McHENRY – Philanthropy lives in the hearts of people with generosity in their bloodstream. You’ll find philanthropic people with heart-warming examples of generosity across the country and in every community of McHenry County. Community foundations have philanthropy as their vision, connecting people who care with causes that matter.
The Community Foundation for McHenry County is hosting an event celebrating National Philanthropy Day. The event will be held on November 15 at 8 a.m. at the Opera House in Woodstock. This is a day for donors, nonprofits, and community members to come together and celebrate the strong commitment in McHenry County to grow local philanthropy and to witness the life-changing impact of neighbors helping neighbors.
Whether you take a step toward becoming a philanthropist or give a little here and a little there, you are the reason why The Community Foundation for McHenry County received $2.2 million dollars in 2018.
Under a new executive director hired on August 1, 2019, The Community Foundation and its new leader are excited over the prospect of helping even more people. Executive Director Deborah Thielen of The Community Foundation For McHenry County and Community Engagement Director Marcey Sink, used the month of August for meeting families, individuals, public officials, and others in discussion of new ideas and important existing issues.
“I met a lot of board members who’ve helped me to follow the listen, learn, lead model,” Thielen said.
Over the past 30 years, Thielen has worked in the non-profit sector for the homeless, food banks, and child abuse. Now as the Foundation’s executive director, she’s learning about the issues that are foremost in the mind of the public in McHenry County. People have stressed transportation, child abuse and homelessness.
“I’m also learning about people and where their hearts are at and what troubles them,” she said. “I visited Turning Point, the domestic violence center in McHenry County, which is near and dear to my heart. Learning about whether we have a food shortage or a homeless population problem helps me to form a vision.”
Through her conversations, Thielen has learned a great number of people want to make a difference and are already helping to make a difference.
“I hope The Community Foundation can help them to make a difference, that’s the legacy we create,” Thielen said.
Think about whether you have something so important in your life that it automatically puts you in a giving spirit. The Community Foundation for McHenry County exists for this very purpose as its mission statement attests: “Bringing people together to determine community needs, facilitate collaborative solutions, and act as a catalyst for positive change.”
As a new executive director has taken over this summer for The Community Foundation for McHenry County, it’s important to know how the mission and the executive director’s goals line up. With organizations facing an increasing demand for services, they’ve turned in larger numbers to foundations and to the United Way of Greater McHenry County. The local United Way had their campaign kickoff, pep rally, and tailgate party on September 18.
Today, there are more than 1,800 United Ways in 41 countries and territories and more than 700 community foundations around the world. The foundations hold several roles among public charities. They act as grantmakers, but also as community leaders, donor service providers, and fund developers.
“People apply for different grants and let us at The Community Foundation know about the need. We have a group that reviews grants and the board makes the final decisions about the grants that go out,” Thielen said.
Among the giving funds, The Community Foundation runs the GIVE360 Fund. Started in 2015 as a yearly fund,GIVE360 will be distributed in early 2020.
“Tell anyone that’s interested in learning more about things to do such as GIVE360, Scholarship Funds, and Donor Advised Funds, so someone that comes in and says I have a heart for this, we can lead them in this direction. Happy to sit down with them as to where their heart is leading them and what they would like to do,” Thielen said.
Call (815) 338-GIVE (4483) or Give@MCCFdn.orgfor information from The Community Foundation For McHenry County.
