Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation
Donation protected
Thatcher spent his life bringing great joy to those around him. He was kind, funny, creative and a very fast runner, but he will most be remembered for how deeply he cared for others. After Thatcher was killed on October 1, 2020, those who loved him most knew we needed to create an organization to carry out all of the good work that we are certain he would have accomplished if he'd had the chance.
With sad but proud hearts, we announce the launch of the Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation. Our guiding principle is to #BeLikeThatcher, and we invite you to donate to this mission and to visit our website to learn more about our beloved boy and all of the great things we plan to do in his honor – BeLikeThatcher.org.
In recognition of Thatcher’s eighth birthday on December 10th and his love of math, we invite anyone who wishes to contribute to do so in multiples of eight. It could be an $8.00 donation, or, if you’d really like to make our boy smile down from heaven, $64.00, as squares and square roots were his favorite mathematical challenge. We also welcome larger donations for those who wish to give more. We’ve set the goal for this campaign as $64,000 to echo the idea of “eight squared,” although if Thatcher was here, he’d point out that $64,000 does not have a round square root. (We’re trying our best here, little boy!)
Our initial goal is to establish an endowed diversity scholarship for the Catherine Cook School, where Thatcher was in second grade at the time of his death. It is the hope of the Foundation that other children will benefit from the phenomenal education that Catherine Cook offers. On a more personal note, it is of great comfort to Thatcher’s parents to know that other children will be able to complete the education that Thatcher was denied.
Please note that the Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation was incorporated on October 8th, 2020 in Illinois as a Not-for-Profit organization, and has filed with the Internal Revenue Service an application for a determination that the Foundation qualifies as a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The determination of tax-exempt status will be retroactively effective to the date of incorporation of the Foundation. Therefore, donations of cash or property to the Foundation will be deductible by the donor for income tax purposes as charitable contributions to the maximum extent permitted by tax law.
What is the goal of the Foundation?
Thatcher believed that every child should have access to a wonderful education, a comfortable home in which to live, and a really fun place to play. Our Foundation’s mission is to make this happen. We wanted our first effort to be one that would connect to each of these ideas in an ongoing way to honor his life. He loved every minute of his time at the Catherine Cook School, and we saw firsthand just how much he grew and was nurtured during this time. The Foundation’s first goal is to establish an endowment that will help many other children feel the same type of joy.
It’s critical to us that any recipient family experience both the joy of this education and the ability to be a full part of the school’s community. To that end, the Foundation is working with the school and other equity partners to ensure that the endowment accounts for expenses beyond just tuition, likely including costs associated with after-school activities, meals, and summer events. To provide an endowed scholarship, the Foundation will need to raise a capital fund such that the interest on the fund provides this amount annually, adjusted for inflation. This means that our ultimate fundraising goal for the Foundation’s initial campaign will be big. We want to create life-lasting change in a sustainable way, and by embodying the tenacity for which Thatcher was known, we will see that this comes to be.
Why is it important to endow the scholarship?
In a word – consistency. The Foundation seeks to ensure that those who receive support know it is fully committed and will not depend upon fluctuations in economic climates or any given year’s fundraising success. In addition, it is the Foundation’s hope is that by creating a large, consistent program aligned with Thatcher’s wish to enable other children to enjoy the same types of experiences he had, it enables a strong starting point for the school and others to build further initiatives that would make Thatcher proud.
For those who wish to donate larger sums, please consider donating by check, sent to:
Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation
c/o David Dahlquist, Partner
Winston & Strawn LLP
35 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
With sad but proud hearts, we announce the launch of the Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation. Our guiding principle is to #BeLikeThatcher, and we invite you to donate to this mission and to visit our website to learn more about our beloved boy and all of the great things we plan to do in his honor – BeLikeThatcher.org.
In recognition of Thatcher’s eighth birthday on December 10th and his love of math, we invite anyone who wishes to contribute to do so in multiples of eight. It could be an $8.00 donation, or, if you’d really like to make our boy smile down from heaven, $64.00, as squares and square roots were his favorite mathematical challenge. We also welcome larger donations for those who wish to give more. We’ve set the goal for this campaign as $64,000 to echo the idea of “eight squared,” although if Thatcher was here, he’d point out that $64,000 does not have a round square root. (We’re trying our best here, little boy!)
Our initial goal is to establish an endowed diversity scholarship for the Catherine Cook School, where Thatcher was in second grade at the time of his death. It is the hope of the Foundation that other children will benefit from the phenomenal education that Catherine Cook offers. On a more personal note, it is of great comfort to Thatcher’s parents to know that other children will be able to complete the education that Thatcher was denied.
Please note that the Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation was incorporated on October 8th, 2020 in Illinois as a Not-for-Profit organization, and has filed with the Internal Revenue Service an application for a determination that the Foundation qualifies as a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The determination of tax-exempt status will be retroactively effective to the date of incorporation of the Foundation. Therefore, donations of cash or property to the Foundation will be deductible by the donor for income tax purposes as charitable contributions to the maximum extent permitted by tax law.
What is the goal of the Foundation?
Thatcher believed that every child should have access to a wonderful education, a comfortable home in which to live, and a really fun place to play. Our Foundation’s mission is to make this happen. We wanted our first effort to be one that would connect to each of these ideas in an ongoing way to honor his life. He loved every minute of his time at the Catherine Cook School, and we saw firsthand just how much he grew and was nurtured during this time. The Foundation’s first goal is to establish an endowment that will help many other children feel the same type of joy.
It’s critical to us that any recipient family experience both the joy of this education and the ability to be a full part of the school’s community. To that end, the Foundation is working with the school and other equity partners to ensure that the endowment accounts for expenses beyond just tuition, likely including costs associated with after-school activities, meals, and summer events. To provide an endowed scholarship, the Foundation will need to raise a capital fund such that the interest on the fund provides this amount annually, adjusted for inflation. This means that our ultimate fundraising goal for the Foundation’s initial campaign will be big. We want to create life-lasting change in a sustainable way, and by embodying the tenacity for which Thatcher was known, we will see that this comes to be.
Why is it important to endow the scholarship?
In a word – consistency. The Foundation seeks to ensure that those who receive support know it is fully committed and will not depend upon fluctuations in economic climates or any given year’s fundraising success. In addition, it is the Foundation’s hope is that by creating a large, consistent program aligned with Thatcher’s wish to enable other children to enjoy the same types of experiences he had, it enables a strong starting point for the school and others to build further initiatives that would make Thatcher proud.
For those who wish to donate larger sums, please consider donating by check, sent to:
Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation
c/o David Dahlquist, Partner
Winston & Strawn LLP
35 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Organizer
Thatcher James Swanson Memorial Foundation
Organizer
Chicago, IL