2011 Guide to Giving – Digital Edition

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guide to giving 2011

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contents

Introduction

14 Prevent Blindness America 14 Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago Social Services

3 Letter from our Founder

By Susan B. Noyes

Health Care 4 Little City Foundation 6 Fisher Foundation for Hearing Health Care 8 Children’s Memorial Foundation 10 Gateway for Cancer Research 11 Geneva Foundation of Presbyterian Homes 12 NorthShore University HealthSystem 12 Women’s Health Foundation 13 American Cancer Society 13 Alzheimer’s Association

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g u i d e to g i v i n g 2 0 1 1

15 YWCA Evanston North Shore 15 Lake County Cares Arts & Entertainment 16 Chicago Botanic Garden 18 Kohl Children’s Museum 18 Chicago Shakespeare Theatre 19 Piven Theatre 19 The Art Center of Highland Park

Cover image Illustrated by Megan Arenson

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Founder & President Susan B. Noyes Co-Founder & VP

of Marketing Mindy Fauntleroy Publisher & CEO Kimberly Carroll Creative Director Cheryl Berman

Editor in Chief Laura Hine

Senior Editor Liz Logan Contributing Writers Jaime Baum Beth Engelman Laura Tiebert

Art Director Sarah Philippart Illustrator Megan Arenson Proofreaders Kelly Konrad Kate Maloney Advertising Ad Sales Director Michelle Weiss Senior Account Executives Patti Augustyn Megan Holbrook Account Executive and Project Manager Deana Lewis Traffic Coordinator Jenny Newman Community development Director of Community Development Sanrdra A. Miller Make It Better 1150 Wilmette Ave., Suite J, Wilmette, IL 60091, 847-256-4642 Got feedback? E-mail susan@makeitbetter.net special advertising supplement

founder’s letter

Welcome to the Make It Better Guide to Giving

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lives made better: 49,553 $S raised for not-forprofits: $1,461,657

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he mission of Make It Better is to be the most trusted, easiest to use community resource and magazine that helps you make your life and the lives of others better. We make it easy for you to make a difference, make an impact. This guide is a natural outgrowth of our work and we are very proud to present it to you!

If you care about making the world a better place for kids, seniors or less fortunate others—through improved arts, education, medical research, health care, or social services— this guide is for you. We recommend every organization featured here.

Also, we are proud of the many ways that we amplify

the good work of the outstanding nonprofits with whom we partner. Please learn more about this on the back cover or online at makeitbetter.net/make-adifference.

Our blessings are great in the northern suburbs, and our time is precious. Please use this first annual Guide To Giving and all of our weekly online and monthly print magazine recommendations to make life better for others.

Ultimately, this will make life better for you, too.

Thank you!

Susan B. Noyes Founder and President

Subscribe to our email newsletter, the “Better Letter” and we’ll donate $5 to the nonprofit you choose.

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Little City Foundation

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or more than 50 years, Little City Foundation has helped children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities realize their potential to live safely, learn continuously, explore creatively and work productively. With the goal of giving a better quality of life to our most vulnerable citizens, Little City promotes choice, person-centered planning and a holis-

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tic approach to health and wellness.

Little City’s ChildBridge Services include in-home family and personal supports clinical and behavioral intervention, 24/7 residential services and special needs foster care and adoption. Little City’s LifePath Adult Services offers a variety of residential options, employment opportunities, home-based services, case management, day supports, Special Olympics, an

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award-winning Center for the Arts and more.

The organization has offices in Chicago and a 56-acre campus in Palatine, and 15 group homes where the staff works hard to make a difference in the lives of nearly 400 children and adults.

With a dwindling state budget and increased need for services, Little City has important fundraising goals for 2012. Little City needs about $10,000 per

individual each year, and would like to break ground for a Children’s Village.

The existing buildings were built over 50 years ago and were designed primarily for children with Down Syndrome. Today, most residents are children with autism, which affects over 80 percent of the children at Little City. They need a completely different kind of physical space to incorporate the sensory elements that are critical special advertising supplement

for children on the autism spectrum.

Your donation of $25 purchases furnishings or bedding for a home on the Palatine campus. A gift of $50 funds a community integration outing for five children with disabilities. Your gift of $150 supplies communication schedules for nonverbal children and adult participants. A $175 gift purchases craft supplies for a therapeutic arts program for 10 participants. For $365, you fund an extracurricular therapeutic activity, such as music, art or pets for a semester. A $500 gift purchases an iPad or touch-talk device for a student with communication needs.

To learn more about Little City and to make your gift today, contact info@ littlecity.org or call 847.221.7810

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health care

Fisher Foundation for Hearing Health Care

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his Chicagobased foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life through better hearing. Through educational seminars, counseling and research in the Chicago area, the foundation raises public awareness about hearing disorders. Its programs urge people to protect their hearing, and the consequences of untreated hearing loss. The foundation also provides high-grade, sophis6

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ticated ear plugs to protect the hearing of local soldiers going to war.

Over Seventy-two percent of soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from noise induced hearing loss—it’s now the number 1 disability among returning troops. Almost 300,000 of those soldiers are now on disability due to damaged hearing and tinnitus. The ear plugs currently provided are foam ear plugs and are inadequate to protect the in-

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ner ear from these extremely loud explosions. We created a program for local soldiers going to war. In 2009, the governor of Illinois presented us with the Home Town Hero Award for providing these ear plugs, which actually respond to thermal energy and clamp shut to protect the inner ear.

You can get involved with the foundation by giving your time­—you can assist with mailings by filling out and stuffing envelopes,

and help plan and organize fundraising events and educational seminars, including securing locations, coordinating the publicity and organizing logistics.

The foundation welcomes donations of used hearing aids, hearing accessories and batteries. Financial contributions will be used to help defray the costs of mailings, educational seminars, hearing testing and services for indigent, hightech custom-molded ear special advertising supplement

plugs for local soldiers who are being deployed.

In 2012, the foundation’s goals are to reach and educate at least 1,000 people in Chicago and the suburbs about how to protect their hearing and the benefits of treatment of hearing loss.

The foundation would also like to encourage more physicians to include simple and preliminary hearing tests as part of their patients’ examinations.

If you can donate $25, $250, or $1,000, your money will go toward creating seminars, educational materials and purchasing high-tech, custom-molded earplugs for local soldiers being deployed overseas.

To get involved, contact Ronna Fisher at rfisher@hearing healthcenter.com special advertising supplement

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hildren’s Memorial Hospital is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all children. As the pediatric teaching facility of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, this commitment drives the hospital to be a leader in: pediatric health care delivery; research into the prevention, causes and treatment of diseases that affect children; education for phy8

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sicians, nurses and allied health professionals; and advocacy for the general well-being of all children.

The hospital is the region’s top provider of pediatric specialty care, and Illinois’ only freestanding hospital exclusively for kids.

As a charitable organization, the hospital serves children and their families.

The hospital has 130 years of experience in helping children reach their full po-

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tential by providing health care, research, education and advocacy.

In 2010, Children’s served 146,000 children from the Chicago area, 49 states and 37 countries. In June 2012, the doors will open on Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. You can still help by making a gift to Give Kids a Hand. The hospital wouldn’t be able to accomplish what it does without its amazing volunteers.

You can volunteer your time and talent to brighten the day of a sick child, attend one of many events or give of your resources to further the hospital’s ability to serve.

A gift of $25 purchases a special doll that holds the scent of a parent for a premature baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

A gift of $250 provides a day of art therapy for hospitalized patients. A gift of $1,000 to the Give Kids a special advertising supplement

Photo by Andrew Campbell

Children’s Memorial Hospital

Hand campaign will help complete the new hospital.

Opportunities to get involved in the hospital’s special events are plentiful.

In January, there is Kohl’s Step Up for Kids. In June, there’s Move for the Kids 5K Run/Walk and the Founders’ Board Pro Amateur Golf Tournament. In September, The Children’s Service Board Gold Coast Fashion Award Show takes place, and in November, it’s the sports event of the season, Champions for Children’s. In December, the Medical Research Institute Council holds its Children’s Ball.

For more information, or to make a gift, please contact foundation@ childrensmemorial.org or visit us at childrens memorial.org/friends special advertising supplement

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Geneva Foundation of Presbyterian Homes

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vanston-based Presbyterian Homes is an independent, not-for-profit corporation providing the highest level of quality residential communities, health care programs and services for older adults of all faiths.

The Geneva Foundation enables Presbyterian Homes to help older adults with limited financial resources.

The foundation serves older adults from the north side of Chicago to Lake Forest, including Evanston, Skokie, Niles Township and Arlington Heights.

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If you can give your time, Presbyterian Homes will train you to become a companion—visit, read and make a connection to a senior. Keep fit while helping someone else do the same. Transport a health care resident to the fitness center or to rehabilitation therapy.

Geneva Foundation seeks financial gifts to support its charitable mission – some $7 million in annual support for at-risk older adults. Programs include Great Opportunities Adult Day Services in Skokie, which provides a safe and stimulating community of peers. The Geneva Foundation also

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supports three apartment buildings in Lakeview and Rogers Park, and subsidizes nursing care for vulnerable seniors.

The foundation is seeking further funding for a $5 million addition to the McGaw Care Center, located on the Westminster Place campus in Evanston.

The new Murdough Pavilion will deliver accessible health care services.

For $25, you can buy art materials for a month at Great Opportunities Adult Day Services in Skokie. A gift of $250 provides roundtrip transportation for three participants for a week. A donation of $1,000 funds the ongoing Tai Chi class

for 20 to 25 participants for three months.

At the Chicago apartment buildings, a $25 donation provides a cart to bring groceries home from the corner supermarket. A $250 donation purchases two vacuum cleaners for residents to borrow. Your gift of $1,000 helps purchase a ceiling fan to reduce air conditioning and heating expenses for 12 residents.

To get involved, please contact lschiro@ presbyterianhomes.org

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health care

The Gateway for Cancer Research

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his Chicagobased non-profit is dedicated to funding innovative research focused on helping cancer patients feel better, live longer or be cured today. The Gateway is working hard to change how research is being done, make promising treatments available more quickly, and fund bold new ideas that can give cancer patients real hope for a healthy future.

You can get involved by helping raise awareness—

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start a conversation by telling co-workers, friends and loved ones why you are driven to demand cures today. When you consider giving to any cancer-fighting organization be sure to ask, “How much of the donation goes to research?”

The Gateway uses 99 cents of every dollar received to fund research.

Spread the word by becoming a Facebook fan, following The Gateway on Twitter, and sharing their photos on Flickr and

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links to their YouTube videos. Ask your local café or coffee shop to post The Gateway’s “Demand Cures Today” fact sheet for community awareness.

You can help The Gateway raise money by purchasing “Demand Cures Today” apparel. A portion of the proceeds will go to fund research, and you are wearing a portable conversation starter. You can also organize a community fundraiser or encourage your school, scout troop or faith-

based community to consider raising funds as well.

The average cost for a patient to participate in a clinical trial is $10,000. But every dollar makes a difference. So whether you can donate $10, $100 or $1000, your money will go directly to research and helping patients participate in trials.

To get involved, visit demandcurestoday. org/get-involved, or call 888-221-2873

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NorthShore University HealthSystem

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he mission of NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) is “to preserve and improve human life.�

NorthShore Foundation is the primary philanthropic entity of NorthShore University HealthSystem, which is a fully-integrated healthcare delivery system. NorthShore includes hospitals in Evanston, Glenview, Highland Park and Skokie, as well as the NorthShore Research Institute and a 700+ physi-

cian multispecialty group practice. NorthShore is the principal teaching affiliate for the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

There are many ways you can support NorthShore. Why not volunteer your time at a NorthShore Hospital close to home?

Join a NorthShore Auxiliary to help raise friends and funds in your community. Or, make a difference with a donation of any size through NorthShore Foundation directly.

For more information, or to support exceptional care and healing in our communities, visit northshore.org/foundation

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American Cancer Society

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merican Cancer Society’s mission is simple: Save lives and create more birthdays. To achieve this goal, the organization has turned “what they’ve learned into what they do,” which has contributed to a decrease in the overall cancer death rate.

You can get involved by volunteering your time to help cancer patients, assisting with community events,

participating in health fairs or providing office support. You can also sign up to participate in one of their many fundraising events including “Relay For Life,” “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer,” and “Walk and Roll.”

Money raised through fundraisers and donations directly helps fund lifesaving research to find cures and empower people to fight back.

To get involved, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org

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Women’s Health Foundation

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he Women’s Health Foundation is dedicated to spreading the word about pelvic health education and wellness. As a credible medical resource, they help drive this conversation through their website, community blog, and by training educators to help women seek the care they so desperately need.

Nearly 1 in 3 women in the U.S. has a significant health condition “below the belt.” This staggering

statistic is the reason WHF is adamant about raising awareness of pelvic health disorders.

You can get involved by volunteering your time (1-4 hour commitment) or donating “gently used” items such as digital cameras, USB flash drives and computer software. The foundation also hosts an annual “Below the Belt” benefit each June.

WHF seeks to reach 300,000 women in 2012, tripling their impact of 100,000 women in 2011.

To find out how you can help achieve this goal visit womenshealthfoundation.org

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The Alzheimer’s Association Greater Illinois Chapter

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he Alzheimer’s A s s o c i at io n , Greater Illinois Chapter, serves 68 counties; providing research funding, enhancing care and support for all affected, promoting lifelong brain health and impacting public policy. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death and the only one in the top ten with no cure or prevention. Our focus today and in the coming year remains educating our aging population and

advancing research efforts.

Since 1980, we’ve worked with more than 500,000 people in Illinois, providing online, in-person and telephone services, and support groups for patients and their families.

Volunteers are welcome in the office, at special events, as community representatives or via donations. Participate in our annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s and buy flowers during our spring “Forget Me Not” fundraiser.

For more information, e-mail gi.chapter@alz.org

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Prevent Blindness America

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edicated to offering ways to help save sight, Prevent Blindness America provides free vision screenings and eye health education for children and adults.

You can get involved by volunteering your time to furthering Prevent Blindness America’s mission.

Volunteers can become certified vision screeners or

can staff booths at health fairs, corporate events and senior centers. Donations of any amount are welcome, as the funds go directly to helping children and adults see a brighter future; a $15 donation provides a month of eye patches for one child with amblyopia (lazy eye), while a $1,000 donation funds vision screenings for 100 children.

Call 800-331-2020 to find out how you can help others in your community experience a better quality of life by enjoying healthy vision.

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Friends of Epilepsy Foundation Greater Chicago

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his Chicagoarea foundation offers counseling, advocacy and educational services to people with epilepsy, their families and the communities in which they live.

You can support the Friends of Epilepsy Foundation by donating gently used clothing and housewares. Simply drop off your goods in one of the donation bins located throughout the Chicagoland area. To schedule a free pick-up, call

855-968-3662 or visit donate illinois.org. Proceeds earned from these donations are used to train teachers and school nurses, offer counseling to individuals and families, and send kids to Camp Blackhawk, a seizurefriendly summer camp.

To get involved, host a community-focused clothing donation drive or sign up to attend one of the many events scheduled throughout the year.

To learn more, visit epilepsychicago.org

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social services

Lake County Cares

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or 45 years, Lake County Cares has successfully paired volunteer adults, children and families with schools, senior centers and social service agencies. Our 10,000 volunteers annually serve more than 250,000 hours.

In 2012, we look to expand our relationships throughout the county.

It’s easy to contribute to LCC via food drives, visiting seniors at Westmo-

reland Nursing Home, fulfilling a child’s holiday wish list or making cash donations. At LCC, $25 can bring a Thanksgiving dinner to a family of four, $250 buys a year’s worth of craft supplies for elderly programs, and $1,000 provides bus transportation and books to 240 needy students.

Celebrate LCC at our fundraisers throughout the year, kicking off with our New Year Celebration.

Volunteer in an existing program or create your own.

E-mail info@lakecountycares.org for information.

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social services

YWCA Evanston / North Shore

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he YWCA’s mission is to empower women, eliminate racism, and promote peace, justice and dignity. Their programs provide domestic violence services, financial literacy education and racial justice initiatives.

To get involved, consider volunteering your time to support one of YWCA’s many efforts such as reading to the children in the domestic violence services program, helping women

learn money management skills or lending your support to the court advocacy program.

YWCA has many fundraising events throughout the year including the annual Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate, the YWomen Leadership Awards Benefit and the Flying Fish swim team marathon. These events, along with additional donations, help fund the programs that are the basis of the YWCA’s mission.

To get involved, visit ywca.org/evanston

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arts & entertainment

Chicago Botanic Garden

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he mission of the Chicago Botanic Garden is to promote the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of plants and the natural world. The Garden serves Cook and Lake Counties, including Chicago, and has national and international reach.

The Garden welcomes volunteers, who typically work one half-day per week or two weekend days per month. More than

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2,000 volunteers monitor butterflies, plant annuals, and help in classrooms, the Café, and a hundred other areas. Volunteers greet visitors, serve as tour guides, work in the library, enter plant data, or track rare plants. The Garden couldn’t achieve what it does without volunteers.

As the Garden has grown in visits (900,000 last year), expenses have increased.

Donations to the Annual Fund are gratefully accepted and support the annual

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operating expenses of the Garden. Tributes are another way of contributing, by naming a brick or tree or garden. The Garden has also increasingly become the recipient of bequests.

The Garden’s goal in 2012 is to increase awareness and donations for the new Learning Campus, which will allow the Garden to double its capacity to teach students of all ages in science, gardening, and sustainable horticulture. The new Grunsfeld Children’s

Growing Garden, a key component of the Learning Campus, will be dedicated in June 2012.

A gift of $25 helps purchase beautiful bulbs, which are planted each fall to inspire and enchant visitors. A gift of $250 supplies materials for four field trips, supporting 120 students from all over the Chicago region who visit the Garden to connect with nature. A $1,000 gift helps safely conserve and store a single collection of up to special advertising supplement

20,000 seeds, representing one of the 1,500 native plant species in the Midwest and Great Plains.

The Garden’s biggest fundraiser is the year-end appeal for the Annual Fund, which supports the Garden’s maintenance of 24 display gardens and four natural areas, as well as science and education programs. Families can get involved by becoming a “Garden Plus” member and taking advantage of wonderful programs for everyone in the family—from Nature Nights to Camp CBG to Wonderland Express.

To get involved at Chicago Botanic Garden, contact James Boudreau at jboudreau@ chicagobotanic.org or visitchicago botanic.org/donate to give today. special advertising supplement

arts & entertainment

Kohl Children’s Museum

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amed one of the nation’s Top Ten Children’s Museums, Kohl Children’s Museum hosts thousands of youngsters from the greater Chicagoland area at its Glenview location. With new exhibits being added in 2012 to classic favorites, the Museum provides a safe place for children to explore and learn.

Kohl Children’s Museum depends heavily on donors, as only 40% of our budget comes from memberships, admissions and parties. In

2012, our goal is to successfully close our 25th anniversary campaign and expand programs into low-income schools, broaden outreach to special needs youngsters, and secure an operating reserve and endowment. All donations help us keep the Museum affordable for families who would otherwise not be able to discover the joy of learning through play.

Volunteers are always needed, not only as guides in the interactive exhibits, but also in our offices and at many fundraising events throughout the year.

Contact info@kohlchildrensmuseum.org to get involved.

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Chicago Shakespeare Theater

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ith nearly 600 performances annually reaching more than 200,000 students, educators and theater patrons, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is a leading international company and cultural ambassador dedicated to sharing the Bard’s work with all generations.

CST employs nearly 350 actors, directors, designers and artists each year. In its partnership with Chicago Public Schools, CST works to increase literacy through performances and education.

Donors cover one-half of CST’s operating expenses, making individual, corporate and foundation supporters critical to CST’s ongoing success.

A $25 donation subsidizes student tickets; a $250 pledge helps underwrite educator workshops; $1,000 partially underwrites a tour to a Midwest school.

CST’s annual gala each summer celebrates our donors and showcases industry leaders; in 2011, Sir Derek Jacobi and Jeanne and John Rowe were honored with the Spirit of Shakespeare Awards.

To learn more, contact advancement@chicagoshakes.com

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arts & entertainment

The Art Center of Highland Park

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t 51 years old, The Art Center (TAC) continues to inspire creativity in young and old through its 400+ classes offered annually. From painting to metalsmithing, TAC brings contemporary visual arts to life. With donors and visitors from 28 area suburbs, TAC hosts monthly exhibits in its gallery spaces and classrooms.

Volunteers make TAC a success, contributing art

supplies, funding for scholarships, sponsoring special fundraisers and staffing events. A $25 donation underwrites art school supplies; a $250 gift provides funding for a scholarship. In 2012, we’re hoping to fund 175 need-based scholarships for students.

Highlights coming in 2012 include the spring party, “Circus Gala,” the yearly Festival of Fine Craft and our Recycled Art Sale.

To get involved in TAC, contact Gabrielle Rousso at grousso@theartcenterhop.org

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Piven Theatre Workshop

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vanston-based Piven Theatre Workshop takes a communityoriented approach to theater training and performance. Piven provides scholarships to students in need, their teaching base has grown over the years through extensive mentorship and training, and in addition to on-site classes and workshops, Piven also does community outreach through residencies with schools and other community organizations.

Piven volunteers can assist in heightening our presence

in the community, fundraising, and providing information technology support. Donations go toward scholarships, and funding for need-based programs.

Donations from $25 and up go toward supporting staff development, underwriting participation for studentsin-need, and broadening the reach of our workshops throughout the area.

Since celebrating our 40th anniversary at last year’s Spring Gala, we look forward in 2012 to bringing our unique training to a wider audience.

Contact info@piventheatre.org to get involved.

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raising money made easier with our help From basic to big, there are many ways Make It Better can help your organization’s fundraising efforts: M edia S p o n so r s h i p s Make It Better offers comprehensive media sponsorships for events of all types from family focused community events to formal black-tie affairs.

E ar n $5 Fo r Su b scr i b er s For every Better Letter email subscriber you send our way, we will donate $5 to your cause! It’s quick and easy to do.

Char it y Auc tio n s We offer online-only auctions as well as online silent auctions designed to open bidding to a larger audience and complement your live event. dr ive awar en e ss Send us information about your organization’s upcoming needs and it may be featured as an easy way to make a difference online or in the Give Time, Give Things, Give Support section of our magazine.

E vent C alen dar Make sure our local community has your special date on their calendars.

Online event listings are self-serve and free of charge! i n n ovative m atch m ak i n g Make it Better has a number of innovative programs that bring businesses and charities together to amplify the efforts of both.

Contact Sandra Miller, Director of Community Development, for more information on how Make it Better can partner with your organization, sandra@makeitbetter or 847-256-4642.

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