House fire aftermath brings out the best in community

After losing their home to fire last week, members of the Foley family of Campton Hills can find solace in the story of the O'Connor family of St. Charles.

Jack and Noreen O'Connor have lived in St. Charles for 21 years, raising eight children. The last thing they ever thought about was losing their Surrey Hill Woods home.

But that's what happened Jan. 14 when a fire wiped out most of their possessions and forced them out of the home.

It has allowed the O'Connors to view a different side of the community they love.

"The overwhelming emotion has been the gratitude we feel for our community," Noreen O'Connor said. "The outpouring of love and support has been tremendous."

Noreen said that on the night of the fire and for two weeks, her family stayed at the Hotel Baker.

"Joe Salas (owner) and his staff were absolutely amazing in their compassion toward our family," she said. "They made us feel as if we had a home again."

The O'Connors were also amazed by ongoing support from St. Patrick School and St. Charles East High School sports boosters and coaches.

"We have been humbled by this experience and would like people to know about our generous community," said Noreen, whose family is currently living in Wildrose in St. Charles. "I have told our kids that we will come out of this stronger, and our intention is to give back to the community as much as people have helped us."

RJ's to new owner: When I met Raul and Silvia Garcia last fall and enjoyed the fresh Mexican food they offered at RJ's Restaurant, I hoped these nice folks would be able to survive this economy with their small restaurant at 113 W. State St. in Geneva.

But news came last week that the Garcias sold their business to Isaias Gomez, who had been asking the Garcias for some time if they were thinking about selling, and will keep the site as El Molcajete Mexican restaurant.

"He just showed up one time and asked, and we kept saying no," Silvia Garcia said. "But we told him to make an offer, and we decided to take it."

Part of the reason, Silvia explained, is that she and Raul had not had a vacation in the last eight years.

"We'll take some time off, and then we'll probably continue catering out of our house, or look for something else," she said.

Rolling revelations: Things I didn't know until after visiting the business-to-business event last week at Pheasant Run: Drs. Carla D. Adams and Alia Santoya-Johnson have opened Optique Eyecare at 3310 W. Main St. in St. Charles.

Dr. Adams said the clinic offers a special focus on "vision therapy" for children who are having trouble learning, or patients who have suffered head trauma and are suffering double vision. You can learn more at the clinic's website at optique-eyecare.com.

Also, Zimmerman Ford's service center includes a speedy oil-change operation called Quick Lane that manager Dave Wester said was created to combat the perception that you can't have an oil change at a dealership without waiting forever.

dheun@sbcglobal.net