I want to congratulate Karen Tardy on her retirement as program coordinator for the OPRF Community Foundation’s Future Philanthropists Program (FPP). Karen joined FPP as a mentor in the program’s second year and took over as program coordinator in 2013. She has managed FPP’s growth from 16 high school juniors and seniors annually to 70 in 2025, as well as coordination with mentors, parents and grantee organizations. Her dedication to FPP and passion for its mission will be dearly missed.
This program, which I created with my wife, Cheryl, would not have happened without Karen and the kind of effort she puts into the nuances and details. Working with teenagers is not everybody’s cup of tea, particularly as a mentor trying to influence their future behavior. We relied on Karen and our mentors to show that passion every day — and that has proven to be the case over and over again. Alumni from 15 years ago still keep in touch with her.
“Karen Tardy is the glue that binds the teens, mentors and the Future Philanthropists Program together,” says FPP mentor Wendy Will. “Her leadership is on display whether it’s planning and implementing the teaching modules, organizing the volunteer opportunities, collecting the grant requests and so many other details that keep us all together. Her positivity and encouragement work to bring confidence to the teens as they grow as leaders.”
“It’s been said that it’s not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters most — and Karen Tardy is one of those people,” says Jane Erickson, an FPP mentor. “I have known her for over 20 years and we have worked together in FPP and other organizations. She is that person you can always count on and she sees what needs to be done even before you realize it.”
Thank you, Karen, for teaching the art, science and business of philanthropy to the next generation of community leaders.
Rick King
Future Philanthropists Program
Oak Park