The West Suburban Philanthropic Network (WSPN) presented Daniel and Carol Goodwin of Oak Brook its 2015 Philanthropists of the Year award last week, for their integrity, leadership, generosity and dedication.
They have provided expertise, time and resources to a large variety of non-profit organizations, including the DuPage County Historical Museum.
The Wheaton Park District, along with the DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation and the Play For All Playground & Garden Foundation, nominated several worthy recipients for various awards relating to their contributions in the western suburbs.
Michael Benard, executive director of the Wheaton Park District presented the Goodwins with the award.
One of the areas the Goodwins have dedicated themselves to is affordable housing. To date, Daniel Goodwin wrote the only published study on affordable housing in DuPage County. This study, and his involvement with a local task force, helped in the implementation of an affordable housing policy for the county. The policy has continued to serve as a model in many communities throughout the nation. This work also led him to form the not-for-profit, New Directions Housing Corporation, which has now built or remodeled more than 500 affordable housing units throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
Daniel Goodwin has also been involved with the taxpayer-owned DuPage Airport Authority. Under his chairmanship, the airport was able to turn a decade of operating losses into operating profits, all airport debt was repaid, and for the first time, the government-owned airport is debt free. The airport now generates over $106 million in income annually for the surrounding area.
In 2004, when Northeastern Illinois University contract negotiations stalled, faculty went on strike, and it was up to the last day in the strike timeline when students would lose their semester credit, the Goodmans contributed personal funds to settle the strike and the semester was saved that year.
They are also funding the construction of the Daniel L. Goodman Hall of Business on the Benedictine University campus in Lisle, and they recently assisted with the acquisition of hundreds of acres of open space in the suburbs with The Conservation Foundation.
