The Charles and Loretta Oehler Family Charitable Fund, Inc.

Working Toward a Brighter Future

Who We Are

Our Roots

Throughout their lives, Loretta and Charles ("Chuck") Oehler displayed an acute awareness of God's presence in all people, and the dignity it instilled. They quietly reflected this awareness in how they lived, treating everyone they met with kindness and respect, and proactively helping those in need through continuous donations of time and money, even when both were in short supply in their own lives. This example had a powerful impact, bringing to life the adage "it's better to give than receive" and inspiring their children and others to leave the world better than they found it.

The Charles and Loretta Oehler Family Charitable Fund (the "Fund") was founded in honor of Loretta and Chuck to carry on their lifelong commitment to their Catholic faith and human dignity by promoting respect, compassion and service to others. The Fund joins the fight against homelessness, abuse and injustice, poverty cycles and the erosion of Christian values. With its vision to expand its impact over time, the Fund develops and operates its own mission-critical programs and leverages resources through collaborations with entities aligned with the Fund's mission, which may include financial support when appropriate.

As Loretta and Chuck extended their charity to their own community and internationally, the Fund places no geographic boundaries on its activities and support. We welcome the opportunity to explore possibilities with you.

About

Charles and Loretta Oehler

Charles and Loretta (Doran) Oehler were born and raised in Chicago, Il, the son of Charles and Marie Oehler, and daughter of Richard and Delia Doran. Their parents instilled values of faith, family, integrity, respect, compassion, work ethic, perseverance, and service, which they passed on to their own children.

Charles ("Chuck") Oehler, served in the US 82nd Airborne Division during World War II and subsequently received his Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from Loras College. He went on to enjoy a successful professional career, displaying the initiative of an entrepreneur by starting his own accounting and tax firm and ultimately rising to the positions of Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer in the tool manufacturing industry. His ever-present positive outlook, extraordinarily friendly, helpful spirit and steadfast dedication to supporting his family has won him the undying admiration and love of his children and all those who know him. His devotion to his Catholic faith is evident in his regular attendance at Mass, membership in the Knights of Columbus, and perhaps most importantly, in the way he treats others, always with respect and dignity, regardless of race, religion or background. He chose the best when he married the love of his life, Loretta Doran, to whom he was lovingly devoted for 69 years until her birth to eternal life. A paragon of integrity and man of his word, he remains an inspiration to all.

Loretta Doran Oehler was a shining example of her Catholic faith, and set the standard for consideration and kindness. With her brilliant mind, she achieved academic excellence that included her selection to the National Honor Society. She had a loving, compassionate heart, a keen sense of humor, an unswerving dedication to her faith, family and community, and a pragmatic, quiet toughness that carried her through life's most difficult moments. Her marriage to Chuck created a juggernaut marital team that raised an amazing family with children who felt they won the lottery when they were born into it. Her life reflected her many blessings of God's grace including her talents as a pianist, her joy at seeing her family enjoy each other's company, her radiant smile that lit up the room, her fan favorite status with students, faculty and professional colleagues with whom she worked, her generous donations of money and time throughout her life to those in need, her steadfast encouragement to her children to be the best people they could be, and her uniquely authentic, down-to-earth realism and perspectives.

The Charles and Loretta Oehler Family Charitable Fund, Inc. was established to honor the lives of these two extraordinary people, and their powerful examples of faith, hope, love and humility. Accordingly, the Fund strives to extend their legacy of making the world a better place today, and for generations to come.

Mission and Objectives

Alleviate Homelessness

Transforming Lives

The Fund strives to advance every person's right to safe, basic shelter by supporting the following efforts to aid the homeless:

entities providing emergency, transitional and long term shelter;

life skills training for self-sufficiency;

education and job training;

job counseling & placement;

mental health and addiction recovery programs.

Disrupt Poverty Cycles

Inspiring Hope

The Fund strives to break generational poverty cycles using a variety of strategies to offer a hand up instead of a handout:

increased access to education via scholarships for those unable to afford the costs of education;

support of entities filling gaps in educational resources available to the underprivileged, including school construction and improvement;

revolving micro-loans for businesses started or owned by income-eligible recipients to achieve financial self-sufficiency, with repaid loans recycled to help other eligible recipients;

investments in social enterprises that a) enable income-eligible recipients to achieve financial self-sufficiency, b) source services and supplies from local entities, c) provide training or employment to the chronically unemployed, d) provide affordable goods and services to low income populations.

Fight Human Abuse

Making Change Possible

The Fund strives to remove the fear of any form of human abuse by supporting qualified entities engaged in:

operating rescue programs and emergency shelters;

counseling abuse victims;

education and job training;

supportive social services;

innovative solutions identified by qualified experts serving victims.

Examples of Project Interests

Bariadi, Tanzania

Funding provided individually by founders of The Charles and Loretta Oehler Family Charitable Fund, Inc. has helped advance the extensive community and spiritual development work of Fr. Herbert Gappa, of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. and Fr. Paul Fagan in the Bariadi Tanzania region. Fr. Gappa spent over 25 years serving the people of Bariadi, digging over 300 shallow wells that eliminated disease and death caused by consumption of dirty stream water, initiating an ecologically sound forestation effort that added over 10,000 trees to a barren area and transformed lives by providing a source of income, firewood, and home building materials, and founding a primary school that today serves over 600 young children annually who previously had no access to education due to unaffordable costs. Fr. Fagan focused his ministry on building a health clinic that has grown into a comprehensive hospital facility today, providing previously unavailable quality healthcare access to surrounding communities.

Manila and Provinces, Philippines

To extend a prior collaboration between founders of the Fund and Sr. Helen Graham, Ph.D., of the Maryknoll Sisters, The Fund will support the work of the Kariton Empowerment Center (KEC) based in Manila, Philippines, and victims of natural disasters who are rebuilding their housing and communities. The KEC mission aligns perfectly with the Fund by providing jobs, training, social services and spiritual support to homeless women living in karitons (small mobile carts) on the streets of Manila, sometimes with children. To accomplish its mission, KEC founded a cafe and a recycling shop, providing immediate employment and training opportunities for the homeless, in turn fostering self-reliance and self-respect. Children of participating adults are enrolled in school as a first step towards breaking the generational poverty cycle, and regular social and spiritual activities are made available to all participants to foster a sense of belonging and community. The Fund also will extend the support provided individually by its founders for scholarships that have enabled numerous students to obtain college degrees in nursing, and for financial aid that has enabled the work of award-winning author and Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar C.Ss.R. and others in rebuilding shelter in communities devastated by typhoons, and equipping schools with modern computers.

Mexico

In partnership with Sr. Vivian Giddings, OP, of the Racine Dominican Sisters, founders of The Charles and Loretta Oehler Family Charitable Fund have supported numerous scholarships for students who otherwise would not have been able to afford post-secondary education, producing multiple college degree holders in accounting, nursing, engineering and theology, including one who subsequently was ordained to the priesthood. In addition, support has been provided for basic living needs such as food and clothing, and for religious articles and other community needs identified by Sr. Vivian, following the scriptural guidance embodied in Mathew 25:35-40: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.....Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Leadership

Board of Directors

The Charles and Loretta Oehler Family Charitable Fund, Inc. is fortunate to be governed by professionals with extensive experience relevant to advancing the Fund's mission. All Board members serve on a volunteer basis and receive no compensation for their time and service.

Chuck Oehler, President and Director. Mr. Oehler has over thirty years experience leading non-profit and for-profit corporations in Chief Executive and Board of Directors roles, including two that he founded. In these roles he successfully raised tens of millions of dollars, expanded operations and impact, achieved profitability, oversaw corporate governance and regulatory compliance, eliminated inherited debt, supervised professional staff and led strategic planning. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Political Science and Spanish from St. John's University, Minnesota, and a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was awarded a highly competitive academic fellowship as one of the program's top students.

Chuck Sara, Director. Mr. Sara has over thirty years of experience in the practice of law, including intellectual property law, most recently as a partner and former department chair with DeWitt LLP, a leading law firm based in Madison, WI. A former English teacher, football and wrestling coach at Fork Union Military Academy (VA), he spent a few years in the Dairy Science Department at Virginia Tech before entering law school. His community service includes leadership roles on Boards of Directors of non-profit entities, including the former Wisconsin Biotechnology Association. Mr. Sara holds a Bachelor Degree from the University of North Carolina, with work towards a Master's degree in Dairy Science at Virginia Tech, and a JD degree from the George Mason University School of Law.

Annette Oehler, Director. Ms. Oehler has extensive professional health care experience as a registered nurse, including both clinical and administrative experience in hospital and hospice settings. Additionally, as founder of a profitable child day care service, she has entrepreneurial experience, along with non-profit service experience through her volunteer work with her local school system and other charitable entities. Ms. Oehler holds a Nursing degree from the St. Anthony School of Nursing in Rockford, IL and was a top percentile finisher in the Illinois State Nursing Board Exam. She also holds both Bachelor and M.S. Degrees in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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