11 minute read
BEST OF 2021
Bridge Communities
We were delighted to hold a series of events this year, using outdoor and socially-distanced formats, as well as hybrid and virtual events. These activities continued to forge connections between the courageous families we serve and the compassionate individuals in the community who journey alongside our families and help empower them to achieve success.
In June, we launched our first Wine Women & Shoes event, which had been delayed for a more than a year due to the pandemic. We were thrilled to debut this long-awaited afternoon at Ruth Lake Country Club, where guests enjoyed a high-energy fashion show, shopping, raffles, auctions, wine tastings and so much more—all to benefit the families served by Bridge Communities. The event raised an unprecedented $215,000 and we are looking forward to holding this event once more in Spring 2022!
In 2022, we plan to evolve our housing portfolio and program services to develop a service model to stabilize families in a shorter timeframe and serve as a bridge and/or feeder into our Transitional Housing Program. Our employment services programs will formalize education and training options for non-traditional and tradesman job opportunities.
We are continuing to host continuing education for our volunteers via our Mentor University classes. These classes have included topics such as Motivational Coaching, Mentoring During COVID-19 and more. We hosted a virtual volunteer appreciation event, One Heart, One Bridge. We connected with mentors via town-hall meetings to gather insights and recommendations for program evolution. And, we’ve recently created a full-time Volunteer Coordinator staff position, which will increase our engagement with our volunteers in the coming year!
Candor Health Education continued providing schoolbased health education during the pandemic to ensure that young people received time sensitive prevention information Communities experienced increased youth mental health needs and more teens experimented with alcohol and drugs to deal with anxiety/ stress/boredom. We continue to raise funds so we can offer a sliding scale to help schools all over Chicagoland access our highquality programs. Our supporters participated in our annual Golf Invitational at Ruth Lake Country Club in September 2021, and we are hosting “UNWINED: Raise a Glass to Health” on February 26, 2022, in Hinsdale at Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge to raise funds we can continue to serve youth in under-resourced communities.
Last year, our 12 health educators taught drug prevention and sex education programs to nearly 60,000 4th – 8th graders across eleven Illinois counties. Thankfully Candor Health Education already had a robust online Learning Management System before Covid-19 affected school-based programming. We quickly revamped our existing programs and offered live virtual and fully online learning options for schools doing remote learning or hybrid schedules. In the end, 93% of students received virtual classes last year. We tested learning results and were happy to see that students learned as much during live virtual programs as when a Candor educator was in their school classroom. We are now marketing virtual programs downstate and exploring markets in neighboring states to increase health literacy among young people.
Candor Health Education drug prevention and sex education programs provide essential skill building opportunities for young people and support parents and guardians so they can better understand the unique journey of adolescents and be ready to have ongoing conversations about avoiding risky behaviors such as sexting and marijuana use. Learn more about our unique programming and online parent resources on our website: www.candorhealthed.org You may also follow us on social media or sign up for a monthly e-newsletter to stay informed about current trends in youth drug use and protective factors that help kids become more independent while avoiding negative consequences.
We are excited to offer a new program for 5th – 7th graders called “Navigating Middle School Years.” This class will be launched in 2022 and it helps students build their resilience so they can make healthy choices during this key developmental time.
Hinsdale Magazine | Charitable Giving DuPagePads
Our generous community is amazing! Since the pandemic we have received incredible support from public and private funds, to individual donors, to maintain our hotel-based emergency shelters for families and individuals. Additionally, tens of thousands of donated goods have been collected and hundreds of volunteers are helping us distribute them to keep clients fed and safely supplied on their path to housing. These accomplishments have paved the way forward to our biggest opportunity yet...an Interim Housing Center.
Since March 2020, 558 individuals, including 130 children, have advanced toward housing stability in our donor supported hotel-based Emergency Housing. 244 of those clients have since transitioned to stable housing with more reaching a home of their own weekly. This approach to shelter has facilitated an 80% reduction in mental health incidents and a 75% reduction in physical health-related incidents including the flu and other respiratory illnesses. As of this November, 222 clients are currently in the hotel-based shelter seeking a place to call home, including 70 children, and a total of 95,427 nights of shelter have been provided including 153,347 meals.
During COVID-19 our work transformed for the safety of our clients, volunteers, and community. The overwhelming positive outcomes experienced during the transition to our services have brought us to next crucial step to end homelessness: an Interim Housing Center! With the community’s support, we are working to raise funds to purchase and repurpose a Downers Grove hotel currently in our use to maintain shelter and support far beyond the pandemic. An I.H.C. will prioritize rooms for families with children, individuals with mobility issues, and those fleeing domestic violence. Parents experiencing homelessness are often reluctant to utilize congregate shelters because they need privacy, stability, and space for their children.
We are so fortunate that many of our volunteers have stayed connected to our clients and our mission despite a dangerous pandemic. From virtual volunteer opportunities, to creating boredom-busting kits for children in shelter, to on-site food deliveries and many other kindness projects. Our volunteers are the ones keeping our spirits up and lifting the hearts and lives of our clients so they may restore their hope and go on to be successful. They truly are the key to our solutions for ending homelessness and we could not do our vital work without them.
Your help can keep more families and individuals safely housed tonight and for many years to come. Please consider signing up to volunteer at https://volunteer.dupagepads.org or providing a gift and learning about the Interim Housing Center Campaign opportunities at www.dupagepads. org/donate.
The District 181 Foundation saw growth in our business partnerships and strong support from parents, especially through our Staff Appreciation program which reflected the appreciation so many have felt for the impressive efforts put forth last year by District 181 staff members as they made the best of the difficult situation.
The District 181 Foundation was able to adapt all of our programming for students, teachers and parents to meet the challenges presented by COVID. Our biggest accomplishment in 2021 was to develop a Young Writers Program that resulted in a hardcover book of student reflections about 2020. 239 student writers and artists participated in this six-month project, which included working with a teacher mentor, attending special webinars with youth authors, and an opportunity for students to be videoed reading their work. It culminated in a joint exhibit with the Hinsdale Historical Society at Immanuel Hall about the 2020 experience.
To help enhance student learning we funded a Math Assistance Hotline for homework help, hosted a virtual middle school student art exhibit, and offered special STEM programming for elementary students. To support the work of teachers, we funded professional development opportunities focused on making remote learning more engaging and effective. Recognizing the heightened levels of stress and anxiety seen throughout the community, we helped fund webinars for parents which addressed these topics. The Community Speaker Series webinars brought four nationally renown speakers to our community to discuss important issues in education, student social and emotional development, and parenting.
In 2022 we will be introducing the Community Connection. This program will provide community members an opportunity to share their knowledge, expertise, and experiences with District 181 students. This special resource will give students the opportunity to learn directly from experts, teachers a resource they can use to enhance and augment their lessons, and community members a meaningful way to share what they know with our youth.
District 181 Foundation board members spirits remain high because we have embraced the challenge to rapidly adapt and respond to the needs that have emerged in the past two years. We have redefined existing programs, developed new ones, and adjusted funding priorities. We look enthusiastically toward 2022 and making meaningful contributions to the educational experience of all District 181 students.
The Tuthill Family Pet Rescue & Resource Center operated by Hinsdale Humane Society has powered through a year of challenging COVID aftershocks. Fewer spay/neuter surgeries during the pandemic and an increase in strays and surrenders has resulted in a surge of homeless pets. In response, we have created new programs and more ways to help solve these issues and support community members in need.
Because we believe we are stronger together, our medical team has been providing other rescue groups with discounted spay/neuter surgeries. Our goal is to help combat the current deficit of veterinarians performing these procedures that are vital to keeping pet populations manageable.
With an increase in strays and surrendered pets, special adoption and social media promotions are helping us find new homes for these animals. Additionally, we brought our low-cost, basic pet care clinics and pet food pantries, to communities in need to help keep pets in their homes.
The implementation of special endowment funds and programs have helped our fundraising goals in the past year. One new fund was created by a caring family, in memory of a wonderful young man. The Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund provides vital care for special needs animals, allowing them to live full and happy lives.
A new program, launched on Veteran’s Day, 2021, is a fitting legacy to a cherished HHS Board member. The BJ Chimenti Angel Fund for Veterans and Pets nurtures the healing powers of the human animal bond and provides ongoing support to our military veterans and active duty servicemen, women and military families. The Gebauer Family hosted their annual Golf Outing to benefit our animals in memory of their sweet daughter, Heidi. And our Match Me Up Cat Campaign, funded by Vinaya Sharma, has helped dozens of harder to adopt cats find homes. Additionally, grants, medical appeals, sponsorships and memberships help fund our work, as do numerous fundraising events and our online store.
Volunteers are our lifeblood and we are consistently in awe of them. We’ve been fortunate to welcome many new ones this year. In all we do, we make sure to thank them in every way we can think of. Without them, we could not do what we do.
Similarly, we would not be here without the support of our generous donors and friends. While we celebrate the victories from another tough year, we acknowledge with gratitude that none of it is possible without the support of our generous and caring community.
Loaves & Fishes
Loaves & Fishes celebrated the grand opening of its new food distribution hub in Aurora that will serve a substantial amount of unmet need in our community. This additional location will allow them to serve three times the amount of people by expanding its geographic service area to Kane and Kendall counties in addition to DuPage and Will. The hub will act as a distribution, storage, processing, and fulfillment center providing food to its spokes such as the Loaves & Fishes shopping market at 1871 High Grove Lane, its satellite location in Bolingbrook, as well as its home delivery program to homebound seniors.
The new hub and spoke model will provide more options for clients to receive food. Families will be able to get the food they need by shopping in the market, picking up food in curbside service format, and through the soon to come online ordering system. “This opening of our new facility and evolution to a hub and spoke model are game changers for Loaves & Fishes and our community,” says Mike Havala, President and CEO of Loaves & Fishes. “Together, we are truly making a lasting impact for years to come.”
The Loaves & Fishes CARES Programs provide additional resources to help struggling families with essential needs such as rent or utility payment assistance. As a result of the pandemic, emergency assistance has nearly doubled in the last year.
“We are so very grateful and feel so humbled and blessed to have received this gift of assistance for our family! Thank you for looking out and caring so much for our family and our community! – L&F Client
Giving Opportunities
Food Distribution & Cares Program Support: Financial gifts of any size are deeply appreciated and will help the hundreds of families that come each week for grocery assistance and CARES programs. With Loaves & Fishes' cooperative buying power, $1 can purchase $8 worth of food. Virtual Food Drive: Visit our website to purchase healthy food products at discounted prices that are most needed by clients. Car Donations: Loaves & Fishes is always in need of donated cars. Lack of reliable transportation is a barrier to employment or childcare. Volunteer Opportunities: Join the Loaves & Fishes family as a volunteer. Your time is very valuable in the fight to end hunger. Sorting food, distributing food, and connecting clients to available resources can be very beneficial and rewarding. Corporate Work Groups: Loaves & Fishes is a great place to bring employees for a group service opportunity. Corporate workgroups assist at our new hub preparing food for distribution. For all giving opportunities, visit loavesfishes.org
