Oak Park’s diversity, one of the primary reasons people love living here, is largely due to the efforts of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center. Therefore, it is vital that the Center is able to continue funding its work in the near and distant future.

To do that, the Oak Park Regional Housing Center has established the newly named Roberta Raymond Housing Center Legacy Fund at the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. The Foundation manages more than 30 endowments of not-for-profit organizations serving Oak Park and River Forest citizens. The former Fund for Diversity was renamed in honor of the founder of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, Roberta “Bobbie” Raymond. Her strategic plan laid the foundation for intentional integration efforts in the Village of Oak Park. Through her leadership, Oak Park now serves as a national model for promoting pro-integrative housing.

The Housing Center established the endowment to provide a strong and stable base of ongoing support. The Roberta Raymond Housing Center Legacy Fund will begin with $50,000. With this type of endowment, funds are invested so that earnings can be allocated to the organization each year over the long term. When proper discipline and asset allocations are applied, that annual distribution will keep pace with inflation and allow an organization to budget appropriately for an annual stream of income.

The goal and long-term strategy are to grow the Fund for Diversity to $20 million. A fund of this size will be enough to ensure that the Housing Center can continue its important work indefinitely on behalf of the community and provide a model for other communities across the nation.

Make a Lasting Gift to the Roberta Raymond Legacy Fund

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The Housing Center’s mission is to achieve vibrant communities and promote intentional and stable residential integration throughout Oak Park and the region. The Community Foundation’s mission is to strengthen our community through philanthropy. Those interrelated goals make this a solid partnership.

For more information about the endowment, contact the executive director of the Housing Center, by calling (708) 848-7150.

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