October 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
Sunday, October 22
Marklund's Run, Walk & Roll 5k

October 27 - October 29
Aurora Historical Society's A Drop Of Poison: Death Comes to the Tanner House

November 1 - November 22
Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry's Holiday Food Drive

Friday, November 3
CASA Kane County's Fall Conference-  A Generation in Crisis: Youth and Mental Illness

Friday, November 3
do-over.me's Fiesta Dinner Date

Saturday, November 11
Anderson Animal Shelter's A  Night to Paws Gala Fundraiser

Saturday, November 11
Project Fusion: The Big Reveal Masquerade Party and Fundraiser at Water Street Studios

Friday, November 17
American Guardian's Great Gatsby Gala on Behalf  of Hesed House

Friday, November 17
Northern Nights Trees & Lights to Support Fox Valley Special Recreation Foundation

Saturday, November 18
Mooseheart's Holiday Lights 5k
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Meet Precious
The Ben Smiles Memorial Foundation was established by Rob & Elizabeth Gerlach in hopes of creating happiness and smiles for children with special needs. To help fulfill this mission, the Gerlach's created  Ben's Toy Closeta program where children with  different abilities  can receive toys, switches or other devices that would enable them to play and learn.

Precious, a little girl diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy and epilepsy, is one of the first recipients of a toy from Ben's Toy Closet. Elizabeth got to meet with Precious and watch her smile as she interacted with the musical, dancing toy.

Elizabeth wrote a blog post about her meeting with Precious and her mother, Evelyn. "This is exactly why we started the Ben Smiles Memorial Foundation and Ben's Toy Closet," she wrote. "Young kids with different abilities still need to play -- they need toys and devices they can access. Our goal is to gift as many toys as possible to kids just like Precious."
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Grantee Spotlight
Quad County Urban League

Quad County Urban League recently received a grant from the Community Foundation for improvements to their facility in Aurora. The improvements were desperately needed to ensure the health and welfare of clients and staff. 


 
Pictured here are Quad County Urban League President Theodia Gillespie (center left) and staff. 
 
Quad County Urban League has been serving our community since 1975, helping to secure equal opportunities for all disadvantaged persons and people of color, including African Americans, women and persons with disabilities.
 
 For 40 years they have been providing parents and children with critical resources and learning opportunities to encourage and support healthy childhood development.  

Quad County Urban League is an affiliate of the National Urban League and serves DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties in Illinois. Visit www.qcul.org for more information.
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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.
#ILGive - Giving Tuesday 2017
Be Thankful and Support Your Local Non-Profit!
This fall,  Dunham Fund Forefront  and the Community Foundation combined forces to provide three free workshops on how to run a successful Giving Tuesday campaign  through #ILGive 2017. Giving Tuesday is November 28, 2017.

Approximately eighty individuals from fifty-seven local non-profit organizations participated in the workshops.



One participant said that the workshop helped her "feel less isolated, like [she's] not so alone in doing this."  Another participant commented on how helpful it was to learn ways to engage her board of directors. Others stressed how helpful it was to be provided the most effective strategies and best practices from last year's campaign. 

#ILGive is a campaign to engage Illinoisans in a day of giving to non-profit organizations in the communities in which they live.  GiveGab is the platform used for the #ILGive campaign.  In 2016, Illinois non-profit organizations raised $11.3 million through the #ILGive for Giving Tuesday campaign.

For additional information, please contact Julie Christman at 331-208-9428  or   jchristman@communityfoundationfrv.org.
New Software Coming Soon
CFFRV Adopts New Software For  Foundations
The Community Foundation is thrilled to announce an upcoming software migration to CommunitySuite by Foundant Technologies. Designed specifically for the unique needs of community foundations, the Community Foundation will have additional tools to provide even more enhanced services to our donors, grantees, and scholarship recipients.

Over the next few weeks we will provide communication regarding the software and how donors and fund holders can begin using its features.
 
Our donors and fund holders can look forward to these exciting and effective changes in early 2018.
Northern Illinois Food Bank Sends Aid 
Food Bank Helps Hurricane Victims
The Community Foundation held its recent board meeting at Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva. While there, we were able to catch a glimpse of how the Food Bank is helping areas affected by the recent hurricanes.


Cases of cereal getting ready to be shipped to Houston.

The Food Bank announced in a blog post that they have pledged more than 260,000 pounds of food and other items to hurricane relief. 11,100 meals and 135 cases of much-needed cleaning product were sent to their sister food banks affected by hurricanes in Texas and Florida. Additional supplies have been sent to Puerto Rico, in partnership with other organizations as well as what the Food Bank can continue to pledge. The need for help continues and Feeding America is doing everything possible to help our neighbors in Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida on a daily basis.

"We are profoundly encouraged by the Feeding America Network's outstanding response to these disasters," the post stated. "Not only have local food banks worked tirelessly to support their neighbors in need, food banks across the country have committed to donating over 10 million pounds of food and $2,000,000 in funding to Hurricane Harvey relief. We are proud to be a part of this network."

Click here to read the blog post and learn about how you can support the Food Bank with their relief efforts.   We thank Northern Illinois Food Bank for feeding our hungry neighbors - both here at home and across the country.
Wilkinson's Memoirs Gifted to the Pope
Pope Francis Received Copy of "Gentle Spirit"
On September 16, Reverend Michael Miller, pastor of St. Therese Catholic Church in Aurora, visited Pope Francis in Rome. He presented the pope with a copy of the book "Gentle Spirit: Memoirs by Marie Wilkinson."

The book was compiled by Kathleen Snow, a longtime friend of Wilkinson. Snow established the Marie Wilkinson Legacy Fund within the Community Foundation t o help underwrite expenses related to the historical preservation and promotion of Marie Wilkinson's legacy. "Gentle Spirit" was released this June in honor of Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry's 60th anniversary. 

Pope Francis receiving the book "Gentle Spirit" from Father Michael Miller.

The Aurora Beacon-News published a story about this meeting with the pope, and why a book about Marie Wilkinson is a fitting gift for the occasion. 

"Anyone who knows anything about Marie and her lifetime of helping this community's poorest and most vulnerable knows she and the Catholic Church's current leader truly are on the same page when it comes to fighting for equality and social justice," Denise Crosby wrote in the article. "Among the dozens of distinguished honors she received in her lifetime, Marie Wilkinson was named National Catholic Woman of the Year in 1959 and received the Lumen Christi Award, the church's highest honor for a layperson."


You can purchase a copy of "Gentle Spirit" for $15 at the food pantry, the downtown Aurora library, at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and at the Aurora Historical Society and David L. Pierce Art and History Center in downtown Aurora. It can be ordered for $20 by contacting mwlegacy2016@gmail.com or calling 630-801-4183. Make checks payable to the Marie Wilkinson Legacy Fund.
                   
  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