United Way names fundraising co-chairs
August 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment
August 31, 2007Sun staff
Naperville United Way has named Art Littlefield of Financial Strategies and Solutions Group and Robert Heap of Kuhn, Heap and Monson Law Offices as chairs of this year’s fundraising campaign.
They will lead the 2007 annual campaign with a goal of $1.1 million. The campaign begins with the Naperville United Way’s “Under the Sea” art sculpture auction event on Sept. 14.
The annual auction event has averaged more than $100,000 in campaign revenue in the past six years. Littlefield and Heap will look to area businesses and individuals to raise the balance over the next six months.
“We are thrilled to provide leadership for an organization that makes a difference in the lives of people who live in the Naperville area,” Littlefield said. “Naperville United Way studies Naperville’s most pressing needs and has put together a plan to create the most impact by investing in an array of human care programs.”
In 2007, the Naperville United Way invested $900,000 into human care programs, falling short of the $1.7 million in requests from partner agencies. This has left a large gap in funding programs which now do not have the resources to fully support the needs of Naperville residents.
“We are all fortunate to live in a growing and caring community,” Heap said. “The Naperville United Way has been successful in raising monies to invest locally, helping address the many human care issues we have in Naperville. Although a wonderful community, Naperville has its own needs and we are working very hard to ensure positive outcomes in the lives of people.”
For more information, contact Susan Fritz at 630-369-2508 or visit www.napervilleunitedway.org.
A Comforting Coincidence
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
In the wake of tragedy, angels aboundBy Jennifer Abels Special to the Sun
Jennifer Abels is the daughter of Patti Roberts of Naperville and had flown in from South Dakota on July 4 to help her mom get her house ready to be placed on the market. That night at 3:30 a.m. Patti took her daughter to the hospital. Jennifer was 5 ½ months pregnant and was going into premature labor. Savannah Abels was born on July 6 and weighed a little over 1 pound. Unfortunately, she only lived for one hour. A memorial service was held in South Dakota on July 28.
On Sunday, July 8, I went with my husband, Wayne, to SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Naperville where we heard a homily that seemed like it was written just for us. It talked about how Jesus will give you peace - this is God’s promise in times of struggle. Also, we should carry God and Jesus with us through life’s journey wherever we go.
Jennifer and Wayne Abels pose with the United Way “Under the Sea” sculpture in downtown Naperville. The sculpture provided the couple a moment of hope and inspiration during a visit this summer.
One of the scriptures was Isaiah 66:10-14, which says, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.” Another scripture said, “Your bodies shall flourish like the grass.” We also sang the song, “Here I Am Lord.”
After the service, Wayne recognized one of the parishioners. She was one of the hospice nurses that cared for my stepfather, Jim toward the end of his fight with cancer. We shared stories and feelings of our loss with her and her husband, and we were comforted by her words.
Then we walked to downtown Naperville, where we had planned to meet my twin sister Julie at the Starbucks at Jefferson Avenue and Main Street. We got our drinks and then went outside since there was no room to sit inside. We looked for the right place to sit in order to keep an eye out for Julie and finally decided on a bench across the street, in the shade in front of Ted’s Montana Grill restaurant.
Growing up in Minnesota and now living in South Dakota, Wayne loves anything to do with the West, including bison, so it was very appropriate. We sat down and started to talk about angels and the events that had happened in the last 48 hours. We also tried to figure out why we had chosen this particular spot to sit.
Soon, Julie arrived and we sat and visited for awhile. Before getting up to leave she suggested that we look at the painted sculpture from which we had been sitting across. The sculpture was a mermaid sitting on a bench of her own, and was part of Naperville United Way’s “Under the Sea” public art fundraiser.
Before leaving we walked around the sculpture and took a moment to notice the name it had been given by the artist Kate Gingold. Our hearts almost stopped as we read “Savannah Under the Sea.” We felt sure that this was a sign from God that answered some of our questions about angels, and that it was symbolic of how Savannah’s spirit will be near us, at times without us even knowing it.
There were 50 sculptures downtown that day, and each one had a different name. We were convinced that sitting in front of that particular sculpture wasn’t just a coincidence.
Jennifer Abels’ mother, Patti Roberts, is executive director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance.
Business Briefs - United Way names campaign chairs
August 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Business BriefsAugust 26, 2007
United Way names campaign chairs
Naperville United Way named Art Littlefield of Financial Strategies and Solutions Group, and Robert Heap of Kuhn, Heap and Monson Law Offices, as this year’s campaign co-chairs.
The two will lead the 2007 annual campaign, which has a goal of $1.1 million.
Top 10 reasons to support Naperville UW
August 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment
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The Need is Tremendous.One in three Illinois first graders is not ready to learn when they start school. Average pay in Illinois has plummeted 29.2% in the past 15 years. The typical Illinois family must spend 25% of its income on daycare—for just one child. One in six people in Illinois is uninsured, and 80% of them are from working families.
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Resources Are Scarce.Government funding for health and human services has been declining dramatically in recent years, forcing many agencies to eliminate critical programs or close their doors altogether. After the government, United Way is the leading funder of this vital network of support, but in Naperville alone United Way has just $1 of funding for every $1.78 in requests.
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Your Gift Will Deliver Strong Results.Every Naperville United Way funded program must demonstrate measurable and lasting results—to ensure that your contributions make the greatest impact possible. It’s not about how many kids attend an after school program, it’s about how many of those kids are better able to handle the stressors in their life. It’s not about how many people receive meals from a food pantry, it’s about how many of them no longer need the services because they’ve become self-sufficient.
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Your Contribution Directly Supports The Naperville CommunityNaperville United Way does extensive research to understand the needs in the community we serve and then we fund a network of local programs to address those needs. Your donation is invested in your local community.
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Your Donation Funds More Than Just Agency Programs.Naperville United Way launches special initiatives based on assessed needs. Most recently Naperville United Way launched and completed a successful community-wide Youth Impact program.
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Your Dollars Leverage More Dollars.Naperville United Way funding is a seal of approval for health and human service agencies. Because United Way does such a thorough job of reviewing its funded agencies for fiscal accountability and program effectiveness, United Way partner agencies are able to leverage many additional dollars from government and other funders.
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No Agency Or Program Can Do It Alone.It takes coordination and an entire network of programs to keep our communities strong—and that’s what Naperville United Way provides. With a deep network of relationships with government, community and business leaders, health and human service experts, volunteers and donors, United Way is uniquely positioned to provide the leadership and resources to get things done.
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Your Gift Will Address The Strongest Needs.Naperville United Way focuses on the most important human care issues of our day. From affordable housing to education to healthcare access to economic self-sufficiency to crisis support—United Way works to address the greatest challenges facing people in each community.
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We All Benefit From Naperville United Way.From programs that help our neighbors and even our own families cope with home fires or other crisis to programs that help working families overcome life’s challenges and remain self-sufficient—each of us has inherited a wealth of community support services that has improved the quality of life in our community. It is up to each of us to protect and sustain it.
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Your Gift Will Change People’s Lives.Naperville United Way donations have made possible what seemed impossible for many people in our community.
Naperville United Way Names 2007 Campaign Co-Chairs
August 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
For immediate release: Contact:August 16, 2007 Susan Fritz
Naperville United Way
Chief Professional Officer
(630) 369-2508
Naperville, Illinois 60540
Naperville United Way Names Campaign Co-Chairs
NAPERVILLE, IL – Naperville United Way has named Art Littlefield, of Financial Strategies and Solutions Group, and Robert Heap, of Kuhn, Heap and Monson Law Offices, as this year’s campaign co-chairs. They will lead the 2007 annual campaign with a goal of $1,100,000. The campaign begins with the Naperville United Way’s “Under the Sea” art sculpture auction event on Friday, September 14th. The annual auction event has averaged over $100,000 in campaign revenue over the last 6 years. Littlefield and Heap will look to area businesses and individuals to raise the balance over the next 6 months.
“We are thrilled to provide leadership for an organization that makes a difference in the lives of people who live in the Naperville area,” says Littlefield. “Naperville United Way studies Naperville’s most pressing needs and has put together a plan to create the most impact by investing in an array of human care programs.”
“We are all fortunate to live in a growing and caring community. The Naperville United Way has been successful in raising monies to invest locally, helping address the many human care issues we have in Naperville,” says Heap. “Although a wonderful community, Naperville has its own needs and we are working very hard to ensure positive outcomes in the lives of people.”
In 2007, the Naperville United Way invested $900,000 into human care programs, falling short of the $1.7 million in requests from partner agencies. This has left a large gap in funding programs which now do not have the resources to fully support the needs of Naperville residents. “It is very important that Naperville has a healthy network of human care programs,” says Heap. “I believe we all have a responsibility to help those who are less fortunate.”
For more information, contact Susan Fritz at (630) 369-2508 or visit www.napervilleunitedway.org
2007 Campaign Co-Chairs
August 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
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