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Robert D. & Betty Hosler Harris Endowment Fund

Established 2014

holser_harris
Robert D. and Betty Hosler Harris

This fund was established to honor the lives of Aurora residents Bob and Betty Harris by their daughter Joanne.

The fund recognizes Mr. and Mrs. Harris’ belief in the importance of early childhood education and parental involvement in their children’s education.

Grants from the fund support the A+ Foundation for West Aurora Schools in its efforts to identify effective programs that enhance the opportunities for early childhood education and encourage the involvement of parents. Grants also support programs that assist struggling students.

Robert Harris was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois. Mrs. Harris was born in Aurora, Illinois.

Both were raised by parents who shaped their core values of hard work, self-sufficiency, and responsibility to family and community.

The Great Depression, which occurred when they were in high school, greatly impacted both families. Formal education beyond high school was not an option for either of them.

After graduation, Mr. Harris spent a year in the Merchant Marine. He then moved to the Aurora area where he found work at a local factory. It was during this time that he met his future wife Betty.

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy where he trained at Iowa State College to be an electrician. He served as chief electrician’s mate in the South Pacific through World War II.

After the war, Mr. Harris worked as an electrician for Rheem Electrical in St. Charles while attending Coyne Technical School in Chicago.

In the early 1950’s, he worked in the Research and Development Department for DuKane Corporation in St. Charles. Later he became plant engineer for the company, a position he held until his retirement in the late 1970’s.

Betty Harris graduated from West Aurora High School in 1940 and worked as a bookkeeper from graduation well into her 80’s.

Her first job was with the Chicago Motor Club, where she met Bob Harris when he came to the office to file insurance paperwork after a small “fender bender.”

They were married before Bob was sent overseas. During the war years, Mrs. Harris moved from coast to coast whenever and wherever her husband’s ship was in a home port.

After Mr. Harris’ discharge, they settled in Aurora. Throughout her career, Mrs. Harris worked for several Aurora area businesses, including the Nash automobile dealership, Inland Electronics, and Plaza Designs.

Bob and Betty Harris made their home in Aurora, where they raised their daughter and supported the community. They were among the first members of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Mr. Harris served for many years as facility manager. Mrs. Harris served as deacon and as church treasurer.

Family and friends knew they could count on the couple without reservation. Whether it was finding housing for a displaced family, caring for an elderly family member, remodeling a home for someone in need, helping victims recover from a flood, or listening to those facing a crisis, Bob and Betty Harris were the first to lend a helping hand.

They were the ones family, friends, church and community turned to when there was a project to be tackled or a difficult problem to be solved. They were the ones who were always there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

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