CREO DuPage Receives $15,000 Community Needs Grant from DuPage Foundation

CREO DuPage received a $15,000 grant through DuPage Foundation’s Community Needs Grant Program (CNGP) to help support Latino middle and high school students prepare, transition and complete college degrees. DuPage Foundation awarded more than $600,000 to 46 DuPage County not-for-profit organizations.

CREO’s (from the Spanish word meaning “I believe”) mission is to help families and members of the growing Latin0 community in DuPage County believe that they can complete degrees that lead to rewarding careers, according to a news release.

CREO provides college-educated mentors to more than 37 high school student/ families and currently has helped another 20 students enroll in colleges and universities since 2020. CREO began as ministry of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn but has since established its non-profit status and provides support to youth from across the DuPage County area.

Community Needs Grants will be used to fund summer programs for middle school students and support ongoing mentorship programs for Latino youth in the community.

“We are always energized by the potential for each funded project to make a meaningful difference for our residents and community,” DuPage Foundation Vice President for Programs Barb Szczepaniak said in the a news release. “These grants represent commitments to fuel innovation, foster collaboration, and drive sustainable progress.”

For further information regarding CREO DuPage, contact James Johnson at 773-703-4030 or jjohnso@creodupage.org.