Stories of Local Impact: Carole and Dick Cline, philanthropic visionaries for DuPage County

Leaders & Legacies: Stories of Local Impact is an ongoing series brought to you in partnership with the Daily Herald and DuPage Foundation. It highlights the inspiring stories of local individuals, families, and businesses who have made or are making a lasting impact for our community through their generosity and leadership.

The series continues with Carole J. Cline of Wheaton and her late husband, Richard G. Cline (1935-2023).

When it comes to DuPage County, Carole and the late Dick Cline were always “all in.” Often heard saying, “Wherever you go, there you are,” the Clines could have been anywhere. Married for 65 years, they chose to live in, and love, DuPage.

Glen Ellyn locals and Glenbard High School sweethearts, the Clines began their lifelong involvement with the University of Illinois as students in the early 1950s. Dick attended on a Naval ROTC Scholarship, majoring in political science.

After marrying, Dick’s early career path took them and their four children — Linda, Patty, Rich, and Jeff — across the country, from California to Boston, before settling back in Glen Ellyn 10 years later.

“DuPage County was always home for them,” said Linda Cline-Raymond. “They loved the hometown feel, the community, the schools, and the friends they had who became an extension of our own family.”

From young ages, Carole and Dick developed deep ties to Glen Ellyn, a community that afforded both them and their families many opportunities throughout the years. In 1965, Dick’s mother, Katharine, a mentor to him, started the town’s Junior Village nursery school in their home, which became renowned within the tight-knit community.

In the 1980s, Interstate 88 was expanding and DuPage was seeing tremendous growth. At the same time, Dick, exceptionally gifted and hardworking, was leading a distinguished career that culminated in his serving first as chairman and CEO for Jewel Companies Inc. and later for Nicor.

The Clines’ prestige and good fortune were flourishing, increasing their personal belief that they had a responsibility to give back. They chose their beloved community to be the recipient of their time, talent, and treasures.

The Clines had the foresight to know that as the number of residents in DuPage grew, so would the need for services, programs, and support systems. Armed with ideas Carole modeled after Chicago’s philanthropic North Shore neighborhood, she and Dick joined forces with close friends Jerry Bradshaw, Cleve Carney, and Charlie Thurston, who, among others, were early supporters of the newly created DuPage Community Foundation (now DuPage Foundation) established in 1986 by co-founders Brooks McCormick, Mary Eleanor Wall and Jerry Bradshaw.

“Our parents surrounded themselves with like-minded friends,” said Jeff Cline. “Together, they lifted up opportunities that were present in our own backyard and garnered support for those.”

Carole and Dick were always willing to share their philanthropy story, hoping others would recognize their own potential to make a difference. An extremely social go-getter and skilled host, Carole enjoyed entertaining at dinner parties and summer picnics.

There she and Dick enlightened attendees on the importance of creating a permanent, community endowment for DuPage that would address local needs long into the future.

“DuPage was, and still is, widely considered an affluent area,” said Patty McDougal. “Our parents helped DuPage residents, who previously directed their philanthropy toward Chicago, learn about needs they could support closer to home.”

The Clines spent decades advocating for the DuPage Foundation and its endowment model as a vital community investment. Together, they helped increase the foundation’s visibility, embraced many leadership roles, and had a seat at the table during its strategic development discussions.

In 2000, DuPage Foundation received its first unrestricted $1 million gift from the Clines.

The gift was instrumental to the foundation’s growth — significantly increasing its capacity to respond to DuPage’s most pressing needs and inspiring several other major gifts from fellow community members. Following the Clines’ lead investment, the foundation’s charitable assets began to grow steadily.

“It was exciting to see the foundation broaden its reach as time went on, helping those in Glen Ellyn and Wheaton, then Lombard, then Elmhurst, and so forth,” Carole said. “When potential donors saw the joy we received from giving, and how much fun we were having, they wanted to get involved, too.”

In addition to their DuPage giving, the Clines maintained a strong connection to the University of Illinois, with Dick becoming chairman of its foundation board.

As co-chair of Campaign Illinois, he helped raise more than $1.5 billion for the University from 1993 to 2000. In support of that campaign, the Clines made a major gift that created a signature public event, the annual Cline Symposium. The symposium pioneered a uniquely engaging format to discuss timely issues rooted in democracy, freedom, and philosophy, a few of Dick’s passions. Carole and Dick also generously provided the founding endowment for what is now the University’s Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. The Cline Center continues to foster transformative research to improve the welfare of people worldwide.

The Clines also supported and gave years of board service to many for- and not-for-profit organizations including Central DuPage Hospital (now a part of Northwestern Medicine); Central DuPage Pastoral Counseling Center; the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Northern Trust’s Mutual Funds; PepsiAmericas; Rush Medical Center; Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America; and United Way of Metro Chicago, among others. They have been avid supporters of many education, health, and counseling efforts throughout their lives.

Prior to Dick’s passing in 2023, he watched fondly as his family’s multigenerational support of DuPage Foundation took root. Two of the Clines’ children, Linda and Rich, and their granddaughter, Sara, have each spearheaded initiatives and held leadership roles with the foundation.

To Carole’s delight, her family’s engagement with the organization continues today. Linda, who co-founded the Foundation’s Next Generation Initiative in 2005, recently opened a donor-advised fund at the Foundation with her husband, Jim, and joined its Legacy Society by including the organization in their estate plans. Sara serves as a Steering Committee member of the Next Generation Initiative and her dad, Rich, joined the foundation’s board in 2022.

Rich credits his parents’ passion for motivating his immediate family’s philanthropic journey. “Watching my parents give to things that did not directly impact their own lives was huge,” he said. “That philosophy has inspired our investment in the Three Pillars Initiative at Glenbard West High School to educate the next generation of students to become philanthropists.”

Now living in Wheaton, Carole says DuPage Foundation remains close to her home and heart. Today, the organization stands at nearly $150 million in assets, consisting of more than 400 funds, and has granted more than $100 million since its inception, with half of that impact coming in just the last five years. Foundation grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, totaled nearly $14.7 million.

“Back in 2000, the Clines had total confidence in the foundation’s unique ability to effect change in a variety of areas,” said Dave McGowan, former president and CEO of DuPage Foundation. “They were all in. Carole continues to step up as a DuPage County advocate who leads by example.”

DuPage Foundation’s significant community impact in recent years compelled Carole to make a second investment in its future. At its annual benefit this fall, Carole committed a $1 million gift toward the foundation’s “All In DuPage” campaign — a $35 million endowment-building effort it is launching to help it lead in addressing our community’s greatest challenges and opportunities today and for future generations.

Seventy-five percent of Carole’s gift will create the Richard G. and Carole J. Cline Community Impact Fund, a permanently endowed fund to bolster the foundation’s annual grants in the areas of health and human services, youth education, workforce development, the environment, and arts and culture. The remaining 25% will support its operating endowment to help build its capacity and infrastructure to effectively serve the community.

“Carole’s continued support shows trust in our grant process and our ability to make a difference within the community,” said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation’s vice president for programs. “This gift supports a continuum of grantmaking, allowing the foundation to provide immediate impact and emergency assistance grants as well as fund transformational, long-term changes in systems that will last.”

In 2024, the foundation saw a dramatic increase in grant requests from local not-for-profits. There is extreme need — and a gap in available funds — particularly for organizational capacity building.

“The pandemic affected people in many different ways, which has resulted in an increase of need across the board,” Szczepaniak said. “For example, the increase in food pantry traffic we’ve seen recently also increases the need for more shelving, more refrigeration, and more vans to transport the food.”

While needs are multiplying, thankfully, collective support from strategic visionaries like the Clines also continues to grow.

“DuPage is a fantastic place to live and work, yet we also have significant challenges with more than one in four households struggling to meet basic needs,” said Mike Sitrick, DuPage Foundation president and CEO.

“Addressing critical issues must be a team sport. No single donor, foundation, business, or government institution can solve them alone. That’s why we’re committed to leading in building a countywide ecosystem of collective impact. Investments from partners like Carole, her family, and many other generous people and organizations provide vital fuel to help us raise the quality of life for all who make DuPage their home.”

“Carole and Dick were groundbreaking architects during the foundation’s incipient stage,” said Charlie Alcorn, co-founder and former executive director of Central DuPage Pastoral Counseling Center. “They were spot-on in their unwavering vision that strengthening this endowed institution would address the area’s current needs, as well as those that developed into the future.”

In 2004, Carole and Dick were honored as Philanthropists of the Year by the West Suburban Philanthropic Network, which recognized them as “true catalysts of philanthropy and change in the Western suburbs.” Known for listening more than he talked, Dick was truly interested in learning what he could from others. He and Carole had a way of lifting up whomever they encountered. Whether it was family, neighbors, the community, or the local grocery store owner, all were included in their circle.

“Our parents were all in with each other and made the best team,” said Jeff Cline. “They acted as their own multiplier effect, able to give so much to those around them only because of the constant support they first received from each other.”

True examples of the multiplier effect — the proportional increase in outcome that results from a change in activity — initiatives supported by the Clines have produced countless ripples of care.

The enduring impact of their vision and generosity will continue to inspire others and help those in need today and for future generations, just like they always believed it should.

•The Leaders & Legacies series is brought to you by the Legacy Society of DuPage Foundation. Suggestions for future stories can be sent to Michael Trench, vice president for advancement, at michael@dupagefoundation.org.

Interested in learning more about how you can make an impact or create a legacy for your community and favorite causes? Learn more at dupagefoundation.org or contact (630) 665-5556.

DuPage Foundation is located at 3000 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 310 in Downers Grove, IL 60515.