Patton School students inspired to help Arlington Hts. family

Fifth-grader Liam McGuffin of Arlington Heights admits it: He doesn't mind doing chores around the house.

But don't tell his mom, he adds.

That's because he has donated some of his weekly allowance to a fundraising cause near and dear to his heart: the Adopt-a-Family program, hosted by the village of Arlington Heights.

"I wanted to help people get gifts over the holidays," Liam said. "It's something we take for granted."

Liam and nearly 60 other children enrolled in the Children At Play program at Patton Elementary School in Arlington Heights worked with their supervisor, Agnes Roberts, to adopt a local family this holiday season.

They were one of the younger groups who participated in the program that is now 30 years old. It wrapped up Saturday, when the last of the gifts were picked up by families at the Arlington Heights village hall.

According to Carol Jancek, human resources director, supporters included large companies, such as Nokia, Northwest Community Hospital Day Surgery and Toyoda Machinery; as well as individual families and groups like Rotary, Lions, Alligator Aquatics, Thomas Middle School, Boy Scout Troop 161 and the Arlington Heights Park District.

Smaller businesses also participated in the holiday program, including KinderCare and Northwest Speech and Hearing, all based in Arlington Heights.

Collectively, they served more than 90 families, who Jancek said are experiencing difficult financial times due to causes beyond their control, such as loss of employment, breakup of a marriage, serious medical expenses, or an expensive auto repair.

Many live paycheck to paycheck, she added, and find the holidays to be a stressful and challenging time of year.

If only they could see all the enthusiasm and well wishes that went into making their holiday special.

Take the students at Patton School, for instance. They adopted a family of seven - two parents and five children, ranging in age from a toddler through a 17-year old - whose wish list consisted mostly of necessities, from outerwear to blankets, with just a few toys on the list.

Starting in November, Roberts put out a jar to collect money for presents for the family, and excitement for the project began to build.

"I tell them I expect them to earn the money, through chores or work around the house," says Roberts, who is employed by the Arlington Heights Park District through Children At Play's cooperative agreement.

"But their energy and excitement for this has really surprised me," Roberts added. "They completely exceeded my goal of raising $700, or $100 per family member, by raising $1,000."

While many children like Liam did chores, others came up with more creative ways to raise the money, like fourth-grader Ava Cismoski, who donated her birthday money, or $50.

"We used to do something like this with my church," Ava said, "and I've seen the look on people's faces when they receive presents. It makes me happy to do this."

Roberts did the shopping, and the children worked before and after school to wrap each of the more than 50 gifts. They also added homemade cards.

"People were extremely generous this year," Jancek added. "Everyone left with a smile."