Donations pouring in for Schaumburg residents in need
Schaumburg's long-standing Community Assistance Fund is continuing to find new applications and inspire generosity amid the financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, $6,000 in corporate donations and another $5,800 in private giving responded to the growing need of struggling residents.
"People have been so generous," said Schaumburg Supervisor of Human Services Kristin Jordan. "We've been overwhelmed."
The corporate donations that came in last month include $5,000 from the village-based company Dynergy and $1,000 from Schaumburg Bank & Trust.
Private donations included one person's entire $1,200 stimulus check and $1,000 from someone else.
Already in May has come the largest private donation so far - $2,500 - but others have quite rightly realized that even a $5 contribution can make a difference to someone else, Jordan said.
The program was started in the early 21st century through funding from Motorola Solutions. The village took exclusive control of it when the company moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2016.
Nevertheless, the fund remains a private one that doesn't qualify as a nonprofit. On the downside, that means donors' contributions don't qualify for tax write-offs. But on the positive side, there are no limits on how the village can financially assist its residents.
"We're able to meet the need where it is," Jordan said. "Things right now are kind of quiet, but we have gotten calls from more people behind on utility bills and rent. We want to stay ahead of it. We don't want to get too far behind because we don't know when this is going to lift."
The fund is overseen by the social workers in the village's police department. For more information or to donate, call (847) 348-7396 or visit its page on the village's website.