A Gift from the Heart
In 2018, dedicated CEKF supporters Michael and Jeanne Schmitz, made a significant commitment of $500,000 to establish The Joey Schmitz & Charlie Kubly Endowment Fund. Like their dear friends, Billie and the late Dr. Michael Kubly, the Schmitzes also lost a beloved son, Joey, to depression and suicide. The endowment fund memorializes both young men by establishing a consistent source of future investment income to support the mission and grant-making of The Charles E. Kubly Foundation. Since this fund was established the Foundation was able to match their extremely generous gift and now is valued at approximately $1 million.Jeanne Schmitz passed away in early 2019. As we remember her, we appreciate not only the foresight that Mike and Jeanne demonstrated in making this gift but their deep compassion for those struggling with depression.
In Their Own Words
Lead donors Michael and Jeanne Schmitz wrote this heartfelt message to the CEKF Board to announce their generous gift beginning an endowment fund in memory of their son Joey.
"In the years since your founding, we have become very impressed with the work that your Foundation has done funding programs to deal with depression and its devastating impact on individuals, families and society. From a modest beginning to becoming an organization that has distributed grants of more than $2 million is truly remarkable. We applaud your organization and its supporters, including your nearly 700 individual and business donors. We are convinced that you are doing very important work to help people deal with this crushing illness.In our opinion, the Charles E. Kubly Foundation has achieved the success and has reached the stage of growth where the community should support an expansion of your program and provide for its long-term existence. The best means to accomplish this is to establish an endowment fund. The time to create this permanent financial base has come. You have demonstrated the performance to warrant our trust, and we hope, the community's trust as well."
Michael & Jeanne Schmitz