Founded By Bob Adams & Dirk Enger
“MSHV’s endowment is a fund meant to hold its principal in perpetuity and to only pay out a small portion each year, for specific operations and programs. Our endowment has been invested with dual goals in mind: moderate principal growth and annual income from interest and dividends”, said Tom Fogerty, President of the MSHV Board of Directors. Established with contributions from the 2017 10th Anniversary Gala to celebrate the work and legacy of retiring MSHV Co-Founder, Bob Adams, the endowment will allow his vision to continue as part of his legacy for the veterans yet to be served.
Marine LCpl. Nicholas Larson
Army SSgt. Robert J. Miller
Army Capt. Kevin C. Landeck
Co-Founder of MSHV, Bob “Doc” Adams
“I am proud to lend my name to a fund of such significance. This makes it possible for our programs to continue for as long as there are veterans who need them.”
In recognition of our Founder, Bob “Doc” Adams, the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans has established an Agency Fund with the DuPage Foundation. This endowment was made possible because of donor support at our 2017 10th Anniversary Gala honoring Bob Adams, and with continue to grow with your support.
As annual fundraising goals tend to rise right along with the cost of providing services and operations, the ability to raise new funds to meet increasing demands is not limitless. A dedicated pool of resources that are professionally invested will diversify our funding sources and provide a reliable source of income in perpetuity.
This endowment fund will expand the diversity of sources that make up our funding, and will be a long-term source of income to sustain our work, as well as pursue other opportunities that might emerge to better serve our veterans in need.
MSHV can now count on annual distributions for its work, because of this same visionary step that reflect the dream of “Doc” Adams in founding this organization.
While growth and use of just the earnings is our priority, our Board can use a portion of the principal for new and strategic opportunities, and will be a key component of our plan for organizational sustainability.
For you as a donor, an endowment gift can also perpetuate your values for years to come. It can provide assurance that programs important to you today will survive into the future. Endowment giving is often a time for people to consider a larger gift that will endow their annual giving, or to consider an estate gift as part of their own
legacy to a mission they value, knowing that their gift will keep on giving. If you normally give $100 per year, you might decide it is better to make a $2,500 endowment gift in order to ensure continued annual gifts of $100 to MSHV in the future. An estate gift of $25,000 as part of your legacy planning would ensure annual gifts to the work of MSHV of at least $1,000–even after you are gone. Endowment giving often helps people make gifts of greater impact than they dreamed were possible. Beyond satisfaction, additional benefits may be available when making a significant contribution from financial, stock, or real assets accumulated over time. It is our intention at the MSHV to focus on building this new endowment through planned agency contributions over time, special gifts by donors restricted for this purpose, and donor giving that is incorporated into their own estate and legacy planning. You can make a gift by check, and simply noting “endowment” in the memo. If you wish to make a gift online, go to the donate section of our website at www.helpaveteran.org. For questions about bequests or other planned or estate giving strategies that you wish to contribute to the endowment, please contact Director of Development, Yvonne MacDonaldHames at 630-871-8387 ext. 619, who reminds you that, “Making a gift to the endowment is an investment in sustaining the future of the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans, with the same type of vision that led “Doc” Adams to begin this work.”
www.helpaveteran.org
Page 2
BOARD OF DIRECTORS TOM FOGERTY PRESIDENT PAUL HERBERT VICE PRESIDENT SCOTT ZIEMBA SECTRETARY KATHLEEN FAVATA
TREASURER
MARVIN DONELSON JOHN WILT LINDA RUSSELL TERRY BENSHOOF RICK ERICKSON JACK ERWIN JUSTIN SMIT DAN ANDERSON DAN DEVINE DONNA LEVIGNE ILLIANA EBBOLE TONY GIUNTI GEORGE BRADSHAW INTERIM EXEC. DIR. NANCY ABBATE DIR.-DEVELOPMENT YVONNE MACDONALDHAMES DIRECTOR-FINANCE JESSICA SPITZER DIRECTOR-PROGRAMS CHRIS MADSEN NEWSLETTER EDITORS YVONNE MACDONALDHAMES SCOTT ZIEMBA
Dear Friends of Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans (MSHV): I am pleased to announce that Nancy Abbate has been named the Interim Executive Director of MSHV, effective April 03, 2018. She will serve in this role until a permanent Executive Director candidate has been identified and hired. We are very extremely fortunate to have a person with Nancy’s qualifications. She comes to us having held the position of Executive Director for over 40 years at various organizations in Chicago. In addition, she is an Adjunct Instructor in De Paul University’s Department of Sociology. The experience she brings will help MSHV continue to provide its menu of critical services to our veterans, as well as set the stage for a seamless transition to a new Executive Director. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the role that the Executive Service Corps of Chicago (ESC), a non-profit firm providing consulting services to other non-profits, has played in guiding MSHV over the last 21 months through its transition from founding President to successor President. Additionally, their guidance in strengthening our committee structure, as well as their pointed suggestions on how to polish our strategic plan and by-laws have proven to be a stabilizing influence during our continued growth. And to top it all off, they helped us find Nancy, for which we are unbelievably grateful.
Bob Adams, co-founder of the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans, had a vision when he opened this organization. “Our vision is to leave no one behind. In poverty, homelessness, mental illness, or substance abuse.” Donors like you can make this vision possible by joining The Heroes Circle. The Heroes Circle is a monthly donation program that allows donors to make consistent gifts throughout the year. Your yearly donation will be divided into manageable monthly installments, and creates a stable and frequent income for MSHV. These gifts can add up, creating a huge impact on the organization. A monthly donation of $15 can turn into $180 of revenue for MSHV, providing funds for everyday needs like transportation for a client to a new job or covering the cost of a prescription. This reliable revenue lets us make sure the needs of our clients are always met. Donating monthly also cuts down on administrative expenses. This allows more of your donation to go directly to programs that support veterans.
Our search for a permanent Executive Director has already begun, once again with ESC facilitating the search. The opportunity facing our staff and board during this next phase of our growth is as important as the challenge embraced by our previous leaders during the first decade of MSHV’s existence. However, the skills that will be required of an Executive Director in the next few years of our development will be more complex than ever before, due to political headwinds, challenging tax laws, and an expanding menu of services for our veterans. MSHV’s history and place in the community fabric demand that we take our time and get the right person. You and all of our veterans deserve the best. We also owe a vote of thanks to Jessica Spitzer for having selflessly filled the role of Acting Executive Director over the last few months, in addition to her normal role as Director of Finance. Jessica was able to keep MSHV focused and on task, as we continued to look for a permanent leader. We know that Jessica is looking forward to returning to a saner work schedule. Thank you for your continued support and the passion that you have for MSHV. Please feel welcome to contact me with any questions or comments. In the meantime, please join me in welcoming Nancy to the MSHV family. Tom Fogerty MSHV Board President
[email protected] 630-251-2433 cell
Monthly donations are not only convenient for the organization. This program is also convenient for you. The Heroes Circle lets you plan out your contribution for the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans for the whole year. You can select your donation amount and automatically give throughout the year without coming back to make a new donation. If you use your frequent flyer rewards card, you can wrack up miles by being a Heroes Circles member. Also, by being a part of this program, you will receive fewer solicitation emails from us, and more updates on where your gift is going. You will also be recognized on our website and Facebook’s donor wall. The program is flexible because you can change your donation or leave the program at any time. By being a part of The Heroes Circle, you can become an integral part to ensure that the MSHV can continue to provide the support and programs homeless veterans need. To enlist in The Heroes Circle, please visit our website http://helpaveteran.org. If you have
any questions, or want to learn more about this program, please contact Emily Kehoe, Donor Relations Coordinator, at
[email protected] or 630-871-8387 ext 613. Without the generous support of donors like you, the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans could not fulfill our vision to leave no hero behind.
Spring 2018
Our donors are our partners in the critical work that we do of helping veterans achieve selfsufficiency. Private donors contribute a large portion of our annual revenue for programs, operations and direct client assistance. Together, we are providing assistance, rebuilding lives, and restoring hope. We are extremely grateful and proud to have these partnerships because we could not do our work without them! These are a few examples of some of the organizational partnerships that MSHV and our veterans have benefited from this year. The BNI Fox Valley Chapter presents Yvonne MacDonald-Hames with a check from their annual bowling event in coordination with the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association
Nick Mager from Great Lakes Credit Union presents a generous donation to John Dixon
Joe Spiner, Andy Giancana and Jimmy McFarland of the American Veterans present Bob Adams with a check at the American Legion Post 556 Pancake Breakfast
The loss of a support system can devastate any family. When Monica served our country in the Army for four years, she appreciated her strong support system. But when she and her children were forced from their North Carolina home by her husband seeking a divorce, it was overwhelming. She chose to return to LaSalle Co., Illinois, where she and her two boys, ages four and six, doubled up with family to regain their support system. Services for both boys with special needs were not easy to find, and she began looking more broadly for help with housing. She then found a new support system when she came to the MSHV for assistance with finding housing. Monica was able to find a job as a paraprofessional in the Lisle school district, but she was still driving 100 miles every day. Your generosity to MSHV prepared us to support her immediately with gas cards to help relieve this financial burden, when other help was not there for her. Monica was able to find an affordable apartment in Naperville, and was approved. An additional benefit of re-locating to Naperville, a top rated school district, was the required special education support for her boys. The Support Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program lived up to its name and was able to provide her support with security deposit and rent, along with utility arrears so she could establish new accounts. The Freedom Commissary program that you help us operate provided Monica’s family with household products and basic necessities, and our partners at Knox Presbyterian Church generously provided beds for Mon-
ica and her two boys. Your generous donations allowed us to be a partner with Monica on her journey from homelessness to stability once again. Monica and her boys are doing well now, and are grateful for the help that you provided them through our work here at the MSHV. Without your support, Monica’s family may well have continued to live a life of devastation rather than hope.
You are the reason for this family’s hope in a New Beginning.
American Legion Cantigny Post 556 Memorial Day Poppy Sale Event
Tri-Cities Crossfit 11th Annual Murph for Miller Event
The Cantigny American Legion Post 556 is holding its annual memorial day poppy sale, May 25th through May 28th at Cantigny Park in Winfield. Proceeds of the sale benefit the MSHV. To volunteer for this event, or for more Information, please contact the Legion at
[email protected].
Tri-Cities Crossfit in St. Charles is holding its 11th annual Murph for Miller fitness event in honor of Ssgt. Robert Miller and benefiting the MSHV and its veterans. The program is scheduled for May 25th and 26th. For more information, please call 630-492-0029.
