KidsMatter to culminate 25th anniversary celebrations with EMPOWER Gala on Oct. 24

Longstanding nonprofit forms community connections to build resilient kids, help youth discover their pathway

NAPERVILLE, IL. — The Naperville-based nonprofit KidsMatter is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026, and wrapping up a year of celebrations with the annual EMPOWER Gala, set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago Naperville, 1823 Abriter Court, Naperville. The community is invited to join in an evening with a gourmet dinner, a live auction, paddle raise, and meaningful opportunities for community connection — along with a spotlight on talented local students, sharing their gifts, voices and stories. To secure Gala tickets or a sponsorship, visit kidsmatter2us.org/empower/.

The event is a celebration of so many dedicated people and organizations, which have allowed KidsMatter to address the mental health and development needs of youth and families over the past quarter-century. This focus on developing resilient youth through evidence-based strategies has been ever-present throughout KidsMatter’s history, and even links back to the organization’s co-founders — two Naperville women who became known as the “Founding Mothers.”

KidsMatter Co-founder Mary Ann Bobosky completed her doctoral dissertation on the value of partnerships in education. When leaders at Edward Hospital, among others in the community, saw the increasing burdens facing youth, Bobosky became part of a group joining together to help. Hospital leadership worked to form a community-wide prevention strategy to combat teenage destructive behaviors, and the Founding Mothers helped get school, community and business leaders on board. It’s these very partnerships — which Bobosky, Co-Founder Marianne Boyajian and other early supporters began developing in the late 1990s — that have carried KidsMatter through to this day.

KidsMatter’s position as the Naperville area’s proactive, youth-oriented human services organization always has come with a focus on serving as a community connector. KidsMatter brings together organizations and resources — including mental health professionals, schools, public safety agencies, faith-based communities and local businesses — all to benefit kids.

KidsMatter was granted 501(c)(3) status in 2001 as the Naperville Youth Development Coalition and soon brought on Executive Director IdaLynn Wenhold, who served in the role for 17 years. Wenhold came to the organization as a parent wanting to help students build the positive attributes they need for a healthy and successful life — and also as a professional with a master’s degree in education and community counseling. She ran the budding nonprofit first out of a large closet in her home, then later in a borrowed office space at the now-demolished Kroehler Family YMCA building in downtown Naperville.

Wenhold, the Founding Mothers and other supporters began to develop KidsMatter around the research of a Minnesota-based youth empowerment organization called Search Institute, which has studied a set of 40 attributes called Developmental Assets, proven to help youth avoid destructive behaviors and build resilience.

Against changing stressors throughout the years — including alcohol, smoking and marijuana use, heroin and opioid addiction and overdoses, cyberbullying, suicidal thoughts and actions, screen addiction, isolation and mental health — KidsMatter’s use of Search Institute’s Developmental Assets has allowed the organization to build programs proven to support positive youth development. KidsMatter’s collaborative approach also has helped shape Naperville’s identity as a community that values families and always supports the younger generations.

“None of this could have been done without all of our partners coming together. It’s not about one person — it’s about everybody linking arms to forward the lives of our kids in ways that will enable them to become successful, healthy adults who want to give back to their community,” Wenhold said. “I think that’s what makes Naperville the incredible community it is. We are a place that truly values young people.”

During Wenhold’s years leading KidsMatter, well-known programs got their start, such as the Volunteer Fair, which recently connected youth and the community with opportunities to give back locally for the 23rd year. Other programs also had their heyday, including the Skaters’ Picnic, which brought together youth who loved to skateboard with police officers, business leaders and other positive role models for an event all about being celebrated and seen. Downtown business operators played a major role in this event, which helped skaters find constructive uses for their time and build connections with caring adults — both of which are key elements of KidsMatter programs to the present day.

In another example of collaboration, KidsMatter became the leader of the Collaborative Youth Team of Illinois, a group of 36 youth-focused organizations that coordinate activities to support healthy development. KidsMatter even has conducted some of its own research into the needs of local teens, including a survey about the everyday stressors students faced in the mid-2000s and a similar “State of the Kids” survey in 2017. In the 2017 survey, of more than 4,700 students, 30% of seventh-grade students and 23% of tenth graders reported low levels of daily stress.

“Kids were stressed out, but we identified it,” Wenhold said. “Then we were able to build programs to help support their needs. Working with our Senior High Board, we also got students themselves involved, so they’ve always had a voice in identifying solutions to the challenges they face.”

The murals inside the city of Naperville’s Van Buren parking deck are another shining example of a KidsMatter partnership. Working with the public art nonprofit Century Walk, Inc., and local artist Timm Etters, students from Naperville-area high schools painted imagery in their school colors on each of the garage’s floors to help with wayfinding.

KidsMatter also has expanded its reach into parent and family support, with Parent Conversation Circles run in 2014 to support parents of teens and a suite of resources now available on its website about topics including drug abuse and addiction, anxiety, depression and mental health, stress, mindfulness, and building healthy habits around sleep and digital technology use.

In 2018, Wenhold stepped down from her role, and Kamala Martinez became executive director. Martinez helped build up back-end systems to standardize KidsMatter operations and further build impactful community partnerships.

In 2021, Martinez departed, and KidsMatter’s current CEO & Executive Director, Nina Menis, stepped into her leadership role. The organization has grown quickly during Menis’ tenure, adding programs such as the SpringBoard Summer Series and the Teen Philanthropy Initiative, both of which launched in 2023. The newest addition in the works is supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in DuPage County, which provides free books to children between birth and age five in participating communities to support literacy and early academic skills.

KidsMatter has increased its focus on youth mental health in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the growing need for mental health awareness and support. KidsMatter offers Youth Mental Health First Aid courses for adults throughout DuPage, Kane, and Will counties, and Teen Mental Health First Aid certification for youth to learn how to support their peers through mental health crisis and challenges.

Caring about kids and working collaboratively to support them are the hallmarks that will carry KidsMatter forward through the next decades of positive impact. As 25th anniversary celebrations approach their culmination with the EMPOWER Gala, KidsMatter wants to thank everyone and every organization who has been a partner and supporter over the years  — no matter how small. Everyone is invited to continue together our collaborative work of helping build resilient youth who say “No” to destructive choices and “Yes” to endless possibilities.

“We’re so grateful to all of our valued community partners and generous donors, who have made our amazing growth possible in recent years,” Menis said. “KidsMatter is all about helping youth realize their purpose, build resilience, and pursue meaningful pathways to college and career success. Through our work together in youth mental health, leadership development and career exploration, we’re helping shape the next generation of leaders and innovators. We couldn’t be more proud of the youth we serve, our partners, and the work we do together. We look forward to many more years of empowering young people to be the very best version of themselves.”

To learn more about KidsMatter, visit kidsmatter2us.org. To support KidsMatter’s mission as a donor, visit kidsmatter2us.org/ways-to-give/donate/.

About KidsMatter: Recognized as Naperville’s proactive, youth-oriented human services organization, KidsMatter’s mission is to build resilient kids who say “no” to destructive choices and “yes” to endless possibilities. Established in 2001, and now celebrating its 25th year, KidsMatter empowers kids to realize their purpose, know their value, and discover their pathway through programs addressing youth mental health, leadership development and career exploration. A leader among nonprofits, KidsMatter harnesses the power of partnerships to help young people build developmental assets, including positive values, healthy relationships and self-esteem. KidsMatter has been highlighted by NBC 5 Chicago’s Making a Difference in 2024 for providing Youth Mental Health First Aid courses and by CBS News Chicago in 2023 for the Kindness Counts Campaign. With programming focused on preventing problems in the lives of youth before they start — and an extensive network of parents, educators and resources — KidsMatter equips youth and families with essential tools to manage the societal pressures and stresses of everyday life.