV Partners With Winery To Thank Advisors
|
The Community Foundation has partnered with Fox Valley Winery, Inc. to provide bottles of wine for the pro
fessional advisors who support the Foundation.
We salute the many professional advisors who have entrusted us with their clients. When an advisor refers a client to the Community Foundation, we will deliver a custom wine bottle as a way of saying "thank you" for championing philanthropy in our community.
 Fox Valley Winery is located in Oswego. Their award-winning wine is made from grapes grown at their vineyard near Sheridan, Illinois. The winery offers tastings and tours, and hosts private parties and special events. To learn more about Fox Valley Winery and to view view a list of their wines, visit
www.foxvalleywinery.com
.
We thank Fox Valley Winery for their partnership, and for helping us show our appreciation to our professional advisors.
|
|
Fund Brings Comfort to Children In Need
|
Beds For Kids Fund
was established within the Community Foundation in December of 2014. Since then,
fifteen
beds have been provided for children from
nine
different families.
|
|
| Clients of Facing Forward, excited to receive a new bed! |
Dan Sergi started Beds For Kids to raise awareness of the unfortunate reality that too many children go to bed each night without a warm place to rest their heads. Dan and his wife Barb work closely with non-profit agencies to supply beds for families in need.
CASA Kane County and Facing Forward to End Homelessness are among the organizations who have partnered with Beds For Kids so far.
If you work with a non-profit organization and know of a family in need of a bed, please contact Julie Christman at
(630)896-7800 or
[email protected].
|
|
|
