Towns look to keep a lid on groups looking for handouts

Volunteers in bright yellow vests wave fists of Tootsie Rolls or Life Savers, hoping you'll drop some loose change into their buckets.

Risking their own safety, they dodge cars at busy intersections while collecting money for the blind, the homeless, the disabled, or people with muscular dystrophy.

For some motorists, it's hard to say no. But others are getting annoyed by what they say are the aggressive tactics of the solicitors and the increasing number of groups looking for handouts.

After hearing complaints, the village of Antioch is considering imposing restrictions on charitable groups that fundraise on their streets, following Naperville and a handful of other suburbs.

Trustees say they don't want to hamper the efforts of local groups, but question why out-of-town organizations choose Antioch's intersections.

"It's gotten to be a bit much," said Trustee George Sakas. "We have groups coming here from Chicago and as far away as Joliet. That's almost 90 miles away. Why do they need to come this far north? How many intersections do they need to work? The numbers just don't add up."

The Family Outreach Program is one of those out-of-town charities that solicits in Antioch. The Crest Hill-based nonprofit social service agency serves needy families in Chicago and the suburbs, according to their officials.

Director Lawrence George said it's a misconception the group ships volunteers from its headquarters near Joliet to work the Antioch streets.

"We have people volunteering from all over the suburbs," George said. "People sign up to volunteer through our Web site. It's entirely possible that some of the people you see working at the Antioch intersections actually live in the Antioch area."

Chicago-based You Can Make It is another nonlocal group that comes to Antioch looking for donations. The group operates a 115-bed shelter for homeless women and children and a residential treatment center for drug addicts.

The group's leaders make no apology for fundraising.

"We run a shelter that is packed to capacity," said administrator Larry Culkin. "We are always on the edge. The money we take in from drivers makes up about 20 percent of our donations. We need food, formula for babies, the list is long. These are hard times."

Culkin said a group of about 10 volunteers goes to crossroads around the suburbs each week in search of badly needed cash.

Antioch Lions Club President Chuck Cermak said his group also depends on money donated by drivers. The club's annual street drive is a big part of its fundraising efforts, he said, adding he hopes new laws won't hamper their effort.

"It's about two-thirds of our yearly donations," Cermak said. "I'm not sure what we would do without that."

Antioch Village Attorney Robert Long said it's not likely the town would impose a ban on all groups, but it could restrict soliciting to organizations based in Lake County. "You can't discriminate, but you could limit groups to a geographic area and demand the originating office be local," Long said. "Even if we narrowed the list to Lake County groups, you still have a huge diversity of charities."

There is no shortage of churches, fraternal organizations, veterans groups and others that would be allowed to work the streets, he said.

Antioch isn't the first village to wrestle with this issue.

Earlier this month, the village of Vernon Hills imposed new restrictions on street solicitors. There, groups are limited to two fundraising events per year for no more than two consecutive days.

"We would see the same groups working three times a week for two or three weeks in a row," said Trustee Thom Koch. "It was just too much."

Last year, the village moved to prohibit charity workers from soliciting on any state highways that run through town. Koch said people can't work the busy intersection at routes 60 and 21.

Also citing safety concerns, the city of Naperville moved to prohibit soliciting on busy Roosevelt, Butterfield and Naperville roads, among other locations. They allow no more than four people working at any one intersection at a time.

In a more drastic move, the village of Lincolnshire bans all street soliciting in town.

Police Chief Randy Melvin said his department received numerous complaints from motorists.

"The groups were becoming aggressive with drivers and banging on their windows," he said. "Safety was a big issue as well. We had near misses with drivers talking on cell phones and not paying attention."

Antioch Trustee Jay Jozwiak said he's heard the same kinds of complaints.

"People tell me they are tired of being harassed at the stoplights. Half the time they don't even know who these people are or where they are from," he said.

Longtime Antioch-area resident John Reeves knows the coins he tosses into buckets go to worthwhile causes but feels pressured at the same time.

"When I see that plastic bucket coming I sometimes donate just out of guilt," he said. "Sometimes I have to keep a roll of Life Savers or Tootsie Rolls on my dashboard just to let them know I gave already."