WINGS salutes couple for support of women in need
As the chairman and co-founder of the private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners, John Canning does his homework and rarely goes into any situation unprepared.
Yet, officials with the Arlington Heights-based WINGS, or Women in Need Growing Stronger, caught him off guard recently when they surprised him at their Purple Tie Ball.
During their gala evening, held at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel, they called up Canning and his wife, Rita, and presented them with a rendering of one of their shared living homes in Palatine, newly named the “Canning Home.”
The artist's sketch even included their black Labrador retriever, Smokey, sitting comfortably in the front yard.
The couple had originally purchased the home for the McHenry County-based nonprofit agency, Home of the Sparrow.
But when it became too difficult to manage so far from their base, the Cannings bought it back and turned it over to the WINGS organization.
Now, through grants from Cook County and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in addition to the Montgomery Ward Foundation and the Schneider Group, WINGS officials are renovating the home and making it energy and cost efficient.
“When it's done, we'll be available to provide nice, comfortable surroundings for families to get on their feet faster,” says Rebecca Darr, WINGS executive director.
In naming the home after John and Rita Canning, they recognized the couple for their ongoing commitment to the agency and the women it serves.
While Rita Canning serves on the board of directors and often addresses crowds at their special events, John Canning remains in the background. But WINGS officials credit him with helping to keep some of their most important services going — including their Safe House — without state funding.
“He's really the one behind us,” Darr says.
Canning himself points to Darr as the driver behind the strength of the agency and because of her leadership, he continues to support her.
“I have been very supportive of WINGS because it takes a holistic approach to the victims of abuse,” John Canning says, “and achieves excellent outcomes.”
Officials and organizers at WINGS point to the corporate sponsors Canning recruits, who contribute thousands of dollars each, to help underwrite their Sweet Home Chicago brunch, taking place this year on Dec. 11 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago.
“John doesn't command the spotlight, but he has raised tremendous sums of money for our agency,” says board chairman Laurie Stone. “Not only that, but he helps to raise awareness among leaders in an important sector, the corporate community.”
For the Cannings, their commitment goes beyond helping WINGS.
In 2008, they made a $1 million contribution to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights to support its expansion of their emergency department.
Included in that gift was a partnership between WINGS and hospital officials to offer increased training of staff members so they could better recognize the signs of domestic abuse.
Their donation also led to a WINGS staff member being on site at the hospital in an office to counsel victims.
One year later, the Cannings made a major donation to the Women's Program at Harper College, where Rita Canning serves on the board of trustees. College officials renamed the department the John and Rita Canning Women's Program to reflect their generosity.
Its program of offering women education, personal support, career planning and job search resources has seen an increase of nearly 25 percent, Harper officials say, as a result of the weakened economy.
“I'm just so impressed by the giving nature of these two individuals,” Stone adds. “Their hearts are so big, that they are willing to step up and share their resources with those most in need.