Raymond, Norbert, and Eleanor Rueter Fund

If you can’t read…

Eleanor Rueter was torn. She wanted to leave an inheritance for her family members. She also wanted to do something to help children who struggle in school.

How could she do both?

She learned about the Community Foundation and made a visit.

She believed she had a duty to her family. She also knew the struggle some children faced in school.

She was a straightforward woman who didn’t mince words. If you can’t read, you can’t do much of anything, she said. She made a decision. She met with her attorney. She made provisions for her family and established an endowment fund with the Community Foundation to help those children who struggle with learning.

The Raymond, Norbert and Eleanor Rueter Fund provides grants to help kindergarten through 12th grade students who have difficulty with reading and comprehension skills. Students must attend an Illinois school, public or private, in the Community Foundation’s geographic service area.

Eleanor Rueter found a way to take care of those she loved and those she would never know. Because of her, there are children in our communities with the opportunity for a more promising future.

Visit the Grant Opportunities page for grant application details.