July 2017 e  - Memorandum


Our Mission 

"To provide effective and rewarding ways for donors to fulfill their philanthropic objectives."

Our Vision

"To be recognized as a trusted philanthropic leader in the communities we serve through the delivery of the highest quality donor services, customized and unique grant and scholarship programs, and bold initiatives to address community needs."

Upcoming Events
Saturday, Jul 29
St. Augustine College - 
English and Computer Workshops
Saturday, July 29
Humane Society of Aurora's 
Rescue Ride

Sunday, July 30
Aurora American Legion Band 
80th Anniversary Concert
Bob Leonard 5K/10K River Run & Colonial Café Family 1K Color Run
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Fox Valley Special Recreation Association  is c urrently looking for a Foundation Manager. 
For information visit:  
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Annual Report
The Foundation's 2016 Annual Report to the Community has been mailed out. A PDF version of the report is available to view on our  website.  

If you did not receive an annual report by mail and would like to request a copy,
 email  [email protected] .
Please be sure to include your name and mailing address.
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Letters of Intent
Letters of Intent for the fall 2017 grant cycle will be available August 1st!

The Community Foundation provides grants to nonprofit agencies for capital purposes in the areas of education, social services, health care, and arts & humanities. 

Agencies wishing to apply for a grant must submit a letter of intent between August 1 and September 30, 2017

Visit   go.cffrv.org/Grantmaking for complete details.
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Big Heart Memorial 5k
    
The Kristoffer Larsen Big Heart Memorial Foundation was established to honor the great memory of Kristoffer Larsen who suffered a sudden cardiac death on May 27, 2016 at age 22.

On Saturday, August 19th, the Big Heart Memorial Foundation will hold its first annual BIG HEART 5K Run and Walk at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles. 

This event will raise money for the Big Heart Memorial Foundation's mission of preventing Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in youth. They are currently working to establish a recurring free cardiac screening program for Geneva High School students, with the first screening already scheduled for February 1st, 2018. The cardiac screening will be done in collaboration with Young Hearts for Life ( www.YH4L.org) the largest cardiac screening program in the United States. 

 "We'd like the Big Heart 5K to embrace the various meanings of Big Heart, as all of them are applicable in honoring our son Kristoffer," said Kristoffer's father, Tormod Larsen.
"Sign up today to show your Big Heart and support us in preventing Sudden Cardiac Death in young adults!"

By participating in the Big Heart 5K, you will help raise awareness and funds for this important cause.  For more information and to register for the 5K, visit go.cffrv.org/Kristoffer .
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Our Donors
We are deeply grateful to the individuals, businesses and organizations that commit to the charitable needs of the community. Follow the link below to view this year's donors. 


The lists of our donors are updated quarterly. They are available to view on our  website.
Grantee Recognition Ceremony
Nineteen Agencies Celebrated at Ceremony

The Foundation held its Spring 2017 Grantee Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, June 29, 2017 at Waterford Cancer Resource Center in Aurora. The event recognized the nineteen local nonprofit agencies that were approved a total of $378,208.00 in grants from the Foundation this past spring. 

Over eighty community members attended the ceremony including past and present Community Foundation board members, Mayor Kevin Burns of Geneva, and representatives of the National Foreclosure Settlement Program. Board members, executive directors and key staff of local agencies were present to be recognized for their ongoing service to our community. 

Guest speakers at the ceremony 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. 

Josh Beck presented on behalf of the Kane County Office of Community Reinvestment. The Foundation manages a multi-million dollar grant provided through the National Foreclosure Settlement Program. This multi-year grant is a collaborative of the Attorney General's office, Kane County Office of Community Reinvestment, the Community Foundation, and five housing development organizations. This partnership provides purchase and foreclosure counseling services to families who find themselves in need and supports the redevelopment of homes. An owner of one of the renovated houses, Maj Marquez, gave a testimonial about her experience with Habitat For Humanity. 

Scott Voris, chairman of the Foundation's Distribution Committee, presented information about the grantmaking program. "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."

We are 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 of charge. to anyone impacted by a cancer diagnosis. 

We offer a tremendous "Thank You" to Maryll Moon and Alexander Pope of the  Rush Copley Foundation for generously organizing the catering for this event. We also wish to thank  Schaefer Greenhouses Inc. for donating beautiful floral centerpieces for the tables.
 
Click here to view photos from the ceremony.

Letters of Intent for fall 2017 grants will become available on August 1. To learn more about the Community Foundation's Grantmaking Program, please  visit our website.
Getting To Know Your Foundation Staff
Meet Rhonda Soos!
Rhonda joined the Foundation in January 1988 as an assistant.  She is now the Director of Operations and is responsible for overseeing the general administrative activities of the Foundation.  Before joining the Community Foundation, Rhonda had lived in Texas for ten years.  Rhonda was born in Aurora and lived in Montgomery until the age of 10.  She moved to Texas and later returned to the Aurora Community after graduating from Permian High School and American Commercial College.

What is your favorite season and why?
Fall and Spring because they feel like new chapters in my life.  Fall to hunker down and do inside things in our comfy, warm home, and spring to rejuvenate and do outside things in the beautiful sunlight.
 
What is your favorite condiment?
I like a lot of condiments. Mustard, ketchup, Ranch dressing, and Italian dressing to name a few.  Some have to be a specific brand, like Hellman's Mayonnaise and Wishbone Western Dressing.
 
What is your least favorite food?
Most seafood.
 
What are your favorite sports to watch/play?
Chicago Cubs baseball, BMX Bike Stunt/Trick shows, Olympics.
 
What was your high school mascot?
A black panther.  I'm a graduate of Permian High School (aka MOJO) in Odessa, TX.   It was the subject of the b ook "Friday Night Lights" which in turn inspired a movie and TV series of the same name.
 
What radio stations do you listen to the most in the car?
WRXQ (100.7 Q Rock) and WLUP-FM (97.9 The Loop)
 
What is a skill you'd like to learn?
Many things!  Some would be another language, needlepoint, piano, advanced handyman skills like plumbing, electrical, and carpentry. And baton twirling because I like being silly and doing fun, youthful things!
 
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Raising my daughter to become a sensitive, responsible, productive member of society.
 
If you could have any superpower, which would you choose and why?
Teleporting and stopping time.  All of my family members live out of state, so it would be wonderful to be able to teleport and see them whenever I wanted. Also, I've often thought how useful it would be to stop time around me so I could have more time in the day to work, play, and relax.

                   
  111 W. Downer Place, Suite 312,   Aurora, IL 60506
  127 South First Street, Suite 215, Geneva, IL 60134
  Ph: 630-896-7800      Fx: 630-896-7811