Grace Butz Creates Fundraiser for Let It Be Us Supporting Young People in Foster Care

When Grace Butz, a senior at Indiana University’s School of Business, a volunteer at Let It Be Us, and daughter of Let It Be Us Board Member Larry Butz, decided to do something special for her birthday she wanted it to be a little different, but she didn’t expect it to be spectacular. Grace planned a Facebook fundraiser for her birthday to benefit Let It Be Us and the Megan Patricia Butz Legacy Fund, a fund established to honor her sister and one that provides Let It Be Us Programming for teens in foster care.

Grace and her sisters Sophie & Megan Butz.

“I have online fundraised for a dance marathon at college so, while this project had a shorter time frame, I was comfortable with online fundraising,” said Grace. She continued, “So when Facebook suggested that I select a charity for my birthday I immediately thought of Let It Be Us and I set the goal at their suggested $200. I was thinking I could raise a little more than $200, but certainly not $5,000!”

In total, Grace raised $5,180 before her fundraiser was over.

Grace used her business school intuition and watched her fundraiser breakthrough every threshold she set. She started at $200, then changed the goal to $500, then $1,000, then $2,000. By then the fundraiser had a speed of its own and climbed past $5,000.

When we interviewed Grace for this publication she humbly said, “Yes, I’m so surprised!”

Grace graduates from the University of Indiana’s Kelley School of Business in the spring and has accepted a position as a Financial Analyst with LivCor, a Blackstone Company.

Susan McConnell, Founder and Executive Director of Let It Be Us, said, “On behalf of everyone at Let It Be Us, thank you Grace! This was an inspiring fundraiser!”

The funds raised will support young people in foster care through the Let It Be Us Springboard to Adulthood Program which fills a significant need for young people who are in foster care and are at risk for aging out of the system without a family or permanent support system. We believe strongly that all young people deserve and need support as teenagers and young adults to successfully launch into adulthood. In Illinois, children age out of the child welfare system when they turn 21 years old. That means that a young person who has not reunified with his or her biological parents or family, hasn’t been adopted, or isn’t being supported by a foster home after aging out, is left to navigate young adulthood on his or her own.
Let It Be Us wants to change that by working with young people ages 15+ to place them within families or family-like housing and then provide wrap-around services to support life-sustaining educational and employment goals, improving their overall life outcomes.

Those interested in learning more about the Let It Be Us Springboard to Adulthood Program are welcome to contact Annika Wisse, Program Manager, at annikawisse@letitbeus.org.

About Let It Be Us

Let It Be Us is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the landscape of foster care and adoption in Illinois. Our mission is to inspire foster care and adoption so more children in care grow up in stable, healthy homes. Funds raised will go to programs that build the strong and innovative bridge between our waiting children and foster and adoptive parents. Learn more at letitbeus.org