DuPage Foundation was named the 2022 Honoree of the Project HELP DuPage “Community Begins at Home” sixth annual breakfast, held on May 18. The Foundation was recognized for its leadership in the community and more than 35-year history working to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County.
During the event, the Foundation awarded a $25,000 Community Needs grant to YWCA Metropolitan Chicago (YWCA). Through the YWCA, Project HELP provides mentoring and educational support services to enhance parents’ capacity to meet their children’s social and emotional needs. YWCA applied for the grant to support the Project HELP Parent Mentor Program and Parent Education Workshops that build on family strength, foster family resilience, and minimize the risk of child abuse and neglect. During the event, YWCA CEO Nicole Robinson announced Project HELP would now be known as Strong Families.
“We are forever grateful to DuPage Foundation and the truly life-altering support it has given our program over the years,” said YWCA Director of Child and Family Development Peggy McGuire. “Much of our success lays at the feet of the Foundation believing in our program!”
Applications for DuPage Foundation’s Community Needs Grant Program are accepted and reviewed twice per year, with the spring cycle focused on health and human services projects. Additional grantees of the spring cycle were notified of their grant support after the Foundation’s Board meeting on May 20.
“We are so proud to support the YWCA and Project HELP, and I could not pass up the opportunity to award this grant while the community came together to celebrate the wonderful work of these organizations,” said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation vice president for programs. “Thank you to all of the staff for your dedication to families across the County and for recognizing the Foundation as a partner in supporting the needs of our community.”
Bright & Early DuPage (B&ED), an initiative of DuPage Foundation, was a sponsor for the breakfast. B&ED is a unique program designed to leverage area resources to ensure that all DuPage children from birth to age five receive the comprehensive support critical in preparing them for success in kindergarten and beyond. Each year, the initiative provides grant funding to local community organizations to help establish, build and maintain early childhood collaboratives.
