Please join us as we say THANK YOU to Kevin Buick for his time and service on the DeKalb County Community Foundation Board of Directors. Kevin served on the Community Foundation Board from 2010-2018. Representing Sycamore, he had this to say about his community, “I love communities that embrace their past and place expectations upon their citizens to lead and contribute toward its collective good. Sycamore does this well. But even more, Sycamore treats optimism and positivity as a civic virtue which I feel is rare these days, and something to be treasured.”

During his nine years of service, Kevin served on a variety of Foundation committees including Marketing & Development, Community Grants, and Governance.

A few of his takeaways included the discovery and experience of the shared responsibility that comes with the Community Needs grants process, including the challenging limitations (i.e. a $600,000 of grant requests and only $150,000 available to award). Also the ability to do substantial justice to the requests of so many deserving community organizations given the financial limitations. To put in in Kevin’s words, “It was a kind of alchemy that never ceased to amaze me.”

One of his favorite committees to serve on was Governance. “Serving on Governance allowed an opportunity to stress the importance of geographic diversity of the Board throughout DeKalb County’s communities,” said Kevin. “Implementing measures to maintain that geographic representation is critical to the Foundation’s success.”

In a final question, we asked Kevin to share any advice he might have for new and future Board members. Here is what he said, “You will enjoy serving this worthwhile organization. Bring your generous spirit, your energy, and your willingness to pour all of yourself into the experience. In doing this, you will find it fulfilling indeed.”

Thank you Kevin Buick for giving of your time, talent, and treasure to DeKalb County. Your exceptional vocabulary, passion for the Chicago Cubs, leadership, and desire to serve our community is greatly appreciated. You are a true philanthropist and for that, we are grateful!