From homelessness to coming home, Pillars provides shelter, support, and solutions to address the housing needs in our community. That is more than 150 homes per year and more than 45,000 nights of shelter each year! Recently, to support these efforts, Lisa Strandberg, Executive Director of Pillars, accepted a grant of $797,245 from the U.S. Venture Fund for Basic Needs within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

This generous gift, the largest single donation in the history of the U.S. Venture Open, was made possible through a 2019 estate gift from David A. Theide. Attending the 2010 U.S. Venture Open as a guest, David believed in the impact of the event – everyone gathered together to combat poverty. This belief led him to leave his life’s earnings as an estate gift to the U.S. Venture Open through the Community Foundation. Through David’s generosity and belief in this work, the grant has enabled Pillars to pay off all their property debt and will help the organization flourish in the years to come.

“This gift is game-changing for Pillars. Eliminating all our debt has freed up $110,000 a year to meet increasing demand for homelessness and housing services,” said Strandberg. “Also, the amount of interest Pillars would pay between now and 2036 was reduced by $150,000. It has put a great gust of wind in our team’s sails.”

After dealing with budget deficits for the last two years, Pillars is grateful to be on the path to stability. Playing a vital role in providing sustainable housing solutions in the Fox Cities, Pillars manages 140 units of affordable housing across 37 properties. Wanting everyone to have a place to call home and so experiences of homelessness are rare and brief, Pillars envisions a creative, compassionate community that collaborates to find innovative and effective solutions.

“We feel that David Thiede’s generous estate gift was meant for something permanent like this,” said Curt Detjen, President/CEO of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. “Pillars provides a much-needed service to so many and it feels right that it owns its properties outright so it can focus squarely on its mission.”

For more information about Pillars, visit their website at – Pillars (pillarsinc.org)

For more information about leaving your legacy to support causes most important to you through the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, visit our page here.