April is National Volunteer Month: The Harbour's team is grateful for their devoted volunteers

They may be judging competitions, hosting barbeques and helping with the annual Christmas party. They are developing programs, working special events or serving on the board of directors.

The dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers of The Harbour provide invaluable leadership, operational and administrative support to the organization's emergency shelter and transitional housing program in the Northwest Suburbs.

"I am overwhelmed by the amount of time and talent our nearly 50 volunteers dedicate to our youth and our operations, said Kris Salyards, Executive Director, The Harbour based in Park Ridge.

"Human capital," Salyards added, "is the single most valuable resource in social services; our volunteers ensure that our dollars are targeted to the clients and programs that serve them. They fill a vital role in our programs, administrative support team, and drive our marketing and communications strategy."

Salyards points out that many volunteers have also developed new programs to augment The Harbour's services, "adding not only value but also providing unconditional relationships with our youth."

Within the past 12 months, The Harbour was on the receiving end of a conservative estimate of approximately 1000 hours of support, Salyards added, "which does not include hours spent sorting donation rooms, maintaining our Shelter property, or the many hours of work volunteers have done at home preparing for meetings, developing materials for programs, and working tirelessly to work on deliverables."

Volunteers Fulfill Multi-Dimensional Roles

There are few places in the organization that do not greatly benefit from the generosity of The Harbour's committed volunteers.

The Board of Directors, currently a group of 13, has dedicated themselves to the historic mission and has participated in planning for the strategic direction of services. The Board is responsible for and promotes The Harbour's financial health and plans for long term sustainability.

This commitment is long term and includes committee membership and monthly meetings. The group solidifies participation in communities and endorses services within the network.

"Some of our Board committees spend an inordinate amount of time in meetings, talking to stakeholders, and working with the greater Board and community to develop our plans and objectives," Salyards explained.

"There are others who have designed and implemented programming both weekly and monthly; sewing class twice a month; Warriors (promoting positive health)- weekly and early literacy monthly," Salyards added.

Administrative volunteers professionalize The Harbour's services. This includes those who help with the database and others who work on graphic design, press releases, content and communications.

Finally, volunteers come as individuals or groups who take care of The Harbour's residential transitional housing properties. This includes countless hours of painting, cleaning, gardening and weeding, and taking care of the donation room.

Voices of the Volunteers

Lou Cosmano is a Glenview resident who has volunteered at The Harbour for the past year. She became aware of the organization when one of The Harbour clients was looking to rent one of her rental units and like many was previously unaware of the need for The Harbour's services in the community.

"It is a privilege and honor to provide support to those in need," said Cosmano who volunteers in the office's Park Ridge headquarters. "The opportunity to share my talents to help The Harbour help their clients is a gift!"

She is expanding her role at The Harbour serving as a Volunteer Coordinator. "We plan to help recruit more volunteers and to match their interests and skills with specific needs in the organization."

The Harbour's "Sew Fun" volunteers are Nancy Liston, Morton Grove, Judith Thompson, Arlington Heights and Margi Austin, Green Oakes. After The Harbour received a grant to develop a sewing room program for the clients, the three women established the "Sew Fun" program at the transitional home in Schaumburg.

Members of the Northwest Suburban Quilters, the women host a bi-monthly sewing session in Schaumburg. The girls have learned to create blankets, quilts, scarfs, pillows, pillow cases, pajama pants, wall hangings, decorated jeans and handbags.

"The three of us have such a great time with the girls and feel like we are teaching them a life skill, something valuable and have a nice social connection," said Nancy Liston.

"We learn from each other which is terrific," she added. "Some of the girls are just opening their eyes to an art they might not have thought of as useful in their daily life. We have as much fun as they do."

About The Harbour: Empowering Youth. Developing Futures

Since 1971, The Harbour has provided housing and supportive services to community youth in crisis. Since its founding, hundreds of youth have passed through its doors who were deflected from homelessness, graduated from its programs and are now living independently.

The Harbour has been there to offer safe, stable housing to these youth and provide parenting that may be absent in their own lives.

The Harbour, a 501©3 organization, provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services to youth (girls ages 12-23) who are experiencing homelessness in the north and northwest Chicago suburbs. It is committed to offering services rooted in the belief that youth must have their basic needs met before they can begin to build a promising future for themselves.

Visit and follow The Harbour on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHarbourInc/

Contact The Harbour's headquarters located at 1440 Renaissance Drive, Suite 240, Park Ridge: 847-297-8540. Or email: help@theharbour.org