'I was awed by what happened'

During the holidays, it's easy to think in terms of wants and needs.

"I want this. I need that."

Many of us get caught up in our desires to acquire the latest and greatest gizmos and gadgets - and we hope that Santa will dutifully leave them under the tree.

Last month, just days before Christmas, approximately 40 Warren students, mostly athletes, got caught up in something else, something much more meaningful. And, almost instantly, they learned to appreciate the many things they already have.

Of course, that tends to happen when you stare despair in the face, which is exactly what the Blue Devils did when they traveled into Chicago and served up a holiday dinner to some of the city's most needy families.

Players from the boys basketball and football teams led a group that also included cheerleaders, tennis players and even former athletes who had already graduated from the school to the Lawndale neighborhood on the near west side.

"It was a great lesson for the kids," said Rick Duncan, the father of two varsity boys basketball players who organized the Dec. 21 event. "The people there - it was just so crystal clear that they were struggling and just so destitute.

"When our kids saw these people, you could just see a sense of appreciation in their faces, even kids who you might perceive as cocky or entitled when you see them at school. You could tell how grateful they were for their own lives and for how fortunate they truly are."

Duncan, a single father to six children, owns day-care centers in Lake County and also runs the non-for-profit organization "Hope for Families," which he founded 15 years ago. Since then, he has organized dozens of events in the city for the less fortunate.

But never before had he involved teens to this extent.

"I really wasn't sure what kind of response I would get - would the kids be rolling their eyes, would they even be interested at all?" Duncan said. "I was awed by what happened. The kids couldn't have been more into it. We had a meeting to plan everything out and before I knew it, the kids were taking over, deciding who was going to do this, who was going to do that. It was neat to see."

The group from Warren went all out.

Not only did they serve up a multiple-course, sit-down holiday meal with all the trimmings, they also brought presents for the 40 to 50 children in attendance. In addition, they arranged for live, holiday-themed music to be played through the hall, which they dressed up with all kinds of holiday decorations.

The teens even helped prepare the food.

"I was a server and it was a really cool experience," said junior Jonny Duncan, Rick's son and a reserve guard on the varsity basketball team as well as a linebacker on the football team. "It was nice because we got to do something different as a team and we also the chance to get to know the people there a little bit. Everyone there was just so appreciative, telling us thank you over and over again."

The approximately 300 Lawndale residents were clearly overwhelmed by the star treatment. The food itself was top-notch.

The menu included beef tenderloin, smoked ham, potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese and cake from a famed local bakery for dessert.

All of the food was paid for by the Warren students, who raised money in the weeks prior through fundraisers and donations.

That money was also used to purchase gifts for the children in attendance.

"We raised about $3,000," Rick Duncan said. "Each kid needed to raise $100. I know a lot of basketball players got pledges for each free throw they made (out of 100 attempts). And some kids collected loose change. They all really went all out."

But Duncan says that what the Blue Devils put in pales in comparison to what they got in return.

The teens were genuinely touched, including star basketball player Brandon Paul, who will be playing at Illinois next year.

"I remember Brandon Paul's mom, Lynda, coming up to me and just being so happy to be a part of it," Duncan said. "She brought her whole family and they just really enjoyed themselves. At one point, Mrs. Paul said to me, 'You know, I don't think Brandon will ever be the same after this.'

"The whole dynamic of the night was just phenomenal like that."

• Since the "Hope for Families" holiday event was such a success, Duncan would like to organize other charitable programs that involve local teens.

He says that he's interested in doing something here for struggling families in Lake County, perhaps as early as the spring.

For more information, or to contact Duncan with ideas and offers of assistance, call "Hope for Families" at (847) 922-HOPE (4673).