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Bill Carney still gets emotional when he recalls the first time The Legacy Guild gave checks to its scholarship winners, all high school students who had lost at least one parent.
“I think as a parent and as someone who started this, I can go back to the first time we gave out checks in June of 2013. We gave out checks to 11 kids, and one of the women sitting there – I thought we were just doing it for kids. It was one of my neighbors whose husband had passed away 10 years earlier. We looked at each other and just started bawling,” he said. “I realized we were doing it for those who couldn’t do it. That’s the one thing to me that I’ve found from my perspective. I can barely tell that story without crying.”
Carney, who’s leaving the board after serving his final two years as past president, was among the nine men who founded the nonprofit organization after the death of their good friend Bill Purcell, one of several losses that happened a short time. He said former board member Jack Dadan played a key role in creating the organization.
“Our thought was to raise funds for kids to go to college, help our neighbors and friends who can’t be there anymore. We didn’t know after the first golf outing if it would be a one-time shot or something more,” Carney said. “It was kind of cathartic for us. We were grieving our good friends. We were turning 50 years old and you see the first wave of people who pass away. For us it was something to do and do directly and felt we had an impact.”
The guild awards scholarships to students who live within Lyons High School District 204 who have lost a parent to death. Students don’t need to attend that high school, and the scholarships are not based on need or grades.
“Everyone receives the same amount, which is $3,000 per year for up to four years” for college, trade school or any other post-secondary education or training, Carney said. “We have never turned anyone away who meets our criteria and hope never to.”
Although the organization only had 11 scholars the first year, as it was still spreading the word about its mission, more recently the average is about 75 or 80 per year, which includes returning scholars. They need to show their transcripts to show they’re still in good standing.
Thus far, the nonprofit organization has given away nearly $2 million in scholarships, which Carney attributes to the generous community.
“People can work hard, but without the community’s support – and it has wrapped its arms around us,” Carney said. “Our first golf outing was Oct. 5 (2012) and we couldn’t do any solicitation until we received our 501(c)” paperwork, he added. “I know we got it Sept. 15, and we sold out.”
Carney said guild volunteers have become “some of my best friends in the world. They embody caring for other people. I have a simple rule in life these days, especially after watching friends die: Hang around people who make you feel better, and these guys do. The beauty of having nine of us is if someone couldn’t step up and do something because of work or family, someone else could step in.”
The spring benefit, the guild’s biggest fundraiser, is his favorite event because it brings the whole community together.
“It wasn’t just a golf outing. I didn’t have to work those as hard,” he said. Initially the event took place at Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn, but in more recent years, it’s been at The Elms in La Grange. “They were the first ones to let us rent out a whole place,” he said. “We’re coming right to the center of Lyons Township.”
Carney also discussed his friendship with some of the surviving spouses and people he’s gotten to know, as well as his time on the board. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said. “There was a group on the board and it’s moving forward with all we hoped and more as the original guys.”
He said it hasn’t been hard to find support. “We also have a great pitch: We’re raising funds in a community for kids who have lost a parent. It isn’t a hard sell.”
The board also recently achieved something of note: Matt Fisher became the first scholar to join the board. “That is one of the biggest accomplishments – people have come back to help others.”
Carney considers the board’s biggest achievement the creation of its endowment of more than $1 million. “I know it will go on for 25 years if we stopped tomorrow because of the people involved and the money available,” he said. “That comes from the community. Without the community’s backing we’re nothing.”
But it’s more than just about money for the guild, which has branched out into forming a bereavement group for surviving spouses and a mentorship program for scholars. “It’s to show the community is here for you,” Carney said.
The bereavement group was started by Jody Lavoie, who lost her husband about 10 years ago and whose daughter received a scholarship. “Ours is run by someone hyperlocal so it fits a different bill,” he said, adding that women often have lost the breadwinner and financial planner when their spouse dies. “For people to have that conversation with people who have gone through this experience” is helpful.
The mentoring aspect of the guild has been harder to organize, although having a few women now on the board helps because half of the scholars are girls 18 to 22. Board member Joanna Mattia and incoming board president Andrew James are working together on that program, which includes a LinkedIn page for internships and an informal network. “It’s still developing but our current board has bigger dreams and focus than we do,” Carney said. “Getting kids to engage is the hard part.”
James, who has been with the guild for 10 years, including most recently as board secretary, said his work with it is personal.
“I lost my dad when I was 15. When I moved to La Grange, I went to the very first golf outing when the guild started. I knew one guy in La Grange who brought me as my guest. I will never forget that day,” he recalled. “We all played golf and had lunch and one of the (students) came up and everyone gave him a round of applause. I remember thinking I was him — he was my age when my dad died.
“Because of that part of life, I connect with these kids on another level – I feel like I was one of those kids.”
James joined the board thanks to Carney, who wouldn’t take no for an answer. “One of the powers of Bill is that he pulls people into organizations like this,” he said, adding that he didn’t think he had enough time to make it work. “I think he rightly pointed out that I was already spending a lot of time with the Legacy Guild and might have a more effective voice being on the board.”
Although Carney won’t be on the board anymore, James knows he won’t stop helping. “He will always be a phone call away and a supporter. You can’t be a guy like Bill and be involved with something like this and not have his DNA still there,” he said. “He moved into the past president role and did a good job of stepping back and let our last president kind of put his own fingerprints on things.”
James said the board’s mission moving forward is to “build off the strong base that I’ve been given,” pointing out that the organization only has one paid part-time employee. The board does “a lot of work. We are staff. It’s making sure we keep the right people and the right skill sets on the board so we can continue to be successful.”
For information, visit thelegacyguild.com, email info@thelegacyguild.com or mail the office at 823 Burlington Ave., Western Springs, IL 60558.
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter.
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