At Risk Mentoring in Aurora, IL, has the honor of gratefully accepting a $2,500.00 grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley. This grant will be utilized to help facilitate our Mobile Computer Lab.
The Mobile Computer Lab will serve teenagers who are “land-locked” for services. There is a lack of access to computer technology in the local community for youth. While there are services available in Aurora, there are pockets that are not being reached. At Risk Mentoring reaches out to kids in large complexes and public housing that are not being serviced by existing organizations. At Risk Mentoring is meeting this need and reaching youth who otherwise would not be receiving services. The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is helping At Risk Mentoring reach these kids.
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a non-profit, tax-exempt philanthropic organization that administers individual charitable funds from which grants and scholarships are distributed to benefit the citizens of the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities and Kendall County, Illinois. Founded in 1948, the Foundation provides a simple and powerful approach to giving.
Individuals, families, businesses, and organizations have the opportunity to custom design their own named funds that reflect their charitable goals and interests. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has grown to more than $90 million in assets and has awarded more than $70 million in grants and scholarships. For more information on the Community Foundation, visit www.CommunityFoundationFRV.org.
At Risk Mentoring’s purpose is “to bring access and availability of technology and progressive problem solving to children who have been labeled as “at-risk” by their school or social service agency because of their economic reality or geographic area. If there is no intervention on behalf of a certain segment of our community, the prospects for a better life will become more difficult. Our Mobile Computer Lab could help bring technology on a rolling basis to children living in a forgotten area.
If you’re interested in learning more about how the Computer Lab could come to your area, assisting a student, becoming a volunteer, or making a donation, please visit our website (www.atriskmentoring.com) or contact us via e-mail at David@atriskmentoring.com. Or, you may call us at (630) 476-0171.
Sincerely,
David E. Smith Jr.
President
Being a part of the Community Foundation scholarship committee is the highlight of my year. For many, a scholarship from the CFFRV is the reason they are able to continue reaching for their dreams and changing the future of our world. I hope each recipients knows just how inspirational they are to those of us who are lucky enough to read their stories.
Jessica Breugelmans
Scholarship Committee Member and Board Member
YEP has made me realize the importance of being involved in my community, and how to make a difference. There are a lot of problems in the world but if we can do everything that we can to help the world will become a better place. YEP has helped me realize this and encouraged me to help more people in the future.
Madi Porter
YEP Member
Give your gift of time and see what it means to the people you impact. Helping others is what life is all about.
Neal Ormond
Donor & Fund Advisor
YEP was a great experience to have in high school. I became a more confident person, someone with a lot more perspective. Coming from a small school, YEP allowed me to branch out into my community, meet students from other schools, and learn about their backgrounds. I made some great friends and still keep in touch with them today.
Abby Vagnoni
YEP Alumni
Grant funds from the Community Foundation helped provide updated technology. These upgrades were transformative. By creating new time saving processes, it turned us into a more efficient organization.
Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry
Grantee
Education is important to us. We support causes that touch our lives and align with our values. We believe in paying it forward. We are here for a short time,, and it is the next generation that will take on what we leave behind.
Michelle Emanuel
Donor and Past Scholarship Recipient
I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Zari Foundation Scholarship and the Community Foundation in supporting my education. I am majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology. In my spare time, I volunteer on campus, in the community and I’m also the principal violist in the symphony orchestra. I hope to make an impact on the next chapter of space exploration by eventually working at a groundbreaking aerospace company such as SpaceX or NASA.
Taytum Newell
Albert M. Zari Scholarship Recipient
