Joe Checota, the chairman, chief govt officer and principal proprietor of Milwaukee-based Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC, a developer of outpatient well being care buildings, says he was a “work-obsessed nerd” when his future spouse of six a long time, Ellen McNamara Checota, first launched him to the enriching nature of artwork, music, and theater.
On Thursday, the couple obtained the Lifetime Achievement Award on the tenth annual BizTimes Media Nonprofit Excellence Awards program, for his or her help of cultural and academic establishments in Milwaukee.
Accepting the award for the philanthropic energy couple, Joe Checota credited his spouse for opening his eyes, not simply to the influence that nice artwork and tradition can have on particular person lives, however on the broader neighborhood.
“She taught me that various cultural landscapes are an essential constructing block within the creation of profitable communities – communities like Milwaukee which might be a terrific place to dwell,” Checota mentioned.
An artist in her personal proper, it was at Ellen’s prompting that the pair made their first cultural contribution to the Milwaukee neighborhood in 2016, donating $400,000 to the Milwaukee Art Museum.
In 2021, the Checotas elevated that influence, with a $5 million contribution to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s $139 million fundraising marketing campaign to create the Bradley Symphony Heart. The funding additionally helped construct the MSO’s endowment, repay pension legal responsibility and bolster its working fund. In recognition of their present, the Bradley Symphony Heart contains the Ellen & Joe Checota Gallery and Ellen & Joe Checota Atrium.
In 2022, the couple set their sights on serving to enhance the lives of native residents via schooling, establishing a brand new scholarship program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). Funded by a $5 million two-for-one problem present from the couple, the Checotas agreed to contribute $1 million of their $5 million present to MATC every time matching present donors contributed $500,000 to help the Checota Scholarship Program. To this point, the Checotas have contributed $4 million and 257 donors have contributed $2 million to the scholarship fund. When absolutely funded, the $7.5 million present from the Checotas and the $2.5 million of fifty% matching items from different donors will grow to be the biggest charitable present within the 110-year historical past of MATC.
Then, Earlier this yr the Milwaukee Repertory Theater introduced a confidential present from the Checotas in direction of The Milwaukee Rep’s $75 million fundraising effort to rebuild its downtown Milwaukee theater advanced. The Checotas’ present is the second-largest charitable contribution within the 69-year historical past of the Milwaukee Rep. In recognition of that present, the brand new predominant stage of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater will probably be named the Ellen and Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater.
Gratitude and steerage
Talking about these donations on Thursday, Joe Checota thanked the tons of of corporations, foundations, and people who had supplied essential matching funds to the Checota Scholarship fund, and credited his spouse, who first prompt they create such a fund lengthy earlier than that they had the means to take action.
“Ellen taught me that households that obtain monetary success have an obligation to share their success with members of their neighborhood who require a leg as much as construct higher lives for themselves and their households,” he mentioned.
He additionally thanked Landmark Healthcare Amenities and its devoted workforce, for feeding the “monetary engine that allows” Ellen and him to make such items to the neighborhood.
However in the long run, it’s Ellen who deserves the lion’s share of the credit score for the {couples} work and generosity, Joe Checota mentioned.
“Ellen and I’ve discovered that recognition that comes comparatively late in life, may be very particular recognition for the individuals who obtain it,” he mentioned. “I’ve looked for what I name true details all through my life, and right here’s the true truth about this work: This award belongs to Ellen Catherine McNamara Checota.”
