Rush-Copley's "Joie de Vivre" Benefit for Waterford Place Cancer Resource Center
AID's Annual Meeting and
Awards Night
Fox Valley United Way's
Annual Recognition Breakfast
Fox Valley Hands of Hope -
Marklund's Annual Golf Classic
May 21 - May 30, 2016
Aurora Veterans Advisory Council - Vets Week Aurora
Kiwanis Club of Aurora's Centennial Celebration Dinner
|
________________________________
Office Closure
|
In observance of Memorial Day, the Community Foundation offices will be closed on Monday, May 30, 2016
.
|
________________________________
2015 Annual Report
|
The Foundation's 2015 Annual Report to the Community has been mailed out. A PDF version of the report is available to view on our
website
.
If you did not receive an annual report by mail and would like to request a copy,
Please be sure to include your name and mailing address.
|
________________________________
Scholarship News
|
Scholarship applications are currently being reviewed.
All applicants will be notified of the results of their applications via e-mail by
Wednesday,
June 1, 2016
.
|
________________________________
Grantee Spotlight
|
Oswegoland Seniors, Inc. received a Community Foundation grant this past year for a new sound system and organ, exercise
equipment and racking, and kitchen items, including a commercial stand mixer and coffee maker.
|
Exercise equipment purchased
with the grant
|
|
Oswego Senior Center Staff
|
The mission of Oswegoland Seniors
is to provide an environment that improves the quality of life and extends independent living for seniors in
the Oswegoland Community. To learn more, visit oswegoseniorcenter.org.
|
________________________________
Our Donors
|
We are deeply grateful to the individuals, businesses and organizations that commit to the charitable needs of the community. Follow the link below to view this year's donors.
The lists of our donors are updated quarterly. They are available to view on our
website.
|
|
|
|
Pizza Party With Lazarus House |
CFFRV Throws Lunch Party For Agency
|
The Community Foundation held its second Agency Pizza Party on Friday, April 29th.
Lazarus House
was selected from a random Facebook drawing to receive the party.
The pizza party was held at St. Charles Free Methodist Church, the partnering church of Lazarus House. In attendance were Lazarus House staff, volunteers and board members, as well as Foundation staff. The event was an opportunity for the Foundation to say "thank you" to Lazarus House for all they do for our community.
Lazarus House opened in 1997. The agency serves men, women and children who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and are connected to mid-Kane County. Their mission is to offer guests hope for the future by providing hospitality, food, safe shelter, and education - tools for life. Lazrus House has won numerous awards for its outstanding service the community.
At the party, Foundation president Jeff Hartman acknowledged the fact that Lazarus House
is t
he only transitional housing program (Center for Transitional Living) in the Tri-Cities and western rural Kane County area.
"With Lazarus House being the only shelter in the area, the work you all do is that much more important," Hartman said to Lazarus House staff and volunteers. "If Lazarus House ceased to exist, the community in which you serve would have nowhere else to go."
To learn more about Lazarus House and its excellent service to the region, visit lazarushouseonline.com.
|
Lazarus House staff, volunteers and board members gathered together for the pizza party.
|
|
A Tribute to West Aurora Leaders |
Learn About Leaders of West Aurora Schools
|
|
|
|
A.V. Greenman |
The Community Foundation has partnered with the A+ Foundation for West Aurora Schools in preserving the impressive history of the West Aurora Schools.
Representatives of the Foundation (Sharon Stredde, Judith Iverson and Neal Ormond III) researched, wrote and edited biographical profiles of those individuals for whom the West Aurora Schools have been named.
Several special friends of the West Aurora Schools underwrote the expense for these profiles. Those individuals are Sherry Eagle, Gary and Mary Jewel, Neal and Mary Clark Ormond, Frank and Char Voris, and Brent and Jean Wadsworth.
Coming in mid-May will be a video highlighting the 180-year history of the West Aurora Schools. This video was produced by the Community Foundation with the financial support of the A+ Foundation and the Dunham Fund. An announcement will be made when the video is available on the Community Foundation's website.
|
Record Breaking Grant Cycle |
Grant Proposals Set Foundation Record |
All applications are in for the Spring 2016 Grant Cycle. The Foundation received a record number of applications for a single cycle - 32! These 32 applications totaled nearly $650,000 in requests - another record!
The following chart illustrates the number of grant applications the Foundation received during past spring grant cycles. As you can see, the number of applicants has doubled since this time last year!
Other community foundations are seeing a similar trend in the number of requests for assistance. It is remarkable that agencies continue to serve the most vulnerable citizens of our community with reduced or eliminated state funding.
We have been hearing countless stories from local agencies of the drain this has caused on their organization, board members, staff and families they serve. W
e truly value the work of these agencies, and we wish them well in all of their fundraising efforts.
The Foundation's Distribution Committee is currently reviewing these applications and grant recipients will be announced during the first week in June.
|
Knights of Columbus Establishes Fund |
New Fund Supports Scholarship Program
|
The Matt Draper Scholarship honors a graduating senior who has experienced an adversity during his or her high school years. Matt was injured in a diving accident, leaving him a quadriplegic for eleven years prior to his death at the young age of 33. Matt faced adversity and obstacles dealing with simple everyday tasks. He worked every day toward accomplishing his goals and dreams. Matt's courage inspired the scholarship.
The Knights of Columbus worked closely with the Oswego Community and the OHS Building Trades to build a handicapped accessible addition to the Draper Home for Matt. Over 100 Volunteers and many man hours, along with financial donations, made the addition possible.
To learn more about the Oswego Knights of Columbus, please visit their
website.
|
|
|