F3 Naperville Foundation donates over $20,000 to six local nonprofits
In February, the directors and officers of the F3 Naperville Foundation voted to disburse more than $20,000 in donations and announced a new sponsorship.
Their ability to provide financial assistance to these local charitable organizations is a result of the generosity of the community of F3 Naperville men, their families and employers, and the sponsors of the F3NF's 2021 5K event.
"These are all organizations that align strongly with our mission," said F3NF Chairman Patrick Kathmann. "They are working tirelessly to support those less fortunate in our communities and to provide access to support and resources that otherwise would not be available to those in need. This is exactly what we (F3NF) were created to do and we are happy to be able to play this small part in supporting the missions of these groups."
Supported organizations include: Almost Home Kids, Bridge Communities, Little Friends, NAMI DuPage, Naperville Park District (Fee-Assistance Program), and West Suburban Community Pantry.
Additionally, F3NF supported F3 Naperville's commitment to be a Supporting Sponsor of the new Naperville Park District's Fitness Center at the Frontier Sports Complex this spring.
Almost Home Kids provides a bridge from hospital to home for children with medical complexities. It is a leader in providing community-based care and compassion for children who have complicated health needs. Raeann Olsen-Jackson, the director of development for Almost Home Kids for over 11 years, spends her time focused on fundraising efforts.
On hearing the news, Raeann shared: "It is such wonderful news that the F3 Naperville Foundation is donating to our cause! We can't wait to put this money towards our parents and caregiver programs asap as this will make a huge impact on our upcoming training programs now that some of the COVID restrictions are starting to ease up! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
2021 was the first year the foundation received inbound donation requests and the board deemed the initiative a success, despite only being able to fund 31% of the total requested donations.
"That goes to show our work is not done. We wish we could have supported 100% of the needs we heard about as each of the organizations we spoke with are doing great things," said F3NF Chief Development Officer Michael Ruffing. "We have some grand plans and lofty goals for our 5K later this fall and believe its success will provide the opportunity to make an even bigger impact around our communities next year."
The foundation looks forward to opening the next round of donation requests in early summer 2022.
For more information, visit f3naperville.com/foundation or email them directly at f3napervillefoundation@gmail.com.
F3 (which stands for Fitness, Fellowship and Faith) is a national network of free, peer-led workouts for men. Its mission is to plant, grow and serve these groups to invigorate male community leadership. It traces its roots to a free, participant-led boot camp workout held on Saturday mornings at a Charlotte, N.C., park since 2006.