Alumni help each other through tough times

Graduates of Chicago's Von Steuben High School are spread out across the suburbs and the country, but they are willing to come together to help a fellow classmate.

This year, a few alumni formed a new nonprofit group called VS Friends Helping Friends, whose mission is to provide financial assistance to Von Steuben graduates, their families or their friends who are facing health or monetary problems.

The group's first fundraiser, held in April at Moretti's in Mount Prospect, was for a class of 1978 alumnus with cancer. The fundraiser netted $4,800, exceeding everyone's expectations and spurring interest in future fundraisers.

"It's a small school, so everyone pulls together. It's kinda neat," said group member Teri Grossman of Deerfield, from Von Steuben's class of 1980.

Among the many guests and sponsors were Bob Judson of Arlington Heights, Shawn Peterson Anderson of Des Plaines, Christine Levey of Woodstock, David Marcus of Mount Prospect, Deno Roumanidakis of Bob Chinn's Crab House in Wheeling, Sheryl and Ollie Sample of Schaumburg, Arlene Silverman of Roselle and Naomi and Larry Chambers of Deerfield.

The concept for VS Friends Helping Friends was born from a Facebook post.

Alexia Marshall, a cardiac ultrasound technician from the class of 1977, saw a post asking for donations to help Jody Eichinger Davila, a fellow Von Steuben student who had metastatic breast cancer. The disease prevented Davila - now a pastor in Florida - from working. After a while, Davila and her husband had been struggling to pay for their family's basic necessities, the post said.

"I thought, 'Oh my gosh, Jody!'" Marshall said. "Even though she wasn't my best buddy, she was my sister's best buddy. And I had to do something."

Marshall ordered boxes of candy bars online, and on some cold days in February, stood in front of the Starbucks in downtown Park Ridge and sold them for $1 each. A few other friends also sold the candy bars across the Chicago area, and they sent the money they collected to Davila.

"So many people helped," Marshall said. "One woman threw two $100 bills in my box ... and I started crying."

While selling candy, Marshall met a woman who encouraged her to hold a real fundraiser and raise more money for the cause. Now aware of how much people wanted to help, Marshall set out to do just that. She got VS Friends Helping Friends registered as a nonprofit organization and then planned its first fundraiser at Moretti's. To her amazement, Von Steuben alumni helped in every way, including donations of artwork, Cubs tickets, and restaurant gift certificates for the raffle.

"I said, 'You guys, we can do this,'" Marshall said. "We can't help everyone in the world, but we can help some people."

In all, they were able to give Davila a check for more than $5,000.

"Jody's a pastor and doesn't like to be needy because she's used to helping others," Marshall said. "But she was so grateful. They were behind on a lot of bills ... and it helped her."

Von Steuben (now called Frederick Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center), is a mid-sized high school on Chicago's north side with a diverse ethnic make up, but they're a tight-knit group and want to help each other out.

"We're never going to be a huge fundraising organization. We'll be able to help people with a couple thousand dollars here or a couple thousand dollars there. But I think it can be very valuable," Marshall said. "There are so many people that are hurting right now. Maybe they just need a bridge."

For more information, see vsfriendshelpingfriends.org or call (773) 809-5082.