KidsMatter

05/30/2026

🌺 Celebrating Community, Culture, and Connection

KidsMatter is incredibly grateful for the continued support and friendship of the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander community for once again including us in their annual celebration honoring Asian American Heritage Month at Pacifica Square in Aurora.

At KidsMatter, we believe we are strongest when we are rooted in community, united by purpose, and inspired by one another.

Thank you to our friends and partners for your warm welcome, your ongoing support, and for creating such a meaningful celebration. We are proud to stand alongside you in building a more connected, inclusive, and empowered community for all.

💙 Rooted in Community. Growing Together.

05/29/2026

Join us for our 2026 Lou Malnati's School's Out Fundraiser next Thursday, June 4th! You can visit both Naperville locations for either dine-in, carry-out, or delivery, and Lou Malnati's Naperville will donate 20% of sales back to KidsMatter.

When you dine in at the downtown location, you can also enjoy live entertainment from local Naperville area students from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.! We hope to see you there!

🍕131 W. Jefferson Ave
🍕2879 W. 95th Street

05/28/2026

KidsMatter’s Teen Philanthropy Initiative (TPI) recently hosted its third annual Capstone Ceremony, celebrating the achievements of seniors who’ve completed the two-year program, and juniors, who gave away $10,000 in grant funding to 15 local nonprofit organizations that support youth. This year’s 23 graduating seniors learned about implementing a fundraising campaign, — and, in the process — raised more than $18,700 to support ongoing implementation of this free-to-join program.

To date, TPI has engaged more than 80 high school juniors and seniors from from Naperville 203, Indian Prairie 204 and Benet Academy in learning about the art, science, and business of philanthropy through grantmaking, fundraising, and strategic volunteerism. Participating students also earn college credit from North Central College, and we thank the college for its partnership in this amazing program.

KidsMatter applauds all of our TPI supporters and participants, who have given away $30,000 in TPI grants and provided more than 900 hours of volunteerism in the community. And we offer our gratitude to all the donors and partners who invest in these inspiring young leaders and make this program possible. Thanks, all around!

05/27/2026

As KidsMatter celebrates 25 years of empowering youth, we’re highlighting what it truly means for our Senior High Board members to dream, believe, and become leaders in their community through their involvement with KidsMatter.

Meet Tai, a student at Naperville Community Unit School District 203 – Naperville Central High School. Through his involvement with KidsMatter, Tai is strengthening the leadership and collaboration skills that help young people step into civic leadership and create meaningful, positive change in their communities. Students like Tai represent the future of engaged, compassionate leadership, and we’re proud to help nurture that potential as part of our mission to empower youth.

These students have already done such amazing work since starting this past fall, and we are so thankful for all of their hard work. Thank you, Tai, for all that you do for KidsMatter.

05/26/2026

Our wonderful CEO & Executive Director Nina Menis is always doing amazing things to build connections and foster community in support of empowering young people. We couldn't be more proud of -- and grateful for -- all of her generous and tireless efforts. Congratulations, Nina, on this well-deserved honor!

Leadership is about creating impact through collaboration, service, and empowering others.

Congratulations to Nina Menis, CEO & Executive Director of KidsMatter, on being named our Q2 Gottfried Woman of the Quarter. Nina’s work bringing together organizations, schools, and community leaders to support youth and families reflects the type of leadership we’re proud to celebrate.

Learn more about her story: https://bit.ly/NinaWoQ

05/22/2026

KidsMatter and The Collaborative Youth Team of Illinois are honored to recognize Dr. Laura Koehler, Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Endeavor Health Linden Oaks Hospital, as a recipient of our Make Kindness Count Award!

Dr. Laura Koehler works at Endeavor Health Linden Oaks Hospital, she is kind, compassionate and caring. She works to inform the community about anxiety and the skills that can be utilized to improve quality of life. She often presents in the evenings and on weekends to a variety of schools and community programs to share her expert knowledge. Leading by example inspires others to be kind.

A special shoutout to the City of Naperville, Illinois, Government Social Service Grant for their support in Making Kindness Count!

05/22/2026

We are excited to support one of our amazing education partners, Naperville School District 203. The district is seeking businesses to participate in its fifth Career Motive-8, an immersive career exploration event for eighth graders, that's coming up this fall. This aligns with our focus on empowering youth to realize their purpose, build resilience, and pursue meaningful pathways to college and career success. Interested in being part of this work through Career Motive-8? See details for the Oct. 16 event and sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdGkXeUVJpkolbUxgwEKzEOt0zVvot8SdljginvC0q5GIMRQ/viewform.

05/20/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Did you know KidsMatter offers Youth Mental Health First Aid Training in English and Spanish? Visit https://kidsmatter2us.org/ymhfa-training/ for more information!

We are so grateful for the support provided for this important program by the DuPage County Transformation Partnership, a collaboration between DuPage County Board and DuPage Foundation. Additional support is also provided by Endeavor Health Community Investment Fund and Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Hospital, and other key partners, including 708 Lisle Twp Mental Health Board, Addison Township Mental Health Board, Naperville Township 708 Mental Health Board, City of Naperville, Illinois, Government Social Service Grant, Rotary International District 6450, and area Rotary clubs.

05/20/2026

Dine, Donate, and make a difference! Visit Lou Malnati's Pizzeria between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday, June 4 for our School's Out event at 131 W. Jefferson Ave. in downtown Naperville! Enjoy a delicious meal while supporting KidsMatter and our work to empower youth -- and hearing student performers, too. With 20% of your orders being donated, you can savor every bite knowing you're giving back. RSVP & get the details here: https://grouprai.se/s323533

05/19/2026

Naperville-area students are eligible for this free career exploration opportunity this summer from our partner the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, helping students discover pathways in museums, history, public service and more. Check out the details here!

Practical Fire and Life Safety Skills & Pathways in Museums is an innovative youth education program for high school students that combines life-saving emergency preparedness training with career exploration. This free program is available to students attending high school in the local community