Upon the retirement of Dr. Bowen in 2007 the Kenilworth Union Church created an endowment fund of the church, the income of which is made available to Marlene and Gilbert Bowen each year to support charitable organizations with which they have a relationship. A committee of the church supervises their selection.
At present some of them are:
Sidewalk Sunday School. A ministry to the children and youth of the public housing projects of Waukegan, Illinois, led by Pastor Louis and Trish Reyes. Begun in 1997, serves 1700 children and 400 teens from dysfunctional families with a seven day a week program.
RAPP, a transitional program associated with The Night Ministries taking young pregnant women off the streets and helping them continue in school and find jobs as well as providing them with pre-natal care. Over 100 served each year.
Do Your P’art Foundation. The mission is to bring children from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds for serious encounter over time through the medium of artistic collaborations. This is done by pairing up public and private schools located in different areas of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. 3500+ culturally diverse children aged 10-18 from 34 schools are involved in art projects.
Interfaith House. This is a unique health recovery center for homeless people discharged from area hospitals but still in need of medical care and shelter for continued healing. Interfaith House uses the recovery period as a window of opportunity to introduce programs of medical health, mental health, substance abuse treatment, housing replacement and spiritual guidance. It has served over 3,000 homeless since opening in June, 1994.
Wilmette Family Service Center. Serving Wilmette, Glenview and Northbrook, the center offers individuals, couples, and family therapy for a wide range of emotional, relationship and substance abuse problems. The staff of highly experienced mental health professionals provides up to date, affordable, and quality care at three locations.
Gift to Kenilworth International School, Kumasi, Ghana. In association with visit of KUC volunteers.
St. Efram School, Bethlehem School created by Assyrian Christians there to provide their children with a faith-based education in the midst of a culture where hard-line Islam is the only alternative.
Committee for Development of Social Services for Israeli Arab Community, and St. Joseph’s School, Father Emile Shoufani, K-12 for Israeli Arab Christian Children in Nazareth.
$72,900 expended in gifts ranging from $10,000 to $2,000.
