12 Oaks Foundation Receives $10,000 Grant from The Bill Belichick Foundation

12 Oaks Foundation is a community organization that provides grants to children, throughout Illinois and Wisconsin, to stay in their activities while a family member is being treated for cancer. The grants, up to $500 per child/$,2000 per family, are provided to children ages 8-18 years of age to stay engaged in their sports, arts or extra-curricular activities, often over multiple years. In 2017 alone, 12 Oaks gave away over $55,000 to these children.

12 Oaks also provided $3,000 in community support to several organizations each year that also support children with a family member with cancer. A third program is a scholarship program that provides $1,500 scholarships to high school seniors from Grayslake Central, Grayslake North and Carmel Catholic High Schools.

"You can imagine how excited we were to receive word that our grant request was fully funded," said Elizabeth Martin, Executive Director. "This puts 12 Oaks Foundation on the national "playing field" in terms of awareness, one of our primary goals. All of the funds that are granted to families are raised through donations, sponsorships and event revenue," explains Martin. "We added a grant writing program in 2017 and the Belichick Foundation grant was our largest award."

"We were told that Coach Belichick personally reviewed our application and felt it was a great fit," adds Martin. "Of course it also an exciting time of year to be aligned with the Belichick Foundation!"

To learn more about 12 Oaks Foundation, whether to request a grant, or make a donation, visit www.12oaksfoundation.org or call 847-231-0992.