Community of

JOURNAL REVIEW
F O R E S T PA R K
W E D N E S D A Y

September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Earlier hours mean earlier care.

injuries dont make appointments.

Gottlieb Center for Immediate Care at River Forest
Our newest center provides the expert medical care of both Gottlieb and Loyola specialists. Located at the corner of North Ave. and Ashland Ave., our immediate care center offers treatments for everything from minor burns and sprains, to allergies, fever and flu. There are no long waits, no appointments necessary, and were now conveniently located in River Forest.

Immediate Care Hours: 8 a.m. 8 p.m., weekdays 8 a.m. 3 p.m., weekends and holidays
(closed Christmas Day)

Gottlieb Center for Immediate Care at River Forest 7617 W. North Ave. River Forest, IL 60305 (708) 771-1300 GottliebHospital.org/ImmediateCare

2012 Loyola University Health System

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

e caring never stops

Caring became a simple circle. That circle was not broken by the United Ways new focus. It wasnt broken by the state of Illinois inability to meets its financial obligations to social service groups. Yes, those were challenges. But the circle endures because the needs are great and the strength of our towns is real. So this year, Community of Caring returns and it continues its simple mission of storytelling. We have chosen a dozen local organizations. Some have been in service for decades, a couple are almost brand new. They serve kids, teens, elders, people with disabilities and people who find themselves in need. Each story is about an individual who has benefited from the loving and expert care these groups provide. Reporter Deb Quantock McCarey and photographer David Pierini combined to make these people very real. These are our neighbors and we hope you will find their stories memorable and actionable. Give back. It could be your hard-earned cash in this tough economy. It could be your time in this constrained moment. One thing is sure: Your family has felt a need at some moment of crisis because every family has those moments. And someone has answered your call. This is your moment.

ach fall, for many years, the Journal and Review would publish a special section called Community of Caring. It was an effort to focus readers attention on the annual fundraising efforts of the local United Way by telling the stories of people who received social services from the agencies that depended on funding from the charity. But then the United Way got less local and the connection to local agencies grew more tenuous and, finally, a couple of years ago, we reluctantly gave up entirely on the section. We were no longer sure that the money given locally stayed local. And the United Way narrowed its funding focus to the extent that many local community services we valued no longer fit into its funding mechanisms. So we took a couple of years off. But then this summer we came to our senses. This section was simply organized around the United Way It wasnt about the United Way . . It was about families in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park who needed help and turned toward one of the dozens of social service groups and volunteer efforts that met their need. It was about professionals and volunteers who were devoting their lives to meet the needs of our neighbors. And when, in words and pictures, we told those individual stories of need and the courage to reach out of reciprocating care and kindness then our Community of

If you want to help

This year we feature the following agencies and groups: Accolade Adult Daycare The Food Pantry at the Howard Mohr Community Center Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County The Ways to Work program at Lutheran Child and Family Services National Alliance of Mental Illness Metro Suburban Drop-In Center Neighborhood Giving Project The Farrelly-Muriello Apartments of the Oak Park Residence Corporation Opportunity Knocks Parenthesis Parent-Child Center Progress Center for Independent Living West Suburban Pro Bono Legal Network Senior Citizens Center of Oak Park-River Forest

DAN HALEY

Editor Ken Trainor Publisher Dan Haley VP/Director of Operations Andrew Johnston Sta Photographer David Pierini Contributing Writer Deb Quantock McCarey Editorial Design Manager Claire Innes Editorial Designers Luke Baker, Mark Tatara Manager of Internet and Technology Graham Johnston Digital Editor Rosie Powers Web Developer Mike Risher

Sta

Advertising Production Manager Philip Soell Advertising Design Manager Andrew Mead Advertising Designers Elisha-Rio Apilado, Debbie Becker Advertising Director Marc Stopeck Display Advertising Sales Dawn Ferencak, Missy Laurell Display Advertising Coordinator Carrie Bankes Classied Advertising Sales Sarah Corbin, Laurie Myers Circulation Manager Kathy Hansen Distribution Coordinator Alan Majeski Circulation Associate Mike Braam Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

ON THE COVER: Christin Deloach with her daughter, Zyonna, 1.

DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

Building community.
News. Resources. Calendar. Community.

About our contributor

Deb Quantock McCarey is a freelance writer who has worked with Wednesday Journal Inc. since 1995. She is also a person with a rare form of juvenile macular degeneration, which over time has caused her to lose her central vision, and ability to drive. Instead, she walks, navigates mass transit, and rides a bike. So far, in spite of it all, she has completed two Chicago Marathons, is an urban gardener, and actively participates in social justice issues and community service. Deb resides with her husband Kevin, as well as their big dog and small, bossy cat. anks to the accessibility function on her smartphone, Deb, who is also a writer/ producer at Lyman Street Productions (www.lymanstreetproductions.com), freely admits that now she is able to text her sons, Colin and Corey, way too much.

V I S I T T O D AY !

September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Accolade Day Services o ers socialization and respite

Life with (and without) Tom

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

n their 23 years of marriage, Oak Parkers Betty and Tom Henderson danced through life. Then about two years ago, everything flipped overnight. The man I live with now is not the man I married, said Betty at Accolade Adult Day Services, a program run by Catholic Charities. His personality is gone. Our anniversary means nothing to him. Nothing means anything to him anymore. I miss him. The first signs came on the job when the professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Chicago could no longer teach his medical students. The explanation came when he was diagnosed with a non-Alzheimers type of degeneration that has affected his ability to organize things, follow directions and mentally stay on track. Tom is a great example of how individuals with this can pass all these tests that people give for Alzheimers because their memories are fine, initially, but later on memory will be an issue, says Betty, who continues to lecture three days a week for UICs Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology That is starting . to happen to Tom now. A through-the-week support system was needed when she contacted Theresa Gates-Ross, the director of Accolade Adult Day Services. My goal for Tom and Betty, and all the patients and caregivers here, is that we do our very best to take care of their loved ones, while they, the caregivers, get much-needed rest or run some errands, Gates-Ross says. We have a nurse on staff, so we let them know that whatever happens, we will call them. Once the family realizes their loved one likes it here, all that becomes easier.

KEEPING FIT: Geneva Anderson, le , and Mary Ratli do chair exercises at Accolade Adult Daycare.
DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

All in a day
In this new community, Toms busy day

begins with a meet-and-greet, followed by breakfast and exercise. Then he and his new friends continue socializing through a range of activities, which includes a drumming circle where Tom, a former high school marching band drummer, pounds a bongo drum. Doing puzzles is a dexterous passion he still possesses, as is taking long walks and volunteering to help out onsite when asked, Gates-Ross says. Late morning, this laid-back southern gentleman enjoys lunch or coffee at a local eatery or hops the van to visit the Oak Park or Garfield Park conservatories. They might head west to spend an afternoon jumping on a jumbo trampoline in Naperville, or travel into Chicago to have lunch at the House of Blues and, perhaps, take in Buckingham Fountain. Excursion groups are formed, Gates-Ross says, based on each patients functionality. Ill be planning a trip to the Chicago

Botanic Gardens soon, she notes, and I know Tom will adore that because he still knows a whole lot about plants. On weekends, Betty chooses to go it alone with her husband. Just trying to get ready to go somewhere is very hard, she observes, because you have to repeat things to him over and over and over again. I think one of the differences is that I am still determined to have him do whatever he can do on his own. But every now and then, I do get frustrated and say here, let me put it on. , To provide additional support quarterly, Gates-Ross conducts caregiver workshops, and is hoping to offer free respite to caregivers one Saturday morning a month soon. Its a hard job to care for someone you do not recognize as the person that you remember being there, says Gates-Ross to Betty . It is almost like being with a stranger. But you have done so well, Betty Im proud of . you.

Catholic Charities/Accolade Adult Daycare

Complete address: 112 S. Humphrey, Oak Park, IL General o ce number: 708-445-1300 Leadership contact name & title: Theresa Gates, site director How long have you been in existence? 8 years Ways volunteers can help: Playing games Useful donations other than money: bingo prizes & puzzles

STRENGTHEN
WEST COOK YMCA

From urban gardens to preschool programming, from tutoring to senior field trips, the Y is working hard to make a positive impact in our community. At the West Cook YMCA, we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. We believe every family, child, and senior should have the opportunity to thrive, whether it be through volunteering, playing, learning, or exercising. Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility are at our core.

OUR

255 S. Marion St., Oak Park, IL 60302 708 383 5200 www.westcookymca.org facebook.com/westcooky

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

Forest Park Food Pantry keeps the shelves stocked

A continuous community food drive

Howard Mohr Community Center
Complete address: 7640 Jackson Blvd. Forest Park, IL 60130 General o ce number: 708-771-7737 Email: kdylewski@forestpark.net Website: www.forestpark.net Leadership contact name & title: Karen Dylewski, director Statement of purpose: To serve the people in our community who are struggling. To provide a con dential environment that respects an individuals privacy and acknowledges how difcult it is to ask for assistance. To provide a basis for understanding that the people who use the pantry could be our neighbors and friends who are struggling without our knowledge. How long have you been in existence? The Forest Park Food Pantry has been in existence for about 30 years. Ways volunteers can help: Food drives, volunteers during the holidays to deliver holiday dinners and gifts to the less fortunate. To volunteer, call: 708-771-7737 Useful donations other than money: Any non-perishable items. We now have a walk-in cooler and take donations of eggs, vegetables, bread, etc.
The day prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas, they also need drivers to deliver them, he adds. In doing this, the three of us truly realized what Karen, Richard and everyone at the Community Center does on a quiet basis for so many people in Forest Park, Marie says. We believe we are all here to help one another, and, basically, that is what the three of us are trying to do.

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

t Christmastime three years ago, Rose Krogh read a newspaper report about how the food shortage at the Forest Park Food Pantry had hit the opposite of critical mass. The demand for emergency food boxes to feed local individuals, families and seniors, meanwhile, was growing. Help was needed now. Taking that news as a call to action, she recruited two other seniors, Marie Beckmann and Jan Jones, neighbors and friends who, like her, wanted to do something about it. That December [2009], we printed up some letters, put them on shopping bags, and put them on 250 household doors, asking for food and telling them when we would pick it up, recalls Rose who, with Marie and Jan, were recently recognized for their efforts at the Celebrating Seniors Coalitions 60 over 60 event in Oak Park. Since their inaugural salvo was extremely successful, the trio quickly engineered a plan to continue year-round. To do so, the retirees used a grid system and divided Forest Park into quadrants, figuring that over the course of the year, every household would be solicited on behalf of the food pantry. What we have created is a continuous community food drive, Marie said. We always try to make it as easy as possible for the residents so that they dont have to do a lot of legwork. So, we put the bag with the letter on a door knob on a Thursday, stating that the pantry is in need of food, nonperishable and personal items, and that we will be back on Monday before 9 a.m. Then we walk around and pick it up, and deliver it to the Community Center.

File 2010

STOCKING UP: anks to volunteers and community donors, the Forest Park Food Pantry works to meet increasing demand from those in need.
sisterhood of angels, as theyre sometimes called, is always amazed by the generosity of Forest Park residents. Its a good-sized shopping bag, and there are some people who are so generous, they put out additional shopping bags filled with food, Rose adds. Last year, to rev up their return on their volunteer investment, Marie began reaching out to local condo associations in town. Many of them now put food collection boxes in their common areas in November and December, she says. For some time now, Schauers Hardware and Eds Way have been collecting food for the pantry, she adds, as have numerous churches, local businesses and community groups. Every month, adds Karen Dylewski, director of the Howard Mohr Community Center, Jackson and Desplaines, where they are located, the pantry distributes 6070 boxes of food, which is an increase over previous years. In August, she says, when the pantry shelves unexpectedly emptied, she deployed Rose, Marie and Jan, and, as always, they delivered. They are unbelievable. They lug them in here, marvels Dylewski. Our pantry was bare, and now theres food in there. Through the holiday season, says Richard Barger, a veteran volunteer at the pantry, they need even more donations of nonperishable and personal items, plus all the fixings for a festive meal canned sweet potatoes, beans, boxes of mashed potatoes and dressing, frozen turkeys, fresh produce, pies the works.

Every can counts

With a success rate of 30-40 percent, this

We feel very strongly that giving back matters. Thats why OakParkApartments.com is a proud supporter a number of community organizations, . events and social service agencies.
Providing our tenants with the highest value in housing and facilities.

OakParkApartments.com

Greenplan Management, Inc. 41 W. Chicago Ave. (708) 386-RENT

September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

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Literacy Volunteers help people make connections

Conversation sensation
In 1986, Literacy Volunteers of West Cook County (LVWCC) debuted in an effort to meet the literacy needs of people who cannot read or write English well enough to participate fully in society, says Esther Chase, an LVWCC board member. The nonprofit, she says, was formed to provide free one-on-one tutoring services and literacy programming to adults through a network of trained adult volunteers. Tutoring sessions take place in the community, at a local library, or in the offices at 815 N. Marion St. in Oak Park. Conversation Caf is a group that meets weekly to casually practice basic conversation skills that are necessary for participating in everyday life. Both opportunities, Chase adds, are free. At Conversation Caf they might talk about shopping, how to fill out government forms to apply for assistance, or simple things such as whats happening at the Olympics or current events. But generally it is just an open dialogue, she says. Locally, the caf gathers on Mondays (at the Forest Park Library) or Wednesdays and Saturdays (at the LVWCC office). Ive worked with people of many backgrounds from many different countries, Cannell says. There is a physician from Libya who is currently working in a free clinic, so Conversation Caf has been very good for him because now when people talk in slang, use idioms, or have a dialect, he has raised his comfort with day-to-day English. A recent boon for the program has been its central location. We know we are helping people when they come back and say, You know, when I started coming here, I couldnt fill out a job application, and now I can, and now I have a job, says Yolanda Walton Williams, another member of LVWCC Board of Directors. People who dont speak English can come here, and our volunteers will help them learn it.

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

n a recent Wednesday evening, Adele Cannell, was speaking English to six adults who dont speak it very well. To encourage them to reply in kind, the veteran facilitator with Literacy Volunteers of West Cook Countys Conversation Caf uses a white dry-erase board as she tosses out verbal prompts: I am so happy I can read the Chinese menu, she says to the small group of ESL (English as a second language) learners. Surprisingly, the first student to venture a response is a reserved Chinese woman. Usually she doesnt speak out and often depends on her more fluent Chinese husband for coaching, confidence, and communication. This time she doesnt hesitate.Very good, Anna, thats great, says Cannell, using her students English name in a format where only English is spoken. Prior to the start of this group dialogue, Cannell had asked Annas husband to let his wife fly solo and, with confidence, she does. Another way you could say that, Anna, would be, The last time I went to a restaurant, I was so surprised because the menu was in Chinese and I could read it. In an Asian accent and with aplomb, Anna echoes, I am so surprised because the menu is Chinese. I can read! In this small room in a library full of books, her peers let out a cheer. Anna blushes, looking pleased. I really get a lot out of seeing that kind of improvement in people, says Cannell, who underwent her training as an ESL facilitator in 2010. Anna was much more animated, and she spoke more than she ever has here. Normally, overall, she has looked more stressed. But this time, speaking English seemed a bit easier for her.

DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

I THINK SHES GOT IT: Adele Cannell, le , leads a discussion about the word relevant during a Wednesday session of the Conversation Cafe at the o ces of Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County. e sessions allow non-native speakers, like Anastasia Working, to improve their English.

Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County

Complete address: 125 N. Marion St., Suite 301 Oak Park, IL 60301 General o ce number: 708-848-8499 Email: info@LVWCC.org Website: www.LVWCC.org Leadership contact name: Ester Chase, vice president, board of directors Statement of purpose: The mission of Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County is to help adults reach their literacy goals through customized one-on-one and small-group tutoring by trained volunteers. How long have you been in existence? Since 1986 Ways volunteers can help: Become a tutor, help in the o ce or donate funds. To volunteer, email: info@LVWCC.org Useful donations other than money: O ce supplies

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

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September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

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Getting back in gear

Lutheran Child and Family Services helps people nd Ways to Work

BY DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

ikisha Ellis is a 26-year-old single, working mom from Oak Park who, thanks to Lutheran Child and Family Services Ways to Work program, is repairing her credit rating by qualifying for, and paying off, a low-interest car loan. Earlier this year, she purchased a 2002 Buick LaSabre and says owning it is enabling her to shift her own life, and that of 6-year-old daughter Faith, back into gear. Since March of 2011, Jose J. Miranda, the Ways to Work loan coordinator at LCFS, says he has been helping lower-income working families whose credit rating is impaired and who seek him out to help fix it. The innovative financial empowerment initiative, he says, was created and launched by the Milwaukee, Wis.-based Ways to Work Inc., a nonprofit organization. To date, the Ways to Work franchise is available in 22 states, including Illinois, where it is co-administered by LCFS and the Salvation Army. In two years time, Miranda and Sara LoCoco, LCFSs director of marketing and communications, say 76 participants have qualified to receive a loan of $6,000 at an 8 or 9 percent interest rate. With it they have purchased a used car from a participating dealership. The structured repayment plan is about $220 a month. This programs main priority is to help people achieve self sufficiency, Miranda says, and this is one of the steps in helping them do that. Another measure he employs is requiring every participant to attend a two-hour seminar at a local bank where he provides credit counseling, including household budgeting tips.

This is not a traditional loan program, per se, in that I do not have an underwriting department, and I personally present every applicants information, anonymously, to a loan committee of eight or nine people. So the committee has no idea who is applying here except just the basic information which is supplied by each individual applicant, Miranda says. Ellis credit score tumbled when she used credit cards instead of cash to help her nuclear family stay afloat in hard times. Since then, she has been diligently working to repair it. So earlier this year, after months of enduring a complicated commute, sans car, Ellis turned to Facebook for a few sympathetic likes and possibly a lead. One of my girlfriends said, I have a great place for you where you can go and check out getting a loan to purchase a used car. Its Lutheran Child and Family Services, Ellis recalls. Wanting to make an indelible impression, Ellis personally delivered her documents to Miranda, which provided also provided him with a personal story and a face. When she came to me, he recalls, Tikisha was very forthright, giving me every bit of information about her situation how this loan was going to help her, and what she was going to do differently in the future if she received it. For her, it only took a couple of weeks to get everything rolling, Miranda adds. Now, Ellis is in the drivers seat again. She is completing a degree in business administration at Harold Washington College, arriving on time to work, and using her new licensure in school services and sanitation management to find a higher paying job, which she hopes will spark an opportunity to realize her dream of owning an organic soul food restaurant. As a car, it is very reliable, and when I took it to see a friend, she said, Heck, isnt this the car you said you were going to get one day? And I thought about it and had to say, well, yes, it is, she says, smiling.

Courtesy LCFS

ON THE ROAD: Tikisha Ellis was able to buy a car thanks to a low-interest loan from the Ways to Work Program of Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois.

Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS)

Complete address: 7620 W. Madison St., River Forest, IL 60305 General o ce number: 1-800-363-5237 Email: lcfs_info@lcfs.org Website: www.lcfs.org Leadership contact: Gene L. Svebakken, MSW, ACSW, president & CEO Statement of purpose: In response to Christs love, LCFS attracts, develops, mobilizes and provides resources to improve the well-being of children, individuals, families, congregations and
communities.

How long have you been in existence? 1873 Ways volunteers can help: LCFS has volunteer opportunities available to individuals and small groups through its Chicago Uptown Ministry location, food and clothing distribution program and event committees. To volunteer, call: 708-488-5568 Useful donations other than money: Christmas gifts for children, canned goods and other non-perishable items and gift cards.

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

nonprofit excellence
The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation supports nonprofit excellence in our community with:

Strategic grants to local nonprofits from our funds endowment management for nonprofits collaboratve seminars, resource sharing and technical training
for more about how we support nonprofit excellence and strengthen our community through philanthropy, please visit us on line at: www.oprfcf.org and our facebook page at: www.facebook.com/OPRFCF or call us at 708-848-1560. Hours: Monday through fridays 9 am to 5 pm. The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation 1049 Lake Street, Suite 204 Oak Park, Illinois 60301
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September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

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Neighborhood Giving Project reaches kids when theyre young

Instilling the service ethic early

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

our like-minded Oak Park moms, Carrie Summy, Nikki Richardson, Shobha Mahadev, and Maureen Heffern Ponicki, believe giving kids regular helpings of service opportunity will instill in them the qualities of compassion and gratitude early on, and help them be the change as they get older. This paradigm of theirs began bubbling up after reading Tracy Kidders Mountains Beyond Mountains: Healing the World: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer in 2009 for an Oak Park book club. With us, having chosen a life to be a mom, we knew we couldnt be Paul Farmer, although Id love to, says Heffern Ponicki, 43, whose children are 6 and 8. But what we could do is use that book as inspiration. We said: We can raise children well, and they can understand how to live in this world better. With the life of Paul Farmer as the wind beneath their wings, they formed the Neighborhood Giving Project. Summy, 38, created a website and Facebook presence, and started spreading the word. They teamed up with Mahadev, 38, who was doing a similar project with parents at Mann School, and NGP went viral, recruiting representatives from every elementary school in Oak Park. My daughter is in Girl Scouts, and we do go to church and do service projects through that, but these are family-oriented and family-friendly things to do with your kids, and the focus is Oak Park organizations and getting a little taste of what each of them do, Summy says. For example, at the Animal Care League, the families took a tour, followed by a dog biscuit bake sale, which raised $500 for the organization. Other ventures included the Oak Park Conservatory, the Oak Park-River Forest Food Pantry and West Suburban PADs. My first question is always, What can a kid actually do? says Summy, who herself has four kids, age 2-9. So we do projects where they understand and learn all about an organization and how to give back to them, and then their families have the potential to continue on as volunteers with that organization, or not.

Photos by DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

GETTING INVOLVED: Morgan Fox, 7, le , and Mayn Funk, 9, make scarves at a workshop sponsored by the Neighborhood Giving Project. Below, participants were asked to write down what they learned from the workshop.
Room on the first floor every other month. Wonder Works [Childrens Museum] is interested in us, too, so we are excited to explore that opportunity, says Summy. In November, she says, the grass-roots initiative will stage another Giving Thanks letter-writing campaign (to policeman, firefighters, teachers, coaches, village officials, etc.) and when it snows, the onyour-own Mystery Shovel Project will reappear. After each shoveling, the families slip a note in their neighbors mailbox saying, You have been shoveled by a friend from the Neighborhood Giving Project. All this is our way of pulling it together for ourselves, and it has been fun, very fun for everyone involved, says Richardson, 38, whose kids are 9, 5 and, as of this writing, any day now. By 2013, Summy and her volunteer staff and board of directors hope to have secured nonprofit status, and to expand programming to multiple service workshops each month. What I think is so interesting and unique is that when we all came together with the same kind of ideas about this, we knew it

The Neighborhood Giving Project

Complete address: Oak Park, IL Email: info@neighborhoodgivingproject.org Website: www.neighborhoodgivingproject.org Leadership contact name & title: Carrie Summy, president Statement of purpose: To inspire our children to be better citizens of the world by providing hands-on, hands-together community service opportunities; to enrich their learning with civic responsibility, social justice, and charitable action. How long have you been in existence? Since October 2011 Ways volunteers can help: Volunteer sta creates and implements community service workshop and events, working in partnership with existing Oak Park non-pro t organizations. We welcome new sta members. More volunteers mean more workshops o ered. To volunteer: Email carrie@neighborhoodgivingproject.org Useful donations other than money: Any o ce and craft supplies, eece fabric
had to be in bite-sized pieces that kids could really do, says Mahadev, whose kids are 4 and 7. But to an outsider, would that feel like they were doing a lot? Well, maybe not. But to a kid, it would feel like they did something, and they did it themselves. And that is very cool.

Learn, act, reect

In September, NGP began partnering with the Oak Park Public Library to stage onehour workshops in the Childrens Storytime

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

11

Above, Queen Copening, 10, right, and her sister, Life, 7, pick out items to pack in a backpack to learn what its like for homeless people to carry all their possessions. Far le , Clarivel Penate, right, helps Grace Kastenholz, 6, write down what she learned from the workshop. Le , Ella Sparks, 6, ties knots in a eece blanket that will be donated.

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September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

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NAMIs drop-in center o ers a safe place to socialize

Stigma-free zone
Every family has someone in the family tree somewhere in the past with a diagnosis of mental illness. So this is normal and part of the human condition, Heumann says. Accepting that is one of the ways to bust stigma apart, so the more we educate the wider public, which is also what we do with NAMI programming, the less we will hear the hurtful name-calling and the stigmatizing. We want everyone to know we are here, and when they are ready, they can come and join us.

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

very day but Sunday, people with diagnosed mental illnesses gather at 816 W. Harrison in Oak Park to find a few friendly faces. There at the NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) Metro Suburban Drop-In Center, you may find adults with bi-polar disorder or those who daily struggle with the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. All are looking for and find a stigmafree zone. Julie (not her real name) is a 45-yearold, self-employed, graphic designer who is drawn to this open, safe space for the structure it affords, which enables her to integrate into a community of peers who, like herself, suffer from a severe mood or anxiety disorder. Sometimes she just sits; other times she does more. Julie wants four hours of structure in her day, and she finds it here. At first I didnt want to be around mentally ill people, so I said no. But my mom was part of NAMI before she died, and one day I rode the train into Oak Park and saw the sign and said, You know, my mom would like it if I went and just saw what its all about. She ran to NAMI the last time I got sick, so she had people to support her, and because of that she was stronger for me. Program director John Heumann describes his community space as a place where participants can stop by to really kind of socialize, feel good about themselves, and make friends, he says. Together they watch movies, attend an art therapy session, venture out into the community to bowl, attend a baseball game, or go to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

A way back in
In 2006, Vickey Gonzalez, who has bi-polar disorder, did drop in. That was the year she was hospitalized for three months. Upon her release, the now 52-year-old Oak Parker says she isolated herself for a very long time until her psychiatrist told her it was time to gather her courage and start socializing again. In this place, we can feel good enough to have a bad day in front of each other, without shaming or blaming [ourselves] for anything, says Gonzalez, now the NAMI program trainer and member of the nonprofits state and national board of directors. The former real estate agent says she lost everything but now has found a new professional life and family of choice the drop-in centers participants and staff. I do have a daughter and a son, and I am very close to them, she adds. I am now comfortable saying that I am bi-polar, and I dont care who knows it. I couldnt have said that a couple of years back. Julie, meanwhile, says living in her own shoes is becoming a better fit. They give you a place to go for a block of time during the day, so when I first came here, I would just sit on the sofa and have people, just bodies, walking in front of me. Within a week I started to feel better.

DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

COMFORT ZONE: Vickey Gonzalez at the NAMI Drop-in Center in Oak Park.

NAMI Metro Suburban Drop-In Center

Complete address: 816 Harrison, Oak Park, IL 60304 General o ce number: 708-524-2582 Email: namiop@sbcglobal.net Website: namimetsub.org Leadership contact name: John F. Huemann, LCSW program director Statement of purpose: The mission of NAMI Metro Suburban is to improve the quality of life for those individuals and their families who are a ected by mental illness. We will will achieve this goal through advocacy, support and education within the communities of west suburban Cook County. How long have you been in existence? The Drop-In Center has been in Oak Park since May of 1993, currently in its third location, on Harrison just o Oak Park Avenue. Ways volunteers can help: Phone responders, o ce workers, public speakers To volunteer, call: 708-524-2582 Useful donations other than money: Art supplies, copy paper, peanut butter and jelly, patio furniture

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

13

Returning to normal
Living at Farrelly/Muriello Apartments has helped Henry Boyce turn his life around
By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

welve years ago, Henry Boyce, now 66, developed Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and became a person with disabilities after a lifetime of being normal. In a short time the illness set in, taking away his ability to walk without assistance and even speak clearly. Nowadays, to communicate with others he works hard at it. Even so, Boyce says he is good to go and ready to give something back to his community. In 2009, Boyce enrolled at Harold Washington College, after first becoming computer literate at a nearby social service agency. He is in the last phase of earning a degree in addiction studies and needs to land an internship. But what hes really looking for now is a break. My objective is to become an addiction counselor, Boyce said, handing us his resume and cover letter. Its not something I am not familiar with because I have been

around that kind of stuff all my life, and I feel like I maybe can help in that area because I found out a lot of things when I became disabled. I saw biases that I didnt experience when everybody thought I was normal. Now I wasnt normal anymore because of the way I walk and talk. And because of the way I am now, it was assumed I am not normal because I now show traits of someone who is [developmentally disabled]. But I have been given the mind to do something different. He credits his continuing quality of life to being at Farrelly/Muriello Apartments (formerly Ryan Farrelly Apartments). It is one of three affordable housing options owned and managed by Oak Park Residence Corporation, says Edward Solan, OPRCs executive director. This facility, he says, was the vision of Frank Muriello, whose name was recently added (the late Ryan Farrelly was his grandson). The home serves individuals such as Boyce, who are mobility impaired

DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

LIFE STYLE: Henry Boyce at the Farrelly/Muriello Apartments in Oak Park, where he has lived for eight years.
but able to maintain their own personal and financial matters. Henry here is a model citizen, says James King, OPRCs director of Senior and Disabled Housing, and he gets around pretty well whereas other people dont get around very well, and about three or four others are capable of working and do. Everyone pays 30 percent of their income for rent, minus medical deductions and allowances they get, so living here is affordable for them. couldnt climb into with his incapacitated legs. It was his sister, an Oak Park resident, who steered him toward applying to live in his new, fully accessible digs. Now I take a shower every day, I think, because I can walk right into it, and that is definitely a good feeling and a good thing, he says, laughing. Everything here for me now is convenient, and I am grateful for that. Meanwhile, seated near his PC, the tool that made going back to school possible for him, Boyce lays out his plan. I got a stumbling block in my way to becoming an addiction counselor because I have to get on the phone and talk to people to make appointments, says Boyce. I will be a person who would be there every day, would never have any excuses. Im hoping someone will help me and give me an internship so I can start helping others.

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But life for him hasnt always been so palatable, Boyce says. Before this, he rented a small apartment in a walk-up building at Austin and Roosevelt Road, on the Chicago side. He could barely climb the stairs to his apartment or navigate the kitchen or bathroom which had a tub/shower combo he

Oak Park Residence Corporation

Complete address: 21 South Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60302 General o ce number: 708-386-6061 Email: esolan@oakparkrc.com Website: www.oakparkrc.com Leadership contact name & title: Edward Solan, executive director Statement of purpose: The Oak Park Residence Corporation is a non-prot

(708)386-6061 21 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

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housing development corporation. It owns and manages rental housing, including housing for seniors and persons with disabilities. How long have you been in existence? 46 years Ways volunteers can help: Social events for senior residents and persons with disabilities. To volunteer, call: James King, director of Elderly and Disabled Housing Useful donations other than money: Holiday gift baskets, etc.

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14

September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

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The Carmody boys founded a non-pro t to help their brother and others

Band of brothers
By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

WELCOMING: Jessica Wood acts as a party hostess during an improv skit at Opportunity Knocks, a social, educational and occupational program for people with developmental disabilities.
DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

tanding behind the second green door in the River Forest Community Center, 8020 Madison St., is 21-year-old Sonya Taylor, who has Down Syndrome. She is waiting to open it when anyone knocks. At Opportunity Knocks (OK), her after-school program, Sonya is in her Warrior Wear T-shirt, ebulliently describing the social club shes carved out at the nonprofit that Oak Parkers Phil and Michael Carmody co-founded in 2007. Inspired by their brother, John, 25, who also has Down Syndrome, their organization serves teens to young adults, representing a range of developmental disabilities, who reside in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. On this day, sitting at a long table, Sonya talks about how she really likes hanging out with her friends talking to, and going on dates with boys and being with Mike Carmody, her former special education teacher from her OPRF High School CITE program (Community Integrated Transition Education) who always makes me laugh. In her group is 22-year-old Michael Hazinski, a young man who lives with multiple disabilities, mental and physical. Here, however, he is just the sweet, funny guy who loves books, and has an amazing memory for facts about nature, history and musical theater. Being a member of OKs book club, and having a speaking role in the musical production of Annie, befits him, says his mom, Barbara Smith of River Forest. John Johno Carmody is the so-called leader and role model for everyone in the program. I have Down Syndrome, yes I do, Johno says smiling broadly. I work at Pans Grocery Store and Wonder Works Childrens Museum, and come to Opportunity Knocks. I like being here with my friends and two brothers. This all started, says Phil Carmody, with the realization that when John was about to turn 22, he would age out of the CITE program at the high school and have limited opportunities after that.

We knew he was really going to struggle to find anything that would replace that outlet, so we did this for him and his friends, says Phil, a full-time firefighter/paramedic, who pitches in at OK when he can, pro bono. During each four- or five-week session, says Michael Carmody, OKs executive director, You name it, weve tried it, and breaks into a litany of the empowerment programming they offer, everything from playing badminton and tennis to making tie-dyed shirts, riding oversized tricycles, growing cucumbers in their OK garden, marching in parades and doing community service projects with other local groups. Its almost like it is cool to be developmentally disabled, because now our kids can come to this, says Smith. Sonyas mom, Joanne Taylor, says her daughter is always talking incessantly about the latest thing shes done with her OK friends. She really looks forward to this, Taylor says. Sonya comes here and can be with her peers, and she doesnt have to worry about what other people are thinking, how they are looking at her or doing strange things. The Carmody brothers say this has always been about consistently bringing opportunities to people who had limited opportunities before. OK started with my four brothers and my two parents [John and Noreen], Phil says, and now has expanded way beyond that to more than 100 new brothers and sisters who are the architects of our programming.

Opportunity Knocks Inc.

Complete address: 8020 W. Madison, River Forest IL 60305 General o ce number: 708-771-6159 ext. 220 Email: info@opportunityknocksnow.org Website: www.opportunityknocksnow.org Leadership contact name & title: Michael Carmody executive director Statement of purpose: The Opportunity Knocks mission is dedicated to providing opportunities and resources for individuals with developmental disabilities so they may pursue their educational, occupational and social interests. How long have you been in existence? Feb. 22, 2010-present Ways volunteers can help: They can volunteer at programs or help at events. To volunteer, call: 708-771-6159 ext. 220 Useful donations other than money: We are always looking for more volunteer time in every aspect of our organizations.

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

15

Single-minded single moms

Parenthesis gives teen parents the support they need

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

SUPPORT SYS TEM: Jamie Raisor, right, with her daughter, Ashirah Foster, 2, at the Parateen program. Parenthesis Parent-Child Center helped her cope with being a teen mother.
DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

efore Jamie Raisor, 19, gave birth to her daughter, Ashirah, now 2, and before 18-year-old Christin Deloach became a mom to her daughter, Zyonna, now 1, both were typical teenagers at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Neither ever thought she would become pregnant as a teen. Then a year apart they did. The high school classmates crossed paths again when they met Ann Puccetti, program director of Parenthesis Family Centers Parenteen program. On Wednesdays, with about 14 other teen moms, age 13 to 20, they gather in a safe space to learn what it means to be a parent 24/7 from Puccetti and staff and, of course, each other. I thought I would be a regular teenager, go off to college like my friends and get married and have kids at age 26 or 27 maybe, says Raisor, who lives with her mother and also has support from the father of Ashira and his family. Now I wouldnt change anything at all, but it really is not easy. I was scared up until the point when she was born. Then I just snapped into it. So I was able to focus on my studies and graduate in January of my senior year and take classes at Triton College because I still had access to daycare at OPRF. The ability to gather with a group of new friends with babies, she adds, was a lot easier than being with her old friends who were still living normal teen life. These girls dont have to act like they know what you are talking about. They actually do know what you are talking about, Raisor says. In addition, Pucetti and her staff are always available for support with baby clothes, diapers, wipes, and so on, she says.

Growing up fast
Deloach became pregnant when she moved south to Chicago to live with her dad during her senior year. For her, being a member of the Class of 2011 meant kicking off the school year with a pregnancy and ending it with a diploma

and baby Zyonnas birth, one week prior to graduation. Last year, she moved back to Oak Park to live with her mom, attend Harold Washington College, and hold down a part-time job while raising her daughter. Deloach met Puccetti three days after Zyonna was born and became involved in the program a couple of weeks after that. Everybody knows that having a baby requires a lot of patience, says Puccetti, and that is something Christin realized in the beginning. I am really, really proud of her, and the strides she has made in being the best mother she can be to Zyonna. On the other hand, Puccetti says, teasing Raisor, Jamie was a cranky pregnant person, very cranky. I would say, though, that Jamie has surprised herself in the patience she has with Ashirah, and how she responds to her. Ashirah just turned 2 in July, and Jamie toilet-trained her over the course of a weekend. Very soon, Deloach will set out to pursue a career in the U.S. Navy. Though leaving her daughter behind with her mother during basic training is bittersweet, the separation will be short lived, as she and Zyonna will reunite wherever she is assigned. You can still do great things with your life, regardless what cards you were dealt, says Raisor, now in her second year at Triton College, with plans to pursue a degree in physical therapy at UIC. Its all about your determination, and the goals you set for yourself because that is really the only thing that matters in the end.

Parenthesis Family Center

Complete address: 405 S. Euclid Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 General o ce number: 708-848-2227 Email: kkern@parenthesis-info.org Website: www.parenthesis-info.org Leadership contact name & title: Kathy Kern, executive director Statement of purpose: The Parenthesis mission is to strengthen family bonds and promote the development of parents and young children by a rming the parent/child relationship, improving parenting skills, and alleviating family isolation. How long have you been in existence? 33 years Ways volunteers can help: Volunteers can cook or donate meals for Tuesday or Wednesday night support group meetings; provide child care on Tuesday and Wednesday nights during support group meetings; join the Parenthesis Board of Directors. To volunteer, call: Bonnie Andorka at 708-848-2227 Useful donations other than money: Diapers, Preschool art supplies, Meals for support groups, apple juice, baby wipes

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September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

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Progress Center lives up to its name

Squeaky wheels get results

Latino executive director. We are operated by and for people with disabilities, and over 80 percent of our staff are people with disabilities. Esparza supervises this site and another in Blue Island. We think people with disabilities should have control of ourselves and of our own lives, and we provide them with the tools and advocacy to do it.

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

round Forest Park, Larry Biondi is well known as a mobile, relentless and outspoken advocate, the guy with cerebral palsy who uses an electric wheelchair and high-tech tools to fight for the rights of individuals with disabilities. As a veteran staff member at the Progress Center for Independent Living, he utilizes an extended pointer attached to a band on his head to depress the keys on the keyboard of his PC and DynaVox Communication Device (how he speaks, electronically). Sometimes he prefers using a human interpreter, especially when he wants to make eye contact to drive home his point. Since 2005, an integral part of his job has been working with local municipalities and businesses in suburban Cook County to encourage compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards. People with disabilities have human rights, and money to spend, and we want to spend our money, he says. For example, at a Western Union on Cumberland Avenue in Norridge, he worked with the owner, and that business now has sloped ground where a big step had been, so people who use wheelchairs can access it. A year ago I drove by there, saw [it was fixed] and just said, Wow, he recalls. Biondi is the senior employee at the Forest Park site (about 20 years), and when he is not standing up for local people with disabilities, Biondi partners with an organization called ADAPT! to take the fight elsewhere. The cherry on the cake for Larrys advocacy is that he has been in jail many times, arrested because of his protesting in Washington D.C., Chicago, Missouri and so many other places, says Horacio Esparza, the Progress Centers first blind,

Breaking ground
Samuel Knight, the centers community organizer, is one of four individuals on staff with cerebral palsy, and these days he is doing a victory dance. Last year, Knight, and his swelling contingent of Progress Center activists, teamed with United Power for Action and Justice, and won approval for a 51-unit apartment building at Madison and Grove Avenue in Oak Park (the former Comcast site). Knight says it is expected to break ground this fall. We are now involved in trying to create 500 units of affordable, accessible and integrated housing with supports in Cook, Lake, Grundy and Will County, in collaboration with the same groups, he says. On a similar front last year, Biondi kicked off the Proviso Township Home Modification Program after Progress Center was awarded a $25,000 grant. So far, only eight individuals with disabilities, across 14 suburbs, including Forest Park, have contacted him and received up to $1,500 in assistance to update their inaccessible homes. He wants that number to grow. I have been in this fight for people with disabilities my entire life, Biondi says. We want to get and keep people with disabilities out of nursing homes and help them live and work in the community The Home . Modification Program pushes forward that goal because if you are a person with a disability you dont have to consider going , into a nursing home if at your residence you have that ramp, lower light switches, and those bars in your bathroom that keep it accessible.

DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

RAISING AWARENESS: Larry Biondi is the advocacy coordinator for the Progress Center for Independent Living in Forest Park.

Progress Center of Independent Living

Complete address: 7521 Madison Street, Forest Park, IL 60130 Email: info@progresscil.org General Phone: 708-209-1500 Website: www.progresscil.org Leadership contact name & title: Horacio Esparza, executive director Statement of purpose: We are a community-based, non-pro t, non-residential service and advocacy organization operated for people with disabilities by people with disabilities. Ways volunteers can help: Progress Center is looking for caring and dependable people willing to assist those with disabilities by expanding horizons and building skills. To volunteer, call: 708-209-1500 or visit our website.

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Community of Caring

September 26, 2012

17

Senior Center member Claire Morrison can still see her dogs

An artful eye
By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY
She can see inside her head, I think, remember how things used to look, and translates that into something concrete in front of her, says Ann Primack, the ceramics class instructor. In that way, she can share her creative self with other people, which is really what its all about. One of the inexplicable things that happens with Morrisons dogs, adds Palazzolo, is the face. Well, all of my dogs do have sort of a smug smile,

laire Morrison is a lifelong dog lover who no longer owns one but misses the comfort of a pet. At age 66, she is also a double amputee and blind. Even so, Morrison, a former attorney and risk management pro, is figuring out, with vivid memories and lumps of clay a way to bring dogs back into her life. It is easiest to explain everything by saying that in 1995 I became ill with polyarteritisnodosa. It is something that affects the arteries by stirring up the system, and in my case, the white blood cells got all energized to a point where they thought there was a problem and clogged it, she explains. When she got sick, she moved from Oak Park to Forest Park, where she found accessible living suitable for her situation until she lost all of her vision over time. So she successfully adopted out her beloved toy poodle, Bear, and relocated to the Oak Park Arms in 2010. Now on Tuesdays she is wheeled up the portable ramp at the Lifelong Learning Center (also known as the Senior Citizen Center of Oak Park-River Forest) and greeted with a lick and a tail wag by Oliver, a Papillon pooch, who is the centers mascot, and Morrisons part-time dog. With Oliver at her side, she teams up with co-instructor Marcia Palazzolo in the afternoon ceramics class. Collaboratively they have made a menagerie of ceramic dogs, a sitting giraffe, pinch pots, a train with cars, and various kinds of houses, including an ornamental ruin for use in an aquarium. But her dogs are especially popular so when asked, Morrison shares them with peers who have become her patrons. I just give her a lump of clay and she works it until it is shaped like a Twinkie, and we go from there, says Palazzolo, a former president of the Oak Park Art League. When she wanted to make a stretching dog, she remembered how her former dog, Thoreau, a soft-haired terrier, looked and felt, pushing and pulling the clay until it felt right.

ARTISTIC VI SION: Claire Morrison tops o her clay snowman with a stove pipe hat at the Senior Citizens Center of Oak ParkRiver Forest. Claire is blind but has made several clay gurines of houses, a train and her pets.
DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

Morrison interjects. Up next, she plans to make a three-color patterned bowl with a handle, and a matching cup and plate to hold the gumbo she will make in her new crockpot. Clay just feels good in my hands, and I can feel when it is becoming a body, forming a leg. The fact that it turns out to be something at the end is very rewarding, she explains, reaching down again to pet Oliver, her part-time dog.

Senior Citizens Center of Oak Park & River Forest/Lifelong Learning Center
Complete address: 414 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 General o ce number: 708-848-5251 Email: sccoprf@sbcglobal.net Leadership contact name & title: Nancy Grayson & Marcia Palazzolo, co-center directors Statement of purpose: Through educational, social and cultural activities the center inspires older adults to continue their quest for lifelong learning; supports their independence; broadens their horizons and encourages their involvement with the community. How long have you been in existence? 1954 (They are the
oldest senor citizens center in the state of Illinois)

Ways volunteers can help: They can support the center by volunteering in the housewares room at the Economy Shop; coming to the center to help make the items sold at craft fairs; or volunteering as instructors. To volunteer, call: 708-848-5251 Useful donations other than money: Any kind of crafting materials are appreciated. Also, items donated and sold at the Economy Shop bene t the center. Membership is open to anyone age 50 or older. Annual membership dues are $50.

18

September 26, 2012

Community of Caring

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Working for the good and for free

Pro bono mom attorneys keep practicing while raising their kids

By DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY

eard the one about 50 or so lady lawyers from Oak Park and River Forest who provide legal aid to organizations in need for free, and prefer working that way? Well, soon everyone will because this is no joke. It is the successful concept of Oak Parker Donna Peel, an attorney and stay-at-home mom who, in 2011, formed the West Cook Pro Bono Network, a collection of volunteer attorneys who want to give back but on their own terms. All projects are assigned on a team basis, and chosen to accommodate their geographic location and school-pickup times. I came up with the idea [in 2009] because I personally had spent quite a lot of money on babysitting and transportation in order to volunteer my own legal services at Chicago firms, explains Peel. I looked around me and saw other moms who were also active or inactive attorneys who wanted to do pro bono work and realized that I was not alone. Eventually, Peel put out a heres my idea call to a few friends and procured help from the Public Interest Law Initiative to find and vet organizations who would provide local training opportunities, malpractice insurance and an entre to pro bono clients. Within six weeks, 10 mom attorneys joined in. When she posted a recruitment blurb on a local website (Mom Mail, from families, for families), it started taking off. Since then, Peel et al, has incorporated, and its charitable status is pending.

LEGAL EASE: Sheila Pont, le , and Christy Chapman, both of Oak Park, are two of the more than 60 attorneys who volunteer their time for the West Suburban Pro Bono Legal Network.

DAVID PIERINI/Sta Photographer

Pro bono works

Jill Brady, 37, is tag-teaming with a partner on an ongoing immigration issue while taking a sabbatical from work to raise her 20-month-old daughter. I thought, Hey that is a great group to stay active and actually use my degree and not fall out of the legal profession completely, says Brady, noting that she joined because she didnt really want to cut myself out of having a job later. When time allows, she works on the Violence Against Women Act petition project for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, helping female immigrants prepare a statement, fill out the paperwork it entails, and file the forms. Likewise, some of Peels network of attorneys

choose to man tables at Senior Expos to help elders complete living wills and so on while the kids are attending school, Peel says. Sheila Pont, the groups vice president, says she and the other lawyers are keeping their attorney muscle moving that part of the brain, while they stay home and raise children. In her case, that has been the last 15 years. A few of us are doing a pilot project for the Domestic Violence League, says Pont, who holds a masters in Social Work and a JD degree. For free, we are providing assistance for women who are seeking to get an order of protection, and even though a client can do an order of protection on their own, it is a long, complicated form and, for many of them, scary to stand in front of a judge. So now they are able to have a real lawyer stand up with them. Last October, Peel says, her team of pro bono lawyers celebrated their first 100 hours of service. Soon, she anticipates hitting 1,000 pro-bono hours. When you take time off to raise children, and you have an advanced degree, after a while, you just want to start using it again, she says. So I have been able to do that and develop close relationships with other women in my situation, which has also been really rewarding.

West Cook Pro Bono Network

Complete address: 7115 W. North Ave., #253, Oak Park, IL 60302 General o ce number: 312508-3355 Email: donna.peel@comcast.net Website: www.westcookprobono.com Leadership contact name: Donna Peel, president Statement of purpose: We intend to increase access to justice by making volunteerism easier for attorneys taking planned leave, and also create opportunities for those attorneys to remain professionally engaged.

How long have you been in existence? Our rst meeting was Feb. 1, 2010. The day of the blizzard! Ways volunteers can help: Attorneys at any age or status may volunteer. We also regularly recruit translators for immigration work. To volunteer, call: 312-5083355 or email Useful donations other than money: O ce space is always appreciated.

STRENGTHEN
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From urban gardens to preschool programming, from tutoring to senior field trips, the Y is working hard to make a positive impact in our community. At the West Cook YMCA, we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. We believe every family, child, and senior should have the opportunity to thrive, whether it be through volunteering, playing, learning, or exercising. Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility are at our core.

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255 S. Marion St., Oak Park, IL 60302 708 383 5200 www.westcookymca.org facebook.com/westcooky

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September 26, 2012

19

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The Chicago Center for Orthopedics brings an experienced

3 Erie Court Oak Park, Illinois 60302 708-383-6200 westsuburbanmc.com

West Suburban Medical Center

3 Erie Court Oak Park, Illinois 60302 708-383-6200 westsuburbanmc.com

West Suburban Medical Center

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