Riverbank Stabilization
Thank You to Our Business Donors!
Project and Fundraising Updates
January 14, 2023 - We are very pleased to announce that our campaign is now concluded, and the grand total we raised was $368,385!
We are more grateful than words can express. Taking care of our beautiful Cemetery is our way to honor the memory of those who came before us.
We expect to give you a few more updates on this page. The fence will be installed in the spring.
December 18, 2022 - OUR GOAL HAS BEEN ACHIEVED! With several large donations and the matching funds pledged by the Wietrecki Family Charitable Trust, our fundraising goal was achieved on December 18th! We will annouce the grand total in January. God bless you for your generosity!
October 23, 2022 - We are pleased to announce that our new matching funds donor is The Wietrecki Family Charitable Trust, who will match $3 for every dollar given through the remainder of our campaign!
Steve Wietrecki grew up a member of All Saints Cathedral Parish with his family - Dad +Felix (Flip), Mom +Virginia (Ginny) and brother +Edward (Eddie) - who are all laid to rest in our Cemetery. Steve was an altar server and member of the Youth Club. After college he went on to several executive positions in the tech industry, and is now an active investor, advisor, board member and philanthropist. Steve resides in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife Kim and daughters Jordan and Anna.
October 9, 2022 - The project is essentially complete. We are in the process of soliciting bids for the permanent fence. We have also been blessed with a new Matching Funds Pledge. More info coming soon!
September 5, 2022 - We are very pleased to report that the work has gone so well (and we were blessed with favorable weather) that the project is already nearing completion! Here are some progress photos. More to come soon!
August 23, 2022 - Work has finally started! The first step took place the week of August 16th. Several of our Monuments were carefully relocated allow the movement of equipment in and out of the work area. These will be returned to their original location after the work is completed.
Tree removal began on August 22nd. The actual work to stabilize the riverbank will follow and take several weeks.
Watch this page for more information and photos coming soon!
August 7, 2022 - After years of planning, the work will actually begin shortly! The final construction contract has been signed, and the removal of trees will begin within a few weeks. When visiting the Cemetery, please be especially careful and avoid the construction area.
Unfortunately, due to the cost pressures over the last two years and project requirements that were not included in the original cost estimates, we have had to increase our fundraising goal to $350,000. We are extending this campaign through December 31st. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has donated, especially the Winiarski Family Foundation who has matched our first $100,000 in donations!
Protecting Our Legacy
Just as a river over time will slowly erode its riverbanks, so can the memories of those who have come before us slowly fade away. The All Saints Cathedral Parish Cemetery is full of history and memories of those before us that we do not want to lose. The Parish and the Cemetery are combining to insure that our history and legacies live on. And towards that end we have established the "Protecting Our Legacy" campaign. Our goal for 2022 is to raise funds for our Riverbank Stabilization project.
In the last 127 years the eb and flow of the Des Plaines River has resulted in erosion along the riverbank which has slowly moved closer and closer to our existing graves.
Several years ago, we embarked on a project to protect our graves and stabilize the riverbank from any future deterioration. We hired an engineering firm that specializes in these types of projects to develop a stabilization plan and guide us through the permitting and construction process. These plans have been completed and approved by the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources. We are preparing to begin the construction phase in 2022.
We ask for your support in the next phase of this project.
Our small, dedicated staff keep our cemetery grounds well maintained. Our expenses are consistently more than our income, which comes from burials and grave sales, and that deficit is funded by the Parish. We estimate the Riverbank Stabilization Project will end up costing at least $250,000, an amount that would significantly deplete our Perpetual Care fund.
We have already received generous donations from several friends who were aware of this upcoming need, but we still have a very long way to go. As we explored ways to raise the funds, we were once again blessed by the generosity of a friend of All Saints Cathedral Parish.
Warren Winiarski grew up near our Cathedral on Dickens, and he and his family were members of our parish. In the 1970s Warren founded the very successful Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, allowing him to pursue philanthropic endeavors. Through his Winiarski Family Foundation, Warren has pledged to match up to $100,000 in donations for the Riverbank Stabilization Project!
Warren’s contribution to this project is personal as both his parents and sister are buried in our cemetery. You can learn more about Warren at www.warrenwiniarski.com.
We ask you to reflect on the needs of our cemetery and make a donation to keep it beautiful and well maintained as it has been for the last 127 years. We are reaching out to All Saints Cathedral Parish members as well as our sister parishes of the Western Diocese and other friends of All Saints.
Donations can be made by check or by using our on-line giving option. See the Giving page.
Watch this page for updates to our construction and fundraising status.
Thank you in advance for your support. Feel free to call Cemetery Trustees Chairman Phil Smolka with any questions you may have (630-669-9956).
GOAL ACHIEVED
and EXCEEDED!
Thank you!
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