December 2024
Dear Friend of Boys Hope Girls Hope,
As we head into the bustle of the holidays, our Scholars are busy with playoffs, holiday concerts, and of course, studying for finals! Also working hard, our staff and amazing volunteers are busy planning and executing our very exciting growth initiative, MORE HOPE! I am writing in the spirit of gratitude this holiday season to give you an update on our emerging Foglia Family Boys Hope Girls Hope campus!! It takes a village to tackle a project of this magnitude, and our village has really stepped up!
As you likely know, MORE HOPE has three exciting goals:
- Double the number of young women we serve by adding a fourth home
- Locate all four homes on Gaffield Place in Evanston to form a campus, allowing for greater collaboration and a stronger community
- Renovate all homes with programmatic upgrades to better serve our Scholars
This fall, we had our ground-breaking ceremony and began renovations on 823 Gaffield Place, one of two boys’ homes. The Scholars had a great time meeting our building crew, donning hard hats, and talking about how great it will be to move back into a renovated home with central air and heat when ready – no more radiators, boilers or window units!
Demolition is complete, and renovations have begun. As I write this, new windows are being installed thanks to a very generous donation from Andersen Renewal. And very soon, our new HVAC system will be installed thanks to the generosity of Windy City Representatives. It is exciting to witness the metamorphosis!
The plan is to renovate one home per year until all are complete. 820 Gaffield was completed in 2023; 823 Gaffield is in process; and 827 and 824 Gaffield await their turn for renovations. As 823 is being renovated, we are working on architectural plans for 827 Gaffield Place. We are grateful to be working with Airoom Architects, Builders, and Remodelers. In addition to their design and build services, they are also generously procuring discounts from vendors and coordinating all donated materials and services.
Of course, all this work requires funding, and we could not be more grateful to our MORE HOPE Campaign Leadership Team, led by Honorary Co-chairs Steve King and Pat Hughes and Campaign Co-chairs Mike Hagen and Jennifer O’Shaughnessy. Vice Chairs include Dave Bryla, Martha Idler, Mike Kailus, Mike Leahy, Jeff Lundal, Mark Momongan, Lisa Seymour, and Chris Tarzon. This group of volunteers, supported by staff, has raised $4.3 million of our $5.4 million stretch goal!
While fundraising and construction proceed, we are also focused on the daily work of supporting our Scholars in their academic, social-emotional, and extra-curricular pursuits, and guiding Scholars to and through college. We are grateful to our partner schools who are essential to this work – St. Athanasius, Regina Dominican High School, and Loyola Academy, as well as Family Service Center, who provide excellent and generously discounted therapy to our Scholars!
Please consider a life-changing gift to BHGH to continue to provide hope, access, opportunity, adventure, and community for our Scholars!!!
We are grateful to have you in the BHGH family!
Best wishes for a happy and bright holiday season,
Karen P. Croteau
President
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Illinois