Earthrise Energy grant powers new shade structure at Monee Reservoir

From left: The Nature Foundation board members Marcy DeMauro, Elnalyn Costa, and Ellen Gorski-Green; The Nature Foundation board member and Forest Preserve Executive Director Tracy Chapman; The Nature Foundation board member Laura McCarthy; Cheryl Toohey, Earthrise Energy communications and events manager; The Nature Foundation board member Donna Theimer; Talya Tavor, Earthrise Energy director of community engagement; The Nature Foundation board members Jim Flax, Margaret Tyson, Julie Berkowicz, and Ralph Schultz; The Nature Foundation Executive Director Tara Neff; and The Nature Foundation board member Jennifer Gabrenya.

Visitors to Monee Reservoir will soon have it made in the shade thanks to a $50,000 gift to The Nature Foundation of Will County from Earthrise Energy.

The funding received through Earthrise Energy’s RISE Grant program will be used to add a large shade structure to the patio outside Monee Reservoir’s visitor center providing respite from the sun in a spot where people often gather to eat, socialize and participate in Forest Preserve programs and activities.

The $50,000 donation is the largest one-time gift for Will County in the grant program’s history, said Talya Tavor, the director of community engagement for Earthrise Energy, an independent power producer that has plants in Crete and Manhattan. 

Earthrise Energy, a public benefit corporation, developed the RISE Grant program as a way to invest and partner with local non-profit organizations that serve the populations where the company has operations, Tavor said.

“After visiting the beautiful reservoir during the blazing summer, we realized all too well how helpful a shade structure would be — to both make the reservoir more accessible and offer an added safety feature,” Tavor said. “We were thrilled to support this idea.”

The financial support from Earthrise Energy allowed us to be a bit more creative in developing a project that achieves multiple objectives, said Amy Roberts, a project manager for the Forest Preserve who is overseeing the project. The custom shade structure was designed to maintain the water views.

The patio is a natural gathering spot for visitors and also a place where Forest Preserve staff meet participants for public programs, youth group activities and more, said Heather Van Zyl, the Forest Preserve facility supervisor overseeing Monee Reservoir.

The $50,000 grant for the shade structure is the continuation of growing relationship between The Nature Foundation of Will County and Earthrise Energy.

“We are thankful for their sponsorship of Hummingbird Fest at Plum Creek Nature Center last year and their support for our first ever Trivia Night fundraiser this year,” said Tara Neff, executive director of The Nature Foundation.

Van Zyl is thankful for the continued partnership, too. She expressed that when the project is complete, it will make a better experience for visitors of all ages, of all abilities, and of all needs to have a more comfortable space that still offers beautiful views of the lake.