Frank Babka

Frank Babka was born in Kewanee, Illinois. His parents, Ed and Virginia, founded Babka Publishing Co. in 1957 and shortly thereafter published their first publication, "The Antique Trader", choosing the topic because of Frank's mother's passion for collecting antiques. The publication was largely responsible for turning antique collecting into a viable profession, and grew in popularity for 35 years, until the business was sold in 1992.

Frank started helping his father in the publishing shop at a young age and became a partial owner of the company when he turned 20. He took much of what he learned from working in Babka Publishing's shop with him when he went to work for Cargill, where he worked in shipping until he retired at the age of 37. Although he could have retired at the age of 37 with his profit from the sale of Babka Publishing Co., Frank took the time to really contemplate his next move. He chose to become a full-time philanthropist.

Since retiring, Frank has put his resources, time, and skills to great use by supporting many charities. For the last 2 decades, Frank has travelled in a number of developing nations, and has shown video of his travels to thousands of students in the Midwest, while telling them about the many causes he is passionate about, and inspiring them to live a philanthropic life. CARE is honored to be one of many nonprofits that Frank chooses to support, and he has given both financially and by lending his voice to CARE Advocacy regularly. Among the many causes dear to him are: finding innovative ways to combat climate change, supporting those in the developing world, and a long list of others. He is proud to support all sorts of charities: local, international, small "start-up" nonprofits, and large humanitarian organizations.

Although Frank was fortunate in his early years, he has continued to invest in stocks and bonds, and has added to his net worth. His success and smart investing have improved the lives of so many around the world already, but he still wishes to do more in the future. In addition to donating to CARE on an annual basis, Frank has listed CARE as one of the beneficiaries in his estate plan, ensuring that he will leave a legacy of saving lives, fighting poverty, and achieving social justice