Tag Archives: Tootsie Roll Drive

Challenge Unlimited and Knights of Columbus Join Forces to Support Individuals with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

Individuals are pictured in from of a Blue banner with Challenge Unlimited Logo
Pictured from left to right: John Becker, CU Vice President of Programs, Mark Droste, Knights or Columbus Alton Council 460, Andy Esterer, Executive Vice President of Finance

The Knights of Columbus annually hosts their “Tootsie Roll” Drive fundraiser. They organize and coordinate the event and distribute the funds raised to provide much needed support to local organizations who provide services and quality-of-life programming for people living with intellectual  and developmental disabilities.

This is a statewide fundraiser that has been going on for many years and it also helps to raise awareness, advocacy, the importance of diversity and inclusion for everyone.  Each year, the staff and clients from Challenge Unlimited, and other organizations volunteer to support the event and receive a portion of the funds.

Partnerships with local organizations like the Knights of Columbus Council 460, Illinois are so important to our mission. Today representative, Mark Droste, stopped in and presented a check from the 2022 fundraiser to our Executive Vice President of Finance, Andy Esterer and Vice President of Programs, John Becker.

We want to express our sincere gratitude to the Knights for your generous donation of $3,500. These funds will be used to support our programming for the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year to increase the opportunities we can provide for the individuals that we serve.