Nan and Wayne Kocourek stand in front of the newly dedicated PAWS Chicago Medical Center at 3516 W. 26th St. Their transformational gift will allow PAWS to carry its No Kill mission well into the future. (Photo Candace Jordan)
The PAWS Chicago Medical Center was dedicated on Monday, June 3, in honor of two donors who have made a transformative gift to support the nonprofit's mission of ensuring PAWS Chicago’s No Kill efforts continue well into the future.
PAWS Chicago founder Paula Fasseas with generous donors Nan and Wayne Kocourek. (Photo Candace Jordan)
Renamed the PAWS Chicago Nan & Wayne Kocourek Medical Center, this state-of-the-art facility is central to Chicago’s No Kill mission. The specialized medical team treats over 23,000 homeless and at-risk pets annually. The center includes medical-grade quarantine and isolation rooms, advanced surgical suites, a high-volume spay and neuter clinic, intake, triage, and exam rooms, a world-class veterinary staff and ample space to house and care for hundreds of animals comfortably.
Nan Kocourek with PAWS Chicago's Kristina Rosinia and Jacob Martin, a new Chicago Bear player. He reached out to PAWS asking if he could be a foster. (Photo Candace Jordan)
Operating the Medical Center, which is open 365 days a year and staffed by numerous veterinary and animal welfare professionals, necessitates significant annual fundraising.
The Kocoureks have established an endowment to ensure essential operations are funded into perpetuity, regardless of short-term economic challenges like pandemics or recessions.
Nan and Wayne Kocourek with Susanna Wickham, PAWS Chicago's CEO, in front of the medical center that now bears their name. (Photo Candace Jordan)
During the dedication ceremony, Nan and Wayne were honored by grateful volunteers, supporters and co-founders Paula and Alexis Fasseas. The celebration included champagne, flowers and prayers of thanks for the generous couple.
PAWS Chicago gallery photos
Andrea Parks, Nan and Wayne Kocourek, Sammi Parks and Skylee Parks.
Denise Raddatz and Paula Fasseas.
Jacob Martin with PAWS pup Stark.
Nan and Wayne Kocourek in front of PAWS Chicago medical center.
PAWS pup Fox.
Skylee Parks with PAWS Pup Chalamet.
Murray Peretz, Paula Fasseas and Tracy Portnoy. (Photo Candace Jordan)
Alexis Fasseas, Nan Kocourek, Barbara Rinella and Wayne Kocourek. (Photo Candace Jordan)
Phillip Emigh, Angie DeMars and Bruce Haas. (Photo Candace Jordan)
Suzanne LeMignot and John Luce. (Photo Candace Jordan)
Wayne, a certified public accountant and self-made entrepreneur, approached their support of PAWS from a business perspective. “Supporting PAWS makes sense. It’s grown into a really robust organization, very complex and doing tremendous things in terms of saving animals,” he said.
The tail wagging at the facility must be fast and furious right about now.
(To read more of the Kocoureks' story, click here.)
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