A local family is honoring the memory of their late daughter by giving back to school-age children throughout the Kankakee Valley. WKVI sports legend Harold Welter announced the establishment of the Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation during a Monday appearance on “Grossman in the Morning.” He says it represents a major commitment to helping underprivileged children in our local schools.
“It’s a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization with an endowment from which grants are going to be issued to help underprivileged kids in grades K to 12 with expenses which may be out of their reach. Our initial goal in this is to have $100,000 in the endowment to begin awarding grants,” Welter said.
The foundation’s namesake, Cheryl Lyn Welter, was a senior at Knox High School when she was killed in a car accident on Oct. 12, 2000.
“Her dream was always to help others. She had been accepted at Purdue University in the family counseling department. That was going to be her major. We’re basically asking people to help us carry on her dream,” Welter added.
The foundation will award grants to teachers throughout the area to help students who need an extra financial boost.
“A lot of local kids can’t even afford little things like field trips or school supplies or practice packs for athletes. Through the endowment we’re going to be able to help kids with those immediate needs that are geared to specific purposes. Teachers will be coming to us and applying for these grants.”
The foundation is working to build an endowment of $100,000 to ensure its work can carry on for generations to come. Interest from the fund will be used to fund the grants, with a goal of awarding the first one before the end of this school year. Visit http://www.cherylskidsfund.org/ for more information or to donate.
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