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G. William & Mary D. Richards Scholarship Endowment Fund

Established 2005

G. William & Mary D. Richards
G. William & Mary D. Richards

This fund was created in 2005 by the family and friends of G. William and Mary D. Richards to honor their 50th Wedding Anniversary.  It was established as an endowment in 2008.

G. William Richards (1933-2009) was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois. He was admitted to practice in Illinois in 1957. Mr. Richards was a magistrate for the City of Aurora and the 16th Judicial District Circuit Court. He also was an assistant state’s attorney for Kane County. Mr. Richards was the first president and chairman of the board of the Bank of Montgomery.

Mary Richards (1933-2007) was born in Aurora, Illinois. She was a graduate of West Aurora High School and the James Ward Thorne School of Nursing of Passavant Hospital at Northwestern University.She was employed by Dreyer Clinic in downtown Aurora. Mrs. Richards was a member of the Kane County Board for twenty-four years. She was active in the Aurora Republican Women’s Club, Aurora Junior Women’s Club and the Aurora Children’s Dental Service.

Mr. and Mrs. Richards devoted their lives to the service of numerous charitable organizations in the Aurora community.  They were members of Holy Angels Church in Aurora.

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

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

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 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

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

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

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