February 4, 2020
Round Lake, LAKE COUNTY, IL
Catholic Charities is pleased to announce it has received the largest philanthropic gift from a living donor in its history. John and Kathy Schreiber’s donation will be used to build a service center in Round Lake, which will expand and improve access to human services for residents of Lake County.
This will be Catholic Charities’ second multi-program center in Lake County, a growing area of need in the region. The agency’s original north suburban location is in Waukegan.
John and Kathy Schreiber are avid philanthropists and have long supported the agency’s work across multiple programs and geographies. They reside in Lake County and are committed to strengthening the quality of life and access to resources in the area, not only in the eastern portion of the county, but now with services closer to residents in the western parts of the region.
“John and I love this area and our community, and we recognize the vast amount of need in our own backyard,” Kathy said. “We are inspired by the work that Catholic Charities is doing to help vulnerable families flourish. The Schreiber Center will provide a host of integrated services – something Catholic Charities does very well – from food and employment programs to senior care and counseling.”
Catholic Charities broke ground on the center, located on Cedar Lake Road next to St. Joseph Parish, in May of 2019 and plans to begin services with a focus on senior care in the spring. The 28,000 square foot site is expected to be fully operational by late summer 2020.
“With this gift to Catholic Charities, the Schreibers again confirm their generous support of the mission of the Church and of their home community,” said Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago. “Their generosity will help ensure that families in need receive life’s basic dignities, and seniors and others are welcomed and cared for at the new Lake County center.”
Among the growing concerns in parts of Lake County are significant physical and mental health disparities, limited access to integrated health and social services, and a large low-income senior population who would benefit from expansion of meal programs, group classes, and other enrichment activities.
“This is an extraordinary leadership gift to the residents of Lake County. We are profoundly grateful to the Schreiber family for their trust in us, their inspiring example of generosity, and their commitment to ensuring people have the resources they need to build better futures,” said Kathy Donahue, Acting President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. “It’s our hope that this exciting gift will encourage other members of the community to join this important effort as we continue to build positive momentum in the county. The center will also include space and programming for the general public, further building that sense of community that is so important to John and Kathy, and to Catholic Charities.”
Catholic Charities averages hundreds of requests for support each week at its primary Lake County location, the Bernardin Center in Waukegan. Last year Catholic Charities served more than 62,000 Lake County residents.