Communityworks Reaches Fundraising Goal

With more than $4 million added to their Communityworks Endowment Fund, members of the have plenty of reasons to smile.

“I feel so strongly that this is a special community full of wonderful, unique people,” said foundation present Mena Boulanger said, “and this is going to help tremendously.”

At least 400 businesses, individuals and organizations contributed amounts between $5 and $500,000 during a campaign organized by the Grand Victoria Foundation, which would match up to $2 million raised before the Sept. 30 deadline. Sixteen foundations in Illinois are part of the matching campaign with the Grand Victoria Foundation; the only other community foundation to reach the goal so far is in Decatur.

The permanent endowment will now generate $225,000 annually at its new amount, which the community foundation will use to provide grants to local nonprofits that focus on areas like environmentalism, leadership development and education.

One of those programs, Plan It Green, includes studies of energy consumption in collaboration with dozens of municipalities and institutions. PlanIt Green aims for “thriving families and businesses, good use of land for homes, parks and commercial needs, environmentally responsible habits and a healthy economy,” according to the program’s website.

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Another Communityworks program, the Community Leadership Program with ’s Brennan School of Business, will start its third session this month. It works to train emerging and existing local professionals who have leadership potential.

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Many local funds and foundations contributed to the campaign, including the Russell and Josephine Kott Memorial Trust, which donated $100,000. Other large contributors included the Good Heart Work Smart Foundation and the Aspiramos Juntos Fund.

Another recent, and surprise, donation of $500,000 from the Community Chest of Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park was a major catalyst to reaching $2 million. Barbara Watkins, president of the Community Chest’s governing board, said the Community Chest and the OPRF Community Foundation missions of locally focused goodwill dovetail together.

“The opportunity to see our grant doubled by the Grand Victoria Foundation was one that our board felt that they could not pass up,” she said.

According to a press release, the Community Chest formed in 1935 and began an affiliation with United Way in 1991. In 2003, it ceased local fundraising activities, handing those duties over to the United Way of Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. Last summer, that local United Way chapter merged with other local chapters to form the United Way of DuPage/West Cook.

And with Community Chest winding down operations in the area, the OPRF Community Foundation’s Communityworks endowment’s increase from half a million to $4.5 million will leave a major impact in the years to come.