Community Foundation celebrates 19 nonprofit agencies at Grantee Recognition Ceremony
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is proud to announce that 19 local social service, health, and humanities agencies were approved a total of $378,208 in grants this past spring for various capital projects.
These agencies were recognized by the Community Foundation at its grantee recognition ceremony on Thursday, June 29, held at Waterford Cancer Resource Center in Aurora.
More than 80 community members attended the ceremony including Community Foundation board members John Diederich (chairman), Austin Dempsey, Rick Guzman, Jane Harris, William Skoglund, Duane Suits, and Scott Voris. Former foundation chairman Mark Truemper, Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, and representatives of the National Foreclosure Settlement Program were also in attendance. Board members, executive directors and key staff of local agencies were present to be recognized for their ongoing service to our community.
Jeff Hartman, Community Foundation president and CEO, welcomed the guests to the event and acknowledged their dedication to the community.
"Everyone in this room is committed to supporting a cause of great importance in our community," Hartman said. "Thank you for dedicating your time and talents to serving the Fox River Valley."
Other speakers included Windy Kopecky and Nicole DeLarm of Equine Dreams, an organization which provides equine-assisted activities to children and adults with special needs at no charge. They gave a testimonial about a grant they received from the Community Foundation to purchase a new tractor, which assists with daily operations such as maintaining horse trails and plowing snow.
"Thank you to the Community Foundation for their continued support," Kopecky said. "Generous foundations like theirs allow deserving charities and organizations to offer so many wonderful services to our communities."
Josh Beck presented on behalf of the Kane County Office of Community Reinvestment. The Community Foundation manages a multimillion dollar grant provided through the National Foreclosure Settlement Program. This multiyear grant is a collaborative of the Attorney General's office, Kane County Office of Community Reinvestment, the Community Foundation, Habitat for Humanity of the Northern Fox Valley, Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity, Housing Continuum Inc., Spillane & Sons Inc. and Joseph Corporation. This partnership provides purchase and foreclosure counseling services to families who find themselves in need and supports the redevelopment of homes to change the face of our neighborhoods.
An owner of one of the renovated houses, Maj Marquez, gave a testimonial about her experience with Habitat For Humanity.
Scott Voris, Community Foundation distribution committee chairman and president of Fuse LLC, presented information about trends in the grantmaking program. The foundation has seen an increase in the number of grant applications over the past two years. "These are challenging times, especially without a state budget, for community agencies who want to make the most impact with the dollars they have," Voris said. "The Community Foundation is proud to partner with and offer support to organizations in the Fox River Valley through our grantmaking program."
Voris acknowledged the 19 agencies receiving grants and outlined the projects they support. The funded capital projects include building renovations and property repairs, educational and training materials, technology equipment, and the construction of a historical flag monument.
Each of the following agencies were then presented with a certificate of recognition: Aurora Historical Society, Camp Kane Heritage Foundation, Celebrate Differences, Changing Children's Worlds Foundation, Emmanuel House, Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (F.L.A.P.), Fox Valley Family YMCA, Fox Valley Orchestra, Fox Valley Patriotic Organization, Giant Steps Illinois Inc., Kendall County Community Food Pantry, Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, Mutual Ground, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Plum Landing, Presence Mercy Medical Center, Three Fires Council - Boy Scouts of America, TriCity Health Partnership and Triple Threat Mentoring.
The Community Foundation is grateful to Waterford Place Cancer Resource Center for graciously hosting the event at its facility. Kelly Huggins, program development and operations manager for Waterford Place, spoke on behalf of the center, which provides services and support, free, to anyone impacted by a cancer diagnosis. Huggins also gave tours of the facility, which included a look at the audio/visual equipment the center purchased with funds from a recent Community Foundation grant.
The Community Foundation offers a tremendous "thank you" to Maryll Moon and Alexander Pope of the Rush Copley Foundation for generously organizing the catering for this event. Their support was invaluable to the success of the ceremony. They also wish to thank Shaefer Greenhouses Inc. for donating beautiful floral centerpieces for the tables.
For more information about the Community Foundation's Grantmaking Program, visit www.communityfoundationfrv.org.
Letters of intent for the fall 2017 grant cycle are available Aug. 1, 2017.
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, philanthropic organization that administers individual charitable funds from which grants and scholarships are distributed to benefit the citizens of the Greater Aurora Area, the Tri-Cities and Kendall County, Illinois.
Founded in 1948, the foundation provides a simple and powerful approach to charitable giving. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations have the opportunity to custom design their own named funds that reflect their charitable goals and interests. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has grown to more than $82 million in assets and has awarded more than $64 million in grants and scholarships.
For more information on the Foundation, visit www.CommunityFoundationFRV.org.