<p>Nicole Astra:<br />Welcome to Talking Cities Aurora. I'm Nicole Astra and here's a look at some of our top stories. It's been a cold start to 2022. Temperatures have dipped into the negatives, leaving many areas covered in ice. Aurora Transportation Center has turned into a 24-hour warming center for those in need. The center is located at 233 North Broadway. Head to talkingcities.com for more details. It's also a great time to check on your neighbors and seniors in your life to make sure they are staying warm. Even at my house, we were out of heat for three days this weekend.<br /><br />Nicole Astra:<br />The African American parents and guardians of School District 131 are invited to the virtual gathering of the African American Parent Association this Thursday night. AAPA events provide a platform to discuss topics unique to African American students, bridging the connection between school and family. You can find more details at d131.org/AAPA.<br /><br />Nicole Astra:<br />Also, East High recently made the decision to go remote due to the rise of positive COVID-19 cases. Students will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 18th. The Fox Valley Park District also made some difficult decisions in light of the rise of COVID cases among children. The Frisco Community Center has postponed their winter production of Matilda.<br /><br />Nick Sargis:<br />Most of the cast attends local schools where, as many of us know, the novel virus is currently making a very large positivity rate. And to keep everyone safe, as the partnership will always do, keeping their participants and community first safe, we would rather postpone our rehearsals than cancel the production inevitably. The show must go on and we will continue to do so.<br /><br />Nicole Astra:<br />I have no doubt that the show will go on. The Frisco's Community Center has done a wonderful job of keeping the community engaged the last year and a half. Thanks, Mr. Nick. From one community staple to another, the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley has been serving the area since 1948. Today their mission continues to grow. Our Joey Thurman has more. Hey, Joey.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />That's right, Nicole. The foundation helps organizations financially with grants and scholarships. Julie Christmas, President of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is with us here. Welcome, Julie.<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />Thank you. Thank you for having me.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />It's a pleasure. Now, what is it that you guys do?<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />Well, a lot of people don't know about us, so sometimes we're considered like a best kept secret. But we don't really try to be.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />But you don't want to be a secret?<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />We don't, no. What we do is we help individuals, businesses, groups of people, find ways and provide them with resources so that they can fulfill their philanthropic goals so they can get back to their community with their resources and their means so that we can have an impact in the community and help people.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />That's amazing. And so, you help a bunch of different organizations. Can you tell me about some of them?<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />We actually serve organizations throughout the entire Kendall County area, as well as all the way through Southern Kane and the entire city of Aurora. We serve multiple different counties and we help agencies that are small like Equine Dreams, which is in Newark, Illinois; or African American Men of Unity, which is here in Aurora. We also serve larger organizations like Hesed House and AID, and all of the food pantries like the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />So you're helping everybody, young to old and all sorts of it. That's amazing. You also have some youth programs, correct?<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />We do. We started a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy program just a few years ago, and it helps individuals who are 14 to 18 years old, so students in high school, find ways that they can fulfill their philanthropic goals, and really help them understand what it means to be a giver back to your community. What it means to not only provide some of your time and your talent back to the community, but also grant making. They actually find ways to give grants back to the community.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />I know we shot a segment for that so stay tuned here because it was really interesting to see these kids and just how they're literally running the show.<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />Yes, yes.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />And of course you, they obviously had some tutelage from your organization as well. Right now students can apply to over 200 scholarships?<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />Yes.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />One application?<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />Yes, it's amazing. We actually have about 212 different scholarship funds that individuals in the community have helped to establish. Because of their generosity and all the sources that they've committed, we're able to give out over $1.4 million in scholarships on a yearly basis.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Really?<br /><br />Julie Christman:<br />It's crazy. Really, it amazes me every day just to think about the generosity of people and how warm hearted and caring that they are that they want to get back to their community. Many times it's in honor of a loved one, or carrying out the legacy of a loved one, maybe a parent that was a teacher. Sometimes it's teachers who want to fund teaching scholarships. Sometimes it's people who have had medical conditions and want to fund nursing scholarships so that there's more nurses in the community.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Wow, I mean, you guys are no longer the best-kept secret. You came on Talking Cities Aurora. If you want more information, make sure you sign up for that scholarship, cffrv.org.<br /><br />Nicole Astra:<br />Thanks, Joey. Every little bit does help, and one application for 200 opportunities is huge. Another opportunity is the city of Aurora is looking for men and women to join the police department. We will link you to the requirements and the application. Keep an eye out for the new quarters of 2022. You will see the image of Ryder and poet Maya Angelou. The US Mint has started shipping out the first coins of its American women quarters program, started to honor and celebrate the women who have contributed to American history. New coins will be released through 2025. Thanks for joining us on Talking Cities Aurora. I'm Nicole Astra. Joey, and I will see you next time.</p>