Sycamore residents Jesus and Stephanie Romero have a long-standing record of community philanthropy. As proud owners of Taxco, a Mexican cuisine restaurant located in downtown Sycamore, the couple works tirelessly to maintain a successful business and provide much needed support to local nonprofits.

Jesus served on the Board of Directors for the DeKalb County Community Foundation from 2005 – 2010. He invested a portion of his time on the CommunityWorks committee, focused on the Early Child Care & Education initiative. Jesus was instrumental in helping the Foundation connect to the Hispanic/Latino community in DeKalb County to understand their early childhood needs in particular.

Since 2013 the Romeros have partnered with the Community Foundation through Give Local DeKalb County, a 24-hour day of giving for local nonprofits. In May of each year Taxco hosts a downtown Cinco De Mayo event, drawing a sizable crowd from surrounding areas. Proceeds from this event are donated to local nonprofits that align with the charitable interests of Jesus and Stephanie. In 2006, the Romeros created the Cinco de Mayo CommunityWorks Endowment Fund within the Foundation in order to support our work in the three interest areas of early care and education, workforce development, and land use. More recently, the Cinco de Mayo event proceed donations have been made in conjunction with Give Local DeKalb County. By making the donations through Give Local, the Romeros are able to take full advantage of the proportional match which in turn amplifies each donation providing even greater support.

The Community Foundation is honored to partner with local philanthropists like Jesus and Stephanie Romero. It’s through relationships like these that we are able to progress in our vision of partnering to build stronger communities throughout DeKalb County. To discuss your charitable interests in the community or to make a gift that keeps on giving, please contact Dan Templin, Executive Director, at 815-748-5383 or dan@dekalbccf.org.

There is Strength Through Partnership!

Pictured: Local philanthropists Jesus and Stephanie Romero