Community Bank News
Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest Announces $100,000 Visionary Grant
Oak Park, IL, September 12, 2007 − − − The Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest’s Board of Directors are pleased to announce that the seventh recipient of the Community Bank Visionary Grant is Animal Care League. The Visionary Grant is a $100,000 grant program for local non-profit organizations. Ten grants of $10,000 each will be awarded to local non-profit organizations throughout 2007 in recognition of Community Bank’s 10th anniversary.
Animal Care League will use the Visionary Grant to open a low-cost spay/neuter clinic that enables all pet owners to have access to this critical procedure.
"Our Board of Directors believes that offering the Visionary Grant to our community's non-profits is our way of saying thank you for their dedicated service. The ten grants will provide non-profits the opportunity to innovate and create new services for their clients or enhance and develop their organizations in ways that they would not have been able to do without this grant. We want local non-profits to have every opportunity to grow their work and remain effective service providers to our community,” said Martin J. Noll, president, Community Bank.
The Visionary Grant will recognize non-profit organizations in the Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park communities who show an ability to build capacity or start a sustainable new initiative. The Visionary Grant is also aimed to motivate the non-profit community to think outside of the everyday operation of the organization, as well as to encourage collaboration among non-profits in a common mission.
A five person judging committee will award the ten grants throughout 2007. Its members are: Theresa Amato, executive director, Community Foundation of OPRF; Mena Boulanger, retired vice president, Brookfield Zoo; Ruth McLaren, senior vice president, Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest; Richard Melcher, principal and co-founder of Melcher + Tucker Consultants and former Midwest bureau chief of BusinessWeek magazine; and, Richard Palmore, general counsel, Sara Lee Corporation.
The six prior Visionary Grant recipients are The West Cook YMCA, Oak Park Regional Housing Center, Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society, The Forest Park Public Library, MOMENTA and Oak Park Education Foundation.
Community Bank Oak Park River Forest was organized in 1996 as a locally owned bank focusing on creating financial solutions for individuals, professionals, owners of closely-held businesses and non-profit organizations in the Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park communities. Total assets as of December 31, 2006 were $276 million. Community Bank has two locations: 1001 Lake Street, Oak Park and 7777 Lake Street, River Forest. More information about the Bank and its services can be found on its website at www.cboprf.com.
