Straight Track #101

Making A Difference Together:
$50,000 Target Reached

J. Dillon Hoey, Partner
Hoey & Farina

We are happy to report that our matching fund drive was a rousing success thanks to all our participating clients and friends. The goal for this drive was to match dollar-for-dollar the charitable donations of our clients, friends as well as from our H&F office family. 

We sponsored this charity drive this year in lieu of our traditional sending of Christmas gift baskets. In the end, the matching fund touched many more people than the sending of fruit baskets ever has done. We received so many notes and responses from people who donated money and the charities themselves thanking all involved for their support. Together, the goal was reached, less than four months after it commenced, with $50,000 in donations going to over 50 charities in 16 different states. 

The matching fund idea arose after the events of September 11th when we asked for input from our subscribers, clients and friends looking for the best way to respond. The response was overwhelming – with unanimous support for the idea of a $25,000 charitable matching fund. 

We received over a hundred responses to the fund drive from far and wide – via email, phone calls and face-to-face responses. The goal of the matching fund was to reach out to as many of charities as possible, with the idea in mind that so many charities were overlooked this year due to the unprecedented generosity in response to the September 11 attacks, coupled with a slowdown in charitable giving due to the effects from the economic recession.

We matched dollar-for-dollar – for a grand total of $50,000 in donations. The effort had no administrative or fundraising costs – 100% of the donations went to the following charities: 

1. All of Us Express Children’s Theatre, East Lansing, Michigan
2. American Diabetes Association, Chicago, Illinois
3. American Flint Worker's Union Local 501, Dunkirk, Indiana 
4. American Heart Association, Chicago, Illinois
5. American Legion Post, Fox Lake, Illinois
6. Assemblies of God, Springfield, Missouri 
7. Blue Cap, Blue Island, Illinois
8. Bryan Area Outreach, Bryan, Ohio 
9. CARE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
10. Catholic Services Appeal, Merrillville, Indiana 
11. Chicago Anti-Hunger Fed 
12. Chicago Sun-Times Charity Trust, Chicago, Illinois
13. Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington 
14. Chiliseda Institute Inc., La Crosse, Wisconsin
15. Christian Broadcast Network, Virginia Beach, Virginia 
16. Christmas in April Duneland, Inc. Chesterton, Indiana
17. Concerned Women for America, Washington, DC 
18. Disabled American Veterans, Cincinnati, Ohio 
19. Grace Evangelical Church, Elgin, Illinois
20. Harvey - Martin Ministerial Food Pantry, Harvey, North Dakota 
21. Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit, Michigan
22. Illinois Railway Museum
23. Illini Children's Christian Ministry, St. Joseph, Illinois
24. Irish Christian Brother Jim Glos - Peru Missions 
25. Labor in the Schools, Indiana University, South Bend, Indiana 
26. Leo High School, Chicago, Illinois
27. Life Changers International Church, Barrington Hills, Illinois
28. Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly, Chicago, Illinois
29. Loyola University Medical Center - Burn Unit, Chicago, Illinois
30. M.S. Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota 
31. Make a Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois
32. Monon Railroad Historical Tech. Society, Indianapolis, Indiana
33. Nature Conservancy, Chicago, Illinois
34. Olive Branch Mission, Chicago, Illinois
35. One Step At A Time Camp, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
36. Pathways Center, Glenview, Illinois 
37. Peaceable Kingdom, Inc., Temple, Texas 
38. Peach Lutheran Church of New Lenox, New Lenox, Illinois
39. Peg Donovan Scholarship Fund 
40. Romanian Missionary Society, Wheaton, Illinois 
41. Sante Fe United Methodist Church, Fort Madison, Iowa 
42. SS City of Milwaukee National Historic Landmark, Beulah, MI
43. SS Milwaukee Clipper Preservation, Inc., Muskegon, Michigan
44. St. John Neumann Church - Building Fund, St. Charles, Illinois
45. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 
46. Sun Health Kidney Foundation, Joliet, Illinois
47. Sunrise Children's Zoo, Waterloo, Iowa 
48. The Life Center, Elgin, Illinois
49. The Salvation Army, Elgin, Illinois
50. The Salvation Army, LaCrosse, Wisconsin 
51. The Wetlands Initiative, Chicago, Illinois
52. United Labor Agency For Community Service, Elkhart, Indiana
53. United Way of St. Joseph City, South Bend, Indiana
54. Youth for Christ, Northeast Indiana

To all who heard the call to reach out to help those amongst us who are less fortunate, you have my deepest gratitude. With the support from over 100 contributors, this year’s fundraising drive was truly a moving success. We thank everyone who participated for their renewed commitment and financial support to so many worthy programs, and we can all learn from this experience that together we can indeed make a difference.

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