Fill a Heart 4 Kids Among Groups Receiving Grants to Help Those in Need

By Caleb Pope

The newly formed Community Fund of Lake Forest awarded its first grants to six nonprofits that support residents in need, including Fill a Heart 4 Kids. The Lake Forest organization supports children living in foster facilities and youth who are at-risk or homeless with food, critical necessities, life skills and educational support.

According to founder Annie McAveeney, children across Lake County, including at-risk youth from Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, receive support. The Community Fund award will go to programs that provide students with food, necessities, and schools supplies to reduce stress and peer shaming, while increasing focus and school attendance.

Front row, left to right: Community Fund of Lake Forest Trustees Marleana Cross, George Pandaleon, Bill Andersen and Bruce Grieve. Back row, left to right: A Safe Place - Pat Davenport, Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Senior Citizens Foundation/Dickinson Hall - Gale Strenger Wayne, CROYA - Todd Nahigian, Fill A Heart 4 Kids - Rachel Long, Mother's Trust - Christine Goshgarian, and Northern Illinois Food Bank - Hester Bury.

“Our core programs empower and help build brighter futures. The problems vulnerable youth face in the area are not limited to school,” said McAveeney, pointing out reduced work hours can lead to anxiety, stress and isolation.

The group also works to ensure that even students in higher education are supported.

“We’ve helped Lake Forest College students get through difficult times by providing jobs, temporary housing, food, and necessities,” she noted.

The Community Fund of Lake Forest is an endowment that awards annual grants to charities serving Lake Forest residents in need. The fund is the first community giving fund established under the umbrella of Lake Forest County Community Foundation. This arrangement lowers administrative burdens while offering greater flexibility, local expertise and added opportunities for collaborative giving.

Fill a Heart 4 Kids has even helped Lake Forest College students get through difficult times.

The Community Fund also granted awards to five other organizations that have specific programs that serve Lake Forest residents: Mother’s Trust Foundation, which also helps children in crisis, A Safe Place, providing housing and safety for domestic abuse survivors, Dickinson Hall Senior Center, CROYA, which gives counseling and wellness for teenagers across the area, and Northern Illinois Food Bank, which offers programs that provide food delivery to families struggling with food insecurity.