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Edward & Sharon Stredde Endowment Fund

Established 1993

Edward Stredde
Edward Stredde
Sharon Stredde
Sharon Stredde

This fund provides income for the Community Foundation’s discretionary grantmaking program. Originally created in 1993, the fund was established as an endowment in 1998.

Edward Stredde was associated with Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies for thirty-seven years.

He retired from Lucent Technologies in 2004 where he served as vice-president of international technical support.

Mr. Stredde was a board member of the Family Support Center and the Girl Scouts – Fox Valley Council. He currently volunteers for Boy Scout Troop #3, sponsored by New England Congregational Church of Aurora.

Sharon Stredde was president and chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley for thirty years (1985-2015).

She is a former member of the Board of Education for School District 129 and has served on the boards of the Aurora University Citizens Advisory Council, New England Congregational Church of Aurora, Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation Advisory Board and YWCA Aurora.

Mrs. Stredde was named 2007 Professional Grant Maker of the Year by the West Suburban Philanthropic Network.

In 2010, she received the Lyle E. Oncken Community Services Award from the Mental Health & Mental Retardation Services, Inc. organization.

In 2015, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Aurora University.

Mr. and Mrs. Stredde are graduates of the University of Illinois and have one son Robert Stredde.

They are members of New England Congregational Church, and are life members of the Aurora Historical Society and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.

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

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

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

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

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

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