DOWNERS GROVE, Illinois—The DuPage Foundation celebrated 30 years of helping raise the quality of life for DuPage residents at a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Medinah Country Club on Thursday, September 15. The event was graciously sponsored by Foundation friends Mark and Darlene Hoppe.
The celebration commenced with newly-appointed Foundation Board Chair Denice Gierach sharing highlights of the Foundation’s impact and achievements over the years, recognizing retiring Trustees Stephen M. Burt, Bruce Lee and Dan Maguire and welcoming new Trustees Delrose A. Koch and Bernard W. Dan. Gierach honored Burt for his outstanding leadership as Board Chair for the past three years and trustee emeriti status was bestowed on both him and Maguire.
The evening concluded with Foundation Co-Founder Mary Eleanor Wall sharing a few moments of special reflection with the audience. Wall, along with the late Brooks McCormick and Jerry Bradshaw, helped established the DuPage Foundation in September 1986. At that time, McCormick sat on the Executive Committee of The Chicago Community Trust (CCT) and saw the value of creating a charitable entity wholly-focused on the booming area west of Chicago in DuPage County.
Since its inception, the DuPage Foundation has built an endowment of more than $65 million consisting of more than 300 unique funds. During 2016, the Foundation achieved two significant giving milestones. Just recently, it officially surpassed the $27 million mark in cumulative grants awarded. To place this milestone in perspective, it took 26 years for the Foundation to award its first $13.5 million and only four years to award the next $13.5 million.
In late August, the Foundation awarded its 5,000th grant. The grant, to Northwestern Memorial Foundation for Central DuPage Hospital (CDH), was recommended by the Dale Family Fund, a donor-advised fund of the Foundation. The Fund was established by Foundation Trustee Emeritus Brett Dale and his wife, Kris, a member of the Foundation’s Bright & Early DuPage Committee. The Dales started their fund 10 years ago. Since its inception, it has awarded more than 40 grants to area organizations. Brett serves as a member of the Northwestern Medicine/CDH board of directors. In recognition of that grant, the DuPage Foundation Grant Committee recommended a $5,000 grant to Ronald McDonald House Charities for its house across from the Hospital.
About the DuPage Foundation
The DuPage Foundation seeks to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County by fostering philanthropy, connecting donors to area needs and building community partnerships. Based on the American virtues of volunteerism and philanthropy, the Foundation fosters a legacy of support for the people of DuPage County by making grants to not-for-profit organizations working in the areas of Arts and Culture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Human Services. Since its inception, the Foundation has built its endowment to more than $65 million and awarded nearly $30 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond.
Established in 1986, the DuPage Foundation is a publicly-supported 501(c)(3) organization to which contributions are tax deductible. It was created to benefit the people of DuPage County and receives contributions and bequests into a permanent endowment from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations wishing to make lasting contributions to the people of DuPage. The earnings on these funds are then used, in accordance with donor wishes, for the Foundation’s grantmaking and community leadership activities.
For more information about the Foundation, or to arrange future media opportunities, please contact William Pearch, marketing manager, at 630.598.5290, or bill@dupagefoundation.org.
