Impact Stories

Stories of Community Generosity

At its simplest, the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation’s purpose is to unite people and build hope. We are committed to you, and to the well-being of every person in the West Cook region. 

When you make a donation or set up a fund with us, you have a direct impact on the community around you. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of people like you, more than $4 million in grants, scholarships and other funding is disbursed through the Foundation each year.

Here are just a few stories of how our community’s courageous acts of generosity are changing the region for the better. We hope you’re inspired to talk with us about ways you can invest in change and create a legacy for future generations.

  • Students Make an Impact at Thatcher Woods

    With support from the Thatcher Woods Fund, students from the Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRFHS) Enviro Club have completed another year of nature stewardship and environmentalism in the 245 acres of woodland along the Des Plaines River. The club led events to remove invasive species by cutting down buckthorn in Thatcher Woods and pulling garlic mustard at the Trailside Museum. Other monthly events included a riverside clean up near the Thatcher Woods Pavilion.

    “The students and I are grateful for the opportunity to take care of and conserve the jewel that exists in our backyard, Thatcher Woods,” said Cindy Wong, teacher and advisor of the Enviro Club.

    Since the fund was started in 2020, the number of students who have joined in the club’s Stewardship Days has steadily increased due in no small part to the efforts of this year’s Thatcher Woods Nature Steward grant awardee, OPRFHS graduating senior Malcolm Mitchell-Chablani. He has been heavily involved in the club’s Thatcher Woods stewardship work for several years and actively recruited his friends to join in. Malcolm will bring his enthusiasm and commitment to Tulane University this fall, where he will be studying environmental science and philosophy.

    Impact Stories -insights
  • Impact Stories -insights

    Seamless Relationships

    Oak Park-River Forest Scholarship Foundation

    “In the two years I’ve worked with the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, we’ve been able to establish and implement nearly 20 new scholarships thanks, in large part, to our partnership with the Follett Educational Foundation and other individual donors. Our relationship with the Community Foundation is seamless, and knowing that they will be there has allowed my foundation to focus our efforts on the heart of our mission: to make college more affordable for the next generation of OPRFHS graduates.”

    – James Keleher, President, Oak Park-River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation