By Laura Fitzgerald
Ten years ago, P.S. You’re My Hero founder Mara McCalmon was expecting nothing more than a night out with friends at a local charity event. But, she got more than she bargained for when she was randomly picked to pitch her organization to the crowd, and won a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation.
Now, P.S. You’re My Hero – a local nonprofit that provides emotional and financial support to crime victims – is coming full circle with the Foundation with the announcement of a new endowment fund.
“We are honored and grateful that the giving spirit of Jim Acheson continues through the James. C Acheson Donor Advised Fund at the Foundation and has provided P.S. You’re My Hero with a grant to begin an endowment. This investment will truly help us to grow and sustain long-term support for victims of crime in St. Clair County,” said P.S. You’re My Hero Board President Beth Diehl.
“Establishing an endowment at some point was in our plans, but it seemed out of reach for the near future. This generous gift made it happen.”
A $25,000 donation from the James C. Acheson Donor Advised Fund officially launched the fund in January and will provide a strong base to build the future of the nonprofit.
The P.S. You’re My Hero Endowment Fund will give community members the opportunity to support the organization’s work with crime victims and come alongside the investment by the Acheson Fund to grow the endowment.
In addition to the emotional turmoil of their world being turned upside down by tragic events, crime victims are also met with many unexpected expenses navigating the criminal justice system, such as medical expenses or travel expenses for attending hearings at the county courthouse, McCalmon said.
That’s where P.S. You’re My Hero steps in to provide financial assistance for crime victims for various expenses, such as rent, food, medical bills, mental health counseling, or meals and gas.
“It’s to help others, wherever they’re at as a victim of crime. It’s different for everyone,” McCalmon said. “It might be helping somebody pay for a funeral, or it might be helping them with transportation, or to get lunch in the middle of trials. However we can help, that’s what we do.”
The nonprofit has also worked with the St. Clair County Victim’s Rights Office to establish a comfort room at the county courthouse. Stocked with refreshments and comfortable furniture, the room offers a safe space for crime victims and their families to gather and decompress before and after court hearings.
P.S. You’re My Hero provides funds for the care of the Victim’s Rights Office’s therapy dog, Carbon. Carbon and his predecessor, Bruin, offer comfort to crime victims while in the courthouse, even sitting in with witnesses as they testify during criminal court proceedings.
The nonprofit has also donated to other local organizations that support crime victims, including the St. Clair County Child Abuse and Neglect Council and Blue Water Safe Horizons.
McCalmon said the endowment fund will provide financial stability for P.S. You’re My Hero, to help the nonprofit continue its mission even if it experiences a dip in donations, such as during times of economic uncertainty. The fund also takes some of the onus off the nonprofit’s board members and volunteers to fundraise, which gives them more time and energy to focus on continuing and expanding its current initiatives and planning new ones.
One of those initiatives McCalmon hopes to expand upon is preventative programs targeted at populations most at risk for crime. She plans to engage the Blue Water Ally Center, which serves the local LGBTQIA+ population. She also plans to engage the St. Clair County Council on Aging to provide crime prevention for seniors, who are susceptible to online and telephone financial scams.
Most importantly, McCalmon said the fund at Community Foundation will allow P.S. You’re My Hero to continue to emotionally support crime victims who are going through a hard time.
“We care,” McCalmon said. “And the Community Foundation is allowing us to care more.”