October 2024 - Reclaim 13

Our 4th and final meeting this year brought nominations for three well-deserved non-profits.

Bringing Joy  (giving joy to those battling cancer) 

Roselle Food Pantry (serving Food to those in need for Roselle, Bloomingdale and Medinah)

Reclaim 13 (forging healing pathways for survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation)

Reclaim 13 was the chosen charity!

In a topic once taboo, Reclaim 13 has brought forward healing pathways for survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation. The name references the fact that 95% of survivors they work with were trafficked by the age of 13.

This worthy charity has residential programs, family programs, and many more services to help survivors reclaim themselves.

We will be bringing our donation to present in the first week of November.

August 2024 - Doodlebug Workshop

Our 3rd Meeting this year brought nominations for 3 well-deserved non-profits.

Doodlebug Workshop won our nomination at our August meeting! Under the direction of Sarah Starke, Doodlebug Workshop equips the special needs community with vocational skills, all while fostering independence and building self-esteem, all with the help of our volunteers in the community.

The joy this charity brings is evident in this photo. They have a retail shop on the first floor with items like cutting boards, outdoor decor, etc. Please call ahead OR use the “ring” doorbell for assistance.

June 2024 - We are Called to Care

Our 2nd Meeting this year brought nominations for three well-deserved non-profits once again.

Bringing Joy  - Giving joy to those battling cancer 

Roselle Community Food Pantry - Serving the local community with a reliable food resource with respect and compassion.

We are Called to Care - Mobilizing churches and Individuals to actively care for Children and families in the Foster Care System.

We are Called to Care won our vote this past meeting. We presented our checks in July. We toured the house and it had "good bones" but was very neglected. They had had a walk thru with "friends and family" and in each room there was a breakdown of how much it would cost to make it a usable, functional spot for a child/children. They are on the way to finishing this portion of the project. 

April 2024 - WSDRA

Our 1st Meeting this year brought nominations for three well-deserved non-profits.

Bringing Joy  (giving joy to those battling cancer) 

Zac Plantz Foundation (shepherding young men and women who are committed to creating a better tomorrow)

WDSRA DuPage (helping families children with special needs)

We visited with some WDSRA staff and they are so appreciative of the $45,000 we have raised for scholarships!! Our Giving Circle has now hit the 1/2 million dollar mark in donations since our inception in 2016!!

Words from Lea Jackman of the WDSRA:

Kerry's memory will outlive us all.  The WDSRA Scholarship endowment will exist in perpetuity and Kerry will forever be attached to the distribution of those scholarships. Thank you, thank you, thank you on behalf of WDSRA, the Fitzgerald Family and all those future WDSRA participants who will have access to programs in Kerry's name BECAUSE of all of you! You are changing the trajectory of the lives of those with special needs.  

October 2023 - Live 4 Lali

Our last meeting of the year brought nominations from 3 worthy organizations (click for more information):

Bringing Joy  (giving joy to those battling cancer)

Easter Seals (providing services for the disabled)

Live4Lali (helping those struggling with drug addiction)   (helping Military Families During Medical Crises)

We chose Live4Lali for our October Donation!

On October 30th we presented our checks and along with our matching donors generosity we were able to give a total of $52,200!!! The staff was SO very thankful for our donation!

August 2023 - Center for Enriched Living

At our August Meeting we had 6 names in the hat for nomination. The three worthy chosen were:

  1. Center for Enriched Living (Peggi D’Angelo)

  2. Roselle Community Food Pantry (Ashley Bednash)

  3. Called to Care (Judy Theriault)

We nominated The Center for Enriched Living!

Mission: Enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by maximizing their opportunities for personal success, fun & friendship, employment, and community involvement.

Vision: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are empowered to realize their greatest potential, thrive within the community, and achieve their hopes and dreams.

Our members are changing lives with every donation! Our members contributed $12,100 and our generous matching donors gave a total of $32,300 for a grand total of $44,400.00!!!!

When we dropped off the donation, we had a tour of the facilities and talked to staff about their very worthy organization. They were very grateful for our generosity.

June 2023 - Friends of Fisher House

Our 2nd Meeting this year brought nominations for three well deserving non-profits (click for more information):

Friends of Fisher House IL   (helping Military Families During Medical Crises)

GlenEllyn Infant Welfare Society (helping families in crisis)

Repeat Boutique (helping families in need)


It seems timely that we presented our donation to Friends of Fisher House IL so close to the Fourth of July holiday. They are so grateful for the contribution! We toured the Fisher House at Hines Hospital and met some of the board members, volunteers and staff.  Our donation is going to make a difference in many lives for a long time. Thanks to all of our wonderful women making such an impact!

April 2023 - Cesco's Heart

Our first meeting of 2023 once again brought 3 worthy nominations chosen of 5 submitted. Click on each to learn more about the charity.

  1. Cesco’s Heart

  2. Repeat Boutique

  3. Beat the Streets

We are excited to say that Cesco’s Heart was the chosen recipient!

This was presented (for the 3rd time) from our member Marisa De Astis who is a dear friend of Dana Vavalle who lost her 18 month baby boy Cesco, to a rare heart defect in 2012. They established the charity to support research and advanced treatments for other pediatric cardiology. They established this charity in June of that year and have provided over $120,000 to support treatments and research

October 2022 - Misericordia

Our final meeting of 2022 once again brought 3 worthy nominations. It was a lovely evening of giving.

  1. Cesco’s Heart

  2. St. Moses the Black Food Pantry

  3. Misericordia

Misericordia was our recipient! Cheri Rafferty presented for this charity near and dear to her heart as her daughter, Lauren currently resides at Misericordia. This non-profit offers a community of care that maximizes potential for persons with mild to profound  developmental disabilities, many of whom are also physically challenged. Well deserved!

UPDATE: With the help of our tireless matching donors, we were able to donate a total of $35,100 !!

August 2022 - Naperville Responds for Veterans

Our third meeting of the year brought 3 worthy nominations.

  1. Naperville Responds for Veterans

  2. Cesco’s Heart

  3. Glen Ellyn Infant Welfare Society

NAPERVILLE RESPONDS FOR VETERANS received the most votes! This charity was nominated by Peggi D’Angelo as her late mother enlisted and served as a nurse in World War II. This non-profit assists Veterans and their families, especially those with low and moderate income by repairing, building and donating homes. Congratulations!

UPDATE: With the help of our very generous matching donors, we donated $34,400 to Naperville Responds for Veterans!!

June 2022 - Girls in the Game

Our second meeting of the year brought 5 requests for nominations. The three chosen from the “hat” were:

  1. Glen Ellyn Infant Society (Jeanie Porter)

  2. Girls in the Game (Peggy Kinander)

  3. Beat the Streets (Patty Joyce)

GIRLS IN THE GAME received the most votes. This charity was chosen in 2017 and this time will have the extra benefit of our increased membership. Congratulations!!

We brought our donation to Girls in the Game on July 1st to their headquarters in Douglas Park. Our initial donation brought $10,800 with hopes for all of our matching donors to increase that amount substantially.

UPDATE: With an abundance of help from our matching donors, our total donation to Girls in the Game was $31,400 !!

June 2021 - Roots and Wings Foundation

ROOTS AND WINGS FOUNDATION

Our June Meeting was our first in-person meeting in over a year! It was so very nice to see everyone in our amazing group

Roots and Wings Foundation received the most votes!!

CLICK HERE for more info!

We dropped off the donation to Roots and Wings Charitable Foundation. We met 2 lovely ladies including the founder, Diana Keen. They were so grateful for the $6,800.00 to help those with stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer access integrative therapies to help them through the difficult journey they endure. Diana plans to attend our meeting August 3 @11:00am at Medinah to let us know more.

April 2021 - Christopher Lyons Memorial Fund (Glen Oaks Hospital)

Our first Nomination this year came as another virtual event. An email was sent out to membership with three chosen charities:

  1. Christopher Lyons Memorial Fund (click here for more information)

  2. Roots and Wings (click here for more information)

  3. The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation (click here for more information).

The Christopher Lyons Memorial Fund received the most votes!

On June 2nd, we dropped off the donation ($6,700.00) to GlenOaks Hospital Foundation/Chris Lyons Memorial Fund. We toured the school and learned a great deal about the school, staff and programs. it truly amazing the length of time some of the staff have been employed. There is so often a lot of turn over at schools and it is a testament to the program and administration. What a worthwhile cause!

In addition, The Schulze Family Foundation has matched our donation (1/2 or our total donation), so this organization received an additional $3300 !!! Thank you Peggi D’Angelo for finding this this generous foundation!

October 2020 - Outreach Community Ministries →

Once again, a virtual vote but also a robust field of entries for charity nominations!

The three chosen were:

1. Magic Foundation - click here for information

2. Save Abandoned Babies Foundation - click here for more information

3. Outreach Community Ministry - click here for more information

 

Our nominated charity was Outreach Community Ministry’s Jubilee Village!

We toured Jubilee Village on November 16th. Seven members of the team were on-hand to thank our 100 WWC Chapter. They were extremely grateful for our $6000.00 donation! It will go towards the organization’s employment program. Jubilee Village provides an overall approach to success through mentorship along with providing parenting, leadership, and life skills to guide these young women into the next phase of their lives. We were lucky enough to meet one of the fine young ladies in the residential program. She was quite impressive in both her accolades and bright outlook on life. We are so very happy to help this deserving organization. How they’ve made such a difference in the lives of so many young women!

August 2020 - Glen Ellyn Food Pantry →

Once again, a virtual vote but also a robust field of entries for charity nominations!

The three chosen were:

  1. Glen Ellyn Food Pantry - click for more information

2. Magic Foundation - click for more information

3. Save Abandoned Babies Foundation - click for more information


Glen Ellyn Food Pantry logo.jpg

Our nominated charity was The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry.

They were extremely grateful of our $6200.00 donation! We took an extensive tour of the pantry. THEY NEED A NEW FACILITY!!  They are doing good work but sorting food in a second floor non air-conditioned gym had to be brutal this summer. Thank you to all for helping provide for food insecure people in the area! You are making a big, practical, immediate difference in your community!

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry.jpg



June 2020 - Gerry's Cafe →

Our June Meeting vote was online again. We had 7 nominations!! Because there are only three allowed for vote, we chose virtually, with these three landing the nomination:

1. Gerry’s Cafe - https://www.gerryscafe.org

2. Magic Foundation - https://www.magicfoundation.org

3. Cal’s Angels - https://www.calsangels.org

 

Gerry’s Cafe received the most votes!

We dropped off our $6,200.00 donation to Gerry's Cafe on July 21st. One of the co-founders and some potential employees were there to receive it. They are very grateful. 

This following letter was sent to our members in thanks of the donation.

“Dear Members,

Thank you for supporting our mission of Gerry's Cafe! We are especially grateful for your gift during these difficult days of uncertainty. We are working hard to open our doors to inclusion when the time is right. With your generous collective donation of $6200, we are another step closer to signing a lease and beginning construction of our inclusive and accessible cafe! We need to raise $500,000 in order to open Gerry's Cafe. We have surpassed the $430,000 mark thus far, thanks to generous donors like you! Our vision remains clear and we will resume all actions when our world is a bit calmer. As the Co-Founders of Gerry's Cafe, we would like to personally thank you for making our work possible. Your kindness supports the many young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have limited opportunities for employment. You are helping people with disabilities feel valued. "They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for." Thank you for providing hope for an underserved population! Together, we will open Gerry's Cafe so we can employ 40 differently able adults. Together, we will open Gerry's Cafe for our community members to gather for good food, good coffee, and exceptional service! Together, we will create a place of joy that welcomes and celebrates everyone! Our current and future success of opening Gerry's Cafe will be possible by the continued generosity of our community supporters. Donations from local businesses and caring individuals will allow us to open our doors to inclusion. We want to create a better world. We are beyond grateful for your support! It is because of YOU that we can help change the lives of adults with developmental disabilities. If you would like to be updated on our exciting progress, you can go to our website (www.GerrysCafe.org) and subscribe to our email list! We look forward to sharing coffee with you in Gerry's Cafe in the future!

With gratitude and joy,

Natalie Griffin & Amy Philpott

Co-Founders Brewing Opportunities, Gerry's Cafe GerrysCafe.org

Your donation is tax deductible for IRS purposes.

EIN # 83-1323671