Swiss Benevolent Society
P.O. BOX 2137
Chicago, IL 60690-2137

Officers

 

PRESIDENT

Hans U. Stucki

VICE PRESIDENT

Daniel Keller

SECRETARY

Lisa Egli

TREASURER

Oliver Ernst

 

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Colleagues and Members,

Dear Friends of the Swiss Benevolent Society,

139 Years ….longer than any of us will live ….Nearly 60% of the time  that the United States has even existed…..and an impressive length  of time by any measure. Yet this is the life span of the Swiss Benevolent Society of Chicago …. to  date.

Many of you have been touched by the Society’s work. Perhaps you have attended the many Swiss cultural events and exchanges which our Culture Committee regularly sponsors during a given year. Perhaps you, your child, your niece or nephew or grandchild has been the beneficiary of one of the Society’s college scholarships or scholarships to the two-week language immersion program at Concordia Language Village in Minnesota. And maybe you or a friend have been among of the persons of Swiss descent who have economic and/or health problems and whom the Society regularly helps financially.

In any event, all of us are the beneficiaries of a special group of Swiss who gathered  after the Great Chicago Fire to form the Society to help many people of Swiss descent to recover from that event and from another long line of Swiss who have supported and seen to it that the Society’s good works continue over these many years. But these things do not happen by mere good intention. They happen in large part because people send their contributions large and small to continue this work. For this we are grateful beyond our ability to fully express.  And these gifts continue to come despite one of the more difficult economic downturns in many years. That this occurs is testament to the Swiss spirit of fierce independence, coupled with great generosity for those of us less fortunate.

But the needs remain. This year, we will endeavor to provide another way for our members to continue the legacy of the Society, i.e. to offer various new (to us) means of lifetime and estate giving. Watch for these opportunities and please consider them in the same spirit that has built and sustained the Society these many years.

In the meantime, won’t you please read and enjoy this 2010 annual report for what it is , a true representation of what benefits the life and energy of the Society have and will continue to produce.
Hope to see and meet you at our events this year!

Kind Regards  
Hans U. Stucki
President
May 2011