Cantigny 5K Proceeds Given to Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans
WHEATON, IL, November 12, 2009
Cantigny Park, part of the McCormick Foundation, last night awarded a check for $7,000 to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans (MSHV) in Wheaton. The donation, presented during the park’s Veterans Day observance, represents net proceeds from the 6th Annual Cantigny 5K Run/Walk, held last Saturday.
“On behalf of all 800 race participants, we’re very pleased to make this contribution,” said Matt LaFond, executive director of Cantigny Park. “The Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans is a vital community service and deserves our support.”
The registration limit for this year’s Cantigny 5K was increased by 100 and all spots were filled. The larger field generated more funds for MSHV, and many runners and walkers added donations above and beyond their entry fee. This year’s check for the shelter was nearly twice the 2008 amount.
Bob Adams, MSHV co-founder, accepted the check, which was added to funds raised by Cantigny Post 556 of the American Legion, based at Cantigny’s First Division Museum. Post 556 has collected and donated more than $3,700 to MSHV in 2009, not including in-kind contributions. With $2,500 in McCormick Foundation matching funds, Cantigny has generated more than $12,000 for the shelter in 2009.
MSHV is wrapping up its third full year of operation at 119 N. West Street in Wheaton. The facility, convenient to public transportation, features sleeping, cooking, study and relaxing spaces for homeless vets. Guests must adhere to high standards while living at the shelter, where the maximum stay is six months.
The need for transitional housing services for veterans is extremely high. On any given night there are up to 20,000 homeless veterans in Illinois, according to MSHV. To learn more, visit the shelter’s website at
helpaveteran.org.
Next year’s Cantigny 5K Run/Walk will take place November 6, 2010. Online registration begins April 2 at
SignMeUp.com.
About the McCormick Foundation
The McCormick Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening our free, democratic society by investing in children, communities and country. Through its five grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, and three world-class museums, the Foundation helps build a more active and engaged citizenry. It was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the
nation’s largest charities, with $1.2 billion in assets. For more information, please visit
www.McCormickFoundation.org.