EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
EVERYDAY HEROES
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every child
Congratulations to our Hero,
Kim Egger! You make our community a better place to live!
deserves a home base from which to explore the world. Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better life. Donate or volunteer at habitatmchenry.org.
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EVERYDAY HEROES EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
EVERYDAY HEROES
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ANGELA BECKER Chris Kahle of Crystal Lake, Becker’s friend, made sure to recognize her actions by nominating her for Art Van Furniture’s “Inspiration Lives Here in Our Community” initiative. As a For three years, Angela Becker, 18, of Crystal part of the campaign, shoppers were encouraged Lake, put her girl scouts service project on hold to nominate someone they knew who positively because she wanted to do something different. impacts others through their words or deeds and It wasn’t until her junior year psychology class that she realized what she was passionate about. quietly uplifts others by simple acts of kindness. When she got a phone call telling her she won A lesson on childhood development inspired her $1,000 from the campaign, Becker said she was to distribute over 150 bags of toys, games, toilet“beyond shocked.” ries and more to children at Turning Point and “I thought it was a prank call,” she said. “I Home of the Sparrow shelters last August. had to call them back several times because I Becker became passionate about child abuse upon learning about the struggles many children wasn’t thinking straight.” Becker wasn’t expecting any recognition for face growing up, such as obesity, medical issues, her selfless actions. For her, it was about ensurdrug use and others. Becker soon decided she’d do something to bring smiles to the faces of many ing that children knew they had social support in the community, something many of them lack, children afflicted by these issues. she said. “I know they go through a lot, and sometimes “Inspirational heroes like Angela are everythey don’t have money or anyone to take care of where; in our own homes, at our workplaces and their physical needs or psychological needs,” she in our community,” said David Van Elslander, said. community spokesperson for Art Van FurniAs a girl scout of 12 years, Becker’s characture and son of founder Art Van Elslander. “It’s ter came naturally. Becker took to her school, the small acts of kindness that make such a big church and social media to spread the word difference, like lending a hand, eliciting a smile about donations and make sure she could maxor donating one’s time. We hear stories everyimize her impact. When the items were finally day in our showrooms about wonderful people, distributed, she said she was happy to hear that and this is our way of thanking them for their efforts.” the children were happy.
By NABIHA ASIM
nasim@shawmedia.com
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
SCOTT BLOCK By CHRIS MORDI
Shaw Media correspondent
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Every step of his career has led Scott Block to and prepared him for his role making a large impact on McHenry County. Block directed the McHenry County Public Action to Deliver Shelter, which provides shelter to the homeless and works to address the root causes of homelessness. He helped develop and implement the mental health court, drug court and domestic violence court programs in the county’s 22nd Judicial Circuit Office of Special Projects. “I chose specifically to do [this work] because I found meaning in helping the people helping individuals. And that keeps me going on a day-to-day basis,” said Block, executive director of the McHenry County Mental Health Board. Overseeing the day-to-day activities of the Mental Health Board, Block works with his team to spread the word about mental health and ensure the people of McHenry County have access to some of the best mental health resources in the state. According to Block, the Mental Health Board is both the nucleus and the hub of the behavioral health community in McHenry County. “It affords us the opportunity to obviously have a significant amount of
impact in the health and human service space and to develop local trainings to enhance the education and the quality of the local workforce, as well,” he said. He has been instrumental in implementing mental health trainings for police departments, fire departments, social services organizations and schools, Connee Meschini, president of the Mental Health Board, wrote when she nominated Block to be recognized as an Everyday Hero. And all of that outreach has shown results. “For the second straight year, we’ve seen in our Mchenry County community a decline in both deaths from overdoses as well as suicides,” Block said. “I attribute it directly to a comprehensive system of coordinated care led by the Mental Health Board as well as the additional resources that we have available to us.” Even though the county’s mental health network is considered one of the best in the state, Block keeps moving it forward because he wants those who need help to be able to get it. “About a third of our community – these are our friends, family, neighbors, coworkers – are living with or impacted by these behavioral health-related needs in one way or another. It really is something that touches all of us here in the county,” he said.
DILLON BOLEY “I got you, buddy,” Dillon Boley often will say as he interacts with guests at PADS Emergency Homeless Shelter. The words go a long way. Boley’s job title might be lead van driver for Pioneer Center’s PADS Emergency Homeless Shelter, but he has become more than that in the past couple years he has worked there. Boley has become a source of support for guests of the shelter, someone they can confide in, rely on and trust, said Sam Tenuto, coCEO of Pioneer Center for Human Services. Tenuto thanks Boley as much as he can and gives him high-fives when he sees him, but he believes Boley’s genuine compassion and hopefulness deserve recognition. He is not only dependable, even in the worst weather conditions, but he also is mindful of the needs of the people he encounters daily, Tenuto said. “There is something about the way Dillon interacts with the PADS guests that is heartwarming, even when he doesn’t know others are listening,” he said. “Dillon sometimes sees our guests at their worst, some having acute cases of addiction and mental health. “When our guests are experiencing a crisis
and Dillon is on site, his approach is very gentle and non-judgmental. His ability to quickly connect with our guests on this level builds a relationship of trust during some very difficult moments.” Boley, of Woodstock, picks up PADS guests at 6 a.m. daily from churches providing shelter throughout McHenry County. He takes them to bus and train stations, libraries, doctor’s appointments, grocery stores and elsewhere throughout the day and makes sure they get back to the shelter sites at night. He gets to know them. “It’s very gratifying and humbling,” Boley said of his job. “I come from a very large family. We didn’t have a lot growing up. I know the value of things. I kind of always wanted to help people. When I saw this job, I took it. It’s a way to give back. You’re helping people at the same time [that] you’re making a living.” What Boley is doing is making a difference in people’s lives, Tenuto said. He’s changing people’s lives one case at a time, he said. “I’ve witnessed many people move out since I’ve worked there,” Boley said. “It’s a very humbling thing to see. That’s why we do whatwe do. It makes it all worth it when you see someone move into their apartment or get out of homelessness.”
Matthew Apgar - mapgar@shawmedia.com
ARLYN BOOTH By CHRIS MORDI
Shaw Media correspondent
Matthew Apgar - mapgar@shawmedia.com
Volunteering is not something that Arlyn Booth takes lightly. She has a reputation for driving halfway across McHenry County in a snowstorm because she knows that the work she does connects our county’s past to its future. When you go to the library at the McHenry County Historical Society, she has had an impact on how you find things there. When researchers at the McHenry County Conservation District use the staff library, they feel her presence. When visitors go through the Strahorn Library of the Illinois Railway Museum, they know they are on the right track thanks to Booth’s work. A little more than six years ago, Booth moved back to McHenry County after a 40-year career at the Illinois State Library, where she was responsible for the reference and maps sections of the library. Among other duties, she said she was responsible for all aspects of maintaining and organizing the library’s map collection, creating the cataloging program and initiating a preservation effort. Since coming back, Booth has quietly put her library experience to work improving the way people access the history of McHenry County. “The people using the Historical Society library say it has changed a lot for the better since I’ve come there. That is something to be proud of,” Booth said. “I like being a detective. I like the reference work. I like finding things out that I didn’t know
before, that somebody needed to know or wanted to know,” Booth said. In addition to volunteering her library expertise to make McHenry County history even easier to learn, Booth finds herself driving around the county to serve on the boards of three organizations, including the McHenry County Historical Society, the Crystal Lake Historical Society and the Friends of the Marengo-Union Library District. Booth also writes bi-monthly articles for the newsletter of the British Interest Group of Wisconsin/Illinois and weekly articles for the Crystal Lake Historical Society’s Facebook page. “No matter the ask, you can always count on Arlyn to step up and help out. She is more reliable than the Marines, more dependable than the post office and more thorough than a forensic investigator,” Kurt Begalka, McHenry County Historical Society administrator, wrote in his nomination of Booth. Booth said she is driven by her passion for research, learning and letting people know the value of libraries. “Not everything can be found on the internet,” she said. There are maps that show the dairies, creameries, pickle factories and one-room schoolhouses that used to dot the county. Funeral records, church records, train time tables, ledgers that teachers filled out for all those one-room schools and manuscripts that haven’t been duplicated can all be found at the libraries she has served. “You can actually touch history at the libraries,” Booth said. It’s a passion that keeps her serving and driving across the county.
EVERYDAY HEROES EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
By JAMI KUNZER
Shaw Media correspondent
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EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
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DAWN BREMER By CASSIE BUCHMAN
cbuchman@shawmedia.com To say McHenry resident Dawn Bremer has her hands full would be an understatement. Bremer serves on McHenry’s Economic Development Commission and as vice president of District 156’s Board of Education. She’s board president of Kids in Need of McHenry County, co-president of the Landmark Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, serves on the government affairs committee for MainStreet Organization of Realtors and is president of the McHenry Chamber Marketing Group MC5. Bremer is also the owner of the Bremer Team of Keller, Williams Northshore West. “I think it’s important to give back,” Bremer, who moved to McHenry 20 years ago, said. “I live here, I work here and I play here. It’s my home.” Growing up, Bremer had a great-aunt who was “huge” in volunteerism, and helped start her love for it, too. They would do volunteer activities together, like going to the Salvation Army, in the summer. What Bremer likes about volunteering is being able to help different members of the community with a variety of projects. Being self-employed helps Bremer to allocate time to volunteering, and the members of the Bremer team handle a lot of day-to-day business while she gets to go out and help in the community, she says. Carole Peters, who nominated Bremer for the Everyday Heroes award, said Bremer is involved in the community
in more ways than Peters even knows. The two met while volunteering for the United Way at a community event two years ago. “She’s just very much about the community,” Peters said. “She thinks of the community first, before she thinks of herself.” “She does not go out she may be very visible,” Peters added. “ She does it through actions, not words. She’s not looking for acknowledgment.” Bremer is the single mom of a 26-year-old, 16-year-old and 10-year-old, all of whom love volunteering, as well. When their mom has big events, Bremer’s children come and help out at them. Bremer’s 16-year-old son, in particular, has gotten his mom’s love of volunteering, collecting and donating soda can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, donating Poinsettia plants to nursing homes and growing his hair out for St. Baldrick’s. “It gives me a huge sense of pride to see how charitable my children are,” Bremer said. “I think it came natural to them, in the way they would see me constantly volunteering. I’ve raised my children (to think) you have to give back. Part of being a human is giving back to community.” Four years ago, Dawn Bremer says she was struggling financially. She had just gotten divorced, and did not have a career path. So she got out, and got her real estate license. “For me now to be able to give back not only my time but also financially is one of the greatest accomplishments I have,” she said.
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
ROBERT CLARK By DREW ZIMMERMAN
dzimmerman@shawmedia.com
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Carole Peters, executive director of the United Way of Greater McHenry County, said the mission of her organization is to unite people and resources to build a stronger McHenry County. But if there was an individual who carried out that mission in his day-to-day life, Peters said it would be board member Robert Clark, who she nominated as a 2020 Everyday Hero. “He’s a really good person who cares about his community, and when we think about the mission of the McHenry County United Way – to unite resources – he lives out that mission by how he lives,” Peter said. Clark began his work with the United Way in 2013, following his retirement, and has served in multiple capacities, including finance chair, board chair and interim executive director. Peters said when she was chosen as executive director, she relied on Clark’s support and advice. “He was willing to be a sounding board when I had ideas, and he helped to vet those ideas before they came to the board,” Peters said. “He was also able to relinquish the reins so I could really take over yet provide guidance when needed.” Clark said he was able to use his corporate experience to make a significant
impact on the organization. “I’m probably most proud of the way we’ve turned around the trajectory of donations,” Clark said. “What’s maybe even more important is the overall awareness in the community and what we’ve accomplished with the agencies that we do support.” Last year, Clark said donations were 28% higher than they were at two years ago. This also has allowed the United Way to build up reserves for maintenance and repair and significantly increase grant funding for local agencies. In addition to his United Way work, Clark also volunteers for the First Presbyterian Church in Woodstock and two 501(c)(3) fishing clubs: the Lake Geneva Fishing Club and Walleyes Unlimited USA. Fishing began as a hobby for Clark, but following his retirement, he decided to step into executive roles. He currently performs media relations and bookings for the fishing clubs, among other responsibilities. Although he used to fish in Canada up to four times a year, Clark said lately he has only been up north once a year. “I could afford it better when I was working,” Clark joked. As 501(c)(3) organizations, both clubs also engage in philanthropic efforts, such as teaching kids how to fish, Clark said.
NOAH CURRIER Noah Currier always knew he would be a Marine. His father was a Marine, and when he turned 18, Currier signed up. Immediately after Sept. 11, 2001, Currier went on his first deployment as part of what would become Operation Enduring Freedom. Currier’s unit was sent home to Camp Pendleton. Four days after their return, they were to be able to go home to their families. On the third night, a fellow Marine asked Currier for a ride to San Diego. Early the next morning, they headed home, and as they approached the gate to the base, they hit a tree head-on and the car rolled several times. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. Currier woke up five days later in a hospital room and was told he had broken his neck in the accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. Soon after, Currier lost his girlfriend of seven years, Maureen, to a car accident. The reality set in, and everything came crashing down. Currier proceeded to hide from the world. His friends knew they had to do something. One talked to Currier about adaptive sports and would encourage him to go to events. After two years of telling his friend no, Currier finally said he would go. “We got to the top and I turned around, and I looked out at what seemed to be the entire planet,” Currier said. “Everything for me changed in that moment. It was very motivating. So now, the next chapter starts. All of sudden, there was this goal that I didn’t even re-
ally have but had just met. It set this ‘thing’ in motion.” Currier went back to school and then signed up for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. At the event, he met a new group of peers in a situation similar to his own. At that point, Currier was hooked, and he wanted to continue to see his friends at events. When he asked about seeing them at the next one, the response to him was always the same, “Well, if I can afford it.” A matter of funding was standing in the way of a newfound purpose. He didn’t know how, but Currier knew he had to do something about it. Noah offered up his two-car garage as a workspace. Three other guys from the group moved to Illinois. They rented a house next door to Currier’s for six months, and on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 2011, helped him start Oscar Mike. All Oscar Mike products, with items like T-shirts, hoodies, hats and water bottles, are American-made. Sales from the apparel company fund the Oscar Mike Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps injured veterans get involved in adaptive sports, which Currier also organizes. “This is the reason we get to do what we do. It keeps us on the move,” Currier said. “Oscar Mike is bringing the veteran service organization community together. We’re helping injured veterans through our nonprofit, and we’re bringing the community together through our apparel.” Oscar Mike has the only all-veteran rugby team in the country. They also have an Oscar Mike compound in Poplar Grove, a seven-bedroom home where veter-
Congratulations Arlyn
Photo provided
ans can go for relaxation and rehabilitation. Thirty-seven-year-old Currier said he never imagined that when they started this in his garage with a $100 that guys would end up getting tattoos that say Oscar Mike or have the Oscar Mike logo on their bodies. Harvard resident Jim Schuld is a Marine veteran and is part of the Oscar Mike team, working alongside vets in the program and helping them to organize races and sporting events. Schuld said he loves being part of the program because he can’t be depressed helping others. With teamwork, they can take someone that says they can’t do it and change their mind – and their life. “Everything Noah does is for someone else,” Schuld said. “He could have just worried about himself, but he didn’t. He’s not a suit and tie guy. He’ll be the guy in the black hoodie, made in the USA, trying to change someone’s life. He’s a limited edition of one.” For information on Oscar Mike Apparel and the Oscar Mike Foundation, visit oscarmike.org.
u t l a a r t ions g n o C CAROLE QUAMME
Everyday Hero Arlyn Booth – extraordinary volunteer, local historian, genealogist and retired state librarian. When she embraces a project, you can “make book” on it!
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recognized as one of the Northwest Herald’s
2020 Everyday Heroes! St. Vincent de Paul and The Holy Apostles family are proud of you and appreciate all the hard work you do for others in our community!
EVERYDAY HEROES EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
By LINDSAY WEBER
Shaw Media correspondent
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KIM EGGER Egger said these results are what she likes to see: to take something that was operating “perfectly fine” and bring it up a notch to reach more families and alleviate Though it was a few years ago, Kim Egger, chair poverty housing. of the board for Habitat for Humanity of McHenry “Knowing that that’s the mission in the back of my County, still gets goosebumps when talking about her head, it’s always like, ‘Well, what can we do to allefirst house build. viate poverty housing and provide people with more At the time, Egger belonged to Willow Creek Comaffordable living?’” Egger said. munity Church in Huntley, which had been involved “That’s what I love about it: knowing that I had a in Habitat Humanity builds before. She was sitting in part in somebody getting an affordable, safe home that a sermon one day, when the pastor said that they were wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do so,” Egger in need of helpers on a project in Huntley. said. The project ended up being for a single mom and “I feel like everybody deserves and has a right to her son. have a good, fair life,” Egger said. “They were actually at the build site with us,” A lot of people are proud, and sometimes they don’t Egger said. Though she had volunteered before, workbelieve they deserve a house when they do, Egger said. ing with Habitat was different for Egger. “It was a “Individuals sometimes get put in circumstances tangible impact, because I could see – especially in the outside of their control, and they don’t know how to young man – just meeting the family [and] seeing them get out of that circumstance,” Egger said. “For me ,to work side-by-side [that] they were so thankful.” be able to reach out to those individuals and let them A couple times throughout the day, Egger said, the know that there are services available to help them mom they were helping would “tear up.” just feels like the right thing to do.” “She couldn’t believe people were willing to help Jerry Monica, president and CEO of Habitat for her and her son,” Egger said. This was in 2014. Since then, Egger has worked her Humanity of McHenry County, said in his nominating form that he could tell Eggers had the potential to do way from a committee member to board treasurer to great things for Habitat from their first meeting. He chairing the board. “I love [being the chair] because I like seeing the big called her a “Habitat Hero.” “What I appreciate most about Kim is that not only picture,” Egger said. “I liked the strategy side of it.” is she exceptionally sharp and professional, she has a When Egger first came on the board, Habitat for Humanity in McHenry was building one or two houses great desire to become more knowledgeable about the Habitat mission,” Monica said. “She’s mission-focused a year and doing five critical home repairs. Today, and has been instrumental in the affiliate’s recent they are budgeted to do 13 new homes and 25 critical home repairs. growth.”
By CASSIE BUCHMAN
cbuchman@shawmedia.com
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
TRISH EISERMAN By JAMI KUNZER
Shaw Media correspondent
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Years ago, Trish Eiserman saw a need, filled it and hasn’t stopped since. A retired kindergarten teacher in McHenry School District 15, Eiserman helped create the Backpack Program in 2013 to provide weekend food to students who qualified for free and reduced meals during the school week. She doesn’t see her efforts as extraordinary or in need of any recognition, simply necessary. “I felt that it was something the community needed,” she said. “There were children that were hungry, and we needed to feed them.” Still, her efforts then and now haven’t gone unnoticed. The program she helped start has grown from about 12 bags of food for students at three schools to at least 100 bags a week to meet the needs of students in every school in McHenry. Eiserman worked with area church members and school representatives to determine the number of backpacks needed at each school, bought the food with the help of donations after scouring sales and organized volunteers to pack and deliver the food each week. With her husband, Jerry, beside her as her “heavy-lifter,” she’s still at it. “It’s just now habit and routine,” she said. Eiserman may have retired from teaching in
2006, but she never stopped worrying about her children, said Lynn Schnelker, who volunteers beside the couple. While Schnelker and the Eisermans are among roughly 10 volunteers with First United Methodist Church, the program now requires the work of three separate groups working at churches throughout McHenry. On Wednesday nights, everyone gathers around a table of donated food and meticulously fills bags for each child in need. The bags are then taken to the schools. None of it would happen without Eiserman, said Schnelker. Schnelker first met Eiserman when her daughter, who is now 30, was in Eiserman’s kindergarten class. “She is a true servant leader who quietly, persistently helps the kids in our community,” Schnelker said. Eiserman also helped create a summer lunch program years ago to ensure children had food during the summer. The program is now run in partnership with the Northern Illinois Food Bank at the McHenry Public Library. Eiserman would rather credit the volunteers around her than take any credit herself. “I just think that I’ve been very blessed with the people who have come alongside me and helped with this program and helped to get it started. It’s something that’s changed my life, and it’s wonderful to see the caring and goodness of the people that support it,” she said. “As long as I can, I’m going to keep at it.”
DAN FRUIN A Texas Hold ’em tournament nearly a decade ago led to a partnership that has provided more than 62 tons of locally grown sweet corn to McHenry County food pantries. Algonquin resident Joe Menotti met Huntley-area farmer Dan Fruin by accident. It just so happened that Fruin, the very farmer who Menotti had been asked to contact about planting corn on a local church property, was also Menotti’s Texas Hold ’em opponent. “There were about 100 players. We started in the afternoon and we got down to two players and we shook hands and he said his name was Dan and he was a farmer from Huntley,” Menotti said. “I said, ‘Dan, when you get home, there’s a message from me on your phone.’ Who could imagine?” Since then, 66-year-old Fruin has planted and harvested about 1½ acres of sweet corn each year solely for donation to local food pantries in McHenry, Lake and Kane counties, as well as shelters and organizations helping those in need. Each season yields about 18,000 ears of corn, Fruin said. “For people that are in need, they are able to go and get some fresh sweet
corn at no cost to them through the food pantry,” Fruin said. The program began as an Eagle Scout project around the time Light of Christ Lutheran Church in Algonquin purchased 18 acres of land for its new building, Pastor Kendall Koenig said. Before the construction of the new church, at the intersection of Sleepy Hollow Road and Longmeadow Parkway, the leaders discussed using about an acre of the property grow field crops and turned to Fruin for help. “There have always been big smiles and gratitude because so often the food pantries are only able to provide canned goods and dried goods,” Koenig said. About eight seasons later, Fruin continues to hold up his end of the bargain, Menotti said. “I said, ‘Dan, the reason I was calling is I wanted to know if you could plant one acre of sweet corn.’ He said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ And he’s been doing that and more ever since,” Menotti said. With the new church slated to open in late fall, Fruin now plants the corn on his own farms, Koenig said. Fruin has lived in the Huntley area most of his life, much of which also has been spent planting and harvesting
crops. “My whole life I grew up on a farm,” Fruin said. “I worked construction a few years out of high school and started farming full time for a check in 1973.” Farming has remained a family endeavor. Fruin’s wife, Susan, their three children and their six grandchildren have each lent a hand at one point or another. It’s that kind of independence and family orientation that has kept Fruin in the fields harvesting crops like soy beans and sweet corn. “[It’s] the fact that you can watch things grow that you plant – keep the family involved,” Fruin said. “Keep the grandkids involved to an extent. When it’s not super busy, you can see them, see them growing up and stuff. It’s a good place to raise kids.” But farming isn’t Fruin’s only pastime. He recently retired from the McHenry County Fair Association Board of Directors, and when time and weather permit, he enjoys playing soccer, skiing and “doing a little snowmobiling,” he said. “My favorite day is when we go to the hot springs,” Fruin said, adding that he and his family spend the occasional week or so in Jackson Hole,
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Wyoming, wilderness. Fruin isn’t someone to seek recognition for his good deeds, but those who know him describe him as a “very giving person.” “His name is ‘friend’ in German, and he always lives up to it,” Menotti said. “One of the finest people I’ve ever met.” Ultimately, Menotti won the Texas Hold ’em, tournament, but the he also won over Fruin, the farmer said. “He did win because he had me growing sweet corn and stuff for him,” Fruin laughed.
DO YOU QUALIFY? Laura Townsend! Ask Yourself... CONGRATULATIONS
With your passion and the support of many, these little photo albums—full of comforting photos and uplifting quotes—have filled the emotional gap for 40,000 patients, caregivers, and survivors in McHenry County and beyond. A big thank you to our volunteers and donors as well! Without you, this outreach would not be possible.
• Do you live in a home that you own in McHenry County? (age not important) • Have you put an addition on your home in the past 4 years? • Are you over age 65 and living in a home that you own? • Are you a homeowner age 65+ with an income of less than $65,000? • Are you a disabled Veteran or are otherwise disabled and a homeowner?
If you are any of these people, then you may qualify for property tax relief! When you pay your real estate tax bill, you want to know that you are paying a fair and equitable portion for public services that you receive. We try hard to make that happen by striving for a correct assessment of your property. We also want to make sure you take advantage of the property tax relief that may be available to you. Check your tax bill.
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If you don’t think you are getting your exemptions, give us a call!
www.albumsofhope.com
McHENRY COUNTY ASSESSMENT’S OFFICE
815-334-4290
www.mchenrycountyil.gov SM-CL1751786
(Click Departments / Click Assessments)
EVERYDAY HEROES EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
By KATIE SMITH
ksmith@shawmedia.com
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EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
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MADDIE PEPE By CHRIS MORDI
Shaw Media correspondent Two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-three. That’s a number worth remembering. Two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-three children in McHenry County remember. That number happened because Maddie Pepe read a pamphlet that came with a sewing machine she bought. It’s how she was introduced to and started making quilts for Project Linus, an organization that delivers blankets to hospitals, shelters and social service organizations. The name of the organization is based on Linus, the Peanuts cartoon character who carries a security blanket. Pepe was happily making quilts with her new sewing machine when she learned that the local Project Linus chapter was on the verge of closing. She took on the volunteer job of coordinating the chapter 10 years ago. The year she took over the organization, it donated 700 blankets. In 2019, Pepe’s group of Blanketeers – the people who make and donate blankets – donated 2,953 blankets to local and select national organizations when traumatic events or natural disasters took place in other parts of the country. Every month, Pepe washes, sorts, bags and delivers blankets to hospitals in McHenry, Huntley, Woodstock and Good Shepherd in Barrington, as well as nearly a dozen service agencies in the county. She also can be seen promoting the organization at schools and churches and teaching people how to
make blankets they can donate. She estimates that she has put nearly 22,000 miles on her car over the years. “The blankets are a big deal to the kids who receive them,” she said. “Every year, I send red, white and blue blankets to the Therapeutic Assistance Program for Survivors Good Grief Camp, which is a camp for the children of military service people who died in the line of duty,” Pepe said. “They take those blankets to the graves of their parents.” And it’s not just the organizations that receive the blankets that recognize the work she is doing on her own time. In 2019, Walmart awarded Pepe a grant worth $750. She used that money to buy fabric that her Blanketeers turned into blankets. “I wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for the generous people of McHenry County,” Pepe said. In 2020, she said would like to see more groups and people getting involved with making blankets. “When you do the math, 3,000 a year isn’t that much,” she said. “They come in they go out.” There is always a need for more blankets and volunteers to make them. For those who are interested in making becoming a Blanketeer, Pepe said the best way to reach her is to email her at mchenryprojectlinus@gmail. com. She said that she can only accept new, handmade, washable blankets. Slightly-used blankets cannot be donated.
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
CAROLE QUAMME By NABIHA ASIM
nasim@shawmedia.com
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
For more than eight years, Carol Quamme of McHenry has been volunteering and giving back to her community. Quamme epitomizes what it means to volunteer, former McHenry Mayor Sue Meyer said. “She is truly an inspiration to others. She is a hero to so many who are less fortunate and need a helping hand. She is truly a person filled with kindness and the kind of person I would want to emulate. She is a difference-maker in our community, but she does so in such a humble, respectful and quiet way,” Meyer said. Despite receiving much recognition from the community, Quamme remains humble. She said the former mayor could’ve picked any of the volunteers but decided to choose
her. Although Quamme said she belongs to only a few organizations, Meyer said Quamme is volunteering on a daily basis, helping out wherever there is a need for a volunteer. Quamme could be found as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, handing out sweets twice a week at the FISH pantry, helping out at the The Society of St. Vincent de Paul food pantry or serving dinner on Mondays once a month at the Church of Holy Apostle, where she helps people with other needs such as driving and paying rent. For Quamme, seeing all of the people in McHenry who are in need of food and help, including her friends and people she met in the parish, motivates her to volunteer. “If anybody needs help, we help them out,” she said.
LAURA TOWNSEND her reach to nearly 60 health centers across the country, with over 40,000 albums donated to date. The faux leather-covered two-inchby-three-inch albums contain seven photos with corresponding funny or inspirational quotes such as “She stood in the storm. When the wind did not blow her away, she adjusted her sails.” The photos and quotes are done by Townsend, as well as her family, friends, board members and volunteers. They also have Facebook followers send in quotes based on a picture they have, and some are even photos of paintings her husband did, as he was an avid painter. “We don’t use professional photos or photos taken from websites,” Townsend said. “We want them to be photos that speak to the everyday person. We’ve started encouraging recipients to share their stories on our website.” Albums can be purchased for $10 each at albumsofhope.com on the Give the Gift of Hope Tab. Albums are built at random by volunteers when ordered. Monetary donations also can be made at the website. “My hope is that we can continue to grow and make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and caregiv-
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
ers, and with enough manpower and donations, we can expand to other areas such as veterans, mental health groups, teen populations struggling with issues or those contemplating suicide,” Townsend said. “They are great [audience] for a mental lift. People can slide them into a purse or a bookbag or put them next to their bed or at their desk at work and really brighten their day. The albums work 24/7. When the caregiver is asleep, the album is there.”
ALICIA WEHBY After news broke of the AJ Freund tragedy last year, Alicia wanted to do even more. Twelve years ago, Crystal Lake res“After AJ’s death, we tried to come ident Alicia Wehby and her husband, up with something to do as a family to Matt, decided to become foster parents. feel good in some way,” Wehby said. “We put out a flyer to pack care bags Their biological daughter, Ainsley, for foster children with items to get was 4 years old at the time. The two had every intention of becoming a tra- them through the first 24 to 48 hours ditional foster family, helping children when they enter a new foster home.” The goal was 20 bags, but word in the county who needed care for a spread, and by the end of that month specified period of time. – through the help of family, friends They began the process to become and community members – there were foster parents, having their home study done, which would qualify them over 100 drop off locations receiving to foster as well as adopt. While still in items that ultimately filled over 4,000 the process, they received a call about bags. “I think the whole community was taking in two little boys for a two-week looking for a way to heal. The replacement. sponse was overwhelming, and I knew “We were really happy to get the call and thought this would be a really we needed to keep this going,” Wehby said. good starting situation. It was a good Wehby began Second Bridge, a period of time to get familiar with the nonprofit organization that supports process and we could help these two foster families and the children in boys,” said Wehby. “Then they never their care by providing anything from left. They really decided for us.” clothes to car seats to beds to get them Alicia and Matt are now a family of seven. After Isaac, 13, and Chad, 12, off to a good start. Wehby said kids often show up at became their first adoptive children, foster homes with only what they have Michael, 11, and, in just the last two months, Sophia, 16, came along. on, and foster parents take on many
By LINDSAY WEBER
Shaw Media correspondent
upfront costs. The Second Bridge shop in downtown Crystal Lake takes some of the strain off of foster families, serving as a place where they can come and shop for free from donated items. Wehby’s friend, Carolyn Schofield, said Wehby is an everyday hero because she brought a community together in a time of tragedy. “When she came up with the idea to collect items to fill bags for foster care children, never did she envision the impact she would have on our community. Not only did she bring the entire community together, she created a nonprofit that has helped hundreds of children in the foster care system. She works diligently every day to make sure foster families have what they need when they bring kids into their home. What she has done is fill a much-needed gap for foster families and children, and she brought a community together in a time of tragedy to work towards a common good.” Wehby said she doesn’t see herself as a hero, but rather she is just doing what every other foster parent does. “Being a foster family, you never know what age of child will show up, so you really need to be prepared,”
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Wehby said. “The community has always been trying to find a way to help foster kids but because of confidentiality it’s difficult. Second Bridge is that middle man. We bring awareness that it’s happening in our community and that we need to continue to help the kids. There are people with kids in and out of their house weekly, dealing with different circumstances. The community supports us through donations and volunteering. It’s a community organization. They are why Second Bridge works.”
EVERYDAY HEROES EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could put some photos and quotes in here to lift the spirits of people dealing Woodstock resident Tami Emricson with cancer?’ I contacted North Shore just doesn’t know how Laura Townsend Oncology in Crystal Lake, where Brad was receiving care, and offered up the does it. idea. I gathered friends and family “Laura has a huge heart. She’s together and put together 100 albums.” always thinking of other people, and Her husband didn’t know about her she dreams bigger than anyone I know. project, and she donated the albums I always say ‘I don’t know how you’re and had staff hand them out anonygoing to do it,’ but she does. She finds mously one day while Brad was there a way to go bigger. She thinks about everyone she doesn’t know. She makes for care. “At first, he came home and didn’t the next spirit she lifts a friend; she say a word,” Townsend said. “I just fills needs for people she has never kept waiting to see if he said anything. even met,” Emricson said. Then that evening, he mentioned reTownsend’s husband, Brad, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2008. ceiving the album. He knew the album was from Creative Memories, where As he was going through treatment, I get all of my scrapbooking stuff, and Townsend said he was pretty indepentold me that I might want to find out dent, but by the summer of 2010, she who did them because maybe I’d like to could tell he was starting to slip. help. It was kind of funny.” “As caregiver, spouse and best In April the following year, Brad friend, I was feeling very helpless and was trying to figure out how I could do passed away, and Townsend knew she wanted to keep the project going as a something more,” Townsend said. way to help her grieve while also helpTownsend is an avid scrapbooker ing others feel positive. By May, she and loves quotes, taking photos and was already planning; by the following nature photography. She purchased many supplies from online retailer Cre- year, she got her 501(c)(3) designation, ative Memories, and one day she found and Albums of Hope was born. The some pocket-sized albums that gave her group started by sharing albums in an idea. McHenry County and has since grown
By LINDSAY WEBER
Shaw Media correspondent
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EVERYDAY HEROES / NWHerald.com • Sunday, February 23, 2020
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JOLENE WHITE prise!’ It’s been such an overwhelming blessing.” Peters always has felt the need to Jolene White usually has this to be involved. All families go through challenges, tough times, she said. say when she arrives: “How can I Every other neighbor in McHenry help?” County is probably being assisted by The Woodstock native spends a nonprofit of some sort, she said, “so much of her time giving back to the it hits home.” community she grew up in. “Not only am I driven personally Through the years, she’s performed service projects for the Rotary by it, but the fact that my clients’ Club, helped at the food pantry, volun- health is being impacted by this, it just makes senses,” she said. teered with the Christmas Clearing When White met Peters as part of a House, took on leadership projects as Rotary Club event, she told her she’d part of Leadership Greater McHenry like to provide more support to the County and inspired an entire proUnited Way, but she didn’t know how. gram for the United Way of McHenry Workplace campaigns involve County. entire companies pledging their supThose are just some of the official port, but White was just one person. roles she’s played, while her passion In 2018, the two came up with the for giving plays out in numerous United Way #IPledge Campaign as an unofficial ways. easy way way to provide independent As described in an Everyday Hero nomination written by Carole Peters, contractors, realtors, attorneys, direct sales professionals, entrepreneurs executive director of the United Way and small business owners the opporof Greater McHenry Country, White tunity to pledge funds without having quietly serves behind the scenes and to run a traditional campaign. is one of those people who “just flies The program grew from three under the radar, who goes about their days doing good things in the commu- to 38 donors in one year and raised more than $11,600 its first six months. nity.” Peters expects it to potentially bring A Realtor, White scaled back a bit in $100,000 within a couple years, and on her volunteer activities with the pregnancy and expected Feb. 14 birth it has caught the attention of other United Ways nationwide, which are of her first child, but her desire to now implementing similar programs serve her community hasn’t faltered. of their own. She’s more thankful than ever, “Hundreds of people are being imhaving never believed she’d become pacted by the program,” Peters said. a mother. White was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 11 years ago and even- “It’s just all because [White] asked, ‘How can I do this in a bigger way?’ tually went into remission. That’s who she is. She calls her recent pregnancy a “She has a heart of gold and cares miracle. deeply about her community.” “You go through so many hard The success of #IPledge simply things, and that was a difficult jourhumbles White. ney, and you finally get to the point “This is just who I am,” she said. accepting this won’t happen,” she “We’re here to help. How can I help?” said. “All of a sudden, ‘Hello, sur-
By JAMI KUNZER
Shaw Media correspondent
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Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
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