When Charles Tillman changed the focus of his Cornerstone Foundation in 2008, he did so with a heavy heart. Tillman and his wife, Jackie, were devastated when their 3-month-old daughter was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. The infant ultimately required a heart transplant. That experience was the impetus for a new mission for the charitable organization.
“I think we’re put on this Earth for a certain reason and my purpose is to help those in need, and so far I’m trying to live up to that, and hopefully I can continue to do it throughout my lifetime,” Tillman says.
Since 2005, Tillman’s Cornerstone Foundation has helped bring health support to over 20,000 Chicago-area children. “One of the most gratifying things about having your own foundation is the fact that you get to see how your work has helped other families,” he says.
Recently, Tillman held a fundraiser for his foundation at the South Side’s Gallery Guichard. A Chicago native, the man lovingly known citywide as “Peanut” revels in offering assistance to a city that was instrumental in his development.
“What better [way] to give back than to the city that you live in, the city that you’re from, the city that you were born in,” he says. “It’s only fit[ting] that I give back to my community whether it’s Chicago or the suburbs, I think it’s only fit[ting] and fair to give back and help out the people in your neighborhood.” –gavin philip godfrey
Check out exclusive video footage of Charles Tillman at www.rollingout.com.
