One Hope United collects gifts for children in Lake Villa

Volunteers from Great Lakes Naval Station and One Hope United loaded holiday gifts on three trucks at the historic Richardson House in Lake Villa on Tuesday to deliver to needy children.

One Hope United’s staff members organized the group’s 18th annual gift drive for children in foster care, residential treatment programs and at child development centers in the Chicago area.

“I do this every year. I love it,” said volunteer Rich Heneberry of Lake Villa. “It’s a good thing to do for the kids. It gives them a Christmas, too.”

Contributors in northern Illinois were asked to drop off their donations for the gift drive to the organization’s Lake Villa campus. The drive collected nearly 2,700 gifts to be delivered to sites in the Chicago area, including Des Plaines, Gurnee, Waukegan, Elgin, Aurora and Joliet.

One Hope United is a private human service organization offering a variety of prevention, intervention and community-based programs. It serves thousands of children and families with an effort to ensure a successful transition of children into healthy and productive adults.