Spare change adds up for good cause

Plenty of us have tossed a handful of change into a donation box at a gas station.

Few know, however, how much that unthinking generosity can affect people's everyday lives.

In Mundelein Wednesday, representatives from the Muscular Dystrophy Association happily accepted more than $65,000 raised in just such small but meaningful increments.

"This was huge," MDA District Director Tim Marabella said of the fundraiser by Graham Enterprise Inc.'s 20 gas stations. "Their managers in the locations have completely bought into what we're trying to do."

Marabella said Graham Enterprise topped last year's total by $20,000 in only a six-week period.

Customers at the gas stations could put change into donation boxes or buy $1 paper stockings.

"It's for a good cause," said Suresh Bhatia, a buyer and supervisor for Graham, which has Citgo and Marathon stations in Lake, McHenry and Cook counties. "We want to show the community that we took the money and we're passing it along."

The top fundraising station was in Northlake, which brought in $8,287. Second and third, respectively, were Antioch with $7,647 and Johnsburg with $6,130. All three are Citgo gas stations.

The funds will help pay for many local MDA projects, including a summer camp in Hudson, Ill., for people ages 6 to 21 who have muscular dystrophy.

Carol Lipari, 15, and a freshman at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, has attended the camp for eight years and says she enjoys it every time.

"It's amazing," Carol said, noting her favorite part is the friendships she develops with the counselors. Each camper is assigned one counselor, who works as an aide and mentor for the duration of the one-week camp.

"I love it and I'm going to keep going every year," Carol says. "I've made so many friends there."

Marabella said because of generosity from gas station customers and the focus employees put on highlighting the fundraiser, nearly 100 kids will attend the camp for free.

He stressed the money stays in the community, and thanked the managers at the gas station who made the fundraiser such an important event for MDA. "You guys and ladies are the most important group I work with," he said.