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Ruth Schultz

The Ruth Schultz Bright Days Fund was created in honor of Howard Schultz's 10 years of service as President/CEO of the North Suburban YMCA (NSYMCA) Funding enhances positive experiences for youth in NSYMCA athletic, special needs, and youth programs, to promote new skills, enjoyment, health, community involvement, and leadership

 

Ruth Schultz young 2

 

 

 

 

Ruth Schultz was a true athlete in her youth who aspired to be a gym teacher and was a slugging first baseman on a women’s professional baseball team (before the days of A League of their Own) until the time she was married.

Ruth L. Schultz understood the benefits of healthy competition and later in life, she encouraged her children to embark on their own youthful careers in competitive sports and other endeavors. She never forgot that sports were meant to be fun when they were played.

She took the competitive drive and the leadership skills she honed through sports and turned them into a lifetime of volunteer service that made a difference to many agencies ranging from HIAS (The Hebrew Immigration Aid Society), PTA, and Boy Scouts, and the thousands of people they helped on an annual basis.

She also never gave up her belief that we must always strive to make the world a better place. Into her 90’s she remained active in charitable organizations impassioned by the decades she spent applying her skills through service to others. Ruth Schultz was the mother of three sons, 6 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Howard Schultz and Ruth Schultz

 

 

 

HOWARD SCHULTZ

As active as a volunteer Ruth Schultz was, she was a devoted mother to her three sons, Allan, Jack, and Howard. Today, Howard is the former President/ CEO of the North Suburban YMCA, the second-longest tenured director in the Y’s history. Howard has not forgotten the lessons his mother taught him about keeping sports fun, and that you are only going to be as good at something as the effort you put into it.  He also possesses her deep respect for improving the lives of those in need and is dedicated to making commitments of time and self to serve others at the Y and in the broader community, such as his volunteer work with Rotary and the National YMCA movement.

Nationwide over 70% of all young athletes suffer some form of burnout, and drop out of athletics by age 13, while at the same time 1 out of 3 is now overweight or obese.

The North Suburban YMCA understands why parents often feel pressured to want their children to play on the “right” team. More importantly, we understand why kids want to play and why they often quit. Rather than offering activities that set high expectations that cause undue stress, our focus is on offering athletic and youth development programs that are fun and engaging, while teaching individual skills that promote growth, build confidence, improve social skills, and provide opportunities for personal independence and leadership development.

The NSYMCA’s nurturing environment, where children are guided in developmental athletics, arts, and service projects by supportive coaches and teachers has developed programming that allows children to find their own paths of fulfillment and interest.

Gifts to the Ruth Schultz Bright Days Fund will help the Y to enhance its Youth Athletic and Leadership Development programs. The Fund will help equip youth with the skills that will enable them to actively make changes, overcome obstacles, and create new opportunities in their community just as Ruth Schultz did in her life.

Gifts to The Ruth Schultz Bright Days Fund are 100% tax-deductible. Up to 10% of the total value of the fund can be used annually for the stated purpose of the Fund, while all remaining funds will be set aside for savings and reinvestment.

Investments in this fund will be carefully managed under the direction of the Development Committee of the Board of Directors, which are led by board members and community participants, and staffed by the Sr. Director of Development. Requests for funds must be directed through the CEO and approved by the Executive Committee.

Those interested in giving or looking for additional information about initiating a new named endowment should contact Debbie Madeley, [email protected] or call us at (847) 272-7250.

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