DC Spotlight-on-Volunteers by Shaw Media

Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

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spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com

During an afternoon shift at the Feed My Starving Children food drive more than 250 people work together to package mixes of dehydrated goods including rice, soy and vegetables in the gym at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Sycamore on Nov. 17, 2011.

« editor’s welcome »

uilding the community. If there was one theme that shone through the reporting, photographing, writing and editing of “Spotlight on Volunteers: Making Communities Stronger,” it was that local residents who give of their time do so to build a stronger home. Nonprofit organizations, social service agencies and even governments could not survive, much less thrive, without the dedicated core of volunteers who offer their time and talents for the betterment of others.

The other clear theme: This special section just scratches the surface of the scope, depth and breadth of volunteering in DeKalb County. We couldn’t possibly cover every aspect of volunteering, every agency or organization that benefits from volunteers, and every person who gives so selflessly of himself or herself. What we can do, however, is offer this to all volunteers: We know you make a difference through your work, and we thank you for investing in our community. – Kate Schott

« table of contents » Why volunteers matter ...................................4 Volunteer profile » Keith Foster .................................7 Social services ..............................................................8 Volunteer profile » Paul Johnson ............................10 Food services .............................................................13 Volunteer profile » Dee and Don Anderson ...15 Youth services ..........................................................16 Volunteer profile » Robin Waffle ............................17 Athletic organizations ....................................18 Volunteer profile » Brad Roberts ...........................19 By the numbers ......................................................20

• Saturday, May 26, 2012

what’s inside

Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

« why volunteers matter »

Volunteers described as lifeblood of the community By KATE SCHOTT

kschott@shawmedia.com

inda Groat has fond memories of the Egyptian Theatre, and she enjoys helping others form the same attachment. “I grew up in DeKalb and I liked going to the (Egyptian) theater for movies,” Groat said. “I hope to see the theater grow and be great.” Groat is one of the 250 volunteers who assist in the 125 shows the theater presents annually. She’s also vice president of the Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre Board. Alex Nerad, the theater’s executive director, said volunteers are a critical part of the organization’s operations. That’s a sentiment echoed by dozens of other organizations and businesses in DeKalb County that say volunteers are the lifeblood of the community. “The health of a community is defined by the volunteers in the community,” said David Miller, executive director of Family Service Agency, which has hundreds of volunteers assisting its four departments. “When people are willing to reach out and help each other, it means there is a healthy community,” he said. “When everyone is just worried about themselves, you don’t really have a community that is at it’s full potential.” Paula von End, director of volunteer services at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, said the nearly 300 people who annually give their time to the hospital are the heart of the organization. The desk team attracts the most volunteers: These 70 volunteers are the people who welcome those coming into the hospital’s front doors. They escort guests, von End said, whether if that’s to visit a patient or take them to an appointment for tests or to check in for a procedure. Von End had one volunteer track the number of contacts he had with different people within a two-hour shift; he had 80. Volunteers are so busy, she said, they sometimes barely get a chance to sit down. Some walk 2 to 3 miles per three-hour shift. “Along with the receptionist, they are the meeters and greeters of every person who comes in,” she said. “The tone is set when people come in, to have that friendly, smiling, helpful person assist them when they come into the building.”

Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com

Pat Bute chats with patient Burly Billips while pushing him to his destination in Kishwaukee Community Hospital on May 9. Bute has been volunteering at the hospital for about a year-and-a-half.

Opportunities abound Volunteer opportunities are available for people of all ages and with different abilities, said Dawn Littlefield, executive director of the Kishwaukee United Way. That organization serves as a conduit for people looking for volunteer opportunities and the agencies that need them; Littlefield said calls come in usually every other day for people looking for ways to give back. The DeKalb County Community Foundation also has a nonprofit guide on its website to assist people in finding organizations. Local volunteer opportunities range from serving on a board of directors for a local nonprofit or on a city commission to delivering Meals on Wheels or serving food at a soup kitchen to stuffing envelopes or setting up computers for a social service agency. And then there are one-day events, like the annual Day of Caring by the United Way, NIU Cares Day and Feed My Starving Children, where local residents pack thousands of meals for starving children

Know more Looking for a way to volunteer? • The Kishwaukee United Way serves as a conduit to connect volunteers to opportunities. Visit www.kishwaukeeunitedway.org/ or call 815-756-7522 for information. • The DeKalb County Community Foundation has a nonprofit directory on its website. Visit www.dekalbcountyfoundation.org/ for more information throughout the world. Some require hours of training, such as those serving as advocates for abused and neglected children in the CASA program, while others can be as simple baking cookies for the PayIt-Forward House in Sycamore. Still others take part in service clubs, and serve as ambassadors for their clubs, organizations or events. As vice president of the DeKalb Kiwanis, Tarryn Thaden greeted visitors to her club’s booth at the 2012 Community Expo at DeKalb High School in April. “We also do a lot of fundraising,”

he said. “It’s all about service. Once you join the Kiwanis, it becomes your life. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” It’s hard to put a value on a volunteer and the time he or she gives. But the Independent Sector does just that. The organization – a leadership network for nonprofits, foundations and corporate-giving programs – estimated that the national average in 2011 for an hour of a volunteer’s time was $21.79. Dan Templin, executive director of the DCCF, said volunteers essentially become part of the workforce for many nonprofit organizations, but allow them to remain fiscally responsible. Between volunteers and the necessary hired staff, they keep the “boat rowing in the same direction” and get tasks accomplished. “If you were to quantify that, it would mean this mean thousands of dollars,” Templin said. “If we had to pay somebody to do that, we couldn’t do it. It couldn’t be done.”

See VOLUNTEERS, page 6

spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

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Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

• VOUNTEERS From page 4

Benefits abound Jea Nae Romela, executive director of the Pay-ItForward House in Sycamore, said the hospitality house is “virtually entirely staffed by volunteers.” She and one part-time employee are the only paid staff at the house, which provides accommodations for out-of-town guests visiting someone receiving medical treatment in DeKalb County. The house’s 175 regular volunteers do everything from clean the house, arrange for food, do lawn care and raise funds. Having a multitude of volunteer options helps, Romela said, noting not everyone can write a check, but everybody had a passion and talent they can share. There is an artist, for instance, who paints watercolors and allows her work to be used in the house for decoration, which are also for sale. “I think they enjoy being able to help other people. A lot of our volunteers have had a

Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com

Volunteer Jeff Hauman of the DeKalb Kiwanis Club helps out during an electronics recycling collection April 14 at the DeKalb County Health Department’s parking lot. The event was sponsored by the DeKalb County Solid Waste Management Program and the DeKalb County Farm Bureau. situation in their lives where other folks have given of their time and energy to help others out, and they are truly paying it forward,” Romela said. “They see the guests staying there, and see how much of a benefit it provides to those there.” Littlefield said people feel good about themselves when they volunteer, and usually

chose an organization they are connected to personally. Others may start volunteering as a résumé booster, or for a job. Volunteering provides social opportunities for people, Templin said, and gives a sense of being connected to something greater while time, energy and talents are given to something “that

really matters and makes a difference.” Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy said his city has been enriched for generations by the support of volunteers who rise to the occasion to meet requests for assistance. He said he is encouraged to see volunteering embraced by people of all ages: For example, by the high school’s Key Club, which puts on a multitude of events, including the senior prom at Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center. Or take annual festivals such as Pumpkin Fest, which would never be put on were it not for a small army of volunteers. “That doesn’t happen by accident. These events are strongly supported by volunteers,” Mundy said. “The volunteers are what get the jobs done here. ... We are very proud of our volunteers and very thankful that people pick up on the spirit of giving and generosity.” Even governments have volunteers: Mundy and DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen noted their cities have commissions filled with volun-

teers who provide input and insight. “We are so blessed in this whole area here, with how we live and the standard of living,” Mundy said. “People look outside themselves. It’s a natural thing people do, to ask how can I help. They see others who could use a little help, and they try to make our community better.” Povlsen said he sees volunteerism throughout the city: From those who volunteer at social service agencies to those who hold fundraisers to help those who are ill to those who welcome back veterans, volunteers are everywhere, contributing to the betterment of the community. “If folks just consider for a minute, if all the volunteers went away, what impact that would have ... it’s really powerful,” Littlefield said. “Sometimes it’s easy to say, go out and volunteer. I think it makes such a bigger difference than most people think it does.”

• Shaw Media reporter Doug Oleson contributed to this report.

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• Saturday, May 26, 2012

ome people volunteer just because they can. Now that his children are grown and he has more time, Keith Foster is one of those people. “I was not as involved when the kids were at home,” said the DeKalb County attorney and father of three. “After we got our kids through school, I had the time and decided it was time to get involved.” And he jumped in with both feet. Foster is a member of the Shabbona Lions Club and he serves as the treasurer of the Kishwaukee Family YMCA board, vice president of the Opportunity House board, a member of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce board, and president of the TAILS Humane Society board. In his free time, Foster also does woodworking. Some of his work gets donated for various fundraisers while other pieces – such as the lectern or conference table that seats 20 – enhance his firm’s offices. With a love for animals, Foster said he asked to sit on the TAILS board five years ago. He has been president for half that time. Foster said the organization couldn’t survive without its army of volunteers walking dogs, feeding the animals and cleaning the facility. “They have hundreds on the volunteer list. There are a lot of students, of course, but the organization could not function without them, and most are as reliable as any employee,” he said. Foster shows the same care and concern for the people his volunteer organizations serve. Serving Opportunity House – which provides services to local residents with developmental disabilities – for a second time, he said he wasn’t able to devote a lot of time the first time around to the organization “serving a segment of the population that needs all the help we can give them.” And at the YMCA, he said he appreciates that entire

spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com

« volunteer profile » Keith Foster

Debbie Behrends - dbehrends@shawmedia.com

Along with work and the time he spends on volunteer projects, attorney Keith Foster does woodworking. He’s pictured in his office with a lectern he built. Many of his projects end up being donated for various fundraisers. families benefit. “Families are struggling economically, but nobody gets turned away from the Y,” he said. “I think that’s a good philosophy. All you have to do is hang around there for a while to see how many people benefit from having a Y in the community.” Foster said his connection with the YMCA was inherited, in a way. His father was the chairman of the board when the building that houses the YMCA today was built. Foster said as a younger man he was more interested in sports and playing in a rock band, but he learned from his father, and has tried to instill the same values in his own children. He and his wife, Jan, a second-grade teacher at Waterman Elementary, have two daughters and one son.

Foster said one daughter works for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Seattle and the other works for a nonprofit agency in Boulder, Colo. Their son lives in Chicago and “works too much,” Foster said, although he believes he’ll eventually find a volunteer niche, too.

He said he believes DeKalb County is full of well-run organizations. He points to the expansion of Hope Haven homeless shelter as just one example. “Hope Haven had a need for more space. (Executive Director) Lesley Wicks went out, on her own, and raised the money for the expansion.

She just did it,” he said. “And look at the hospital,” he continued. “It’s gorgeous, and the list of donors is phenomenal.” No matter what one’s interests or place in life, Foster contends that it’s easy to be a volunteer in DeKalb County. “There’s no lack of opportunity for those who are

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Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

« social services »

Volunteers necessary to serve community’s neediest By CAITLIN MULLEN

cmullen@shawmedia.com

aving been a volunteer for 17 years, Chris Peddle said she appreciates the number of different organizations that help people in DeKalb County and how many work together to serve people. Social service agencies like Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County – where Peddle is volunteer coordinator – and others offer assistance to local residents and animals in need, and enlist volunteers to help get necessary tasks completed or interact with those served. For Habitat for Humanity, everyone is a volunteer, from those on the board of directors to people who help build homes, Peddle said. “We are a solely volunteer-run organization,” she said. It’s a sentiment shared by numerous other social service agencies in DeKalb County. Homeless shelter Hope Haven has always been blessed with a large population of volunteers, said Executive Director Lesly Wicks. At Hope Haven, which serves about 75 people per night, volunteers handle tasks like tutoring children and cooking meals. Some teach residents to crochet or money management, Wicks said. “We probably have more volunteers than we can keep busy,” she added. That’s not the case at TAILS Humane Society, which cares for 200 to 300 animals at the shelter and another 60 within foster homes. The shelter gains 30 to 40 new volunteers per month and also has attrition of volunteers, according to Executive Director Beth Drake. “We just almost can’t have enough volunteers at any given time,” she said. And what those volunteers do for organizations varies. Wicks said Hope Haven encourages those with particular skills, like computer or secretarial, to make their talent known when interested in volunteering at the shelter. People don’t always recognize the skills they may have and how they can help an organization, she said. Helping residents learn new things furthers their education and builds life skills, she said, in addition to enhancing their lives. More than ever, Wicks said she

Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com

Deanne Winterton, 18, prepares to clean up after a dog while she and classmate Megan Drendel (foreground) walk dogs while volunteering at TAILS Humane Society on April 18. believes there’s a greater awareness within the community of what Hope Haven does. “It’s definitely triggered the calls for people who volunteer,” Wicks said. Some volunteers come to TAILS every week to help clean cages or walk animals; others stop by the shelter a couple of times per month, Drake said. Even those who are allergic to animals help by making catnip mice or sewing beds for the animals, she said. Without volunteers, work would get done, but staff wouldn’t have time to give animals extra love, Drake said. Volunteers take animals on long walks and provide animals with the attention and care they crave, which is important to their well-being. “That’s the stuff that would not get done,” she said, adding that volunteers mean “the difference between good and great.” Amanda Schrems, sexual assault

legal/medical advocate and volunteer coordinator for Safe Passage, said volunteers handle everything from answering the crisis hot line to meeting with a victim at the hospital and providing information on services. “Without community support and volunteers, Safe Passage just wouldn’t be able to do or provide all the services that it does,” said Executive Director Linda Moser. Volunteers help staff cover all of the bases. Often, if a staff member is meeting with a victim at the hospital, a volunteer will man the hot line, or vice versa, Schrems said. Schrems, who started as an intern and a volunteer herself, said she feels volunteers and the agency have a good partnership. “They’re truly valued. I appreciate every single one of them,” she said. Peddle said Habitat gets a lot of requests from individuals as well as church groups and Northern Illinois University students looking to

volunteer. It’s hard to gauge the number of volunteers, Peddle said, but there are up to 15 members on the board of directors and a database of about 2,000 volunteers for home building projects. She said it’s rewarding to help someone who’s trying to secure the American dream of owning a home, and that’s why so many enjoy being involved with Habitat for Humanity. “We just cannot say enough about our volunteers,” Peddle said. Other social services said they don’t have as large of a base of volunteers, but stressed the ones who give of their time are an important part of their organizations. Carol Parsons said Opportunity House, which provides services to local residents who have a developmental disability, is getting more calls than ever from those interested in volunteering.

See SOCIAL SERVICES, page 9

• SOCIAL SERVICES

Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com

Chuck Janssen of Genoa helps to rehab a home at 615 Roosevelt Court in Sycamore for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County.

• Saturday, May 26, 2012

The organization uses volunteers on a limited basis since there are licensing and training requirements volunteers must complete. Volunteers are used for recreation programs and Special Olympics, Parsons added. Heather Foulker, DeKalb County manager for RAMP, said that because RAMP keeps clients’ information confidential, volunteers are only used for its annual Wheel-A-Thon. Jon Bockman, director of operations for Oaken Acres Wildlife, said the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization doesn’t use volunteers much, but appreciates when those with specific skills help the organization by building squirrel houses or fixing cages. That’s probably the most valuable way volunteers help Oaken Acres, he said, since it provides something at a reduced cost or for free. “We would not be able to do what we do without them for sure,” Bockman said.

spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com

From page 8

Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

« volunteer profile » Paul Johnson By CAITLIN MULLEN

cmullen@shawmedia.com

Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com

Paul Johnson, pictured here in his Sycamore home, is a longtime board member and volunteer with Hope Haven and will be leaving the board at the end of June.

hen Paul Johnson retired almost 30 years ago, he didn’t really stop working. Instead, the Sycamore resident ended up spending decades volunteering to help the homeless and continuing to do the type of work he left behind at his former job. “As I look back on it,” he said with a laugh, “I’m happier when I’m busy doing something.” Johnson has been on Hope Haven’s board since the shelter was established in 1990 and served as its treasurer for 17 years. Now 88, he’ll leave the board at the end of June. “Father Time is telling me that this is a good time to do it,” he said. Hope Haven Executive Director Lesly Wicks expects she’ll continue to consult Johnson, whom she calls “Mr. Hope Haven” and considers her mentor. “I think he really is the key person that has helped Hope Haven be so successful over the years,” Wicks said. “Nobody in the community has put in more hours for Hope Haven than Paul.”

See JOHNSON, page 12

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• JOHNSON From page 10

Johnson got started with PADS – Public Action to Deliver Shelter – after he retired from Northern Illinois University in 1986 as an assistant controller doing accounting work. He started volunteering for the overnight shift with PADS, which was held through local churches, including Sycamore United Methodist, where Johnson is a member. Within a year or two, Johnson was asked to coordinate PADS volunteers. In 1989, he became treasurer for the organization. “I got the idea that I might be in it for the long haul,” Johnson said. A task force was formed in 1990 to look for a permanent site and board of directors for the organization, he said. A former laundromat at 316 N. Sixth St. was remodeled and became the shelter for 10 years. The search for a permanent director began in August 1990 and in 1991, the name was changed to Hope Haven. Johnson recalls the shelter’s milestones clearly. The lot on Rushmoore Drive where it sits today was purchased in 1998, and the building completed by January 2000. Johnson continued to serve as treasurer, and converted manual accounting records to the Quickbooks program. He paid the bills, managed operating budgets and handled grant reports. By 2006, Johnson was ready to give up the position “for a younger man to do,” he joked. But he remained on the board and helped with accounting operations. Johnson said he’s enjoyed the work all these years and that he gave his time for a good cause. “Hope Haven was and is the place where I felt I could help to make a difference,” Johnson said. Johnson’s accounting knowledge and fiscal conservatism kept Hope Haven in the black all these years,

“Hope Haven would have been a very small program probably without his stability and guidance over the years. This is a situation where one person really made a difference.”

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Hope Haven executive director Wicks said. And he’s helped her run the agency in ethically and financially responsible ways. “Hope Haven would have been a very small program probably without his stability and guidance over the years,” she said. “This is a situation where one person really made a difference.” To Johnson, it’s been rewarding to see and hear success stories from former Hope Haven clients. Over the years, Johnson’s felt like he’s become friends with clients, who appreciate what volunteers do. He credited Wicks and board members for building the shelter’s solid reputation and not shying away from large tasks. “They keep moving forward and they’re willing to accept the challenge,” Johnson said. “All the while, support from the community has been tremendous.” Volunteers at Hope Haven have made an immeasurable difference, he said. “I don’t like to think about what kind of world this would be without volunteers,” Johnson said. “Life would be a lot different for a lot of people. ... Hope Haven would never have happened without volunteers.” He acknowledged that leaving the board will take some getting used to. But he doesn’t expect to be a stranger at the shelter. “I expect I’ll still be going in there and making mischief,” he said, grinning.

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By NICOLE WESKERNA

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Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com

Angie Boesche, 20, places a turkey into a shopping cart as she and other volunteers at the Salvation Army in DeKalb assemble meal packages to be distributed to local families for Thanksgiving in 2011. serves all of DeKalb County with the help of various community organizations, and a core group of 20 to 30 regular volunteers. Gary Billings, food pantry coordinator, said The Salvation Army took over the area’s food pantry services in 1992, starting out in a small 12-foot by 12-foot room. The pantry has since expanded, filling a 20-foot by 30-foot room with enough food to feed as many as 700 families a month. Billings said the pantry feeds approximately 2,400 people each month. The pantry saw record numbers of families – as high as 765 – last March and February. And new faces continue to show up. The food pantry depends on volunteers to do everything from assisting clients with choosing items and stocking shelves to cleaning eggs and mopping the floor. “That’s what makes this work is the volunteers,” Billings said. “Without the volunteers, it wouldn’t

happen. Their support is what makes this work.” Like most nonprofit organizations, Rogers said VAC’s food programs have felt the pinch of the sluggish economy in the past few years. Meals on Wheels volunteers have taken a hit with high gas prices, as they use their own vehicles. And meeting the growing need for food services is something VAC takes “day by day,” she said, but fortunately, the Meals on Wheels name recognition makes it easier to recruit new volunteers. And the rewards of volunteering for the program keep volunteers coming back, Rogers said. “It’s an easy, easy way of giving. It usually takes less than an hour,” she said. “You see how grateful this person is. ... In five or 10 minutes, you’ve brightened someone’s day in a short period of time.” Gibbs said Feed’em Soup started in the middle of the recession and managed to grow its services – even

moving into a new space about four times the size of their old space. He said while there’s a great need for a soup kitchen, there’s also a great need in the community to give back, so recruiting volunteers hasn’t been an issue. “I think the key is that we let them take part ownership of this project,” Gibbs said. “It’s feel-good. They meet the people they’re helping and that’s valuable all the way around.” Community support from outside organizations has become more important for The Salvation Army Food Pantry through the recession, Billings said. The pantry depends on donations and food drives from local churches, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, and other organizations to get the pantry during its slowest months, particularly in the summer. “It’s not just the volunteers, but the community organizations that have the heart to help people in need and support us,” he said.

• Saturday, May 26, 2012

olunteers in DeKalb County feed thousands of people a month, whether it’s at a soup kitchen, a food pantry or through a Meals on Wheels program. With the economy still sluggish needs continue to grow, but food programs like those provided by the Voluntary Action Center, The Salvation Army and Feed’em Soup are one constant that DeKalb County residents can rely on, thanks to the thousands of volunteers who support them. The Voluntary Action Center provides its Meals on Wheels program, which delivers hot and cold meals to home-bound seniors and people with disabilities. Ellen Rogers, assistant director for VAC, said between 400 and 450 meals are provided each day through the program. On top of Meals on Wheels, VAC hosts senior luncheon programs in DeKalb, Genoa, Sandwich and Sycamore. The organization serves an additional 600 meals a day through adult day care programs. Food services also extend to child care centers, hospice, the Family Service Agency and the county jail. More than 1,500 volunteers lend a hand each year to operate these food programs, Rogers said. “The Meals on Wheels program ... we have 15 or 16 routes,” she said. “If we had to hire folks to deliver those meals, I’m sure those numbers would be cut in half. We simply don’t have the resources.” Feed’em Soup is a soup kitchen organization that serves meals twice, sometimes three times, a month to anyone in need. Derek Gibbs, marketing and brand director for the organization, said the soup kitchen served its first meal in September 2010, serving about 50 people. The organization now feeds an average of 200 to 220 people with the help of 30 to 35 volunteers. Feed’em Soup has about 400 registered volunteers who help off and on. Volunteers tend to be younger, and their enthusiasm for the organization tends to spread to their parents, friends and neighbors, Gibbs said. “It’s not one person giving a lot, it’s a lot of people giving a little,” he said. The Salvation Army Food Pantry

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Volunteers support meal programs in tough economy

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Between the two of them, Dee and Don Anderson of Sycamore have logged 35 years of service with the Voluntary Action Center’s Meals on Wheels program. Add in the volunteer hours of family members and the Andersons estimate they’ve accumulated at least 160 years of service. That’s because Dee’s family was instrumental in getting DeKalb County’s first Meals on Wheels program off the ground. The long-standing family tradition extends all the way back to the program’s roots in the late 1970s, when it was known then as the Feeding Our Older DeKalb program. The family was also involved in the Senior Luncheon Program. It started with three siblings and a spouse. Dee’s dad, Sheldon Marsh, volunteered along with his sister, Doris Smith; his brother, Ken Marsh; and his brother’s wife, Marion Marsh. “The three siblings had such a tremendous impact. They were really driving forces,” said Ellen Rogers, assistant director for VAC. They’ve all since passed away, but the spirit of volunteerism continues in the family with the Andersons, as well as Doris’s granddaughter, Deb Hartman, who also volunteers with the local Meals on Wheels program. “They’ve been volunteering for a long time,” Rogers said of the family. “We’re very lucky because we’ve got so much stability.” Rogers said the Voluntary Action Center created an annual award to honor the Marsh family for their role in helping launch the Meals on Wheels and Senior Luncheon programs. The award was first presented several years ago when the family had put in nearly 143 cumulative years of service. It wasn’t until then that the Andersons realized just how far back their family’s involvement went. “I was flabbergasted at the

number of years they put in,” Don Anderson said. “I think it’s really nice that it’s continued on like it has,” Dee Anderson said. Dee said she had no idea how many years her family members – including her dad – had been involved until she learned about the award. But the long family history isn’t what inspired the Andersons to get involved. Dee Anderson, 73, began volunteering regularly in 1994 after participating with members of her church congregation. She enjoyed it so much, she stuck with it. A year later, Don Anderson, 75, started joining her regularly. The couple spends about an hour delivering meals once a week along their Southmoor Estates route in DeKalb. They try to help out whenever they can, sometimes volunteering as much as four times a week, which they said is rare. “We’ve got the time, so we figure ‘why not?’” Dee Anderson said. “Someday we might need that service.” Their route includes 10 stops, and the Andersons usually stop in and talk to the people they deliver meals to. By now, they know the recipients’ favorite foods and any diet restrictions they may have. They also work on weekends and holidays when needed, and have delivered as many as 30 meals on a holiday. They’ve gotten to know many of the people on various routes throughout the years, and Don Anderson said they’ve delivered along just about every Meals on Wheels route in DeKalb. “You might be the only person they see all day,” he said. The family tradition of participating in Meals on Wheels may continue on, as the Andersons’ grandchildren have tagged along with them on their routes a few times. The Andersons said they continue to volunteer because it’s a fun and enjoyable way to give back. “We really do enjoy it,” Dee said. “We probably enjoy it as much as the people [we deliver to] do.”

spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com

« volunteer profile » The Andersons

Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

« youth services »

Children are well supported in DeKalb County By JEFF ENGELHARDT

jengelhardt@shawmedia.com

icki Chulick was in scramble mode. The director of Community Coordinated Child Care, known as 4-C, just received news that there was no funding for April, May or June for the Child Care Assistance Program, which provides funding for child care for low-income parents either attending school or working. Chulick received that call May 2, but in many ways it was just another Wednesday for a social service agency that has become accustomed to state funding issues. That is why Chulick said she is thankful to be in DeKalb. “It’s been extremely difficult,” Chulick said of the financial struggles. “But the city has stood by us and helped us a great deal. The support is much more than financial. Our community cares and they are invested in our mission.” If it takes a village to raise a child, local youth service providers say DeKalb is the “village” to be in. Some agencies help the neediest of children, others provide a friend and mentor, and some supplement the work of local school districts to provide more educational opportunities. “This is an amazing community to live in,” said Courtney Denison, director for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. “And all of the agencies provide such different services that we can work together.” The heart of a good youth service agency lies in the

“This is an amazing community to live in. And all of the agencies provide such different services that we can work together.” Courtney Denison

Big Brothers Big Sisters director

volunteers, Denison said, and her organization has plenty of them. While the Big Brothers Big Sisters has some after-school programs where people can volunteer, many are matched with a “little” who they spend time with once a week for a year. Denison said in order to get high-quality volunteers there is an extensive background check that includes an inspection of the potential volunteer’s home, fingerprinting, a criminal history check and a list of references to vouch for the person. But once the volunteer is accepted, Denison said it is a rewarding experience. She said the stigma the program is only for troubled children is not true and Big Brothers Big Sisters instead aims to provide a mentor for any child who wants one. There are approximately 50 matches and Denison said the organization is looking for more “bigs,” especially male volunteers. Some agencies such as the Youth Service Bureau are designed to help children who have troubles and that makes the reliance on other agencies even more important, said Jason Nicol, executive direc-

tor of the agency. Unlike Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Youth Service Bureau offers counseling to troubled children and therefore cannot rely on citizen volunteers. Instead, Nicol said the agency uses Northern Illinois University students in health and human service programs and other agencies to help support the growing number of children and families in need. From 2008 to 2012, the number of clients served has grown from 800 to 1,350 while state funding was slashed by 25 percent in 2009. To meet the growing needs, Nicol said the agency is looking to work with school districts to provide services during the day and with other agencies to help build strong family support. “We can’t shoulder the burden ourselves,” Nicol said. “But there has been something brewing in the community now where social service agencies are really partnering together ... the pipeline is there.”

For children in the worst environmental situations, the DeKalb County Court Appointed Special Advocate program has helped pick up the pieces since 1993. The volunteer-driven program known as CASA provides assistance to children who have been abused or neglected and are in the court system. Jill Olson, executive director for the program, said there are 67 volunteers, including 27 attorneys offering pro bono legal services, and staff members that handle 214 cases each year. While the demand for services has increased, the budget has remained lean at $134,000 per year, but Olson said she is still grateful for the support she receives. She said the county board and private businesses are generous in their funding of the program and volunteers are dedicated. Olson said five people are going through the extensive training that includes background checks, classroom preparation and a two-year

commitment to become volunteers. “We would be the envy of a lot of counties here in Illinois,” she said. “We have a lot of very well run agencies here.” The best resource a community can give children is a good education, said Bridget Carlson, which is why she takes her role as board president of the DeKalb Education Foundation seriously. The foundation gives out about $50,000 annually in grants to DeKalb School District 428 schools to support services in a variety of ways, including textbook purchases, field trip funding and technological upgrades. Carlson said the foundation is a perfect example of the giving nature of the community because all funding is donated by residents willing to support the children. “That’s one of the main reasons I love living here so much,” she said. “I’m blown away year after year from the support we get.”

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Robin Waffle plays a counseling board game called “The Talking, Feeling, Doing Game” in a session with Dakota Klotz, 11, and his mother Heather Klotz (not pictured) at the DeKalb Youth Services Bureau on May 10. sphere to be in for a short period of time – let alone 21 years – but Waffle said one of the great joys of continuing her work is seeing the success stories years later. “I’ve been doing this long enough that there are people I helped as teenagers that now bring their children in to meet me,” Waffle said. “Those are some of the families that stand out to me. It’s great to see.” Another obstacle Waffle has overcome on a daily basis is her extremely limited vision. In the paperwork inten-

sive world of social services, Waffle does not have the luxury of quickly locating or filing documents, but with the help of coworkers and assistive software, she said she is able to get through the piles of paper. And Waffle has found ways to use her limited vision as a helpful tool in dealing with the families and children she interacts with. Waffle’s guide dog, Emily, has been a staple at YSB and is a calming influence on stressed colleagues – and more importantly, the teenagers who

need help. Waffle’s work with youth does not stop when she leaves YSB, she has also fostered more than a dozen teenage boys in the last eight years. Her interactions with her foster children at home has made her even more effective in her work at YSB. “They’re tough,” Waffle said of the teen foster boys. “It’s helped me to connect better with the people I work with ... and you learn the current lingo and slang they use.” Nicol said imagining YSB without Waffle is difficult,

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as she served the agency for more than half of its existence. The agency celebrated its 40th anniversary at the end of 2011. Waffle said she has no plans of slowing down or stopping, but when she does, Nicol is happy she will have passed on the skills, compassion and tough love approach it takes to work with youth. “We’ve relied on her knowledge of the community for a long time,” Nicol said. “Having Robin here for these younger therapists has been a tremendous service.”

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• Saturday, May 26, 2012

obin Waffle has always been interested in helping youth. She planned on entering the education field to focus on students with disabilities, but a community counseling course at Northern Illinois University changed those plans. Waffle was introduced to the DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau through that course and never looked back. She started as a volunteer there before being hired on. For the past 21 years, Waffle has served as the alcohol and drug early intervention coordinator at YSB, where she has helped hundreds of families and children in a much different way than she ever thought she would. Jason Nicol, executive director for the Youth Service Bureau, said it is impossible to measure the positive affects Waffle’s work has had on the whole community as helping even one child avoid drug and alcohol abuse can have a wide ripple effect. “Every generation makes poor decisions when it comes to drugs and alcohol,” Nicol said. “But Robin has been a cornerstone of this agency for so long that I would have a hard time counting all the lives she has touched.” As the alcohol and drug coordinator, Waffle has dealt with some of the toughest situations a counselor can encounter with cases of abuse, broken families and other tribulations amplified by the slippery slope of drug and alcohol use. It can be a difficult atmo-

spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com

« volunteer profile » Robin Waffle

Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

« athletic organizations »

YMCA and local teams meet needs with volunteers By JAMES NOKES

sports@daily-chronicle.com

elissa Gallagher starts her day shrouded in latenight darkness. The Kishwaukee Family YMCA Director of Human Resources is rattled awake by a 3:30 a.m. alarm. As part of her job, Gallagher is responsible for finding volunteers for large events at the YMCA. But prior to walking into the office for her full-time job, Gallagher joins the ranks of a deep volunteer core. She teaches a 5 a.m. spin and Pilates classes four times per week, one of the 1,142 YMCA volunteers who dedicated 21,170 hours in 2011. “You don’t have to start a revolution as a volunteer,” Gallagher said. “Even if you just change the day for one person in a positive fashion, that makes a difference.” When organizations went into survival mode during the economic downturn, volunteers allowed for key programs to be salvaged not only at the YMCA, but for the DeKalb County Liners baseball team and other DeKalb County programs forced to operate under tightened budgets. “Without volunteers we wouldn’t have the resources to do what we do,” YMCA Associate Executive Director Katrina Luetkebuenger said. “Volunteers serve on our board, host fundraisers, secure scholarships, run big events, serve as coaches and teach classes. They advocate for us and tell our story.” The YMCA has allowed Bill Mitchell of Sycamore to continue to carry out his mission to expose students to

“You don’t have to start a revolution as a volunteer. Even if you just change the day for one person in a positive fashion, that makes a difference.” Melissa Gallagher YMCA volunteer

the arts and nature, one he honed during the 26 years he spent teaching art and horticulture at Clinton Rosette Middle School. “It’s sad that in public schools shop and home economic programs are being cut,” said Mitchell, 70, who has been retired 16 years. “Nutrition, wood working and cooking are all things that need to be introduced outside of school these days.” Five years ago, Mitchell found that volunteering was a new way to ensure young people continue to discover wood working, gardening and fine arts. He’s shown kids how to use a pottery wheel, has students build birdhouses and bird feeders out of the wood pallets Farm and Fleet disposes of, and shows them how to grow plants in the YMCA garden. “In schools, there’s a pressure toward academics,” Mitchell said. “They want to make sure we compete with other country’s test scores. There’s teaching to the test. Thankfully, art has hung on in schools. But, the YMCA’s mission puts me in a position to continue to work with kids and I love to be around them. The sense of excitement they get to work with nature or learn how to make things is great.”

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At DeKalb High School, Athletic Director Dan Jones has turned to volunteer resources to meet the needs of athletic teams. The school’s Booster Club, volunteers who raise funds and coordinate special events for Barbs’ athletics, has normally helped meet equipment needs not included in the budget. “The booster club is vital to the athletics program,” Jones said. “Uniforms, warmups and special equipment like a shooting machine in basketball or pitching machine for baseball or softball might not be included in the budget. As student population grows they ensure there are funds to still develop the program.” But this year, the booster club aided a budget shortfall to ensure the medical needs of DeKalb student athletes are met when it provided the funding for an additional athletic trainer. “Providing assistance to student athletes in the form

of another trainer is one the things we are proudest of,” said booster club president Tara Berg-Gould. “We’re proud to watch teams wear the uniforms and use the equipment we help provide, but to know that we had a hand in keeping them safe and healthy is a big bonus.” Sometimes all it takes for a program to continue its development is an extra set of hands. As the dean of DeKalb County baseball coaches, Jason Cavanaugh has grown the Sycamore program into perennial contenders. Over an 18-year period – 15 of them as the Spartans’ head coach – Cavanaugh has always welcomed the presence of volunteers. This year the Spartans have an eight-man coaching staff – and only four of the coaches are paid. “It’s always important to have an extra set of eyes to work with players,” Cavanaugh said. “Their presence means a ton. Sometimes

they are just an ear for a coach to talk to and bounce an idea off. Other times it’s just a person that can hit fly balls so a player doesn’t have to.” Even the DeKalb County Liners of the Midwest Collegiate League function because of volunteers, as several players live with adopted families for the summer. Families aren’t reimbursed for providing room and board to players. “Host families volunteer their time and really make it happen,” said DeKalb baseball coach Jake Howells, who has been a Liners’ assistant the past two seasons. “For players to want to come here, they’ve got to feel like they have a home. “The volunteer families have provided that. They help with laundry, let players in if they return home at 1 a.m. or later from a road trip and even pack lunches for road trips,” he said. “Players really feel like they’ve got a home.”

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Brad Roberts helps check in runners during the Gib Seegers Track and Field Classic on April 27 in Sycamore. Roberts volunteers at numerous track and wrestling events at Sycamore High School. out,” Carrick said. “It’s really neat to have a guy that hasn’t had a daughter in the program for at least 10 years come back and help.” Sycamore girls track coach Joe McCormick is thankful to have Roberts there. He knows he wouldn’t be able to get much coaching done during a home meet if he wasn’t. “I’d hate to think what we’d do if he wasn’t there. I’d probably have to run it, and that wouldn’t be good,” McCormick said. “We pride ourselves on hosting our meets. We don’t have to have any visiting coaches work any events, and Brad Roberts is sure to run a smooth, uptempo meet. There is very little downtime in between events.” The 60-year-old knows his days are numbered as a football referee. He joked that some coaches already think he’s too old. “When it becomes one of two things – either I get too old … or more importantly when it’s not fun anymore, is when I’ll be done with it,” Roberts said. But he can’t envision a

time when he would elect not to work at track and wrestling meets. “As long as they ask me I’ll

probably do it,” Roberts said. “The wrestling staff at Sycamore is just a good bunch of guys to be around,

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eople assume Brad Roberts doesn’t enjoy watching Sycamore sprinter Lake Kwaza break his daughter’s records. Jennifer Roberts was a four-time state medalist as a sprinter for the Spartans from 1998-2001, when Brad began working as track team’s course clerk, and she rewrote the record book. Now, Kwaza is making a name for herself by breaking several of Jennifer’s records. Brad Roberts doesn’t mind. “Lake Kwaza has been just incredible to watch,” he said. “She’s broken several of Jennifer’s records, and people say, ‘Geez, you must not like that.’ But that’s why [the records] are there.” Watching athletes like Kwaza and his nephew, distance runner Mark Stice, is just one of the reasons spectators will see Roberts at every Sycamore track meet, directing athletes into their lanes and preparing races for the starter. He also helped with meets at Central Michigan when Jennifer ran for the Chippewas. Roberts also helps Sycamore athletic director Chauncey Carrick run wrestling meets, and he referees high school football games in the fall. Since Jennifer graduated 11 years ago, Roberts needed something to fill the time when he previously would have been watching or coaching his daughters in track or softball or basketball. “When you get into stuff and your kids are out of high school and college and stuff like that, especially when they were year-round athletes … you have to fill the gaps,” Roberts said. While he has a defined job at track meets, where he prepares every race and lane assignment for the starter and gives athletes instructions, Roberts is a jack of all trades at wrestling meets. Carrick isn’t sure what he would do without him. “Wherever we have an issue, he solves the problem and gets everything smoothed

spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com

« volunteer profile » Brad Roberts

Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

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spotlight on volunteers | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com â&#x20AC;˘ Saturday, May 26, 2012

We salute the dedicated men, women, teens and kids who enrich their communities and the world through service.

Thanks, volunteers, for making a difference!

Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Saturday, May 26, 2012

| spotlight on volunteers

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• Among those 25 and older, 42.4 percent of college graduates volunteered, compared with 18.2 percent of high school graduates and 9.8 percent of those with less than a high school diploma. • Among employed people, 29.6 percent volunteered during the year ending in September 2011. By comparison, 23.8 percent of unemployed persons and 22.5 percent of those not in the labor force volunteered. Among the employed, part-time workers were more likely than full-time workers to have participated in volunteer activities, with 33.3 percent compared with 28.7 percent. • Volunteers of both sexes spent a median of 51 hours on volunteer activities from September 2010 to September 2011. • Most volunteers were involved with either one or two organizations, 69.6 percent and 19.4 percent, respectively. • In 2011, the organization for which a volunteer worked the most hours during the year was most frequently religious, 33.2 percent of all volunteers, followed by educational or youth service related, 25.7 percent. Another 14.3 percent of volunteers performed activities mainly for social or community service organizations. • At 11 percent, fundraising, and at 10.6 percent, collecting, preparing, distributing or serving food, were the activities volunteers performed most frequently for the main organization they volunteered at. Men and women tended to engage in different main activities. Men who volunteered were most likely to engage in general labor, 13.3 percent; coach, referee, or supervise sports teams, 10.1 percent; or fundraise, 8.9 percent. Female volunteers were most likely to fundraise, 12.6 percent; collect, prepare, distribute or serve food, 12.5 percent; or tutor or teach, 0.7 percent. • Among volunteers, 41.9 percent became involved with their main organization after being asked to volunteer, most often by someone in the organization. About the same proportion, 41.6 percent, became involved on their own initiative.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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The New Face of Long-term Care and Services State of the Art Long-Term Care Services Right In Your Own Backyard. Visitors to the thirty-acre campus at Oak Crest will find a unique retirement community offering state of the art services and accommodations second to none. People looking for a continuing care retirement community need go no further than their own backyard. Nestled in a treelined neighborhood, the Oak Crest campus boasts beautiful gardens, a walking path and flowering ponds accented by fountains, a deck and gazebo. The Center, an independent not-for-profit retirement community, is located at 2944 Greenwood Acres Drive in DeKalb. “Oak Crest’s on-going commitment is to offer a full continuum of services for the older adult,” says Stephen Cichy, Executive Director. “People today are faced with more options than ever before and Oak Crest offers a living arrangement to fit their individual lifestyle and preference. We offer Independent Living Duplex homes and apartments. Our licensed sheltered care apartments and private nursing home suites are designed to provide the quality care and services people deserve while maintaining an individual’s dignity

and privacy.” 250 residents of this picturesque community, conveniently located between DeKalb and Sycamore, choose Oak Crest for new friendships, enjoyable events and enhanced independence. Residents and their guests may choose to dine in one of our beautifully appointed dining rooms, enjoy a band concert, spend an afternoon gardening or painting, or getting to know the neighbor next door. It only takes a short time for everyone to realize that Oak Crest and the surrounding area is a community family and friends love to visit. Above and beyond these wonderful memory-making experiences, residents of the community enjoy worry free living and are secure in the commitment of lifetime care and services. Residents enjoy all the advantages of community living and the commitment of health care availability when needed. For some, nursing care is an impending reality and Oak Crest’s Howard and Mildred Eychaner Health Center offers people the care and services they deserve in a warm and welcoming neighborhood setting. Each neighborhood is made up of private apartments grouped around a neighborhood family room. Residents fur-

nish and decorate their apartments to meet their own individual taste. All meals are prepared and served by a professional staff from an extensive menu. Residents are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities and social programs designed around their interests. The Howard and Mildred Eychaner Health Center truly redefines nursing services. In other words, Oak Crest is at the forefront of long-term care and services. Oak Crest is the only area retirement community accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CARF-CCAC). This is an industry endorsement and confirmation that Oak Crest is a quality retirement community, with a clear mission, vision and a proven history of excellence. Today, people interested in community retirement living have more options available than ever before. Now is the time to visit Oak Crest and experience first hand the changing face of community retirement living. Oak Crest offers quality living and options to fit every lifestyle. For information, call today (815) 756-8461 or visit us on the Web at www.oakcrestdekalb.org.

Advertorial

Make your FIRST CALL for Help the RIGHT CALL for Help www.bengordoncenter.org 815-756-4875 Or 24 hours a day 7 days a week 1-866-BGC-0111 The Ben Gordon Center has been providing quality mental health and substance abuse services to our community for over 40 years. As the only outpatient behavioral healthcare practice fully accredited by the Joint Commission of Healthcare Organizations, which provides the Gold Seal of Quality for healthcare professionals, it is also the only provider in DeKalb County licensed by the Illinois Division of Mental Health and the Illinois Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. The expert staff of caring professionals is trained in various modes of therapy and is prepared to work with individuals, families, couples, children and adolescents. The staff at the Ben Gordon Center specializes in the treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders. The team consists of licensed mental health practitioners educated with a Masters, Doctoral or Medical Degree. The marriage and family therapists are uniquely qualiﬁed to provide mental health services. The Ben Gordon Center also offers a full staff of psychiatrists for children, adults and older adults. Cost is not a barrier to services. A sliding fee is available for those who qualify. Ben Gordon Center Inc. also accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and all Insurance Plans.

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