Hoffman Estates honors WINGS volunteer as 'Great Citizen'
Sarah McClarey attended Monday's Hoffman Estates village board meeting to recognize local business Fabbrini's Flowers for its help in her annual campaign to send roses to recent survivors of domestic abuse on Valentine's Day.
But McClarey - who lived her own extraordinary story of survival - received an honor of her own, as Mayor Bill McLeod recognized her with the village's Great Citizen Award.
As a Schaumburg resident, being recognized by Hoffman Estates in that way had been the furthest thing from her mind Monday.
"I was very shocked," McClarey confessed.
McLeod said McClarey's success overcoming her own abusive relationship, as well as the selflessness she showed by creating the Women In Need Growing Stronger Alumni Association, made her a worthy recipient of the award.
"She's a very mature person," McLeod said. "She's been through a lot."
After being beaten and cut and losing her unborn son Romeo in the process, McClarey left home and began living out of her car with her 1- and 2-year-old sons.
She entered a WINGS shelter with the boys in May 2005 and began rebuilding her life. Among her steps was taking land management classes at Harper College to improve her professional skills.
Since then, she's worked for several different firms in several different fields, picking up new skills all the time. Since last fall, she's been working at Links Technology Solutions Inc. in Schaumburg.
"I like to keep moving forward," McClarey said. "I've been blessed to learn fun stuff and do fun stuff at work."
McLeod said that even if McClarey's only goal had been self-improvement, hers was a success story.
"This is what you hope happens," he said. "This is why WINGS exists."
In addition to starting the WINGS Alumni Association, McClarey several years ago began raising money and buying Valentine's Day bouquets of roses for recent survivors of abuse.
"I stayed in touch with that part of my past," she said. "I never forgot where I came from."
Her inspiration came when she bought herself flowers on Valentine's Day 2006, and the feeling of freedom that came with that act.
"I bought myself flowers to make the day a good day," McClarey said.
Reactions of the women who've received flowers from her in recent years generally fall into three categories, she said. There are those who are gracious and polite, those who just start sobbing, and those who remain stone-faced.
McClarey said she understands exactly where that third category of women are in the slow process of recovery from domestic abuse because 10 years ago, she was there herself.
"They're the ones I love the most," she said. "They don't know how to receive."