Home State Bank applauds the spirit of our Everyday Heroes Do you know a teacher that goes above and beyond?
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| Everyday Heroes
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Nominate them for “Teacher of the Month” go to www.star105.com (keyword “Teacher”)
For many years, Home State Bank has recognized area teachers who have made a positive impact on the lives of children.
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Come inside and meet the people making a difference in the lives of McHenry County’s youth 2015 Heroes Jennifer Cody............................4 Kathie Comella.........................6 John Dughi.................................8 Lois Emrich................................9 Karen Fallon.............................11 Lisa Gatewood........................ 13 Greg & Kathy Godsell............ 14 Arthur Gritmaker.................... 16 Ellen Jackson........................... 18 Terry Jaworski........................ 19
Lemonade Brigade
To see a photo gallery of all of this year’s Everyday Heroes, visit NWHerald.com.
John Jelinek............................ 20 Kathy Jones.............................22
Debra Junkins.........................23 Susan Keller............................29
Matt Koll..................................30 Lemonade Brigade.................32 Kathy McAfee.........................33 Brenda Napholz......................35 Camille Paddock.....................37 Wendy Rollie...........................38 Gary Rosenberg..................... 40 Heather Stewart.....................46 Tamara Tomasello.................47 Theresa Villec.........................48 Kelly Weaver.......................... 50
Contributors
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• Saturday, February 28, 2015
This section was produced by Northwest Herald editors Jason Schaumburg, R. Scott Helmchen, H. Rick Bamman, Brett Rowland and Jami Kunzer; reporters Joseph Bustos, Jeff Engelhardt, Emily Coleman, Kevin P. Craver, Stephen DiBenedetto, Allison Goodrich, Chelsea McDougall and Joe Stevenson; correspondent Joan Oliver; and photographers Sarah Nader and Kyle Grillot.
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
WELCOME TO EVERYDAY HEROES
JENNIFER CODY
Harvard High School teacher approaches special education with passion By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Jennifer Cody, a Harvard High School teacher, developed a program to teach essential life skills such as cooking and cleaning the dishes to children suffering from autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities.
Jennifer Cody recalled her brother’s teachers when asked why she feels passionate about her job as a special education teacher at Harvard High School. The teachers never seemed to understand her brother’s special needs, blaming behavioral issues and suggesting the need for medication, she said. Cody also recalled her work as a counselor at a summer camp geared toward kids with special needs. A day after receiving a concussion from a child at the camp, she told her colleagues that she wasn’t going to give up on the kid just because he had a bad day. “A lot of times, these kids just don’t get the opportunity to reach their potential,” Cody said. “Growing up, I’ve been taught that everyone should be treated equally. Just because they look or sound different doesn’t mean you treat them differently. It’s been instilled in me.” The ingrained quality is evident throughout Cody’s work, Harvard High School Principal Rob Zielinski wrote in nominating the special education
Continued on page 5
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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Continued from page 4
THE CODY FILE
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Where she lives: Woodstock Where she works: Harvard High School Family: Mother, Cindy; brothers, David and Brandon Favorite movie: Adam Sandler comedies Favorite food: Pizza and pasta What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Cody has taught special education students at Harvard High School for the past four years. She is studying for a master’s degree in social work and interning at the Pioneer Center for Human Services. who go above and beyond to help others. Cody was even tongue-tied when Zielinski and her colleagues at Harvard High School congratulated her for being nominated. “I have a very hard time taking compliments because, in my mind, doing the right thing is what you are supposed to do,” she said.
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
teacher as an Everyday Hero. For the past four years, Cody has taught essential life skills such as cooking and cleaning the dishes to children suffering from autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities. She’s worked with the Harvard students on their academics and study habits. The special education life skills class, in fact, was created because of her dedication to the job, Zielinski wrote. Cody took the lead and organized the class to better serve special education students who would’ve transferred out of District 50 upon entering high school. Harvard High School didn’t have a life skills class for its special education students. The program is now in its third year. “Jen doesn’t see problems. She sees opportunities,” Zielinski wrote. “She takes on difficulties and finds ways to get the job done and get it done right.” Cody also encounters difficulties outside of work – a fact that has added to her crowded schedule. Cody enrolled at George Williams College of Aurora University last winter for a master’s degree in social work. She pursued the advanced degree because she was fascinated by the social and emotional needs of her students, she said.
Many of her students come from single-parent, low-income families. Many of them are on free and reduced lunch at school. Before class, she hears often how her students’ home life affects their school life. The learning dynamics led her to social work. Since July, Cody has interned at the Pioneer Center for Human Services, working with 14- to 18-year-old teenagers who are court ordered to meet with her. Working with unwilling participants, Cody has to talk with the teens about their decision-making that caused them to commit a crime as part of a program meant to help improve their behavior in the future. “It’s challenged me in a different way because you have to talk about things outside of the classroom,” she said. “You have to build that trust because a lot of them come in and say, ‘Why do I have to tell you my story? ... It’s between me, the judge and my probation officer.’ ” Her colleagues at Pioneer also have observed how Cody’s friendly, nonthreatening approach allows her to connect easily with the children in the program, Zielinski wrote in his nomination. Despite the title behind the Everyday Hero nomination, Cody said she doesn’t think of herself as a hero, calling it a strong word reserved for people
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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KATHIE COMELLA
Actress, director shares lifetime of theater, stage knowledge with children By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and entrances, and each, in their time, plays many parts. And if there’s a part to be played on stage, odds are Kathie Comella has played it. Comella, president and executive producer of the Woodstock Musical Theatre Company, has graced the stage of the Woodstock Opera House for more than half a century, and is as much of a fixture there as the stage lights. But it’s her work with directing generations of children and teaching them love of the stage that earned her the honor of Everyday Hero. Comella gets that opportunity again as stage manager for the musical “Oliver!”, which, of course, has a child-heavy cast. The musical, opening April 10 and running through April 26, is her third time participating in the Charles Dickens classic turned stage play. She starred in it the first time and directed it the second. Comella has worked with and directed actors, then their children, and in some cases, their grandchildren during her lifetime on stage. “Children love to perform, they really do. I just seem to have a connection with them. I don’t talk down to them, and I think they respond to that,” Comella said. Comella talked about her love of children in theater as she sat in a corner room of the Opera House, the day after the first meeting for the newly assembled cast. Thirty-six children auditioned for the 12 child parts. In 1964, Comella got her start as part of a local drama program, along with her younger brother, Dave, who got bitten by the theater bug as well. In the decades since, she’s directed him in performances, and he’s directed her. But it’s Comella’s tireless work to help young people cast in shows, from “Oliver!” to “Annie” and “A Christmas Carol,” that makes her special, said Paul Lockwood, past president of TownSquare Players Inc., the Opera House’s other resident theater company. She finds time to help regardless of whether she’s directing a show, acting in it, managing in it or just helping out, wrote Lockwood, who nominated Comella as an Everyday Hero. “Some of these young people go on
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Kathie Comella is the longtime president and executive producer of the Woodstock Musical Theatre Company and uses that position to help children cast in shows have the most positive experience they can. to pursue acting in high school, college and beyond. Kathie’s enthusiasm, friendliness and non-stop encouragement come through, regardless of the particular responsibility she takes on for a show,” Lockwood said. Comella loves sharing the knowledge that comes from a lifetime on stage, and it’s not only actors and actresses in her particular shows. She helps Scout troops get their theater merit badges – teaching them how to apply makeup to simulate a bruise always is a favorite – and teaching expression at Woodstock Dance Academy. But just as important to Comella as teaching acting and its associated skills is teaching the history and lore
that comes with it. She said children get a kick out of learning it, such as why “upstage” means away from the audience (it goes back to when stages sloped upward to ensure the audience could see everything happening) and why it’s unlucky to whistle in the theater (whistles were used before radio headsets to cue costume and scene changes, which at the wrong time could hurt people or throw a show into chaos). Even if children don’t continue on in theater, the talents that it nurtures, especially getting in front of a crowd or talking face-to-face in an era of electronic communications, are important, Comella said. “It’s such a great thing to teach
THE COMELLA FILE Where she lives: Woodstock Where she works: Woodstock Musical Theatre Company Family: Brother, Dave; two nephews Favorite stage play: “Noises Off” Favorite food: Her homemade pasta What she does for McHenry County’s youth: As president and executive producer of the Woodstock Musical Theatre Company, Comella shares her knowledge and love of theater with children.
kids how to get in front of people and communicate,” Comella said.
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
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JOHN DUGHI
Longtime Woodstock instructor empowers children through martial arts
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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John Dughi, co-owner and master instructor at Young Masters Martial Arts and Fitness Studio in Woodstock, works with youth in the community and helps them with issues such as bullying, lack of confidence and low self-esteem. Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com John Dughi was bullied as a teenager. That was until the local newspaper ran his picture with a story about his successes at Judo tournaments. After that, the bullying stopped. “I was the kid in high school, before I started martial arts, that got stuffed in lockers, picked on,” Dughi said. It’s part of the reason why Dughi has a soft spot today for the bullied. It’s also part of the reason he enjoys his job as an instructor and co-owner of Young Masters Martial Arts and Fitness Studio in Woodstock. Dughi estimates he’s instructed somewhere in the “thousands” the number of children and adults who’ve called him “Master Dughi” since he began teaching martial arts locally in 1973. But the ones who really have touched his heart are those with special needs – be it physical, emotional
THE DUGHI FILE Where he lives: Woodstock Where he works: Co-owner and instructor at Young Masters Martial Arts and Fitness Studio Family: Wife, Gail; children, Megan and Patrick; twin grandchildren, Rose and Riley Favorite food: Anything Italian Favorite movie: “Groundhog Day” What he does for McHenry County’s youth: Dughi empowers children through martial arts instruction and fitness coaching. or intellectual. “When you can help them succeed – or better yet see their parents’ faces when their child succeeds – that’s priceless,” he said. Dughi partnered with Rob Knuth eight years ago to form the studio when their mentor, Young Hong, retired.
They admired the man’s teaching style and didn’t want to let that leave the community, so they opened the studio. They started with a 1,500-square foot space – “a little hole in the wall” – before eventually expanding to their current four-studio location in the Woodstock Square Mall. For years, martial arts instruction was a part-time job for Dughi, who holds degrees in biology and wildlife management. He was a quality engineer for Sloan Valve for 26 years before retiring in April. “Now I’m a full-time person down here bothering Rob,” he said, as he and Knuth both laughed. At 65 years old, Dughi still teaches classes five nights a week. He just can’t get enough watching the young and old – students range from 3 years old to 68 years old – grow to gain self confidence and learn discipline and respect. “It’s extremely rewarding when you see these kids and what they ac-
complish. It’s just unbelievable,” he said. “… When you see these kids meeting these challenges and achieving something, it makes it all worthwhile.” Dughi was nominated as an Everyday Hero by his wife, Gail Dughi. “John’s commitment to youth is apparent from the hours he spends researching teaching techniques, bullying and health and fitness, and communicating with parents, as well as conducting classes,” Gail wrote in her Everyday Hero nomination. “He is proud of their accomplishments and is modest in accepting his role in their success.” Dughi was surprised at his wife’s endorsement. He pointed to others he believed were more deserving of the honor – from the single mom supporting her children to many of his young martial arts students. “That was very unexpected,” he said of the nomination. “Normally, I get nagged for spending so much time here.”
LOIS EMRICH
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By JOE STEVENSON jstevenson@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Lois Emrich of Woodstock sits inside her Woodstock home next to memorabilia from her 1999-2000 bowling team that qualified for the state finals. Emrich now coaches with Challenger Bowling, a program that provides special needs children an opportunity to learn a new sport. her dream job teaching middle school band. In 1988, while teaching elementary school, she took the job as Jacobs’ girls bowling coach. Her sales pitch to Dick Hartley, Jacobs athletic director at the time, was straightforward: “I told him I don’t know everything about bowling, but I can tell you this: I will have the kids have fun. I will have the kids represent the school and themselves in a positive way. I will see that they improve from the beginning to the end and feel good about themselves, and I will do my best to get wins. In that order.” Hartley hired her, and Emrich began a learning process with the girls. Now, she plays in leagues on Mondays and Tuesdays, and teaches youth programs at Kingston Lanes in Woodstock and Glo-Bowl Fun Center in Marengo. Some classes are for children without special needs, some are for special needs children and some combine
both. “I treat all kids the same until I find out that’s not working,” Emrich said. “I’ll mess with special needs kids the same as with my grandkids. I’ll tease them, ‘Your ball’s not working, let me talk to it.’ I will make up any story to something else if it gets the point across.” Like with Kellie Krenzelok. She shared her coaching tip on getting through to Kellie with Marengo High School bowling coach Dwain Nance. “I told the coaches, ‘If you want Kellie to do something, go stand next to her and tell somebody else what you want her to do,’” Emrich said. “It had to have worked.” There are numerous parents who saw the positive effect Emrich had on their children’s lives through bowling. Shana Krenzelok’s daughter just took a little more work. “Kellie’s come a long way,” Shana said. “It’s hard for Kellie to take
THE EMRICH FILE Where she lives: Woodstock Where she works: Retired Family: Husband, John, died in 2005; son, John, and daughter, Susan Favorite movie: All the “Star Wars” movies Favorite food: Pizza What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Emrich teaches youth bowling programs at Kingston Lanes in Woodstock and Glo-Bowl Fun Center in Marengo. coaching, one of her best defense mechanisms is make them extremely uncomfortable and nervous. It does not work on Lois. There’s a lot of really good coaches there, but Kellie scares them. Lois is like, ‘Whatever.’ If Kellie’s not listening to Lois, she’d talk to me. It’s been really neat.”
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Lois Emrich has the knack for getting the most of her bowling students, whether they are high schoolers or grade schoolers; whether they have special needs or not. Emrich, through her vast years of teaching and coaching experience, just knows how to get through to young bowlers. So, when Marengo resident Shana Krenzelok wanted someone to coach her autistic daughter, Kellie, a few years ago, Emrich was the ideal person for the job. “Even though Kellie would be difficult to coach, Lois was undeterred,” Krenzelok said. “Lois gravitated toward Kellie. She really started to do quite well.” Emrich, with no specific training for a special-needs child, just figured out things on her own. When Kellie Krenzelok didn’t listen, Emrich would talk to Shana, with Kellie within earshot, saying, “Now, Mom, if Kellie was listening to me, this is what I’d tell her to do.’ ” Under Emrich’s guidance, Krenzelok enjoyed three years on Marengo’s high school bowling team. She recently rolled a 735 series, and her father, Danny, promised her a horse if she rolled a perfect game. Krenzelok, 20, is one of many who have benefited from Emrich’s tutelage through her years at Jacobs High School and coaching young players. Shana Krenzelok was so moved by Emrich’s help with her daughter that she nominated Emrich as a Northwest Herald Everyday Hero. “I’ve seen coaches whose teams are successful, but their teams aren’t having any fun,” said Emrich, 72, who lives in Woodstock. “You can go to state every year, but they’re not having any fun. I’ve gotten so much more out of coaching that I put in it. Yeah, it’s work sometimes. Sometimes, you have to deal with a goofy kid or parent. All that aside, I can count those instances on one hand. The rest of it’s pure fun.” Emrich’s immersion into bowling did not happen until later in her life. She grew up in Elgin and attended North Central College in Naperville, where she was a music major, playing clarinet. After graduation, she was married and raised three children with her husband, John. She taught grade school for a while, then later got
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Coach draws from experience to teach bowling to children of all abilities
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
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By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
If a student in Karen Fallon’s kindergarten class at Alden-Hebron Elementary School has shoes that are falling apart or a tattered coat that doesn’t keep out the winter cold, it’s a temporary problem. Fallon, who has taught at the school since 2002, often pays out of her own pocket to make sure needy students have basic needs. It’s a philosophy she learned from her father at an early age, and it’s one of several reasons, including what her nominator calls Fallon’s outstanding teaching skills, and her very journey to become a teacher, why the Northwest Herald selected Fallon’s nomination as an Everyday Hero. “I don’t know how it got started, but when you see somebody who needs something, and you’re in a position to help, that’s what you do,” Fallon said. The generosity of the mother of three grown boys goes beyond clothes and shoes. One day, when students had to discuss their wishes – the letter of the day that particular day was “W” – a little girl from a low-income family said she wanted, more than anything, to have a bicycle. Fallon and another teacher split the cost and bought her one. Generosity is a lesson Fallon learned from an early age growing up in Wonder Lake. Her father, self-employed plumber Ralph Gunderson, often would do work at a significant discount or free of charge for the poor or widowed. He would face lectures from Fallon’s mother – after all, free work doesn’t help pay their bills – but he answered that it was the right thing to do. Fallon’s path did not include teaching until later in life. Growing up a block away from Harrison Elementary School, she always had dreams about becoming a teacher. But upon her 1976 graduation from McHenry West High School, her parents talked her out of it because, they said, there were no teaching jobs to be had and they didn’t pay anything. Fallon started working at the McDonald’s in Woodstock, where she rose to the rank of manager, and where she met her husband. While she loved her job and the people she worked with, she decided after 20 years – and after being “dragged” to a
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Alden-Hebron kindergarten teacher goes extra mile for needy students
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Alden-Hebron Elementary School kindergarten teacher Karen Fallon celebrates with a student as she performs a math quiz. McHenry County College counselor by her sister – to go back to school. “Finally, it was time to fulfill my dream,” Fallon said. She went to MCC full-time while still managing the restaurant and raising three sons, and graduated with her degree from Rockford College in 2002. Fortunately for Fallon, she was not the only McDonald’s employee with a desire to get into education. One of her workers, and who became a good friend, was Debbie Ehlenburg, who became a teacher and then principal of Alden-Hebron Elementary School. She told Fallon about a vacancy that had just opened for a kindergarten teacher, and the rest is history. Ehlenburg since has become Alden-Hebron District 19’s superintendent. The choice of hiring Fallon was a good one for the school and its students, said Principal Kim Qualls, who nominated Fallon for the Everyday Hero award.
Qualls in her written nomination called Fallon an “extremely dynamic” teacher whose enthusiasm has earned the respect of her students, parents and peers. Almost as an afterthought, she mentioned Fallon’s willingness to spend her own money on needy students, and called her “one of the most compassionate teachers I have ever encountered.” “She teaches kindergarten – that’s hard, and she’s all about providing an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Whatever gets in the way, she tries to fix, and with our demographics, a lot of that is socioeconomic,” Qualls said. More than 40 percent of the school’s 241 students last year were from low-income households, according to its 2014 Illinois School Report Card. Fallon was humble about the honor. She would much rather talk about the good feelings that come when parents and former students stop by
THE FALLON FILE Where she lives: Ingleside Where she works: Kindergarten teacher at Alden-Hebron Elementary School Family: Husband, John; three grown sons; two grandchildren Favorite movie: “Pretty Woman” Favorite food: Steak What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Besides being an excellent teacher, Fallon generously buys clothes, shoes and other items for her needy students. to show their appreciation for their education or Fallon’s clandestine acts of kindness, such as a little girl for whom Fallon bought a large number of clothes because she often wore the same thing to school. “She came back years later to thank us. That was so special,” Fallon said.
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES 12
LISA GATEWOOD
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By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Lisa Gatewood has 30 children – give or take. Gatewood, a co-owner of Strength Fitness and a personal trainer, also is a full-time volunteer for Safe Families for Children. Over the past 10 years, she has taken in more than 30 children on a temporary basis. Gatewood takes in children whose biological parents might be experiencing drug addiction, domestic abuse, incarceration, illness, homelessness or some other hardship. “A lot of times there is a crisis situation and the mother needs time to get back on her feet,” Gatewood said. “Sometimes, I have the children for 30 days or 60 days or even longer.” While a couple months is the norm in the program, Gatewood’s current set of three siblings has been with her for two-and-a-half years. The extended stay has her and her husband on track to adopt the three siblings, ranging from 2 years old to 5 years old. The decision to adopt was a big one for Gatewood and her husband, who already have three biological children – a 26-year-old, 21-year-old and 5-yearold. But the commitment to children and helping those in need was easy. “It’s been a totally different experience,” Gatewood said of deciding to adopt. “Normally, we say it’s like catch and release because you get wrapped up in these kids and love them, but you know you are going to have to see them leave, which is always sad.” Gatewood’s inspiration for volunteering comes from her grandmother, she said. Her grandmother gave her whole life to helping disabled children, Gatewood said, in addition to raising 10 children, helping run a business and assisting veterans. “She always inspired me to do the same thing,” Gatewood said. “One of my favorite quotes she would tell me is from Einstein who said, ‘Only a life lived for others is a life worth living.’ ” Working with Safe Families is a sacrifice in time, love and money, Gatewood said. From diapers to formula and clothes, the volunteer has to purchase what is needed for the children in their care. For those who cannot house children, there still are opportunities to donate money, purchase diapers and volunteer in other ways. Because Gatewood is going through the adoption process with the three
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Wonder Lake woman a wonder woman for children with troubled parents
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
For the past 10 years, Lisa Gatewood of Wonder Lake has been a volunteer for Safe Families for Children, which helps at-risk families successfully manage crisis situations. children now in her home, she said she has switched to donating to the agency’s diaper bank and helping in other ways. But once the adoption is finalized, she plans on getting right back to housing children on a shortterm basis. “Hopefully, in six to eight months, I will be able to bring in kids again,” Gatewood said. “Because it’s not only rewarding to see the difference I can make, but it can make a difference in your own kids’ lives, too.” The thought of caring for children for a couple months at a time can be a daunting thought to some, Gatewood said, but Safe Families is a tight network of volunteers. Gatewood said the three children now in her care have
five other siblings who are being cared THE GATEWOOD FILE for by other volunteers. Where she lives: Wonder Lake To make the process easier on the Where she works: Strength Fitness in volunteers and the eight siblings, GateMcHenry wood said they all meet frequently so the children can stay in touch and the Family: Husband, Brian; daughter, volunteers can offer assistance. Brittney; sons, Brad and Stevie “Safe Families really is a network Favorite food: Chipotle of families that help each other out,” Favorite movie: Any documentary Gatewood said. “You’re never doing it What she does for McHenry Counalone. There is always a whole group ty’s youth: Works with Safe Families for here ready to help.” Children to house children from families Susan Bouterse, who works at Safe in crisis. Children usually stay with Lisa Families for Children, said Gatewood for two months, but she is about to has been an incredible volunteer, and adopt a set of three siblings. her passion is contagious. “All our volunteers are amazing, and so is Lisa,” Bouterse said. “She to do so much. I don’t know how she has done so much for us and continues does it.”
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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GREG & KATHY GODSELL
Crystal Lake couple coaches, mentors students interested in robotics By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
Michael Smart – For Shaw Media
Kathy and Greg Godsell are the founders of Crystal Lake Robotics, the first robotics team in McHenry County. They host the team meetings at their home and have converted their basement into a robotics playing field.
To say the Godsell house is chaotic on Sundays is an understatement. On a typical Sunday, 22 middle-school and highschool aged children, along with some parents, flow in and out of the Godsells’ Crystal Lake home to practice for McHenry County’s first robotics team. “It’s intense,” Greg Godsell said with a laugh. “It gets pretty loud.” Greg and wife, Kathy, are coaches and mentors for three robotics teams. The Godsells have converted their basement into a robotics playing field – part computer lab, part practice area and part workshop between the three teams they coach. There is a healthy mix of boys and girls in fourth through 12th grade. The teams design and build autonomous robots, and compete against others across the state in what Greg and Kathy described as having the same edgeof-your-seat intensity as other sports. “It’s a sport for the mind,” Greg Godsell said. The Godsells say they are the only FIRST Tech
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THE GODSELLS FILE
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Where they live: Crystal Lake Where they work: Kathy is a systems engineer for Motorola; Greg is a software engineer for Velocity Journal Family: Three children, Tim, Audrey and Alex Favorite movies: Kathy’s is “Princess Bride”; Greg’s is “Star Wars” Favorite food: Kathy loves spaghetti; Greg is fond of a steak dinner What they do for McHenry County’s youth: The Godsells coach and mentor for FIRST Lego League and Tech Challenge.
only does she do this, but she’s a Girl Scout leader, she helps with Boy Scouts. I’m not sure how she manages it all, to be honest.” Kathy smiled sheepishly. “I can’t top that.”
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Challenge team in McHenry County, and they’d love to expand the program – that also includes FIRST Lego League – and get other schools involved. FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a nonprofit public charity that designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills, according to its website. “There are kids where sports doesn’t cut it,” Greg Godsell said. “It’s not their thing. A lot of kids want to do this. How do we take it to the next level?” Another portion of the robotics challenge is to study and put into practice soft skills and values, such as teamwork, or communicating between themselves or with adults. “It’s not just building a robot, it’s understanding and being able to express yourself,” Kathy Godsell said. Both engineers themselves, Kathy and Greg started the group for their children. All three are on
teams, including Audrey, who is on the all-girl team Fruit Salad. When they launched Fruit Salad four years ago, all six girls wanted to be writers. “That shows our education system is slanted in one direction for girls,” Greg said. “The goal is not to make them all into engineers, but to show them something else is out there.” Greg and Kathy were nominated by neighbor and County Board member Carolyn Schofield. “The NW Herald has graciously featured many successes of these robotics teams. However, none of the successes would be possible without the perseverance, dedication and commitment of the Godsell family,” Schofield wrote in her nomination. Kathy and Greg, however, would rather avoid the limelight. “This seemed like unnecessary attention on us, to be honest,” Greg said of being nominated as an Everyday Hero. “It’s all about the kids.” When asked who they considered their hero, Greg had an answer that quite possibly earned him an few extra brownie points. “She’s my hero,” he said, looking at Kathy. “Not
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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ARTHUR GRITMAKER
Alden-Hebron baseball coach dedicates time to youth sports, community By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com When Arthur Gritmaker thinks of the Alden-Hebron Baseball/Softball League, he thinks of small-town pride, and he hopes the children involved look back at their time on the league and think the same thing. A coach for the past eight years, Gritmaker started when his now-13year-old daughter played T-ball. While his daughter’s activity preference eventually switched from T-ball to cheerleading, Gritmaker continued coaching as his now-10-year-old son has continued in the program. The coaching has evolved in the past two or three years into involvement on the league’s board, where Gritmaker has taken on some of the administrative responsibilities. He emphasized his small role and the team effort it takes to run the program, which facilitates about 40 children in four age divisions, but board member Vicki Nielsen said Gritmaker’s dedication to the league has stood out to her in the past couple of years. “He’s really made improvements to everything,” Nielsen said. “Everything from the sign-up sheets that are put out to getting communication out to parents and families, all while being a coach.” Nielsen wasn’t surprised Gritmaker downplayed his role, saying he’s adamant the program runs on a collaborative basis and makes people feel welcome to be part of the process. Gritmaker is one of four or five people who consistently are involved in the program. He said his stepping into a larger role a couple years ago was simple; it just looked like they could use an extra hand. But Gritmaker said his involvement in the league isn’t necessarily a job. For him, it’s a pastime. “This was my Little League team growing up,” Gritmaker said, adding that it’s changed dramatically since he was a boy; he never traveled for games as the league does now, for instance, he said. The idea and the goals remain the same, though. In a society where youth are exposed to ugliness earlier in life, Gritmaker cited the importance of extracurricular activities such as sports for children to engage in. “I think it keeps them active, teaches them teamwork, and it makes them healthier,” he said.
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Arthur Gritmaker has been coaching with the Alden-Hebron Baseball/Softball League for the past eight years, and he now helps run the program. Plus, Gritmaker added, there’s nothing like watching baseball develop into a hobby, and then a passion for the children. “Why do I love it? I mean seeing that moment of joy when they get their first hit or when they catch a fly ball,” Gritmaker said. “It’s that moment you watch them as they really truly impress themselves.” During the season, Gritmaker spends six to seven hours a week working on league-related duties, whether it’s ordering uniforms and trophies, setting up fundraising events or planning the end-of-year celebration for the children in the league. This volunteer work is in addition to his day job as a professional surveyor at Woodstock-based Vanderstappen Inc. If you ask him, Gritmaker will say
things such as, “There are plenty of people who do a whole lot more than a baseball coach does.” But Nielsen was quick to reiterate the significance of Gritmaker’s commitment to his team and the league. “He is truly a give-back kind of guy,” she said. “He’s certainly passionate about the community, but you can see a stronger passion for making sure the kids are getting what they need to enjoy the league.” If he was going to impress anything upon the young baseballers and on the community, Gritmaker said he’d like to see the league become a definitive point of hometown pride. “As a small community, growing up, I saw the more vocal ones were the most negative, and it’s just nice to see kids succeed at a sport, or at anything,” Gritmaker said. “They
THE GRITMAKER FILE Where he lives: Hebron Where he works: Vanderstappen Inc. in Woodstock Family: Wife, Renee; 13-year-old daughter, Carly; 10-year-old son, Justin; 3-year-old son, Jacob Favorite movie: “Out Cold” Favorite food: Steak and shrimp on the grill What he does for McHenry County’s youth: He volunteers his time as a coach for the Alden-Hebron Baseball/Softball League and sits on the board, handling some administrative duties. learned these things in their town, and we really do have an excellent little community.”
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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ELLEN JACKSON
Crystal Lake woman starts girls’ camp in memory of daughter By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com Every month, a bank statement would arrive, a physical reminder that Ellen Jackson’s daughter was gone. Nicole Jackson, 21, of Crystal Lake committed suicide Oct. 9, 2010, three weeks after she served as the maid of honor in her brother’s wedding. Jackson, a Prairie Ridge High School graduate, was taking courses through the Crystal Lake campus of Columbia College to go into banking, something she knew she wanted to do from her full-time job as a teller at Home State Bank, where she’d bring in cookies for her coworkers and an elderly regular customer. “We were so blindsided,” her mother said. “We had no clue whatsoever.” Through the wake and the funeral, friends and family began setting aside money for her parents, Cliff and Ellen Jackson, in a savings account. The monthly statements for the account were an unhappy reminder, and, one day, Ellen Jackson told her husband she just wanted it gone. She suggested donating the money to a suicide prevention group of the Gift of Hope, the organization through which Nicole’s organs were donated. Portions of donations made to organizations such as that would end up going to administrative overhead, he reminded her, before suggesting that she do something. Jackson thought about it. She talked to people. And then she decided to start a free two-day camp for girls, ranging in age from 11 to 15, named Camp Coley after Nicole’s nickname. The Jacksons were “on a mission to help others,” said Mary Miller-Verchota, the treasurer of camp’s board of directors and a friend of Ellen and Cliff for 15 years. After helping the Jacksons gain tax-exempt status, Miller-Verchota volunteered the first summer the camp was held. She said the “whole camp is just a feeling of warmth and happiness.” “It’s a great atmosphere,” she said. “It’s very loving and healthy. She comes up with great ideas. They’ve done crafts, and they’ve had different speakers come in. … You see the girls come in and they’re kind of shy, and by the second day, they’re all great friends. There are a lot of smiles.” The first day of the camp is all about the girls, in which they make
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Ellen Jackson leads Camp Coley girls while they make crafts to be sold at their fall fundraiser. After losing her only daughter to suicide, Jackson started Camp Coley to help girls 11 to 15 years old build self-esteem, self-awareness and self-confidence. posters about themselves and learn life skills. The second day is all about others, focusing on a service project. Another event in January – a pizza party combined with making crafts that will be sold as a fundraiser – gives the girls a chance to get back together and bring friends. “In a lot of ways, it’s therapy,” Jackson said. “There’s times where it’s really hard. But it’s going to be hard whether I’m doing something or not. I just feel like so many times you see an interview, and somebody says, ‘I just don’t want this to happen to somebody else.’ I’ll never know if what I’m trying to do truly makes a difference in somebody’s life.” There are moments – when she comes up with a new idea or while trudging up the old sledding hill at
Veterans Acres Park to Crystal Pines Rehabilitation and Health Care Center to donate flower arrangements made by the girls – that she suddenly hears Nicole’s laugh or what she would have said. The camp draws its girls mainly by word of mouth, advertising for the first time last year, and doesn’t seek to only serve girls with depression or other issues. “In today’s world, with the girls and the bullying and all the social media problems and everything else, every single girl needs what we do,” she said. “I think every girl at some point in her life has an issue of some sort that we try to address at camp.” Next on the to-do list is a scholarship for girls who have attended the camp, something Jackson has held off
THE JACKSON FILE Where she lives: Crystal Lake Where she works: Co-owns Jackson Insulation and Exteriors with her husband, Cliff Family: Husband, Cliff; sons, Ryan and Brett. Their daughter, Nicole, 21, died in October 2010 Favorite movie: “The Sound of Music” Favorite meal: Fish and spinach What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Jackson founded Camp Coley, a free two-day camp for girls ages 11 to 15, after her daughter committed suicide. on until she was sure the camp could support itself.
TERRY JAWORSKI
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By JOSEPH BUSTOS editorial@nwherald.com
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Every Wednesday, Terry Jaworski and other volunteers hand out diapers for two hours out of the former Sullivan’s Food Store on Elm Street in McHenry. Volunteers, wearing coats because the building doesn’t have heat, have shelves with different sizes of diapers on each. When an order comes in, they go to each shelf and grab the requested amount. Sometimes, partner agencies ask for more than is in stock, and the volunteers have to do what they can to give them part of the requested amount. The adult and child diapers eventually go to needy families. “You really feel good about ... helping them in a trying situation,” Jaworski said. Jaworski, a Harvard resident, is a volunteer with the Diaper Bank of Northern Illinois. She helps distribute diapers to organizations that help families with young children. The diaper bank was started in December 2009 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in McHenry. “They asked for volunteers to help stack some diapers,” Jaworski said. “I went over there and with some other women and we were doing that.” Jaworski said when her daughter was 2 years old, she had lost her job and her husband’s business had failed. “Our daughter was still in diapers, I know the feeling,” Jaworski said. “That’s why when this started it was appealing to me. We would be helping mothers and babies who were under the same stress I had been under.” The diaper bank works with four to five groups every Wednesday, and gives out 16,000 to 20,000 children and adult diapers every month. In total, the diaper bank has 14 partner agencies, including the FISH of McHenry Food Pantry, Faith in Action, Senior Service Associates and the Grafton Township Food Pantry. “Many times, people that pick up diapers also receive them,” Jaworski said. She said she has met clients who have had to use diapers from the diaper bank. There are times people don’t have
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Harvard woman helps distribute diapers at McHenry diaper bank
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Terry Jaworski bags up loose diapers while volunteering at the Diaper Bank of Northern Illinois in McHenry. Jaworski has been involved with the bank since 2009 and is the driving force behind the distribution of diapers to the 14 social service agencies with which it partners. time to go to a food pantry and pick up diapers. “Some people fall through and can’t get diapers,” Jaworski said. It can be especially stressful around the holidays. “Like at Christmas when you need diapers right then and there, we give them so many diapers to last them until they can get to some place,” Jaworski said. When a family needs diapers, it can be difficult. “A kid in a wet diaper, the kid is crying, there’s enough stress as it is,” Jaworski said. “You don’t know how
you’re going to keep them clean.” Jaworski said the diaper bank is able to stock its shelves because of financial donations, which allow the organization to purchase diapers. There also are drop-off sites, and people from time to time hold diaper drives. Alan Robel, who is a part of St. Paul’s Episcopal, said Jaworski is the “driving force” behind the diaper distribution to the partner agencies. “She is the person that makes sure that all our partners get the diapers they so desperately need,” Robel wrote in an email to the Northwest Herald.
THE JAWORSKI FILE Where she lives: Harvard Where she works: A retired registered nurse Family: Two grown children. Husband, Eugene, died in 2011 Favorite TV show: “Downton Abby” Favorite food: Chicken What she does for McHenry County’s youth: She is a volunteer with the Diaper Bank of Northern Illinois and helps distribute diapers to organizations that help families with young children.
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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JOHN JELINEK
McHenry youth pastor embraces opportunity, keeps faith alive in teens By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
John Jelinek, head of the youth ministry at The Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry, has been with the church for 10 years promoting youth community involvement. Through his efforts, teenagers go on missions and work with community members who need assistance.
John Jelinek was going to give it one year. Jelinek dreamt most of his life of becoming a pastor, and a position as a youth minister didn’t really seem to completely fulfill that goal in his eyes. But he was not about to pass up an opportunity to serve at The Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry, so he said he would take on the position for one year before pursuing a traditional minister position. That one year has turned into 10 years, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I always kind of knew I wanted to be a pastor, but I never had any intention of working with teens,” Jelinek said. “But it’s just such a wonderful ministry that now I can’t imagine doing anything else. To see kids come back from college and see how they’re doing, seeing some of them get engaged; it’s the most rewarding thing.” As head of the youth ministry at The Church of Holy Apostles, Jelinek works with junior high and, primarily, high school teens. The high school schedule keeps him busy with a youth group night every Sunday, a prayer group Tuesday night followed by
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THE JELINEK FILE
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Where he lives: McHenry Where he works: The Church of Holy Apostles, McHenry Family: Wife, Cecelia; children, Joseph (6), Maria (4), Michael (2) and Franscea (6 weeks) Favorite meal: Pizza Favorite movie: “Lord of The Rings” What he does for McHenry County’s youth: As head of youth ministry, Jelinek works with teenagers on issues they face in high school and in community involvement.
from being authentic and not trying to act younger just to fit in. “It’s not about pretending to be a teenager,” Jelinek said. “It’s about being real and authentic with them. As long as you are authentic, that is what they are looking for. You don’t need to know the latest songs.”
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a peer ministry meeting and then a teen Bible study night on Wednesdays. Jelinek said different teens are attracted to different groups, with some going to multiple groups and others choosing just one. But the issues they deal with often are the same. “The issues for teens today are the same they have always been,” Jelinek said. “I would just say the manifestations of the challenges have changed. It’s still about wanting to be accepted and loved by peers. But the way that comes out is different, and there are different pressures.” Jelinek said the weekly small groups are conducive to helping teens work through those issues and grow in their faith, but it is the annual mission trips where he sees some of the largest growth. During his 10 years at the church, Jelinek has taken mission trips with the teens to places ranging from St. Louis to Memphis and Oklahoma to Kentucky. But that same spiritual growth that is fostered on those trips hundreds of miles away can be seen close to home, too. Jelinek said this past year the group decided to help locally by raking
leaves, doing yard work and contributing any way they could, which led to some great results. “I don’t know that I can point to a specific incident, but you can really see them succeed afterwards,” Jelinek said of the mission trips both near and far. “Growth happens in both places. They step out of their normal realm and serve others, and they find a connection that can be a life-changing experience.” Dan Rosen, a former member of the youth group, said Jelinek’s influence on his life was a huge factor in finding success in high school and beyond. He said Jelinek provided stability and perspective when he needed it most. “There is just so much new you go through when you are in high school, and it can be easy to lose sight,” Rosen said. “John has always been great at bringing perspective to anything you may be going through.” Jelinek’s approach to the youth ministry has proven successful as participation has increased. There is more participation in the small weekly groups, and the mission trips now have a waiting list after topping 70 people. He said the ability to connect with teens comes
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
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KATHY JONES
SEDOM Center teacher dedicates her life to special-needs children By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com Kathy Jones spends her days celebrating seemingly small accomplishments. For the past 30 years, the 52-year-old from Crystal Lake has been a teacher at the Special Education District of McHenry County Center School in Woodstock, which is slated to close after this school year. Her students, in the intermediate-age group, work on motor skills and daily living skills, and some spend their days simply responding to stimuli. But, the thing is, it’s not simple, she said several times over. “Every little thing the students do, to us, is a major accomplishment,” Jones said, going on to proudly share several stories, as if bragging about her own children. There is one 10-year-old student who received high praise for standing up from the floor on her own. Another 12-year-old gave her mom and grandma a happy surprise by feeding herself for the first time. And a third student who had spinal surgery that resulted in an inability to move her legs got an ecstatic audience during school one day. “She had been crawling before the surgery, but then after [she] had no movement in her legs,” Jones said. “Our therapist has really worked hard, and last spring, we saw a little movement in her legs and we called everyone into the room to see her move them. It was just a little movement, but we were so excited about it. ... She’s now crawling.” To help the SEDOM students achieve some of these goals, Jones said she uses hand-over-hand assistance. Her lessons also involve weight-bearing, practicing range of motion movements, plus using music and art to stimulate students’ senses. Going day-by-day, minute-by-minute to help special-needs students grow isn’t just Jones’ career, either. It’s her life. She adopted Danny, 22, when he was 4. He has cerebral palsy, but Jones described him as “pretty independent.” Her 16-year-old daughter, Shayann, who’s wheelchair-bound and needs oxygen 24-hours a day, was adopted at 17 months old. Devontae, 14, came home with Jones and her husband when he was 9 months old. He has CHARGE syndrome. Each letter of the acronym stands for some of the more
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Kathy Jones (left) holds her daughter, Shayann, 16, while at her Crystal Lake home. Jones has dedicated her life to special-needs children as a teacher for more than 30 years and a mother to four adopted special-needs children. common conditions associated with the genetic disorder. And Jones’ youngest is 12-year-old Verrick, who deals with some social and emotional issues. Jones said she’s experienced and celebrated some accomplishments at home just as she has at school. “Devontae is eating on his own now, and we were told he would probably never walk, but he’s walking and talking and doing things we never thought he’d be able to do,” Jones said. She couldn’t think of any hobbies to speak of, adding she mostly spends time with her family outside of work. “Because of the wide range of needs my own kids have, it can be time-consuming,” Jones said. “It’s challenging, but it’s always been worth it.” Watching Jones work with her students, as well as her own children,
has been inspiring for Missy Robel of Ringwood. Robel, who was a nurse at SEDOM Center for a couple years and now is a good friend of Jones, said the encouragement her friend offers to special-needs children is amazing. “I got to see how she intervened with children of all different levels of special needs,” Robel said. “You take a child who can’t walk or sit up, and the smallest of milestones was celebrated by Kathy, and before long the child was at the next milestone, and then the next. “She’s a little, bitty, tiny thing, but she can move mountains.” Jones’ focus is on the children because they work toward accomplishing things all too trivial to most other people, she said. “Anytime they do something, I’m
THE JONES FILE Where she lives: Crystal Lake Where she works: SEDOM Center School in Woodstock Family: Husband, Bill; sons, Dan (22), Devontae (14), and Verrick (12); daughter, Shayann (16) Favorite movie: “The Sound of Music” Favorite meal: Chicken and potatoes What she does for McHenry County’s youth: She’s worked as a teacher at the Special Education District of McHenry County School for the past 30 years.
just so proud of them and how hard they work,” Jones said. “We take so much of what we can do for granted, but every little thing they do is big.”
DEBRA JUNKINS
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By BRETT ROWLAND browland@shawmedia.com
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Debra Junkins examines Minnie, a Beagle mix, at her practice, Pet Vet Animal Clinic & Mobile Practice Ltd., in Huntley. Junkins has worked with schools and their work programs to allow students the opportunity to gain experience and credits. of what veterinary medicine is,” said Karen Larsen, practice manager at Pet Vet Animal Clinic & Mobile Practice. Veterinarians, vet technicians and kennel workers don’t get paid to play with puppies and kittens all day, she said. The work often is interesting and exciting, but also comes with challenges, Junkins said. Dogs weighing 80 to 110 pounds can make a vet’s job physically challenging. And delivering bad news about a beloved family pet can be difficult emotionally. Furthermore, being a vet doesn’t mean working solely with animals. “You have to be able to work with people,” Junkins said. “All the animals come attached to a person.” Vets also make less than other doctors. In 2012, the median pay for vets was $84,460 a year. By comparison, the median pay for physicians and surgeons was equal to or greater
than $187,200 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. “You have to have a love for working with animals,” Junkins said. Junkins and her staff at Pet Vet Animal Clinic & Mobile Practice see their efforts to give young people experience in the industry as a way to give back to the local community over the past 16 years. “The public, the business community, the village [of Huntley] have all been very supportive of our practice,” Junkins said. “This has been a way that we feel we can give something back.” Vincent Izquierdo, who first logged hours at the clinic when he was a student at Huntley High School, has been working at Pet Vet Animal Clinic & Mobile Practice for eight years. His mother, Elizabeth Izquierdo, nominated Junkins for the Northwest Herald’s 2015 Everyday Heroes award.
THE JUNKINS FILE Where she lives: Huntley Where she works: Pet Vet Animal Clinic & Mobile Practice Ltd., 11901 North St., Huntley Family: Mother, Joann; and four cats, Cutie, Bello, Smartie and Toby Favorite movie: “Pretty Woman” Favorite meal: Pasta of any kind, especially shrimp and broccoli linguine What she does for McHenry County’s youth: She provides work, internship and job shadowing opportunities to McHenry County students interested in pursuing careers in veterinary medicine. “She’s been such a big help to my son. She encouraged him,” Elizabeth Izquierdo said. “She’s such a dynamic person, and the opportunities she offers to young people are really wonderful.”
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Pet Vet Animal Clinic & Mobile Practice Ltd. is more than a suburban veterinary practice. For years, owner and veterinarian Debra Junkins has made it the clinic’s mission to serve as a training ground for would-be vets and just about anyone else considering a career in the industry. “Our clinic believes in being open,” Junkins said. “All of us strongly, strongly believe that a person at a young age, if they think this is what they want to do, should have a chance to be exposed to that.” That’s why the clinic opens its doors to local youth organizations and students of all ages, from kindergartners to college graduates. The clinic has worked with McHenry County College students and students from other college-degree programs. Some come to job shadow for a few hours; others spend the summer working at the clinic. Some students have gotten experience in the field through Huntley High School’s cooperative education program. A few of those exposed to the business through such programs have gone on to work at the clinic. Others have embarked on careers of their own in the field, including two former Huntley High School students who started out working in the clinic’s kennel. And many more have decided the job wasn’t right for them. Job shadowing is often “the single most important experience” for students in cooperative education classes at Huntley High School, teacher Page Schaschwary said. In addition to working 15 hours a week, co-op students learn about career opportunities and what it takes to get a job in a variety of competitive fields. “Pet Vet is very supportive of our program,” Schaschwary said. “It’s our go-to place for vets.” Students come back from the experience with a better idea of what jobs are available, how much education is required and what type of jobs are available in the industry. “We try to be brutally honest,” Junkins said. “Like every job, there are good parts and there are bad parts. ... We’ve definitely had some students who’ve come and later said, ‘This is definitely not for me.’ ” “There’s a very romanticized view
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Huntley veterinarian opens clinic’s doors to students interested in career
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
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Everyday Heroes| Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
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McHenry County PLEASE VOTE IN 2015! Clerk’s Office Serving You Since 1837
Mary McClellan, Clerk
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Tuesday, April 7th, 2015 for the Consolidated Election. Monday, March 23rd is the first day for Early Voting. Saturday, April 4th is the last day for Early Voting.
Mission Statement: It is the mission of the Clerk’s office to provide prompt, courteous and knowledgeable service to all of our customers, whether at our counter, by mail, telephone or via our website. As the chief election authority, the County Clerk provides a myriad of voter and candidate services and administers McHenry County elections in a fair, unbiased, accurate, efficient, and timely manner. The Clerk’s office also maintains vital records (birth, marriage, and death), public filings, tax and real estate services as well as recording the McHenry County Board proceedings. The strength of the County Clerk’s office lies in our staff’s dedication and knowledge. We look forward to your comments via email and hope you check out our innovations. Please know that you are always welcome in the McHenry County Clerk’s office.
If it’s important to you... It’s important to us. We can assist you regarding the following:
• Vital Records (Birth, Death, Marriages) Marriage Records begin in 1837 Birth Records begin in 1877 Death Records begin in 1878 • Issuance of Marriage Licenses • Issuance of Civil Unions • Notary Public Registry • Assumed Name Business Registration • Keeper of All Bills Paid by the County • Clerk for County Board • Clerk for Valley Hi Cemetery Board
• Keeper of All County Board Records Many can be located on the Clerk’s website • Tax Extension Tax Levies Tax District Maps Tax Rates • County Yearbook • Delinquent Tax Redemption • Elections Election Precinct Boundaries Voter Registration Petition Filings
For more information, contact
Electoral Board Hearings Election Judges Absentee Voting Early Voting Ballot Layout • Ballot Combinations Tabulation Programming All Election Day Procedures Canvassing of Elections Discovery and Official Election Recounts
For answers to your election questions and any other function of the County Clerks Office do not hesitate to call the office at 815-334-4242. McHenry County Clerk’s Office A staff member will be happy to assist you or McHenry County Administration Building if you need to conduct business, in person, 667 Ware Rd., Woodstock, IL 60098 • 815-334-4242 the office is located at the McHenry County https://www.co.mchenry.il.us/county-government/departments-a-i/county-clerk Administration Building, 667 Ware Rd., Room Email: countyclerk@co.mchenry.il.us 107, Woodstock, Illinois.
Mary E. McClellan
Important Message to All Registered Voters: Tuesday, April 7th is the date of the Illinois Consolidated Election. I feel it is very important that you exercise your “Right to Vote.” Candidates running in local and municipal and school board elections have the single most important impact on your tax amount and on how your local property taxes are spent! Registered voters throughout McHenry County will have the opportunity to cast ballots for several positions and offices including: • Community College Trustees • School Board • City Councils • Library Districts • College Trustees • Village Officials • City Mayor • Park Districts • Municipal • Referendums • Fox Waterway Director • Fire Districts • Regional School Board These candidates elected on April 7th will set policy for issues and laws within McHenry County.
Remember, your vote matters! Election Update: Illinois State Legislators have mandated Electronic Poll Books at all Election Sites in 2016. This will create faster processing at Election sites & results.
Please VOTE!
It’s your right. It’s your responsibility.
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
Attention Registered Voters...
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Everyday Heroes| Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
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Phyllis K. Walters, McHenry County Recorder
“Our Property Fraud Alert Team would be happy to come and speak before your group. If interested, corde Office at 815-334-4109. please call the Recorder’s Thank you.” Phyllis K. Walters McHenry County Recorder
DID YOU KNOW? Phyllis K. Walters, McHenry County Recorder, offers a free subscription service available to all McHenry County property owners. Property Fraud Alert gives you quick, personal notification via e-mail or telephone
if a document is recorded in your name.
In addition to this fraud alert program, your McHenry County Recorder’s Office also redacts social security numbers - we block out this personal information from public view to help defray identity theft.
OVER 4,300 COUNTY RESIDENTS SIGNED UP…HAVE YOU?
SIGN UP NOW. . . PERSONAL OR BUSINESS PROPERTY NO FEES FAST, EASY REGISTRATION ***VISIT OUR BOOTH AT YOUR HOMETOWN EXPO*** For questions regarding Property Fraud Alert, or for more information, contact your McHenry County Recorder’s Office at 815.334.4045 or visit:
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SUSAN KELLER
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By JOSEPH BUSTOS editorial@nwherald.com
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
During the week, Susan Keller meets with groups of 10 to 12 at-risk high school students at Woodstock North High School or McHenry High School East Campus. Keller, 50, who supervises the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program at Pioneer Center for Human Services, uses the roughly one-hour sessions to help the youngsters in the Let’s Talk groups cope with what’s going on in their lives. Anything discussed never leaves the group, Keller said. Some children might be dealing with a parents’ divorce. Some might have just been homeless, are having trouble with teachers or experiencing drug problems. Some could have behavioral problems or an unstable home life. “Some of the kids may be on the verge of running away, don’t know how to handle what’s happening in the home,” Keller said. “[We] sit down and talk about that and give them the resources to make an informed decision. “If they want to sit there and listen, great,” Keller said. “This is their comfort zone.” Keller works with homeless youth in McHenry County, helping them reunite with their family and getting back on their feet. She even provides snacks to the youngsters in her groups. “Susan has dedicated herself to helping hundreds of youth find housing and build up their natural support system to overcome major challenges that would otherwise result in their being homeless,” said Christin Kruse, chief development officer for Pioneer Center. “Susan has a true passion for helping youth at risk or in crisis; she gives not only her time, but her heart and soul to these kids.” Keller’s job involves working directly with youngsters who might be thinking about running away from their homes. “Susan provides insight and guidance for teens struggling with highrisk behaviors, often helping them overcome problems they’re facing,” Kruse said. “She helps these youth become more confident, secure individuals who are able to overcome obstacles to succeed in their passions of life.” Pioneer’s runaway and homeless youth program sees about 500 youngsters a year through various diversion programs. And a recent county census
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Pioneer Center supervisor helps teens with homelessness, issues at home
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Susan Keller, a supervisor at Pioneer Center for Human Services, has dedicated herself to helping hundreds of youth find housing and build up their natural support system to overcome major challenges. of homeless people found 196 homeless high school students in McHenry County. “A lot of these kids are couch surfing,” Keller said. “When they get to the point where they don’t have a place to go is typically when we get called in. Obviously, we want to get called in sooner.” Keller and her staff of five people work with parents and children to try to solve family problems. Sometimes, parents are frustrated with their children and lock them out. There are times when children refuse to go home. “In both situations, we put those youth in an emergency shelter, and we work the case and find out what’s going on,” Keller said. After determining the problem, Keller and her staff act as mediators between the youngsters and parents. They set up family meetings until the
situation is resolved. “We spend a lot of our time teaching parents how to re-parent; they get stuck in their rut,” Keller said. “Everybody gets stuck in the way they do things.” Some parents don’t do family dinners or anything fun with their children, and some parents parent out of anger, Keller said. “We have them bring up scenarios [like] what happened in the last fight, and say where they went wrong,” Keller said. “Sometimes, they start fighting in front of us. We say, ‘Stop. This is exactly why you’re here. This is what you need to do.’ We do a lot of redirecting and trying to get people to understand their part in the problem. “It’s a lot of therapy,” Keller added. Keller decided she wanted to help youngsters when she returned to college in 2004. She was in her first psychology class and heard the much
THE KELLER FILE Where she lives: Oakwood Hills Where she works: Pioneer Center for Human Services Family: Husband; son, Kasey (21); daughter, Katie (19) Favorite TV shows: “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Fire” Favorite food: Mexican What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Keller supervises the Runaway and Homeless Youth program for Pioneer Center for Human Services. younger students talk about how some of them had a hard time growing up and nobody believed in them, she said. “I couldn’t believe this is what this generation said,” she said. “I sat there and said, ‘I need to get into the field where I can help this generation.’ ”
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
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MATT KOLL
Crystal Lake South choir teacher wears many hats to help students By JOSEPH BUSTOS editorial@nwherald.com During the school day, Matt Koll is Crystal Lake High School’s choir teacher, directing youngsters while they sing. At one point, Koll directs his students to put a single hand on their face. “We do physical things every now and again to reinforce the vocal techniques,” Koll said. “To sing well, you need a whole lot of space in your mouth. Otherwise, it just doesn’t come out well. When they put their hand here, it’s just a reminder. It also physically relaxes your face and makes your face taller.” For Koll, from Lake in the Hills, being a teacher at the high school isn’t about just being in a classroom from 7:25 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. He has multiple roles that help improve students’ experiences. Koll’s school-day commitment begins at 5:15 a.m. At the school, Koll also serves as activities director for the school, as well as theater manager. After school, he’s working with musical practice, play practice or choir practice, “so that means I have to come in before school,” Koll said. Koll became activities director six years ago when the position was created. “At that point, I was only four or five years in, but very interested in the school in a larger context than my little room here,” Koll said. “I applied, thought I had some good ideas, but, certainly, as a young teacher, not expecting much. I was hired in that role. It’s a neat role.” Koll helps facilitate communication between clubs, makes sure clubs with overlapping members don’t have conflicting meeting days and he’s helped create activity web pages. “There wasn’t really a point person for that before,” Koll said. “The sponsors are just incredible. They do most of that legwork without me, but they need someone to start the email chain.” Koll, who also serves as assistant humanities division leader at the school, helped develop a system to help students when they prepare to take the ACT. Koll, and his division leader, Lori Ratliff, created a system that translates practice ACT data into user-friendly information that generates reports to tell students how they performed
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Crystal Lake South High School choir teacher Matt Koll warms up his students with vocal exercises during a class. Koll serves the school and students in a number of ways, ranging from activities director, assistant humanities division leader and theater manager. in certain sections or areas of the standardized exam. They also included links on the reports for students to improve. Reports generated for students are personalized based off of their practice results. “Matt is one of the most selfless, inspiring teachers I have ever met,” Ratliff wrote in an email to the Northwest Herald. “He is often the first to arrive (two hours before school even starts) and the last to leave, devoting countless hours to making sure the students at South receive the best education possible.” Koll, 31, helped out before a recent school board meeting where he was present in case there were any questions about a piano purchase. After he arrived and put his stuff down, he went outside of the district office and helped salt the sidewalk.
“It’s my district, and there’s public that comes to board meetings. I don’t want the public slipping on our steps,” Koll said. As the theater manager, his job is to schedule the use of the space, manage the maintenance of the space and advocate for new lighting and audio systems when needed. For Koll, however, working in the choir room is where he wants to be, especially his classes of all boys. “Some of these young boys are lost, kind of clueless,” Koll said. “I started to focus on my boys in the program. I started to build relationships with the boys. The result of that has been really neat. I’ve been able to have some meaningful conversations.” Many of the conversations have been along the lines of “had someone pulled me aside when I was your age, I wish they had said any number of
THE KOLL FILE Where he lives: Lake in the Hills Where he works: Crystal Lake South High School Family: Wife, Bre; son, David (4); daughter, Claire (1) Favorite movie: “Family Man” Favorite food: Jumbo hot dog with ketchup at Portillo’s What he does for McHenry County’s youth: Koll is the choir teacher, activities director, theater manager and assistant humanities division leader at Crystal Lake South High School. things,” Koll said. “I’ve been amazed how some of those conversations have been, and, hopefully, impactful the conversations have been.”
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LEMONADE BRIGADE
Group of adolescent girls raise money to help those in the community By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
The Lemonade Brigade has been so busy these past months that they have trouble keeping track of which event was for which person. Sitting in the basement turned Lemonade Brigade headquarters, three of the girls – the core group of five children is often supplemented by friends and family members – shared stories about the lemonade stands and other fundraising activities they hosted since the group started last summer. Aubrey Hennig – whose basement has been taken over by signs, fliers and other Lemonade Brigade paraphernalia – started the group with two of her friends, Baylon Diebold and Morgan LoMonaco, with the idea of raising money for a distant relative of hers, who at the age of 3 had seen his rare form of leukemia return. Over six days, the girls raised $800. After that, things were quiet. The girls went back to school. Aubrey was in gym class near the end of a school day when an announcement came over the loud speakers informing students they couldn’t walk Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com home and that after-school activities L emonade Brigade members Samantha Parrish (from left), 12, of Woodstock; Aubrey Hennig, 11, of McHenry; Morgan LoMonaco, 11, were canceled. of McHenry; and Kailyn Fanning, 7, of Lake in the Hills are part of a group of children that has been holding lemonade stands to raise The county was in the middle of a money for various causes. 16-hour manhunt for a man suspected of shooting McHenry County sheriff deputies Dwight Maness and Khalia were all such “good little people” and have been busy. THE BRIGADE FILE Satkiewicz, who, along with another so mature for their age. (She made “After we did the lemonade stands, deputy, had responded to a domestic them yellow jewelry the girls showed people were still supportive,” Aubrey The Lemonade Brigade is made up of a dispute call at a Northeast Shore Drive off during a recent interview – along said. “It just wouldn’t stop. People are core group of five girls: Aubrey Hennig, home in Holiday Hills. with lemon knit hats and matching great. Our community is awesome.” 11, of McHenry; Morgan LoMonaco, 11, The 12-year-old daughter of the man Lemonade Brigade T-shirts, all donated The group established weekly meetof McHenry; Samantha Parrish, 12, of charged with the shooting – who got by “fans.”) ings because otherwise they would just Woodstock; Kailyn Fanning, 7, of Lake out of the home safely with her mother “Everything surprised us,” Maend up doing Lemonade Brigade work in the Hills; and Julia Rennetaud, 11, of – attends McHenry Middle School with ness said. “Everybody was just so all the time. That’s how much they’ve Lakemoor. Aubrey and Baylon. Morgan goes to unbelievably supporting and caring, enjoyed doing the work, said Chrissy The girls have planned a series of Parkland Middle School on the other monetarily and sending their prayers. Christiansen, Aubrey’s mother who lemonade stands and other fundraising side of town. ... Something like this gives you a hit has helped with the logistics. efforts designed to help area children The girls decided to have another in the gut, and then all the people come The events continue to line up, inand families in need. lemonade stand to raise money for forward.” cluding St. Baldrick’s events, speaking the family, an endeavor that quickly Dwight Maness had eight surgeries to students at St. Peter and Paul School expanded to multiple events for the as of early February, with at least one in Cary and walking in the St. Patrick’s Holiday Hills family and the families of more planned. Satkiewicz also was Day parade in McHenry. But their next as they have during this voyage.” the injured officers. shot in the leg and was released from big project is a three-day worldwide The girls said the volunteering has Sue Maness was in the hospital Centegra Hospital – McHenry the day lemonade stand. made them more outgoing. when she heard about the girls’ plan, after the incident. Their goal is to get children from “I used to be really scared to come waiting for news about her husband, Since the Holiday Hills fundraisers, around the world to sell lemonade and up to people and ask them if they Deputy Dwight Maness, who was shot the girls – now a core group of five donate the money to local kids in need. wanted lemonade,” Samantha said. in the leg and the back abdomen area. children made up of two of the origi“I think they’re more understand“Obviously, I could talk to people all Her daughter was with her, keeping an nal girls, Aubrey and Morgan, both 11 ing about what they’re doing,” said day about the Lemonade Brigade, but it eye on Facebook. years old and from McHenry, as well April Diamond, Samantha’s mother. was just going up to them and trying to Sue Maness knew she needed to as Samantha Parrish, 12, of Woodstock; “They’re understanding what it is to sell something.” meet the girls – and the other children Kailyn Fanning, 7, of Lake in the Hills; give back to the community. ... They’ve “Because of the fear that they’re who came out to help, adding that they and Julia Rennetaud, 11, of Lakemoor – learned [that before] but never as much going to say, ‘No,’ ” Aubrey chimed in.
KATHY McAFEE
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By JOAN OLIVER editorial@nwherald.com
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Kathy McAfee joined the Nunda Rural Fire Department in the 1970s because the department needed volunteers. “I started because I needed to do something to help in the community,” said McAfee, 57. Not only was she one of the department’s first female firefighters, but she also was the state’s first certified female firefighter. Today, she maintains her certification as an emergency medical technician and has served as a fire district trustee for the past two years. However, what she is widely known for these days is creating and running the department’s annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa and the Holiday Food and Gift Delivery, which benefit local children and families. It all began a little more than 30 years ago with a gift basket, McAfee said. McHenry Hospital, as it then was called, would give baskets of ham, cheese and fruit to area fire departments at Christmastime. Since no one was ever at the station unless there was a call, McAfee said, the firefighters decided to donate the goodies to three elderly people in the district. The baskets were delivered on Christmas Eve. “We did that for three years,” McAfee said. “The second year, two had milk and cookies out when we got there.” From their emergency calls, the firefighters became aware of the area’s needy families. “We walked into a number of homes that did not even have Christmas trees,” McAfee said. McAfee worked with Prairie Grove School District 46 to get the names of families who would be willing to receive gift baskets. “We got a few families the first year, and it grew,” she said. The program grew not only in the number of families helped, but also in the number of people putting it together, McAfee said. Each year, the student council at Prairie Grove School organizes a food drive. Students and parents help sort the food and wrap gifts. Teachers donate the money for hams or turkeys. “Prairie Grove School has been key in running a food drive all these
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Former Nunda firefighter helps brighten young lives at Christmastime
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Kathy McAfee, a Nunda Rural Fire Protection District trustee, organizes the fire department’s annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa and the Holiday Food and Gift Delivery, which benefit local children and families. years,” McAfee said. The Pancake Breakfast with Santa, which takes place the second Sunday in December, started close to 25 years ago as a way to raise money to buy gifts for the children and gift cards for their parents. At first, the breakfast took place at the firehouse but since has moved to Prairie Grove School. The growth allowed even more area young people to be involved, including Boy Scout troops and the fire department’s Explorers, who are 14- to 21-year-olds interested in pursuing firefighting careers. “It is so incredible,” McAfee said of the coordinated efforts that include businesses such as Rose Packing Co. in South Barrington, which provides the sausage for the breakfast at cost. For the past couple of years, a Christmas tree with the names and ages of children has been set up at the
firehouse so firefighters can take tags and buy gifts, McAfee said. Once all the food has been assembled and the gifts and gift cards have been purchased, McAfee arranges for visits to be made to the 12 to 22 families the week before Christmas. Each family receives a ham or turkey, three boxes of food, personal care items, gift cards and gifts for the children. A group of 10 firefighters and Santa make the deliveries by ambulance and sing “Jingle Bells” at each stop, McAfee said. “It’s a very heartwarming thing,” she said. “The kids are so incredibly surprised. Every year, there’s always a story to tell.” Although the firefighters don’t know what the children would like for Christmas, oftentimes the children say their gifts are exactly what they wanted, McAfee said.
THE McAFEE FILE Where she lives: Crystal Lake Where she works: She is a workforce consultant for Work Force Insight of Denver Family: Husband, Jim; cat, Smudge Favorite movie: Disney movies Favorite meal: Swordfish and broccoli What she does for McHenry County’s youth: McAfee created and runs Nunda Rural Fire Department’s annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa and Holiday Food and Gift Delivery. “It just happens,” she said. “That’s what’s so amazing … seeing these little miracles happening.” McAfee, who begins work in July for the December events, always is looking for volunteers. To help, call the fire department at 815-455-1559.
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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BRENDA NAPHOLZ
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By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Brenda Napholz helped start The Break, a teen center in Crystal Lake designed to give teenagers a place to go to hang out. The idea coalesced after years of coaching junior high-aged runners and one of her sons becoming addicted to heroin. year. Napholz sees her main job as supervising and making sure the children stay safe while at The Break. After that, it’s all about making what the children hope to do possible through partnerships with individuals and other organizations. The community has made The Break and everything it offers possible, Napholz said. But the community also has made The Break necessary. “There’s that pressure to be perfect,” she said. “You got to be perfect. You know, we’ve got all the books to tell us how to be perfect. We’ve got enough money to put you in the right camps to be perfect. We’ve got enough money to put you in the right ACT to be perfect. But you know what? That’s a lot of pressure for a kid, and when they fall short, it can come out in a lot of different ways.” Napholz spent her junior high and high school years in Las Vegas, where she went to good but much more
diverse schools. A go-with-the-flow person, she said she probably wouldn’t have gone to college except that her mom filled out the form and had her sign it. She attended Drake University in Des Moines, which is where she met her husband, an Elk Grove Village native. Not long after getting married and getting her first job, Napholz transitioned to being a stay-at-home mom, volunteering for the parent-teacher organizations and eventually spinning off one of their track meet events into a running club, which then transformed into a business. Her income from Fast Finish Coaching, which she co-owns with Cari Setzler, funds The Break, and her experience there is why she’s passionate about bringing junior high school students into The Break. “Anytime I’m around her, her focus is really on the kids,” said Sara Ryerson, who nominated Napholz
THE NAPHOLZ FILE Where she lives: Crystal Lake Where she works: Co-owner of Fast Finish Coaching Family: Husband, Tom; sons, Paul (22), Steve (18) and Robby (16); granddaughter, Sadie Favorite movie: “Terms of Endearment” Favorite meal: Steak What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Napholz founded The Break, a center for teenagers in Crystal Lake.
for Everyday Heroes and whose two boys went through Napholz’s running program. Napholz offers a program aimed at teaching nutrition and stretching, doing their best and meeting their goals, Ryerson said, adding that her noncompetitive bent sets her apart from other youth sports programs in the area.
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
The problems seem to start in middle school, a sense of discontent that drives children to alcohol, marijuana and heroin. That was Crystal Lake resident Brenda Napholz’s theory at least. She had been coaching middle-school aged children in running for about a decade, developing a passion in building up her children and watching the drastic changes they go through between sixth and ninth grades. But when one of her sons became addicted to heroin, she decided to create an alternative. “This started because I basically saw that there was a need in the area for the kids to have a place to go,” Napholz said. “A lot of kids that weren’t in some traditional sports, traditional music programs, kids with a lot of talent and creativity didn’t have a place of their own.” Napholz started The Break, opening shop in a strip mall on Route 14, with the help of her husband, Tom, a variety of friends from the running community, and a core group of 15 children, mostly friends of her youngest child, Robby, 16. Napholz also has an 18-year-old son, Steve Napholz, and a 22-year-old son, Paul Napholz, whose recently had a daughter, Sadie, with his girlfriend, Amanda Jaeger. The Break opens onto a sitting area, a collection of large-cushioned couches, and a check-in desk. Memberships are $15 and available to high school students. A hallway – one side covered in chalkboard paint that the teens can fill with graffiti – leads to a large room filled with pool tables, gaming consoles and a screen projector. Smaller rooms specialize in art and music. The plan is to have jam sessions each month, along with whatever else the members think up and the volunteer staff can arrange. “They [the kids] are invested in it,” Napholz said. “They helped put it together. They’ve got the ideas. They do some of the marketing. They do a lot of that stuff. That’s how we keep it what they want.” And it appears to be working. Membership has climbed to 150 teens, and Napholz hopes to open the center to middle-school children this
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Son’s drug scare inspires Crystal Lake woman to give teens a place to go
Crystal Lake Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Applauds
The Countless Efforts of the McHenry County Everyday Heroes.
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
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By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Angie Caldwell heard a story two years ago about a Huntley girl who suffered from an autoimmune disease and found her story amazing. The story about Camille Paddock involved a mix of emotions – from anguish to despair to perseverance. Caldwell, who owned a cheerleading academy in Joliet at the time, needed to hear the story for herself and for the numerous girls enrolled in the academy. She took to Facebook and discovered the group Cam’s Dare to be Different, a fledgling page on the social networking website started by Paddock. It detailed Paddock’s bout with alopecia areata – the autoimmune disease that causes dramatic hair loss – and the subsequent bout with her peers. Starting in the fourth grade, Paddock was bullied for the disease, having to listen to her peers call her names such as “baldy” and “hairless cat.” “She was being bullied everyday,” Caldwell said. “Instead of falling into herself and letting them win, she turned her experience into a positive.” Caldwell connected with the Paddocks through Facebook and invited the young girl to speak to her cheerleading academy. It was one of the earlier speaking events for Paddock, who almost two years later has spoken to thousands of students about her experience with alopecia and bullying. Caldwell and five others nominated Paddock as an Everyday Hero. Although honored, Paddock said the nominations reflect the work she’s done since starting the Facebook group and making it her mission to rally against bullying and teen suicide. Paddock, now a sophomore at Huntley High School, has told her story at countless school assemblies throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured in Woman’s World Magazine and Today’s Chicago Woman magazine, and she’s appeared on WGN-TV for a news segment. She is finishing a book – expected to be released later this year – about her story. “I want to get to as many kids as possible, and I want bullying to stop,” Paddock said. “I feel very passionate about it. I want people to realize words
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Huntley sophomore rallies against bullying through speeches, outreach
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Camille Paddock, a sophomore at Huntley High School, started Cam’s Dare to be Different to reach out to other kids who have been bullied. Paddock was bullied in middle school for an autoimmune disease that caused her to lose her hair. hurt, and they can kill.” Doctors diagnosed Paddock with alopecia at 8 years old after her mom discovered bald spots on her head. Although not life-threatening, the autoimmune disease causes balding and, in some cases, total hair loss. Paddock lives with alopecia since there is no cure for it. But in the fourth grade, she started hearing insults from her classmates about her appearance. As the years dragged, the insults continued. Paddock said her self-esteem plummeted, along with her grades. Paddock credited her mom as the motivating force to start the Facebook
group Cam’s Dare to be Different, meant as an outlet for Paddock to connect with other kids who were being bullied. More than two years after creating the group, Paddock now sees other kids approach her after speaking events crying and telling her how they’ve found someone who understands bullying. Others have told her that they didn’t realize their words could hurt, Paddock said. “It really makes me feel good that I’m touching people just by sharing my story,” she said. “I’m opening other people’s minds to how their words are affecting people.”
THE PADDOCK FILE Where she lives: Huntley Where she studies: Huntley High School (sophomore) Family: Mom, Melissa; Dad, Verne; sister, Grace; brother, Jack Favorite movie: “The Fault in Our Stars” Favorite meal: Caesar salad What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Paddock runs the group Cam’s Dare to be Different and speaks to kids and teenagers throughout the region about bullying. She is planning to release a book later this year about her story being bullied.
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
38
WENDY ROLLIE
Johnsburg Jr. High teacher goes above, beyond to be there for students By JAMI KUNZER jkunzer@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Wendy Rollie has been teaching at Johnsburg Junior High School for more than a decade and started a mini-course called “Paying it Forward” in which students pick a project to help out every semester.
Inside and outside the classroom, Johnsburg Junior High School students know Mrs. Rollie. If she’s not teaching them, she’s coaching them or stopping by one of their extracurricular activities to cheer them on. To Wendy Rollie, teaching is about being there for students. “It’s not just an open-door policy, it’s an open-life policy,” said Rollie, who’s taught in Johnsburg for 13 years, having gone to school there herself from seventh grade through high school graduation. Rollie went on to earn her teaching degree at Illinois State University, knowing all along she’d want to return to her hometown, where she and her husband, Jeremy, are raising 1-year-old Linkin. “It’s just a small, kind community, and I wanted my kids to grow up here,” she said. Her devotion to Johnsburg, especially the youth, and her upbeat personality are what earned her an Everyday Hero nomination from fellow Johnsburg Junior High School teacher Kolin Harbecke.
Continued on page 39
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Continued from page 38
Where she lives: Johnsburg Where she works: Johnsburg Junior High School Family: Husband, Jeremy; son, Linkin (1) Favorite movie: “The Blind Side” Favorite meal: Mexican food What she does for McHenry County’s youth: As a teacher, Rollie tries to affect her students in positive ways and make a memorable difference in their lives. “You can tell when a kid walks through the door if something’s going on by their expression,” she said. “If they’re here with me, I want them to know they’re safe.” Having grown up with a supportive family – all of whom remain in the area – she said she never has known what it feels like not to have “that person.” “My biggest thing is I try to reach out to those kids that maybe don’t have that person,” Rollie said. “I want them to know I’m here for them.”
Cycle Count Team: Back l. to r.: Ron Howard, John Foster, Mat Kraklau. Front l. to r.: Donna Majcher, Jennifer Gembala
A great many employees are nominated throughout the year to be recognized for this special award and we are proud to have such dedicated talent and loyal employees on the Aptar team. This year, we are honoring three employees, one from each of our facilities, as Employee(s) of the Year! These employees, selected by their peers, are the Aptar recipients of this award for the extraordinary qualities they possess and have demonstrated over the year!
Brian Thompson
Our congratulations to the EOY Winners for the year 2014!
Discover your inner Hero!
Read all about it ...
Thursday Planit 10, Band Spotlight, Go Guide, That’s the Ticket, Movie Reviews and more!
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Bob Edwards
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Our congratulations to the winners for the year 2014!
1160 N. Silver Lake Rd. • Cary, Illinois 60013
39
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
One of the most important resources any company has is its employees, those people who concentrate their efforts and abilities and strive to make their company successful. We are very fortunate to have many such employees at Aptar Cary and McHenry. Each year, through our Quality Improvement Process, Aptar seeks to recognize employees at each of our three McHenry County facilities for special effort, dedication, and achievements.
THE ROLLIE FILE
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Harbecke said Rollie takes on student situations that surpass the regular duties of any teacher. “She has become a teacher that students adore, which is easy to see by the massive amounts of graduated students that come back to visit her every year,” he said. Rollie taught math and reading for about seven years in Johnsburg before switching to physical education, a move she made because she likes change and wanted to see more students more often. “In the PE profession, you see all the kids every day,” she said. “You have a different relationship with all of them.” It’s tough to squeeze in all she wants to do in the roughly 40 minutes of class time she gets with them daily, though. By the time they change into their PE clothes, that leaves about 30 minutes. She aims for at least 25 minutes of heart-pumping physical exercise for them daily, she said, with the students usually choosing the activities. Rollie has coached basketball, track and volleyball in past years and is coaching volleyball this year. She also heads up a mini-course she suggested
called “Paying it Forward” in which students pick a project to help out every semester. They’ve walked to the Johnsburg Fire Department to give firefighters thank-you cards and baked goods, prepared a getwell package for a custodian who underwent heart surgery and donated to Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit group that works to eliminate starvation throughout the world. It can be tough to balance it all, including her young family, she said, but she wants to do more, especially after the Everyday Hero nomination. “I’m honored someone would think that highly of me. I kind of feel like I have to prove myself. … I’m just really big into if I can affect someone’s life in a positive way, it makes me a happier person. I like putting others first,” she said. “There needs to be 48 hours in a day, but you make the time.” All of these extras – including stopping by academic and sporting competitions she’s not involved with and even chatting with students when she sees them in the grocery store or anywhere else around town – give her more time to get to know students, Rollie said. And that’s what it’s all about, she said. The better she knows them, the more she can be there for them.
Visit www.strelcheckchiro.com to find out how Strelcheck Chiropractic has kept heroes healthy for over 55 years.
815.459.3860 Fox Valley
Helping Paws Animal Welfare Association
Help support our no-kill animal shelter. Call 815- 338-4400 or visit helpingpaws.net
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
40
GARY ROSENBERG
Big Brothers Big Sisters recipient of car dealership president’s passion By BRETT ROWLAND browland@shawmedia.com For nearly two decades, Gary Rosenberg has been the driving force behind a major annual fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County. Rosenberg, the 59-year-old president of Crystal Lake Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, was introduced to the nonprofit youth mentorship organization through his work with United Way of McHenry County. After meeting the people involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, he wanted to do what he could to help. “It’s a marvelous, marvelous entity. They really do good work,” he said. “And the passion of the people there is incredible.” Dave Barber, who was running the United Way at the time, told Rosenberg that Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County needed more than money. The organization needed a business person to help lead it. After discovering an immediate connection to the organization and its mission, Rosenberg joined the board in 1999. He served on the board for six years, and continues to help the organization by serving on its advisory council, which is made up of former board members who provide advice and support. “This organization really does help kids,” Rosenberg said. “There are a ton of single parents out there raising families, and they need a little help.” Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County matches adult mentors with at-risk children ages 6 to 14. “Many times, these are kids who are in desperate need of role models,” said Jamie Maravich, board chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County. Studies have shown children in the program are more likely to do well in school and graduate, gain confidence, avoid drugs and alcohol and break the cycle of abuse that is sometimes present in their family structure, Maravich said. At the time Rosenberg started working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, the organization wasn’t doing well financially. He made payroll for the nonprofit for the first two months, and it was clear the organization needed to find more stable ways to bring in revenue to pay its
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Gary Rosenberg, owner of Crystal Lake Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and longtime volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, and his friend, Jack Cook, founded Swing for Kids Sake, a golf outing to benefit the organization. professional staff members and other program expenses. Eventually, Rosenberg and friend Jack Cook came up with the idea of Swing for Kids Sake, an annual golf outing that would raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County. Swing for Kids Sake, now in its 13th year, has raised more than $500,000 for the organization. “It’s absolutely a Herculean effort for everyone involved, and there are a lot of people involved in this,” Rosenberg said. Rosenberg takes pride in recruiting players and sponsors to the event. “We get people from all walks of life to play,” he said. “I bring anyone who will talk to me.” Despite the effort that is involved in hosting a successful golf outing fundraiser, Rosenberg said he never tires of the challenges.
“I’m relentless; I’m a car salesman,” he said. He added: “I love it. Kids are my passion.” Swing for Kids Sake is one of Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County’s largest annual fundraisers, and the event also raises awareness about the organization and its mission, Maravich said. “Whenever the agency needs something, [Rosenberg] is there, and he fixes it,” she said. “He’s amazing. It’s so much more than writing a check. He’s promoting the organization and enabling it to thrive.” Rosenberg has been involved in several organizations that help children. For 15 years, he coached fifthand sixth-grade basketball for the Crystal Lake Park District. “He’s a passionate guy,” said Todd Hammond, a board member of Big
THE ROSENBERG FILE Where he lives: Unincorporated McHenry County, near Crystal Lake Where he works: President of Crystal Lake Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Family: None Favorite movie: “The Shawshank Redemption” Favorite meal: Steak What he does for McHenry County’s youth: Rosenberg is a longtime supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County and other youth programs.
Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County. “He loves kids. He loves the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s a home run for us. We’d take 10 or 15 Gary Rosenbergs if we could find them.”
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Business Heritage 2015 1921
1837
1934
50 N. Main St. • Crystal Lake 1938
1938
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office (815) 338-2144 www.mchenrysheriff.org
2015
77th
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1871
Farm and Lawn Equipment Solutions Family Owned and Operated since 1938
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
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20508 Oak Grove Rd, Harvard
Regular Worship Times Saturday @ 5:30 pm; Sunday @ 8 & 10:30 am Sunday Education Hour @ 9:15 am / 10:30 am
(2 miles north of Harvard on Hwy 14 & Oak Grove Rd)
815-943-5454
www.aaanderson.com
TLC Preschool
A Ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church Since 1993
1938
11008 N. Church St. Huntley, IL (847) 669-5780 Church Website www.TrinityHuntley.org TLC Preschool Website http://tlc.trinityhuntley.org
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Giant flood in Wonder Lake destroyed Adams Dam
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
815-459-4566
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ORMSBY MOTORS
McHenry County is our home, keeping it safe is our mission
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
McHenry County’s rich heritage of local businesses contribute to our great communities everyday!
Business Heritage 2015 1940
1951
1959 Sales Hours: Mon-Thr 9am-7pm Fri 9am-6pm Sat 9am-5pm Service Hours: Mon-Fri 6-5 Sat 8-4
St. Paul Ev. Lutheran (WELS) Church
Rent To Own Your Own Home 815-814-6004
2145 S. Eastwood Dr. (Rte. 47) Woodstock, IL 60098 • (815) 338-2780
420 Greenwood Dr., Round Lake Park, IL 60073 Phone: (847) 546-4685 • www.stpaulwels.org Rev. Robert H. Meiselwitz
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Sunday Services - 9:00am
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1952
Ash Wednesday Service - 7:00pm Wednesday Eve Services Thru Holy Week
Easter Sunrise - 6:45am, Breakfast 8:00am Easter Song Service - 9:00am
877 - RRVBC - 99 | www.rrvbc.org
ALL WELCOME!
Harvard Rotary Community Blood Drive Wednesday, March 11th, 2015 12:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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1946
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I will help you get the right house for your family Some Restrictions apply Call me for details.
Maundy Thursday & Good Friday Services - 7:00pm
Gary Swift 815-814-6004
1971
RRVBC mobile set-up inside First United Methodist Church of Harvard, 1100 North Division in Harvard
Coilcraft Inc.
Corporate headquarters
First time donors, please bring a photo I.D. Walk-ins are welcome & be sure to have plenty to eat and drink before you donate!
847-639-6400 info@coilcraft.com fax 847-639-1469
1958 Family-owned and operated since 1958
1102 Silver Lake Road Cary, IL 60013 USA
From oil change to overhaul, we do it all! adno=0298909
1811 W. Route 120 McHenry, IL
(815) 385-4640 OFFICE HOURS: M-F 8:00 - 5:00 Saturday 8:00 - Noon
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1948
Benoy Motor Sales, Inc. Family Owned and Operated Since 1948 1790 S. Eastwood Drive Woodstock, IL
815-338-5100 www.benoymotors.com
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www.coilcraft.com
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To schedule a time to donate, please call Wanda at (815) 560-2111
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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1975
1958
WAR SOUVENIRS WANTED
Village of Oakwood Hills organized.
www.warsouvenirs.com
Union Lions club is organized
GERMAN, JAPANESE & U.S.
847-438-3191
All Types, Including Samurai Swords Private Collector • Top Cash & Will Pick-up
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Business Heritage 2015 1978
1984
Follow the signs…
Register FREE for Government Surplus Auctions
847-546-2095
SOLD
Celebrating 39 years! adno=0298911
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Obenauf Auction Service, Inc. Illinois License #444.000105
New Heritage
1985
SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.
3 Great OFFICE Locations 847.683.2000
815.568.8093
WWW.NEWHERITAGE.COM
1980
HARVARD
1810 North Division 815-943-4461
WAUCONDA
1080 E. Park Ave. 847-367-4100
29626 N. US Hwy. 12 847-487-4900
Visit us online at: www.BuckBrosInc.com
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LIBERTYVILLE
1978
CLOCKS Gra
Robert (Bob) Sales WWII Vet and all of McHenry County’s Heroes! 14 North Walkup Ave Crystal Lake 815-455-4490 www.work-world.com
New and Antique Sales and Repair
We Make House Calls!
salutes
ndf
ath
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1981
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Tuesday - Fri 9-5, Sat 9-4
American Family Mutual Insurance Company and its Subsidiaries American Family Insurance Company Home Office - Madison, WI 53783 LG-219947 - 1/11
Serving all of McHenry County
847-791-2604
1985
McHenry Clock Co. 1216 N. Green St., McHenry (815) 363-8963 www.theclockexperts.com
✦ Punch List ✦ Painting ✦ Carpentry ✦ Fence Repair / Install ✦ Small Electrical ✦ Plumbing ✦ Building Maintenance
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14N937 Highway 20 847-683-4400
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Michael H Lindsey Agency (847) 639-1350 Mlindsey@amfam,com www.mikelindseyagency.com adno=0298913
McHenry, Woodstock, Harvard, Marengo, Free Press Group and Shoppers merged into Northwest Herald. Volunteer Center McHenry County started providing services.
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
Now with 4 locations to serve you. HAMPSHIRE
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Huntley Hampshire Marengo 847.669.9555
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1977
Northern Illinois’ Full Service John Deere Dealer.
• Dump Trucks • Computers • Office Equipment
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...enriching the lives of people with disabilities through meaningful recreation experiences. 815-459-0737 or visit our website at www.nisra.org
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
1976
43
Business Heritage 2015 1987
1994 e er vic We S kes & a M All ls! Mode
Unlimited Northwest
g
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1995-2015
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EQUAL HOUSING
Boil Hot Wer & Heat ater Spec ing ialist s! Air Management Services, Inc.
in t a r b Cele Our
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OPPORTUNITY
1998
HEATING COOLING PLUMBING HUMIDIFIERS AIR CLEANERS
24-HOUR SERVICE adno=0306993
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IL Lic #055-012579
1996
1993
2000
Cary-Grove Foot & Ankle Center Dr. Patrick A. McEneaney Dr. John P. Gerhard
*
Podiatric Physicians & Surgeons * Board Certified American Board of Podiatric Surgery
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X-Ray on Site Hospital Affiliations: Advocate Good Shepherd & Centegra McHenry abla Se H ñol Espa
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847-639-5800 www.carygrovefootandankle.com
Specializing In: Tax Planning/Preparation | Financial/Estate Planning Accounting/Auditing | Business Valuation & Litigation Support Accounting Software Consultation & Implementation
2000 Duncan Place Woodstock, IL
CARING FOR THE CARY / FOX RIVER GROVE COMMUNITIES FOR OVER 21 YEARS
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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We pride ourselves in being able to meet special requirements and exceeding customer expectations. Whether you’re searching for the right woodwork supplier for your bank, resturaunt, country club, board room, or living room, you’ll find quality, craftsmanship and capability at Phoenix Woodworking. adno=0302663
Authorized QuickBooks Pro Advisors | Sage Business Works Peachtree Software John Verchota, CPA, MST
Mary Miller, CPA/ABV, CVA
Jeff Seda, Staff Accountant
Jamie Seda, Enrolled Agent
john@millerverchota.com jeff@millerverchota.com
Erica Talley, Staff Accountant erica@millerverchota.com
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444 N. IL Route 31 Suite 104, Crystal Lake, IL 60012 p. 815.477.8000 f. 815.477.7170
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1993
1996
2000
Movie “Groundhog Day” was filmed in Woodstock.
Motorola assembly plant was completed near Harvard.
County population tops 300,000 in 2000 Census
100th anniversary of Cary’s incorporation
Family Health Partnership Clinic founded in Crystal Lake.
100th anniversary of Spring Grove receiving railroad service.
Business Heritage 2015 2004
2004
Live Life, We’ll Clean!
PAWS ON PINGREE
The Cleaning Authority has diligently cleaned Cary homes for many years with our proven Detail-Clean Rotation System. We would love to clean your home as well. • We’re reliable, thorough, and affordable. • Our employees are bonded and insured. • Our cleaner training is in-depth & we inspect our crews routinely.
Daycare Boarding
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Proud supporters of
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2007
2004
Be a Hero
2004 George W. Bush was re-elected to a second term as President, topping John Kerry. Barack Obama wins Illinois U.S. Senate seat over Alan Keyes.
Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates 100 years of serving America’s youth. McHenry County Bowler’s Hall of Fame formed
Adopt or Foster a Pet! 5186 NW Hwy, Ste 133 Crystal Lake 815-356-8170 www.onangelswingsinc.org
30% Off Your Thrift Store Purchase Expires 3/31/15
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McHenry County is filled with great people who care about the communities in which they live. These everyday heroes give selflessly by donating their time and talents to improve the quality of life in the county. Local businesses also contribute to our communities by providing vital goods and services, jobs, entertainment and other conveniences. Support our local businesses.
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
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Grooming
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Stuart Breitberg
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UPSÂŽ
2004
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
2002
45
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
46
HEATHER STEWART
Johnsburg librarian brings teens back to books by making reading fun By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com Having an informal chat about the Hunger Games at Jimmy John’s. Building cardboard mazes in honor of Maze Runner. Making Silly Putty and bouncy balls because why not. These are some of the tasks of a 21st century teen librarian, according to Heather Stewart, and they are making the library cool again. Stewart, who has served as the teen librarian at Johnsburg Public Library for the past three years, has deployed her unorthodox techniques to great success, increasing the circulation of young adult novels and participation in teen nights. It was Stewart’s love of young adult novels and her concern about teenagers’ disinterest in reading that drove her to become a teen librarian. She said many teens always have lost interest in reading and never return, and the increase in sports and activities for today’s generation makes it even more difficult. “Teens are busier and have more pressure on them than ever before,” Stewart said. “Sports are year-round. School can be more demanding, and they struggle to find time for reading if they are even interested to begin with.” Step one in solving the problem is getting teenagers to see the library as an escape from school and not as an extension. To do that, Stewart said she’ll often have book discussions at places such as Jimmy John’s or Yogeeze Frozen Yogurt to keep the atmosphere relaxed. And when there are meetings at the library, it stays relaxed with activities driven by the teens’ ideas and even movie nights and pizza after the library is closed to the public. “It doesn’t matter to me, I encourage them to read anyway I can,” Stewart said. “They are realizing it is an outlet to be themselves and have fun.” Stewart’s teen activities are gaining traction as school secretaries post fliers and frequent participants spread the word. Teagan Anderson, 16, has been going to Stewart’s activities for two years and said there has been increased participation each year. Anderson said Stewart has a special way of connecting to teens and opening their eyes to different genres and authors.
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Teen librarian Heather Stewart’s favorite part of her job at Johnsburg Public Library is to “encourage teens into reading because that’s usually the time when you start to quit reading.” “She really talks to you on the same level and is very supportive,” Anderson said. “She always keeps us involved and uses our ideas, and she helps us discover new things.” Stewart’s passion has not gone unnoticed by Maria Zawacki, director of the Johnsburg Public Library. Zawacki said there is no question more teens have come through the doors since Stewart’s arrival, and there is a revival in interest at the library. “She has been amazing,” Zawacki said. “You can tell she really cares about what she does and so can the kids. She makes it fun.” Stewart said she also fights against the stigma that reading is only reading if it is a traditional book. She said she encourages the use of iPads, Kindles and audiobooks, and she does not steer people away from
alternative writing, such as graphic novels. “Some teens have never had a library card, so I encourage them anyway I can,” Stewart said. “Some people believe graphic novels isn’t real reading, but it is. Some people don’t believe audiobooks are helpful, but I think some audiobooks are better because of the narrator.” Johnsburg Public Library can expect teen events to continue to grow as Stewart finds new and exciting ways to engage every teenager she can. She said she meets with northern Illinois young adult librarians once a month to share ideas and comes back more motivated each time. “It’s a never-ending educational process, even if you’re reading a fictional novel,” Stewart said of reading. “You become more worldly in a sense.
THE STEWART FILE Where she lives: McHenry Where she works: Johnsburg Public Library Family: Husband, LeeJay; daughter, Alyssa Favorite movie: “Sweet Home Alabama” Favorite food: Anything Mexican What she does for McHenry County’s youth: As youth librarian at Johnsburg Public Library, Stewart has created innovative ways to engage more teens and increase interest in reading. You learn to enjoy time by yourself. You can engage conversation and have something to talk about to anyone. It can do so much.”
TAMARA TOMASELLO
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By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
By the end of last summer, Sunshine Taxi was down to three cabs, and owner Tamara Tomasello panicked. Tomasello, who founded the company in 2008 to service McHenry and later Woodstock, didn’t know whether the company and its diminished fleet could continue a valuable partnership with Woodstock School District 200 once school resumed. For the past two years, the taxi company had blocked an hour a week to give special education students from Woodstock North High School free rides to Walmart, as part of a life skills class that teaches the students budgeting and independent living. Fewer cabs for a taxi business usually results in service reductions, especially when the service is provided for free. But Tomasello decided the service needed to continue for the kids. She bought another cab – made the necessary repairs – and added to her fleet. Like with any business decision, a story lies behind it. For Tomasello, the story behind the District 200 partnership is a personal one. “I have a special needs child now,” Tomasello said through tears. “Two years ago, my sister died. My nieces and nephews went into foster care – one of them being special needs.” The value Tomasello finds with her company’s partnership with District 200 only intensified after her sister, who struggled with alcohol and drug use, died, she said. Her three nieces and nephews – Samantha, Anthony and Nicole – came into Tomasello’s custody in September 2013 after a court battle in Michigan, where the three resided. “It was a struggle,” Tomasello said. “I pretty much left it in the hands of God and figured something was going to work out. ... I needed to get them to safety.” They came to her with physical and emotional problems, she said. Samantha, in particular, had special needs and suffered from Blount’s disease, a growth disorder within the leg that causes it to grow inward. Her niece still struggles to walk, Tomasello said. The larger family moved from McHenry to Woodstock into a larger home to fit six children, Tomasello and her husband. Tomasello worked to get her three new children into shape,
EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Inspired personally, Woodstock taxi owner helps special needs children
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Tamara Tomasello, who owns Sunshine Taxi in Woodstock, works with School District 200 to give rides to special education students. both academically and physically. They now earn As and Bs in school and make the honor roll, she said. Tomasello also found a way to teach the three kids about charity during their first Christmas together. After finding out the three never celebrated Christmas, she took the three children to buy presents and helped the children deliver the gifts to some needy families within the Woodstock area, she said. Tomasello expanded on the idea last Christmas and partnered with Just for Fun roller rink in McHenry to host a holiday food and coat drive for area children and their families. Tomasello’s desire to give back to children and families in the community is why Ben Frederick nominated her as an Everyday Hero. Frederick, a customer of Sunshine Taxi, referenced the holiday drive and the District 200 partnership as reasons why Tomasello deserved the distinction.
Tomasello said she did not know what to think about the nomination. She doesn’t consider herself a hero, but she admitted Sunshine Taxi has brought out the best in her. She founded the company in 2008 after moving from Chicago to McHenry after her father died. She arrived in McHenry County as a single mom without specific plans for her future. After a self-described bad investment with a Crystal Lake cab company, Tomasello channeled her parents, their fighter mentality and scoured the Internet. She came away with a tax identification number and name for her own taxi cab business – Sunshine Taxi. Started as alternative transportation for McHenry bar goers, the company has expanded to cover Woodstock and McHenry, providing airport, intown rides and, when needed, community service. “I was struggling to work pret-
THE TOMASELLO FILE Where she lives: Woodstock Where she works: Sunshine Taxi owner Family: Husband, Robert Froney; biological sons, Nickie and David; biological daughter, Dominique; adopted son, Anthony; adopted daughters, Samantha and Nicole Favorite movie: None Favorite meal: Pizza What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Tomasello takes time to work with special needs children at District 200 and conducted a community food and coat drive last Christmas while operating Sunshine Taxi. ty much for me and my children. I worked full time for me and the kids,” Tomasello said. “After I did lose my dad, I started thinking differently.”
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
48
THERESA VILLEC
Crystal Lake woman touches youngsters’ lives through music, foundation By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Theresa Villec works with Emily Meinecke, 7, of Johnsburg during a lesson at Music Makers for Life Inc. in Crystal Lake. Villec created a nonprofit foundation to raise money for scholarships for children whose families can’t afford lessons.
Having dealt with her own strife growing up, Theresa Villec of Crystal Lake knows how powerful music can be for a child. Villec recalled a particularly tough time when she was in middle school. She described how personal belongings and furniture were sold as a necessity to maintaining the roof over her family’s head. “I had lost the radio and record player we had,” said Villec, who grew up in Forest Park. “Then there was this family that felt sorry and gave us a transistor radio, and I remember going into my room – I could almost cry thinking about this – and just holding it and listening to the music. That meant everything to me.” The now-owner of Music Makers for Life Inc. in Crystal Lake has taught music for more than 25 years. After teaching private lessons in her home for a decade, in addition to teaching at schools, the multifaceted musician enterprised a business in a
Continued on page 49
THE VILLEC FILE Where she lives: Crystal Lake Where she works: Music Maker for Life Inc. in Crystal Lake Family: Husband, John; son, Jacob (22); daughter, Maria, (19) Favorite movie: “It’s a Wonderful Life” Favorite meal: “One where my entire family is sitting with me” What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Villec teaches music lessons at her business, Music Makers for Life Inc., and has established a foundation to help students who can’t afford lessons.
more than just a hobby. “To me – and this is going to sound so cliché – music is the only thing I can really count on,” said Hartley, who has been practicing piano, trombone, guitar, bass, euphonium, and singing in the time Villec has been her teacher. “You can feel what you want to when you’re listening or playing, and music won’t talk back or judge you.”
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
“When I was younger, I didn’t expect music to be a huge part of my life,” Hartley said. “Now, it’s hard to picture my life without it. ... [Villec] has basically space of her own in 2006. taught me a life skill that I’m hopefully going to be Villec and her staff of music teachers offer using my whole life.” McHenry County youth lessons on a variety of That’s exactly the message Villec was hoping instruments, as well as singing. And by piecing to convey with the name of her business, she said. together students who play different instruments While she enjoyed teaching music in a classroom to form bands, Villec said the lessons have gone setting, Villec’s real moments of triumph were beyond nurturing musical talent. when individual students realized they could read “Some of these kids start when they’re really music. young and now they can play multiple instru“When they can read ‘Ode to Joy’ and play it ments,” she said. “We’ve got about six bands that now perform all over the county, and the confidence themselves, to me, that’s the reason for the name, these kids have after doing this – it’s like nothing for Music Makers for Life,” she said. “Once you can read music, you can play for the rest of your life.” them to get up and perform in front of people now.” During the recession, Villec said she witnessed For 15-year-old Rachel Hartley of Crystal Lake, several students having to give up lessons. As a way music and Villec’s teachings have become a huge to prevent that, Villec said she resorted to lowering part of her life. prices and even giving free lessons. The result of Having started with Villec when she was only this struggle came a few years ago – the establish5, Hartley, a freshman at Crystal Lake South High ment of a nonprofit of which the sole purpose is School, already has made the wind ensemble and to help kids who might not be able to afford music the a capella choir. Looking back on the years of lessons from Villec, lessons, she said. Villec added no child passionate about music she said she especially appreciated her teacher’s should have to give it up, because for so many, such patience, and how she never gave up or got angry if as Hartley, being able to make music is so much Hartley made mistakes or forgot to practice.
Continued from page 48
• Saturday, February 28, 2015
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Saturday, February 28, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
50
KELLY WEAVER
Mom of autistic child overcomes challenges, starts school from scratch By JOAN OLIVER editorial@nwherald.com When Kelly Weaver adopted her daughter, Gillian, in 1998, she had no idea she eventually would co-found a school for children with autism. Today, she is the executive director of the Alexander Leigh Center for Autism in Crystal Lake. At first, Gillian was hitting all her milestones, Weaver said. However, at 15 months, Weaver noticed Gillian was falling behind other children in her playgroups. It wasn’t until 2000 that Gillian, who now is 16, was diagnosed with regressive autism. “By the time she was 2, we had a formal diagnosis,” said Weaver, 51. Weaver and her husband, Kevin, then researched and created a support system for their daughter. “We developed a program in our home and did some homeschooling,” Weaver said. Unexpected challenges arose. Weaver was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2001. About two years later, Kevin was diagnosed with brain cancer. “On top of that, my mom, who was my rock, had a massive stroke in March 2004,” Weaver said. Four months later, Kevin died. “There were some really crazy, taxing times,” she said. Initially, Gillian had been enrolled in the local school district’s early childhood classes. “The public school wasn’t a good match for Gillian,” Weaver said of pulling her out after three years. Weaver had become acquainted with another mother, Dorie Hoevel, with an autistic son who was in Gillian’s playgroup. They shared a one-to-one instructor, who recognized that the mothers shared similar frustrations about the education system. “[The instructor] said, ‘Why don’t you two sit down and talk this out because you both keep saying the same thing,” Weaver said. The women met for Chinese food and talked about how they might better serve their autistic children. “At the end of dinner we said, ‘Want to open a school?’ ” Weaver said. They spent the next year researching schools. They formed an advisory board. They did a mock building to get an idea of the costs. “The school was really born out of
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Kelly Weaver, co-founder and executive director of the Alexander Leigh Center for Autism, helped found the center in 2004. It currently serves 37 children and has 74 staff members at the Crystal Lake facility. two moms that really wanted more for their kids and figured out how to do it,” Weaver said. The Alexander Leigh Center for Autism is named after their children; Alexander is the middle name of Hoevel’s son and Leigh is Gillian’s. The nonprofit center first opened as a clinic in Weaver’s home and moved in 2007 to a 2,500-square-foot space in Lake in the Hills. In 2008, the Illinois State Board of Education approved it as a school. “It was kind of like writing your thesis … and then defending it,” Weaver said of the process. Then the growth really started. “We outgrew it very quickly,” Weaver said. After the center doubled in size, even more growth prompted a move to Crystal Lake, where the center has been for the past 3½ years. “This summer we maxed out,
and so we moved our administrative office,” Weaver said of the center that employs 74 and serves 37 children ages 3 to 18. In the next year, Weaver hopes to find a 35,000-square-foot location to accommodate up to 65 children and at least 110 employees. “We would like to see autism rates dissipate,” Weaver said. “But [they’re] not, so the next best thing is to create an environment where we can help kids and their parents.” These days, Gillian is thriving. “She’s getting fiercely independent, which is very cool,” Weaver said. With that comes Weaver’s desire to expand the center’s focus. “My long-term plan is to continue the school of excellence that we have and continue to develop programs, but really work on the job market for our kids and their housing,” she said. No doubt that goal will be reached,
THE WEAVER FILE Where she lives: Cary Where she works: Alexander Leigh Center for Autism Family: Daughter, Gillian (16) Favorite movie: “Notting Hill” or “The American President” Favorite meal: Mom’s chicken and dumplings What she does for McHenry County’s youth: Weaver is a co-founder and the executive director of the Alexander Leigh Center for Autism in Crystal Lake.
just as the others have. “I’m just a person … continuing to work on my goals,” Weaver said. “I’m just a mom. I don’t have a teaching degree. I was given this child and along with her came autism and along with that came a school.”
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