Welcome Letter from Amy Hernon

Greetings! I have just completed week 6 in my position as Executive Director of The Community Foundation for McHenry County, and I wanted to share a quick update with you regarding Foundation activities.

Grantmaking and Scholarships

  • This past winter Mission Grants were awarded to 39 McHenry County non-profit organizations for a total of $629,943. This two-year grant supports organizations that provide community resources to McHenry County. Mission Grants ranged from $1,500 to $25,000 and support a variety of causes in the county including the arts, environment, behavioral health, homelessness, youth and children, and healthcare. For a full listing of Mission Grant recipients, click here.
  • Transformational Grants will be announced this summer and support a work in progress or a bold idea, that will result in solutions to identified community needs.
  • This spring was a busy time reviewing the many scholarship applications we received. Thank you to all of the community volunteers who took time to review these applications and to the generous donors who funded these scholarship awards. In total, 17 scholarships were awarded to McHenry County students.

Community Engagement

  • Through the Philanthropy Center space, The Foundation supported over 30 non-profit groups over the last few months, providing much needed meeting and training space. The McHenry County Sherriff’s Department Social Work Program is housed in the building as well. In addition to providing meeting spaces, the Center helps fulfill the Foundation’s mission to foster awareness and provide leadership for the non-profit community. This is accomplished through programs hosted by The Foundation for non-profit and community leaders and professional advisors.  For more information about reserving space, please visit the website.
  • The Foundation was pleased to be part of McHenry County’s Regional Office of Superintendent’s Educator of the Year Awards Celebration on May 6th.  Congratulations to all the educators who received recognition for their outstanding contributions to students in McHenry County.

Encouraging Philanthropy

  • Philanthropy is alive and well in McHenry County—thank you to the many supporters of projects, initiatives and services that make our community a vibrant and healthy place to live. In particular, through the generosity of GIVE360 donors, CASA of McHenry County, Main Stay Therapeutic Farm, and Kids in Need of McHenry County each received GIVE360 grants this past year.
  • Please take a moment to read the article below on how to donate to non-profits through your IRA. I hope you find this information useful.

Moving Forward

The Community Foundation for McHenry County remains committed to our mission of philanthropically addressing the needs of McHenry County by providing leadership, granting resources, stewarding assets and fostering awareness.

My immediate work will be focused on stewarding resources, facilitating collaborative work, and increasing the amount of philanthropic dollars moving through our county. I look forward to working alongside community leaders, non-profit organizations, donors, volunteers and the CFMC staff and Board of Directors to do so, as we fulfill our vision of building a supportive and inclusive quality of life for everyone in McHenry County.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Marcey (Sink) Ciaccio for her dedication to The Foundation over the last four years. Marcey has resigned from her position at The Foundation and has relocated to Wisconsin to be closer to her family.

In closing, I’d like to offer a special thank you to The Foundation Board, staff and everyone in McHenry County for so warmly welcoming me into this role! I am honored to work for our community in this capacity.

Thanks again!

Amy