Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES 2
Kane County Chronicle recognizes Everyday Heroes the extra mile when caring for her brother, who has Down syndrome. “He loves Quinta, as we all do!” Russo wrote as part of the Everyday Heroes nomination form. “I can’t say enough about her kind ways and warmth she shows her clients. I appreciate her every day.” You can read more about Dirks and Sloan-Beasley on pages 4 and 14 of this special section, respectively. More inspirational stories fill the other pages of this section. Feedback can be sent to me using the contact information at the end of this column. Congratulations to all of the 2015 Everyday Heroes!
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK Kathy Balcazar abused and neglected children who are going through the court system. “I was struck by children who needed help in an immense way,” Dirks said. “What a great thing to be able to do something on behalf of children who can’t help themselves and need a giant investment if they are going to grow up and be healthy adults.” And then there is Quinta Sloan-Beasley of North Aurora. She is the rehabilitation manager for the Association for Individual Development, an organization that provides support for those with developmental disabilities. Deb Russo nominated Sloan-Beasley for an Everyday Heroes award. She said Sloan-Beasley goes
• Kathy Balcazar is editor of the Kane County Chronicle and a member of the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association Board. Contact her at kbalcazar@shawmedia.com or 630-845-5368. Learn more about NINA at http://ninaonline.org.
Contributors This section was produced by Kane County Chronicle editors Kathy Balcazar, Al Lagattolla, Kevin Druley and R. Scott Helmchen; reporters Brenda Schory, Ashley Sloboda and Charles Menchaca; and photographers Sandy Bressner, Monica Synett and H. Rick Bamman.
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The Kane County Chronicle’s 2015 Everyday Heroes section features 12 individuals who have made a positive impact in the lives of others. These are men and women who – as a group – have helped host fundraisers for those in need and volunteered for nonprofit organizations. They have assisted children, teens and adults. And they have helped people locally and abroad. What do they all share in common? They are outstanding community members who are making Kane County a better place to live, work and play. Take Doug Dirks of Campton Township, for example. When he retired, he went to a training session for the CASA organization, and he has been a volunteer with that group since 2008. CASA stands for court appointed special advocate, and the organization’s volunteers advocate for
Doug Dirks ................................. 4 Michelle Adams ....................... 6 Steve Pearce ............................. 7 Nora Kohlert .............................. 8 Mark Alleman ........................... 9 Susan Clancy Boles ............... 10 Jack Irwin ................................. 11 Audrey Gleamza ..................... 12 Donna Denison ....................... 13 Quinta Sloan-Beasley ........... 14 Joe Kryszak .............................. 15 Laura McPhee ......................... 16
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Making a difference
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The 2015 Heroes
Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
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DOUG DIRKS
‘An outstanding child advocate’ Doug Dirks making a difference as CASA Kane County volunteer By BRENDA SCHORY bschory@shawmedia.com Doug Dirks was on the verge of retirement as an educational consultant and getting all kinds of advice about it. “I was talking to various people who were advising me to have something in mind to do that might include doing nothing for a while,” Dirks said. “I did not want to waste my time doing nothing.” So, when Dirks heard a CASA volunteer speak at Geneva United Methodist Church, it changed the course of his retirement. CASA stands for court appointed special advocate, and the organization’s volunteers advocate for abused and neglected children who are going through the court system. “I was struck by children who needed help in an immense way,” Dirks said. “What a great thing to be able to do something on behalf of children who can’t help themselves and need a giant investment if they are going to grow up and be healthy adults.” When he retired, Dirks, now 72, of Campton Township, went to a training session for CASA and has been a volunteer since 2008. “I hopped into it,” Dirks said. “I’m trying to be an adult who stands up for children who need an adult to be on their side.” His dedication prompted Kim Flad, advocate supervisor for CASA Kane County, to nominate Dirks as an Everyday Hero. “Doug Dirks is an outstanding child advocate,” Flad wrote as part of the Everyday Heroes nomination form. “The CASA children who he currently advocates for have suffered unspeakable trauma. They are placed with a relative in Cook County, so Doug travels a long way to see them each month.” Flad said it was important to recognize the work Dirks does for CASA. “Doug is a really humble guy. Never in a million, million years would he toot his own horn,” Flad said. “He is an excellent report writer. Reports help the judge make decisions on those children. He really is the whole package. Anyone who meets him falls in love with him, like we have.” Flad said it takes three to four
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Doug Dirks of Campton Township is a longtime volunteer for CASA Kane County. years on average for a CASA case to reach completion, as the court system seeks either to reunite the child with the family – if possible – or have him or her adopted out so they are no longer wards of the state. Dirks has closed two cases in his time as a CASA volunteer, she said. “The kinds of abuses that bring cases into the court system are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect,” Flad said. “When children come into Kane County Juvenile Abuse and Neglect Court, something put that child at risk. There was some safety breach [where the] natural parents or caregivers have some problem in providing a safe home for those kids.” CASA’s goal is a “forever home”
for the children, she said, whether that is being reunited with their family or some other permanent placement. Advocates such as Dirks visit the children every month and write reports about how they are doing for the judge, so a determination can be made in the children’s best interest. “Our advocates make a huge commitment when they come to our organization,” Flad said. “We ask our advocates to be the single thing in these children’s lives that does not change.” Dirks is a natural as a CASA volunteer, Flad said. “The children are very drawn to him. They are anxious to tell him how they are doing,” Flad said. “He’s just like the best grandpa you ever had.”
The Dirks lowdown Who he is: Doug Dirks, a volunteer with CASA Kane County Township of residence: Campton Township Age: 72 Family: Wife, three children and six grandchildren Hobbies: Gardening, doing restoration work in the subdivision, trying to introduce native plants and grasses, tent camping Fun fact: “I am collecting first-person accounts from people who were involved in the American Civil Rights movement.”
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MICHELLE ADAMS
Helping animals Michelle Adams works with dogs and cats at Anderson Animal Shelter By BRENDA SCHORY bschory@shawmedia.com Michelle Adams works as a senior telecommunications engineer, but she also is a passionate volunteer at Anderson Animal Shelter in St. Charles Township, working with dogs and cats and using her photography skills to benefit the shelter. It all started with a fundraising effort at the Elgin grocery store near where she lives, she said. “They were asking for change. I went to my car and emptied what I had,” Adams said. “They said, ‘We can always use volunteers.’ I’m at the shelter at least 20 hours a week doing anything that they need, helping with feeding, cleaning, walking – anything the kennel staff needs me to do.” Her devotion over the last four years prompted Holly Alcala, director of development for the shelter, to nominate Adams as an Everyday Hero. “Michelle is a foster parent, taking in cats and dogs until they are ready to be placed up for adoption,” Alcala wrote as part of the Everyday Heroes nomination form. “Based on her time spent at the shelter and her knowledge of the organization, Michelle has earned the status of team leader, which allows her to assist with adoptions.” Adams does photography as a hobby, but also uses it for Anderson’s website, marketing pieces and Facebook page, Alcala wrote. Adams also volunteers for special projects and fundraisers, such as the recent Pets-a-Palooza event, which attracted some 3,000 visitors, Alcala wrote. In addition to helping visitors find a good match in a new pet, Adams said she and other volunteers work with traumatized animals to get them to trust people again. “I try to work [with] the scared little dogs, scared big dogs, any dog or cat that’s shut down,” Adams said. “They can be really bad and nasty when they come in because they are so scared … . When you see a dog that is so shut down and then they are in a home and everybody’s
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Michelle Adams of Elgin has been a volunteer at Anderson Animal Shelter in St. Charles Township for four years. She also fosters animals waiting to be adopted. happy, they become who they are.” She fosters Chihuahuas at her home and admits it is hard to see them go when they are adopted out – but those who have adopted “her” dogs send updates. “A lot of times, I’ll take them home for a few nights. I’ve had some for weeks or a couple months. It really depends on the situation. When they are adoptable, I put them in the main kennel so they can be seen,” Adams said. Not all of her fosters find other homes. When she fostered two kittens, she kept one. “We’ve had more than 1,500 adoptions so far this year, and we
would never be able to do that if we didn’t have the very extensive foster database that we have,” Adams said. “It’s critical. Our shelter is only so big. ... Fosters allow us to take in more that we don’t have space for in the shelter.” Anderson Executive Director Beth Drake praised Adams’ efforts on behalf of the shelter’s animals. “Michelle’s dedication to our organization and the animals we serve is outstanding,” Drake wrote in an email. “She truly is a leader among the entire volunteer group and hero among us all. We applaud her efforts – as well as all of our volunteers, who give their time and talents.”
The Adams lowdown Who she is: Michelle Adams, a volunteer at Anderson Animal Shelter Town of residence: Elgin Age: 35 Family: Parents and cousins Hobbies: Anderson Animal Shelter, photography and graphic design at the shelter Fun fact: “I used to volunteer for Cook County Crime Stoppers, going into high-crime areas to encourage people, if they have tips, to call the hotline.”
STEVE PEARCE
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Steve Pearce assists with St. Charles youth sports, St. Charles East boys cross country By KEVIN DRULEY kdruley@shawmedia.com
• Wednesday, November 18, 2015
You need not be standing near Steve Pearce during autumn to see his colors change. The assistant superintendent for human resources for Batavia School District 101 by day, Pearce also is active in youth basketball coaching and administration in his hometown of St. Charles and serves as a booster parent for St. Charles East boys cross country. Sound like a full docket? Not to Pearce. He couldn’t imagine life without a little bustle. “I enjoy being busy. I’m not very good at saying no, either,” Pearce said. “And there’s so many opportunities when you’re a parent and community member to be involved in so many things. It’s fun to be involved.” The credo rubbed off on Pearce’s wife, Jill, who Steve Pearce constantly credits for her undying support. There certainly is plenty of that to go around, especially with Steve Pearce, 44, also working toward a master’s degree in educational leadership at National Louis University in Chicago. The couple, which has four children – three sons and a daughter – moved to St. Charles in the late 1990s. Steve Pearce previously served as a middle school principal in Schaumburg School District 54. To be sure, he was equally industrious then. “I’ll be saying, ‘You know, well, your plate is already pretty full’,” Jill Pearce said. “And he always says, ‘Well, if I can do something to make something better, I’ll give it a try’.” Steve Pearce grew up in suburban Detroit and played soccer, basketball and baseball. He attended Wheaton College as a physical education major and history minor, getting acquainted with Chicagoland and an important liaison for later in life – his future wife’s brother. The couple’s oldest children,
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‘It’s fun to be involved’
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Batavia School District 101 Assistant Superintendent Steve Pearce also coaches youth basketball and is an active St. Charles East sports booster parent. Drew and Nate Pearce, are a senior and sophomore, respectively, at St. Charles East, and part of the cross country program. Kirby Pearce is an eighth-grader at Thompson Middle School, while Josy Pearce is a second-grader at Davis Elementary School. Josy Pearce also loves basketball, and she relishes having her dad as a coach for the St. Charles Storm. It seems to be a family tradition. Years ago, in fact, Steve Pearce juggled coaching duties for each of his three sons’ youth soccer teams during the same season. “Which was hilarious, as you can imagine, but it was the same
kind of thing,” he said. “Sometimes, different organizations struggle to find coaches and people who want to be involved, and I always say, ‘Well, I’ve got a coaching background and a sports background and why not help out if I can do it’.” When it comes to his high school allegiances, Steve Pearce’s Batavia colleagues keep a similarly open mind. “I always say I support Batavia in all their games or sports unless they’re playing East,” he said. “And then the other thing in Batavia is they don’t care that much that I’m an East supporter as long as I don’t support Geneva.”
The Pearce lowdown Who he is: Steve Pearce, a Batavia School District 101 administrator with involvement in St. Charles youth sports and St. Charles East boys cross country Town of residence: St. Charles Age: 44 Family: He and his wife, Jill, have four children. Hobbies: Running Fun fact: Pearce annually teams up with friends to participate in the Illinois River to River relay, an 80-mile trek between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers downstate.
Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
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NORA KOHLERT
Bunco queen St. Charles resident Nora Kohlert funnels energy into breast cancer fundraiser By ASHLEY SLOBODA asloboda@shawmedia.com Nora Kohlert has, in a way, two full-time jobs. One earns her a living – she’s the office manager of a dental office in St. Charles – and the other raises money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She and four other women – Tia Oliver, Leigh Orchard, Jeannine McDonald and Jenny Schneider – have spent the past several years organizing an event another group of women started 12 years ago: Elburn Bunco for Breast Cancer. “It is a full-time job,” Kohlert said. Held in October, the two-day event features 208 bunco players each night, Kohlert said. In addition to charging $25 per player, she said, the event makes money through sponsorships and gift basket raffles. Kohlert this year assembled about 100 gift baskets for each night, she said. “It’s just fun to do,” she said. “My basement turns into a pink basket-making basement.” Geneva resident Bill Johnson, who has known Kohlert for many years, nominated her as an Everyday Hero because of her dedication to the bunco fundraiser. The hours she devotes to it “amazes” him, especially since she is fully employed by Dickens, Mason & Kissell D.D.S., he said. “I give her so much credit for keeping this together,” Johnson said, noting he has watched the fundraiser grow. Kohlert, a longtime St. Charles resident, first became involved with the event as a player, she said. It was a “no-brainer” to join the planning team because of her ties to those with cancer, she said, noting a close friend’s mother has battled the disease. She has also participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Chicago four times, she said. Planning for the bunco fundraiser begins in January with discussions about ways to improve the event and the start of contacting companies for donations, Kohlert said. She begins collecting the donations in the St. Charles and Geneva
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Nora Kohlert has, for the last several years, helped organize Elburn Bunco for Breast Cancer. This year, the event raised $34,000. area in June, she said, and registration for players opens in July. Last year, the event raised about $30,000 – an amount she said they didn’t know how they would top. But, she and her team did, raising $34,000 in two nights last month. Cumulatively, she said, the event has generated about $219,000 since its inception. “It’s been a very successful thing,” Kohlert said. She noted organizers had to turn people away this year but are reluctant to leave Lions Park in Elburn for a bigger venue because the Lions Club treats them well. “It is so fun,” Kohlert said of the
event, which lasts for about four hours. “These ladies have a great time.” Since taking over the fundraiser seven years ago, Kohlert said the event has become a family affair. Her husband – who owns Kohlert Manufacturing in St. Charles – her mother and her daughters have participated in some way, she said. Through his travels, Johnson said he has come to know certain people who stick in his mind. He said Kohlert – who he described as an inspiration and mentor – is one of those people who leaves a lasting impression. “Her heart is so big,” he said.
The Kohlert lowdown Who she is: Nora Kohlert, an organizer for the Elburn Bunco for Breast Cancer event Town of residence: St. Charles Age: 47 Family: She and her husband of 24 years, John, have two daughters, Ashley, 21, and Michelle, 17, and two poodles. Hobbies: Fundraising Fun fact: She was born in Iceland.
MARK ALLEMAN
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Mark Alleman of Aurora comforts people as hospice volunteer, lay minister By CHARLES MENCHACA cmenchaca@shawmedia.com
• Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Mark Alleman can immediately recall what led him to become a hospice volunteer. “I met a guy who was dying of cancer, and this man was more alive that most people you run into,” Alleman said. “This guy was just making the most of every day, that’s what really struck me about it.” Alleman, an Aurora resident, has been involved with Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice, 200 Whitfield Drive, Geneva, since 1990. From 1994 to 2003, he also was on the organization’s board of directors. Alleman wanted to do some volunteer work that went beyond helping at events and fundraising. Hospice volunteers can provide direct patient care where they meet once a week with someone who has a life expectancy of six months or less, he said. Volunteers also can provide bereavement care to the surviving spouse and family members after their loved one dies. Alleman said sometimes he might be meeting with three or four different people a week. The hospice volunteer experience is a profound one, he said. “When you spend one or two nights with somebody who is really facing the end of life, it helps to put your life in perspective and make you realize how lucky you are to have your health,” Alleman said. Alleman has become an active bike rider, participating for four years in a row in The Des Moines Register’s annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which is a one-week, 468-mile trek. Alleman said he agrees with the slogan “the road is a great listener.” “I think it’s good therapy and a good thing for your physical side and your mental side,” Alleman said of the event. Alleman began to help more people after becoming a lay minister in the late 1990s at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, 102 S. 2nd St., Geneva. He has been a member there for more than 35 years and now is one
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Mark Alleman of Aurora is a lay minister at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva and has been a volunteer for Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice since 1990. of the church’s six lay ministers. Lay ministry is an outward extension of the church and not therapeutic counseling, according to the society’s website. Lay ministers can provide someone in a significant life event with a confidential, active listener and presence, according to the website. Alleman said he has a weekly schedule that consists of working out, volunteering and visiting people. He said he is fortunate to have an active life in retirement. He worked for Caterpillar for 36 years, mostly at the Montgomery plant.
Fellow church member Deb Leoni nominated Alleman as an Everyday Hero because she said he always is willing to help others. Leoni hosts personal growth workshops and mentors people. Alleman has an amazingly positive attitude, Leoni said. “Mark would be the first person to call if you ever needed a ride, a hand or to just have him sit and listen to you,” Leoni said. Alleman said becoming a hospice volunteer was the best thing he has done besides raising his family. “This has been an amazing, positive influence on my life,” he said.
The Alleman lowdown Who he is: Mark Alleman, a volunteer with Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice Town of residence: Aurora Age: 71 Family: Divorced; children, Angie, 44, and Brandon, 41 Hobbies: Bike riding Fun fact: He grew up on a farm in central Iowa, barn animals included.
Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
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SUSAN CLANCY BOLES
‘Making an impact’ Judge Susan Clancy Boles committed to helping youth avoid bad decisions By BRENDA SCHORY bschory@shawmedia.com In her role as a Kane County circuit judge, Susan Clancy Boles has presided over abuse and neglect cases, and she has dealt with juvenile delinquency. She is currently a felony judge and will be sworn in next month as the new chief judge for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Kane County. But to Kane County Associate Judge T. Clint Hull, Boles is an Everyday Hero because of her efforts to help teens and young adults avoid bad decisions that can impact their lives forever. “What makes Judge Boles an Everyday Hero is the commitment she has made to do whatever she can to keep teenagers and young adults from making that bad decision and seeing the inside of a courtroom,” Hull wrote in nominating Boles for an Everyday Hero honor. “Since 2009 Judge Boles has been traveling to high schools throughout Kane County to present ‘Seven Reasons to Leave a Party,’ ” Hull wrote. “She has given the presentation to thousands of students. ... She is making an impact.” Boles said Hull also participates in giving the presentation to students, noting they present another program about using social media responsibly. She said she wished she and Hull could be “co-heroes.” “The presentation uses real life stories of kids who had everything going for them, and one bad decision ultimately changed their lives by having a record,” Boles said. “That is the point of it.” “Seven Reasons to Leave a Party” is a state program developed by the Illinois Judges Association, Boles said. “I came on the bench in 2007, and we took that and adapted it,” Boles said of her collaboration with Hull. “Because we were younger, we wanted it not to be dated. We modernized it.” They have given the presentation to juniors and seniors at St. Charles East and North high schools on alternating years, and they also have presented at Larkin High School in Elgin and Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville.
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Judge Susan Clancy Boles was nominated as an Everyday Hero because she goes above and beyond for the youth of Kane County. She and Judge T. Clint Hull host “Seven Reasons to Leave a Party” presentations at area schools as a way to get youths to make positive choices, rather than ones that can unhinge their lives forever. Boles said she is talking to Geneva High School officials about doing a presentation there this spring. Over time, school administrators also saw a need for a presentation to younger students – but one that included the potential dangers of technology and social media. So, Boles developed a new presentation that she has done at Rotolo Middle School in Batavia and at Thompson, Haines and Wredling schools in St. Charles. Delinquency cases are not always cut-and-dried, she said. “You do not have bad kids. You have kids who made poor decisions because they don’t have support or role models,” Boles said. “It affects their schooling because they get kicked out of school or they get a residential
placement. There are different reasons why [there is a] lack of support at home, lack of opportunities, lack of role models. Anything anybody can do to change that is a good thing.” Boles said parents often don’t understand why their child is in court. “Parents, for the most part, are at a loss. ‘How did we get here? We have a problem; what do we do?’” she said. Boles sees these presentations as one of the “different hats” she wears as a judge. “It’s partly what makes you a good judge in that sense,” Boles said. “I’m a realist. I realize what it’s like to have teenagers. I understand the pressures facing them. It makes me care more. I understand where they are in their lives.”
The Clancy Boles lowdown Who she is: Susan Clancy Boles, a Kane County circuit judge County of residence: Kane County Age: 50 Family: Husband and three kids Hobbies: Anything sports or outdoor related; gardening; and cooking Fun fact: “I am a Junior Olympic Swimming champion.”
JACK IRWIN
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Jack Irwin’s efforts to curb Lithuania’s drinking culture have snowballed By ASHLEY SLOBODA asloboda@shawmedia.com
• Wednesday, November 18, 2015
When Jack Irwin visited Lithuania for the first time, he went as a tourist. It was summer 1992 – two years after the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union – and Irwin said he wanted to see the country in which his great-grandparents were born. Seeing the national cathedral inspired him to do more, he said. “I have to help somehow,” he recalled feeling. And he has. The Geneva resident returned from his 60th trip to the eastern European country last month. It’s a trip he now makes twice a year, he said, noting he used to make the journey more frequently. The retired guidance counselor has established chapters of Operation Snowball – an alcohol-and-drug-prevention program that began in 1977 in Rockford – in Lithuania to counter the country’s drinking culture. Irwin said the team of adults and teens who helped him bring Operation Snowball to the Lithuanians in 1994 didn’t know whether the program would be successful overseas, as it hadn’t been done in another language. But, he said, they knew it would work when the biggest cultural difference was in the way the Lithuanians peeled their bananas (that is, from the other end). “We made it international,” Irwin said of the Snowball program. Last spring, he said, the parliament of Lithuania gave him an award thanking him for his work in the country, which now has 39 programs. There are also two Snowball programs in Poland and one in Belarus, he said. He can tell it’s making a difference, he said, recalling the wedding of a young couple as an example. Traditionally, Irwin said, everyone gets drunk at a Lithuanian wedding because each guest toasts the bride and groom. At this wedding, the couple broke tradition by asking guests to instead share how they knew the bride or groom, he said. In addition to its focus on curbing drug-and-alcohol use, Snowball in Lithuania is trying to help raise teens’ self-confidence, Irwin said. Noting the high suicide rate there, he said they need
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Overseas influencer
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Jack Irwin of Geneva has helped Lithuania curb its drinking culture through Operation Snowball. The country has gone from one Snowball chapter in 1994 to 39 in 2015. He also served as president of the International Snowball Association. to know how important they are so they won’t do things to damage themselves. Irwin, who is 76, said he plans to keep visiting Lithuania for as long as he can, but it’s more tiring now. During his last trip overseas, he said, he visited nearly 500 teens in 15 programs in Lithuania and Belarus. “It’s not an easy schedule,” said retired educator Maggie Perry, who accompanied Irwin on that trip. “It’s go, go, go.” Perry said it is evident the people there respect Irwin, who was welcomed with open arms. She described him not only as a source of information for them but also as a source of inspiration and direction.
“I think he has opened the door for a lot of youth and current and future leaders in Lithuania,” she said. Irwin, who retired at 53, said his international work with Snowball was a good fit with his other interests – travel and Lithuania. But, he said, he would have used his mother’s maiden name, which was Lithuanian, if he would have known that the program would grow. He does, however, have Lithuanian items displayed in his home. He said it’s fun to be Lithuanian because the heritage is unusual to many people in the United States. “People don’t know where it is,” he said. “Everyone knows the German, English and Irish parts of me.”
The Irwin lowdown Who he is: Jack Irwin, who promotes a drug-and-alcohol prevention program overseas Town of residence: Geneva Age: 76 Family: Married 10 years Hobbies: Travel, Lithuania and stained glass Fun fact: He’s been to Lithuania 60 times.
Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
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AUDREY GLEAMZA
‘She loves people’ Audrey Gleamza finds ways to help community members of all ages By AL LAGATTOLLA alagattolla@shawmedia.com After she had her first child, Laura Gleamza noted the help she received from her mother-in-law, Audrey Gleamza. Laura Gleamza said her mother-in-law seemed to know exactly how she would need assistance. She said Audrey Gleamza would do laundry and dishes, the kind of tasks that allowed Laura Gleamza to focus on her child. It got to the point where Laura Gleamza said she was even a little uncomfortable that someone was so helpful, but the grateful daughter-in-law noticed this wasn’t unusual for Audrey Gleamza. And the kindness wasn’t restricted to family members. “It was incredible,” Laura Gleamza said. “That taught me to to do stuff when other people need help.” She said Audrey Gleamza, a St. Charles resident, is an inspiration at 92 years old. While she said others much younger will complain that they’re too old to do even a simple task, Audrey Gleamza eagerly keeps up a busy schedule of volunteering her time and providing kindness to others. When Laura Gleamza nominated her mother-in-law as an Everyday Hero, she noted that Audrey Gleamza doesn’t use the word “can’t.” Audrey Gleamza said she has no use for the word. “That’s a four-letter word. ‘Can’t’ is not in my vocabulary,” Audrey Gleamza said. Audrey Gleamza and her husband, Ed, owned Parkside Liquors in St. Charles for decades. They recently celebrated their 70th anniversary. Audrey Gleamza collects diapers for The Salvation Army. Laura Gleamza said it isn’t uncommon to find that her mother-in-law will have to reorganize her vehicle’s trunk, since she always has diapers in there. She has worked with the Kane County Association of Home and Community Education, offered through the University of Illinois Extension. She is a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in St. Charles, and she said she has served on the dessert committee for funerals. She also inspires her daughter-in-
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Audrey Gleamza of St. Charles has served as a volunteer for several local organizations. law by continuing to attend exercise classes on a regular basis. “She doesn’t act her age,” Laura Gleamza said. “She’s never said to me, ‘Oh, I’m getting old.’ You hear that from people much younger than she is. … That’s just never crossed her mind. I think that’s pretty special.” She said her mother-in-law is interested in helping people and being with people in all stages of their life. “Maybe the secret is that she loves people, no matter what their age,” Laura Gleamza said. Laura Gleamza said her motherin-law has a knack for knowing when someone needs help and providing
that assistance. During a funeral, for instance, the family of the deceased might not immediately be thinking of dessert, but Audrey Gleamza is there. Laura Gleamza said it’s the same with the diapers at The Salvation Army. “She’s very thoughtful,” Laura Gleamza said. “She knows what people need. … You need diapers. Where are the diapers coming from, if you can’t afford them? People like Audrey are providing them for people.” Audrey Gleamza said doing those tasks is helpful for herself as well. “Those are my things,” she said. “I like to do those things. They make you feel good.”
The Gleamza lowdown Who she is: Audrey Gleamza, who collects diapers for The Salvation Army and does other volunteer work Town of residence: St. Charles Age: 92 Family: Husband, Ed, as well as six children, 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren Hobbies: Solitaire and crossword puzzles Fun fact: Her advice is “just keep smiling.”
DONNA DENISON
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com
‘House mom’ knows best Donna Denison of St. Charles brightens days at Lazarus House By CHARLES MENCHACA cmenchaca@shawmedia.com
• Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Donna Denison knew something was missing from her life. After a bad day at work about 10 years ago, she ended up in front of Lazarus House, a nonprofit charitable organization serving people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. “It just clicks; it’s just right,” Denison said of Lazarus House. Fast forward to 2015, and Denison is entering her ninth year as a Lazarus House operations coordinator. She works out of the house’s Women and Children’s Day Center in downtown St. Charles. Those who stay at the center affectionately call Denison and the other coordinators “house moms.” It’s their job to keep things peaceful and orderly at the center. The center usually serves between 15 to 18 women at any one time, Denison said. She works there every Wednesday through Sunday and starts each womens’ day off with breakfast. Working at Lazarus House helps fulfill Denison’s longtime call to serve others. When she was 12 years old growing up in St. Charles, Denison wanted to open her own orphanage. “I’ve always been one for the underdog,” Denison said. Denison said she knows what it’s like to need someone else. She said her first husband was killed in a car accident when their first child was still an infant. When someone is down, it’s important to have even one person there to say that things can turn around, Denison said. Denison knows how to lift the spirits of those at the center, said a Lazarus House client who nominated Denison as an Everyday Hero but did not want to be named for privacy reasons. Denison treats residents like individual human beings instead of the label “homeless,” the client said. Lazarus House Operations Manager Carol Migacz describes Denison as warm, caring, motherly
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Donna Denison of St. Charles is an operations coordinator, or “house mom,” at the Lazarus House Women and Children’s Day Center. She helps homeless adults and children during their transition back to regular housing. and also assertive. “Donna and I were both crossing guards years ago – she was somebody who wasn’t going to be pushed around,” Migacz said. “She has the balancing part down – the kind heart and keeping authority.” Migacz and Denison were crossing guards in the 1990s for St. Charles School District 303. They did not keep in touch but connected right away after Denison showed up at Lazarus House. “I believe that God calls you to this,” Migacz said. Denison’s youngest son, Cody, was also called to Lazarus House and works an overnight shift and helps maintain the
organization’s computers. Employees are not allowed to befriend Lazarus House clients, but Denison said sometimes women will call into the center after their stay to express their gratitude for her kindness. People have negative connotations of the homeless community, but Denison said all the women are grateful to be able to stay at Lazarus House. Most of them embrace the structure of chores and classes geared toward helping them achieve their goals, she said. “If you can’t have a home of your own, then this is the place to be,” Denison said.
The Denison lowdown Who she is: Donna Denison, operations coordinator at Lazarus House Town of residence: St. Charles Age: 61 Family: Husband, Lenard; children, Cory, 42; Cody, 25; Heather, 36 and Jodi, 31; and eight grandchildren Hobbies: Sewing and baking Fun fact: Loves getting dressed up for Halloween and putting out Christmas villages all over her house during the holidays.
Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
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QUINTA SLOAN-BEASLEY
‘The best heart in the world’ Quinta Sloan-Beasley goes above, beyond to help those who are developmentally disabled By AL LAGATTOLLA alagattolla@shawmedia.com Quinta Sloan-Beasley wore a huge smile as she glanced around the room at Bethany Lutheran Church in Batavia. The North Aurora resident was performing her role as the rehabilitation manager for the Association for Individual Development, an organization that provides support for those with developmental disabilities. Sloan-Beasley looked around a room filled with smiling faces and said she truly enjoys her duties. “It almost doesn’t feel like it’s work,” she said. That attitude especially impressed one person, who said Sloan-Beasley is one of the greatest people she knows. Sloan-Beasley was nominated as an Everyday Hero by Deb Russo, who said Sloan-Beasley goes well above and beyond her job description to care for Russo’s brother, who has Down syndrome. “He loves Quinta, as we all do!” Russo wrote in her nomination form, adding, “I can’t say enough about her kind ways and warmth she shows her clients. I appreciate her every day.” Reached via phone, Russo added that Sloan-Beasley, 31, shows she truly cares for those she sees on a regular basis. Russo said if any difficult situations might come up, Sloan-Beasley responds with kindness. She said her brother can be stubborn at times, but Sloan-Beasley “has the touch to keep everything cheerful. She has the energy.” Russo said her mother was unable to travel to visit her brother, but Sloan-Beasley found a way to drive him for a visit. Russo praised Sloan-Beasley, saying that the trip has been made several times, which shows she is willing to go “way beyond her duties.” Sloan-Beasley said she understood it was a big deal for Russo’s brother to be able to visit his mother, and she knew his mother couldn’t travel. She said she wanted “to make sure he’s able to get home
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Quinta Sloan-Beasley of North Aurora is a rehabilitation manager for the Association for Individual Development. and see his mom.” “It’s important to give back,” Sloan-Beasley said, adding that such an opportunity is “a way to bless others.” Sloan-Beasley said such a job comes naturally to her, since she has been tasked with helping people since she was very young. She said she was taught as a child that it is necessary to give back whenever possible and provide random acts of kindness. “Everybody is in need of something,” she said. “The simple, little things you do every day can go a long way.” She said she knows she’s doing what she is meant to do. She said she feels good about her work.
“I’m rewarded for it,” she said. “It’s rewarding just seeing them progress.” Russo said she is impressed that Sloan-Beasley is able to thrive in an environment that others might find difficult. She said Sloan-Beasley will be at an outing with those she cares for, and the atmosphere is upbeat and positive even though Russo said she knows it can be a challenge. “She’s done a wonderful job with that,” Russo said. Also, Russo noted that Sloan-Beasley gives so freely while also raising her own three children. “I know she has the best heart in the world,” Russo said, adding “she’s a very humble person.”
The Sloan-Beasley lowdown Who she is: Quinta Sloan-Beasley, rehabilitation manager for the Association for Individual Development Town of residence: North Aurora Age: 31 Family: Husband, Archie Beasley, and three children – Archie Beasley, Mani Underwood and Irie Underwood Hobbies: She does hair on the side and is involved in young women’s ministry at her church. Fun fact: She is a jokester.
JOE KRYSZAK
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Elburn Lions Club member does ‘tremendous’ amount of work By ASHLEY SLOBODA asloboda@shawmedia.com
• Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Joe Kryszak, a longtime member of the Elburn Lions Club, remembers the moment that prompted him to increase his participation in the organization. It was summer, he said, and he got a call from someone asking whether he could help with a big Sunday picnic. Kryszak, who – at that time – had been a member of the club for a few years, agreed and was tasked with prepping the chicken – a job that, he said, left him sweaty and dirty. But, he said, when he left afterward, “I felt good about myself.… That’s when I really started getting active.” Since then, Kryszak – who joined the Elburn Lions Club in the early 1990s – has served as president and participated in the club’s Friday night bingo, free spaghetti dinners and, among other activities, Elburn Days, for which he has overseen the amusement rides. Fellow Lion Pam Hall noted that his community service extends to other organizations, such as the Sugar Grove-based Between Friends Food Pantry. “Joe is always very involved and does a tremendous amount of work in the community,” she said, describing him as a great leader and very family-oriented. Melisa Taylor, who runs the food pantry, said Kryszak volunteers weekly and is what she considers “a low-maintenance” volunteer. “I can put him in a particular area, and he knows how to do it,” Taylor said. “The clients think he’s just awesome.” In 2010, Kryszak was a recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellowship, an honor the Lions Club organization bestows to its “most dedicated and generous members,” according to the Elburn Lions Club website. Kryszak, who lives outside of Elburn, credited his dogged work ethic to his “heightened sense of fear of failure.” Some of his efforts rely on money raised by other Lions’ efforts, he said, and he doesn’t want their work to go to waste.
EVERYDAY HEROES | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com
An active volunteer
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Joe Kryszak is a longtime Elburn Lions Club member who helps run the group’s literacy program. For example, he said, he and two other Lions make up Helping Hands, which gives money to those in need. The other Lions know nothing about the recipients, he said, noting the beneficiaries don’t need to be club members. Kryszak also uses club funds on the Elburn Lions for Literacy program, which he chairs. Additionally, he is the literacy chairperson for District 1J, which comprises Lions Clubs throughout Kane, DuPage and DeKalb counties and parts of Cook County. Hall commended Kryszak for his work with the literacy program, which she asked him to lead when she was president. She said he seemed like a good fit for
the position. “He took that over and did a fabulous job with it,” she said. “It’s grown tremendously.” The literacy program aims to provide books to needy youths in the area, Kryszak said. In addition to collecting and buying books, he said, the club has also furnished four book banks. Taylor said Kryszak brought a stocked book bank – essentially a bookcase on wheels – to her organization. To see a 7- or 8-year-old walk up to 71-year-old Kryszak and thank him for a book is, she said, “very cute.” “The energy that Joe has is over the top,” Taylor said. “I don’t know where he gets his energy.”
The Kryszak lowdown Who he is: Joe Kryszak, a longtime Elburn Lions Club member Where he lives: Outside of Elburn Age: 71 Family: He and his wife, Sharon, of nearly 50 years have two adult children and four grandchildren. Hobbies: Golf. He is also an avid University of Kentucky basketball fan and Green Bay Packers fan. Fun fact: He claims to be the worst carpenter in the world and has several stories to back it up.
Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
| EVERYDAY HEROES
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LAURA McPHEE
For the students, the arts and more Kaneland High School staffer also is volunteer coordinator, library board secretary By CHARLES MENCHACA cmenchaca@shawmedia.com It’s not unusual to see Laura McPhee hard at work in multiple locations across Maple Park. By day she is a student services secretary at Kaneland High School, and by night she could be at a library board meeting or at an arts event. “Our [high school] auditorium is kind of my second home,” McPhee said. McPhee is the volunteer coordinator for the Kaneland Arts Initiative, which supports bringing fine arts events to the school district community. She also is the Maple Park Library Board secretary and grant writer. As volunteer coordinator, McPhee is responsible for recruiting between 10 to 20 ushers for each performance in the Kaneland High School auditorium. The biggest task every year is assembling more than 125 volunteers for the Kaneland Arts Fair which takes place every April at the high school, McPhee said. McPhee thanks her family for supporting her passions. Citing the many positive experiences her family has had with libraries, McPhee joined the Maple Park Library Board in 2009. “Somehow you just want to give back – it’s something I’m passionate about,” McPhee said. McPhee also has been involved in the arts initiative since 2009 after one of her daughter’s music teachers asked her to help out at an area festival. She said the effort spoke to her and was the perfect fit. McPhee began working at Blackberry Creek Elementary School in Elburn after she and her family moved to Maple Park in 2007. When she was transferred to the high school after a few years, she was hesitant at first but grew to love working with teenagers. “Every day I come in, I have a smile on my face,” McPhee said. One of the most satisfying things for McPhee was seeing the efforts of district administrators,
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Laura McPhee is the Kaneland Arts Initiative volunteer coordinator, a Kaneland High School student services secretary and a Maple Park Library Board trustee. school staff and concerned parents help make Keslinger Road – located directly south of Kaneland High School – safer for students. After a five-car crash in the spring on Keslinger sent some students to the hospital, the school reached out to Kane County Board member Drew Frasz. Signs with flashing yellow beacons were installed this fall to remind motorists to slow down before approaching the school, McPhee said. Kaneland High School Assistant Principal Diane McFarlin said she nominated McPhee as an Everyday Hero because McPhee makes so many contributions without any fanfare. McPhee is a good listener for the students and residents in the
community, said McFarlin, who also is the Kaneland Arts Initiative artistic director. “She has guided and helped students outside of her responsibilities inside of KHS and has given of her time to serve those families in need – some that we never know about,” McFarlin said. McPhee said she has rummaged through her basement and brought in clothes that her children don’t wear anymore for students she knows are too embarrassed to ask elsewhere for help. McPhee is quick to say there are many others who give as much as she does, if not more. “There’s not one person in the building that wouldn’t do that,” McPhee said of the donations.
The McPhee lowdown Who she is: Laura McPhee, a volunteer coordinator and Maple Park Library Board secretary and grant writer Town of residence: Maple Park Age: 53 Family: Husband, Alan; and daughters, Kayley, 20, and Allyson, 17 Hobbies: Likes to go motorcycling riding with her husband on the weekend, gardening, bike riding and walking the family dogs. Fun fact: Shared screen time with actor Zac Efron for about 30 seconds as an extra in the film “At Any Price.”
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Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Wednesday, November 18, 2015
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