Stories of Local Impact: Don and Dianne Skeet, how one couple’s generosity is making an ongoing difference

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 a lasting impact in our community through their generosity and leadership.

The series continues with the late Don and Dianne Skeet.

When we talk about giving, we often speak in terms of simple cause and effect. An act of generosity makes a difference, and that’s the end of the story.

But things are rarely so straightforward. Often, the impact of giving takes the form not of a straight line, but a ripple, radiating ever outward as a single act of good inspires countless others.

This is the story of one such ripple — a ripple that, over the years, has expanded far beyond its origin, and continues to make a difference right here in DuPage County. This is the story of Hinsdale residents and Lombard business owners Don and Dianne Skeet.

Meet the Skeets

When Dianne Skeet left much of her estate to DuPage Foundation in 2013, she couldn’t have imagined just how far her generosity would go.

As longtime residents of Hinsdale, Dianne and her husband, Don, were known for their kindness, generosity, and community involvement.

They first met on New Year’s Eve. At the time, both were working for the Ford Motor Co. in Melrose Park. They had passed each other in the stairwell countless times before, but on this particular evening, they made a connection — one that was both instantaneous and lasting.

They were wed on Nov. 3, 1962, at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church in Dianne’s hometown of Elmhurst. In the decades to come, they were inseparable, traveling, collecting rare coins, and operating several successful local businesses.

The Skeets were engaged, service-oriented members of their community, and the owners of two Lombard-based enterprises, Skeet's Office Supplies and Skeet's Hallmark.

After Don died of cancer in 2007, Dianne began reflecting on her and her husband’s legacy. She had lived a life rich with adventure and friendship, travel and entrepreneurship. Now, she turned her attention to giving back, starting with the works of art that she and her husband had gathered over the years.

Dianne followed in the footsteps of the late DuPage Foundation Trustee Emeritus Cleve Carney who had donated his art collection to the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage. She donated her own collection to the college and got involved with DuPage Foundation to cement her and her late husband’s charitable legacy.

Working with her attorneys, Brett Dale of Huck Bouma PC and Cindy Tolan (now with J.P. Morgan), and representatives at DuPage Foundation, Dianne decided to name the foundation as the primary beneficiary of her estate.

When she passed away in 2014, the gift she left — the largest in the foundation’s history at the time — was primarily used to establish a field-of-interest fund (a community-grantmaking endowment) focused on benefiting local youth.

“Children are the future,” Dianne often told her friends. And while she didn’t have children of her own, Dianne was determined to support the next generation — and, in fact, many generations to come.

Since its founding, the Donald and Dianne Skeet Fund has contributed to dozens of organizations across DuPage. Today, the Skeet’s endowment, which has grown substantially, provides annual critical funding through the foundation’s Community Impact grant program for a variety of youth-focused nonprofits, from a grass-roots organization that provides winter coats to organizations that are confronting the mental health crisis, and more.

And that’s only part of the story. While the direct impact of the Skeet Fund is impressive, Dianne’s generosity is also inspiring generations of philanthropists, creating a ripple effect that impacts lives in ways that not even she could have foreseen.

A ‘very cool’ impact

When Garry Vaccaro of Elmhurst first set foot in the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry, he didn’t know what he was getting into.

Recently retired, he was looking for volunteer work to occupy his time. Now, as he began working at the Pantry, he was shocked by the number of people who depended on the organization’s services.

“If you ever want to understand the need in your community, go work in a food pantry,” Vaccaro said. “It’s amazing how much food goes through them — the lines you see on a Saturday morning, all the people waiting to get their groceries for the week.”

One day, Garry saw something that inspired him. It was a few weeks before Christmas, a time when demand for food pantry services is often at its peak. He had just returned from a supply run when he came across a fellow volunteer. She was crying.

“I asked, ‘What’s wrong?,’ Vaccaro said. “She told me that she had just gotten off the phone with a single mom who had several kids. Their family was new to the area and badly needed winter coats.”

“So, my wife and I helped her out,” Garry added. “And while we were doing that, we looked around and realized that if all these people at the pantry couldn’t afford to buy food, they probably couldn’t afford good coats, hats, and gloves, right?”

Feeling inspired, Garry and his wife, Debra, decided to act. In 2021, the pair founded Warm Coats for Cool Kids. Using their own van, the couple began driving to stores near and far, digging through sales racks, and filling their trunk with winter gear. They contacted school administrators and counselors, then set up pop-up “shops” where students in need could pick out coats, hats, and gloves.

Today, Warm Coats for Cool Kids’ mission remains as simple as ever: Provide new, high-quality winter clothing for kids.

But for the Vaccaros, helping children stay warm during the Chicago area’s infamous winters is only half the mission.

The coats that Garry and Debra provide are more than just warm; they’re “cool” in every sense of the word. Most of the coats are new, they are all in good condition, and the couple works hard to source a variety of brands and colors. This allows each child to choose a coat that matches their unique style — and feel proud to wear it.

“It’s not just about helping them be warm,” Garry said. “It’s about helping the kids feel good.”

Now, through funding from the Donald and Dianne Skeet Fund of DuPage Foundation, Warm Coats for Cool Kids is working to sustain and grow its impact, so it can support even more children across the region.

“With the funds we received from the foundation, we’ve been able to not only expand our service area, but focus on providing new items,” Garry said. “It’s allowed us to reach more kids with a high-quality product, and that’s a very cool thing.”

With support from DuPage Foundation and its Donald and Dianne Skeet Fund, the Vaccaros’ grass-roots organization is creating its own ripple effect, inspiring more and more acts of generosity.

Here’s one example:

After watching her classmates participate in a Warm Coats event, a student at Salt Creek Elementary School in Elmhurst decided that she wanted to make a difference.

That summer, she set up a lemonade stand, promising to donate all profits to Warm Coats for Cool Kids. At the end of the summer, her parents matched the funds she raised, and the family wrote a check to the organization, helping Garry and Debra buy more coats and make an even bigger impact.

“I love seeing young people get excited about helping others,” Garry said.

Demand is growing

Warm Coats for Cool Kids is just one of many organizations benefiting from the Skeets’ generosity — nodes in a network that each provide essential services for local youth.

Others include Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center, which offers out-of-school programming, including tutoring, assistance with language learning, and more; and the ALIVE Center, an organization that takes a Teen-Led, Teen-Driven, peer-mentoring approach toward after-school and summer programming for teens in Naperville, Aurora, and Hanover Park.

Each of these organizations has received critical support from the Donald and Dianne Skeet Fund, funding that has allowed them to expand their capacity, provide the highest-quality services, and strengthen their internal infrastructure so that they can maintain and grow their organizations into the future.

At the same time, leaders of all three organizations said that the demand for their services continues to outweigh their capacity, and the need is only growing.

“It’s tempting to look at a place like DuPage County, where many people are thriving, and assume there isn’t much of a need here. But that’s not the truth,” said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation vice president for programs.

“The mental health crisis, food insecurity, housing instability, addiction — these issues are not only happening in faraway places. They’re happening in our backyard. And clearly, the need is escalating,” Szczepaniak added.

“My kids go to Naperville North High School, which happens to be right across the street from our Naperville location,” said Kandice Henning, founder and CEO of ALIVE Center. “At first, I assumed the other kids there would have a relatively similar family and economic situation as my own. I could not have been more wrong.”

“Look at the statistics,” continued Henning. “There are low-income families here. There are people struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. There are kids who are being bullied and kids with disabilities who are struggling to make friends and learn new skills. The need is here and everywhere.”

“I’ll never forget this one little girl,” said Warm Coats for Cool Kids’ Garry Vaccaro. “She comes to one of our Warm Coats events. She tells us that her favorite color is red. But when she goes looking for a coat, she keeps picking out black ones. Debra asks her why she doesn’t want a red one, and the girl turns to her and says that she wants a black coat because that’s her mother’s favorite color, and her mom’s going to wear this coat, too.

“That was eye-opening.”

Going ‘All In’

In DuPage County, the need is great, but so is our community’s capacity for good.

When Dianne passed away in 2014, she left $2.8 million to the Donald and Dianne Skeet Fund of DuPage Foundation, as well as support for several other local charitable purposes. Over the past 12 years, the foundation has awarded approximately $1.1 million in grants from the fund’s annual distributable income.

Despite this, the Skeets’ endowment hasn’t shrunk. In fact, it’s grown. Today, thanks to careful stewardship, the fund has increased to more than $3.1 million, and its capacity for additional grantmaking grows annually. The fund awarded nearly $140K in grants in 2024 alone.

“That’s the power of endowment,” said Michael Trench, DuPage Foundation’s vice president for advancement. “The money keeps growing, doing more and more good. It’s an amazing way to create a legacy for your family and make an enduring impact in your community.”

For families and individuals who want to make their own ripple effect, DuPage Foundation has launched a new community endowment-building campaign called All In DuPage.

With the goal of raising $35 million, All In DuPage aims to build our community’s capacity for robust, sustained, collective impact where it matters most.

The campaign takes a two-pronged approach. With its signature Community Impact grant program, the foundation is driving targeted philanthropy for organizations like Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center, ALIVE Center, and Warm Coats for Cool Kids. Community Impact grants help these nonprofits expand their capacity and make a greater impact.

With the trust of donors living and deceased, DuPage Foundation has the flexibility to meet our community’s most pressing needs at any given time. And as new challenges emerge, the foundation can adjust its strategy to meet the moment.

The other side of the All In DuPage campaign is an effort to raise $10 million for DuPage Foundation’s operating endowment, allowing the organization to strengthen its mission-critical work and keep pace with the community’s evolving needs.

“Quality impact takes resources,” added Trench. “The foundation is working to serve a population of nearly 1 million with an agile staff of 13. If we want to do more for our community, ensuring that we have the tools and resources to fuel our work is critical.”

Ripple effect

Don and Dianne Skeet were an exceptionally generous couple who recognized the power of creating long-term community-focused endowments. But they are far from the only individuals and families who are making an impact in DuPage County.

Some are contributing to DuPage Foundation’s All In DuPage campaign. Others are joining the foundation’s Legacy Society, committing to a future gift from their estate, or volunteering their time and talents at local nonprofits. Many more are helping raise awareness of the tremendous need in their own backyard.

And whether they’re dipping their toes or diving in, all are making ripples.

“That’s how you make a real difference,” said ALIVE Center CEO Kandice Henning. “You help someone; you show them kindness and compassion. Then, they go and ripple that out into the world.”

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 call (630) 665-5556.

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