Family Shelter Service was one of 22 not-for-profit organizations in DuPage County to receive a grant from the 2014 Spring Community Needs Grant Cycle of The DuPage Community Foundation. The grant was awarded during a special breakfast on June 10 at the Glen Oak Country Club, with community leaders, Foundation trustees, benefactors and other stakeholders in attendance.
The grant will be used by Family Shelter Service to fund its group counseling program for individuals affected by domestic abuse. Group counseling programs serve to connect victims of domestic violence and their children to in-depth counseling services within a group of supportive peers. These programs help to ensure that all victims have access to services that will help them rebuild their lives and break the cycle of domestic violence for themselves, their families and future generations.
DuPage Community Foundation Director of Programs Barb Szczepaniak shared with attendees her pleasure with the Foundation’s support of local organizations: “Today is all about celebrating the great work each of you is doing in DuPage County and a celebration of our partnership together. I truly enjoy the grant breakfast every year because it’s such an uplifting occasion — a day to remind us that we are collectively making a difference in our community.”
The Foundation also makes grants to DuPage County not-for-profits working in the areas of arts and culture, and education and environment, as part of its Fall Community Grant Needs Cycle. In addition, the Foundation makes grants throughout the year from its various donor-advised and other restricted funds. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, the Foundation granted more than $2.3 million, representing a 25 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.
Since its inception, the DuPage Community Foundation has built its endowment to more than $55 million and awarded more than $18 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond. The Foundation 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 DuPage Community Foundation, visit www.dcfdn.org. Information about Family Shelter Service can be found at www.familyshelterservice.org.
Submitted by Mo McGuire, Marketing/Communications, Family Shelter Service
