|
We Envision Communities Where . . .
The attainment of these goals is possible but will require a commitment from our entire community to proactively address some of the key challenges that we are currently facing.
That's why the Foundation has collaborated with local community leaders, government and not-for-profit experts, funders and residents like you to launch our Communityworks Initiative.
Communityworks is all about addressing growing needs in DuPage County by: Bringing people together to shape our community’s future; Effecting positive change in three issue areas: early childhood care and education, land use and protection and workforce development; And building an endowment fund to address local needs in each of these issue areas.
|
Background
The Foundation began its Communityworks efforts in 2003 intent on using its convening and grant-making resources to help preserve and enhance DuPage County’s quality of life. Initially, the Foundation hosted public forums in the areas of Land Use and Protection, Early Childhood Care and Education, and Workforce Development to discuss concerns, barriers and opportunities relative to each of these issues.
To supplement information gathered at the forums, professionals and field experts came together to form Communityworks advisory committees. These small groups participated in a series of separate, topic-specific meetings to discuss the County’s pressing needs. Those discussions further unearthed obstacles in the way of progress, strategies under way to address these problems, and potential partnerships for the Foundation to explore as a means of affecting community change.
These community conversations confirmed that: - DuPage County is a great place to live, to learn, and to work.
- Excellence in child care, land use decisions, and workforce development are critical to assuring a bright future for DuPage.
- The issues of child care, land use, and workforce development are intertwined and interdependent. All families who choose care for their children deserve the best quality care possible so that they can be creative and productive at their places of business. All workers need housing and transportation choices so that they can get to work quickly. Land use decisions shape our community composition and character; they determine where we live, learn, play and work, as well as how easy it is for us to get to our homes, jobs and recreation.
As one of the nation’s wealthiest counties, opportunity certainly exists in DuPage County. The County boasts a wide range of solid, highly regarded employers, abundant opportunities for enrichment in nature and the arts, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, five nationally recognized colleges, and award-winning public and private school systems. Yet, there are many challenges that impact daily life: increasing poverty among a portion of the population, a lack of affordable housing stock for families at all income levels, lack of affordable and quality early childcare and education, service sector jobs that don’t pay a living wage, and growing suburban sprawl and traffic congestion.
With community input, The DuPage Community Foundation has chosen to focus specifically on affordable housing as it relates to land use and early childhood care and education quality and capacity building.
At the same time the Foundation was meeting with advisory groups to identify the foci of our Communityworks initiative, we were working with donors to raise funds to grow our Communityworks endowment for future grant-making. With the generous outright and matching grants received from Grand Victoria Foundation over the past five years and the gifts from Communityworks donors interested in our efforts, the Foundation has raised $627,000 for our Communityworks endowment. The income from this endowment will enable us to fund grants that will ultimately effect positive change in our community.
Foundation Partners with DuPage County for First Communityworks Grants
Due to the budget crisis in 2007, the DuPage County Board eliminated its Human Services grant budget but had $75,000 left to spend that year. Because The DuPage Community Foundation was prepared to make its first round of Communityworks grants to traditional County grant recipients, the County passed $50,000 of those funds through the Foundation for grants relating to its Communityworks initiative. The remaining $25,000 is being held in the Foundation’s asset pool while a county-wide needs assessment is pursued.
|
How You Can Help
Grand Victoria Foundation has given us $2.12 million in support of Communityworks. As part of this commitment, they have also challenged us to raise an additional $2 million in new and increased gifts which they will match dollar for dollar through October 2011.
Your financial commitment will help us to create lasting solutions to vital issues that concern those who live and work in our communities. For further information, please contact Barb Szczepaniak, Foundation Director of Grants at (630) 665-5556 or click on the link below to make a gift.
|
