Park Ridge, Wheeling, Schaumburg and Arlington volunteeers honored
To recognize the talent and skills that experienced volunteers bring to our communities, RSVP of Northern Cook and Northern DuPage counties joins in the nationwide celebration of the second annual Senior Corps Week, Sept. 19-23.
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Northern Cook and Northern DuPage Counties is an Arlington Heights-based networking program that matches people 55 and older with local organizations. Annually, more than 950 volunteers work with 130 nonprofit organizations in 45 cities and towns in northern Cook and DuPage.
The focus of this week is to thank the active senior volunteers for their time and efforts. Among the many dedicated volunteers, RSVP wishes to acknowledge four in particular whose services extend from a few years to a multitude of decades. They are living testaments to the “hands-on” human spirit of kindness, caring and generosity. To get involved in the RSVP program visit www.volunteerinfo.net or call Linda McLaughlin, (847) 228-1006, ext. 118. Fern LewisRSVP volunteer at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park RidgeFor more than 50 years, Fern #147;Fernie#148; Lewis has worked for Lutheran General, in patient and family consolation, the organization and distribution of in-house newsletters, and #147;whatever job they have available.#148; She has received 150 Spirit Awards in recognition of her outstanding service and charitable spirit.Now, at 95, Fern still makes the 40-minute drive each Monday morning from her retirement home in Bensenville.Her most memorable experiences involve families in the surgical waiting area.#147;Often I#146;d see a person sitting there all alone and waiting to hear the results of a loved one#146;s surgery, so I would go and find out how the surgery was progressing,#148; she said, adding that she was happiest when she could relieve them with a good report.Not all of Fern#146;s waiting room experiences had happy endings.#147;I remember sitting with a young man whose child was having surgery,#148; she said. #147;The doctor called and asked the father to meet with him in what we call the #145;special room.#146; The child had died, and the man just ran from the room. We brought in the chaplain and another family member who was able to calm the father down enough to talk.#148;And what does a virtual stranger say to someone in this kind of pain? #147;I encourage them to cry, to get all their emotions out, their sorrow, their anger. I sit with them and listen to them and offer my shoulder. No one can bring a loved one back, but I try to get the family through that first stage when they#146;re in total shock.#148;In terms of all the recognition and awards she#146;s received over the decades for her selfless spirit, Fern is humble. #147;Caring for people is simply my life. My eyes are always on someone who needs help and I try to help them. It#146;s what people do for one another.#148;Fern has a cheerful spirit that has become her trademark. As one colleague said, #147;Fern is an inspiration to the entire hospital staff.#148; Paula MatzekRSVP volunteer in Wheeling Township Elementary District 21As he entered fourth grade, #147;Juan#148; was struggling in multiple areas, not the least of them a language barrier. Paula, a former elementary and middle school teacher with experience in bilingual students, has spent the last two years tutoring the young boy in the summer as well as the school year.#147;I help him with his homework, particularly reading, and we practice our English together,#148; she said. #147;In the summer, it#146;s a little more laid back. We hang out together speaking both English and Spanish. We ride our bikes to the library, and play math and card games. The whole idea is to get Juan comfortable with the English language and motivated to speak it, especially when he is in school.#148;He still faces academic challenges, but Juan has made #147;tremendous growth#148; in English, communicating better with his teachers and classmates. #147;Having moved with his family from Mexico such a short time ago, it will take awhile for him to become totally acclimated,#148; she added.Paula has gotten to know Juans#146;s parents, who share her desire to see him advance.#147;Together we act as role models, encouraging organizational skills and good study habits. We are making progress in so many areas.#148;Paula will stick with Juan this year.#147;Although he is only 13, I tell him that it#146;s not too early to start thinking about college and what he might like to do with his life,#148; she adds.Robert LetticciRSVP volunteer at Ray Walker HeadStart program, Schaumburg.On Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons, #147;Mr. Bob,#148; as the students call him, can be found at this offshoot of Operation HeadStart. It#146;s a special preschool that fosters healthy development in 3- to 5-year-old children of diverse, low-income backgrounds.Bob walks in, greets the kids and finds out what the teachers need him to do.#147;I#146;ll lay out the dishes for the day#146;s meal and the kids then set the table,#148; he says. #147;Afterward, everyone helps with the cleanup. It#146;s a community effort the school tries to instill at an early age.#148;Once breakfast or lunch is over, the children do creative projects: coloring, pasting, story time, outdoor activities.#147;The majority of these kids live in single parent households headed up by Mom or another female relative, so there#146;s no strong male influence at home,#148; Bob said.With decades of parenting and grandparenting experience, Bob fits in where needed, assisting in the classroom or tossing a ball back and forth at the nearby park.#147;One day, I rode my Harley-Davidson motorcycle to school and all the kids took turns having their pictures taken while sitting on it. It was a big thrill for them #8212; and for me!#148;Bob also shares his own hobbies and interests. He and his wife, Sally, have a vegetable garden.#147;I thought it would be a fun learning experience to plant one with the kids, as a sort of end of school year project,#148; he said. #147;Everyone got involved, even some of the parents.#148;Bob#146;s rewards come in small, significant ways #8212; #147;a little guy walking into the classroom and demanding to know if #145;Mr. Bob#146; is here yet ... a little girl running up to me and giving me a hug.#147;It means as much to me as it does to them.#148; During this summer, Bob volunteered at Advocate Lutheran General Children#146;s Hospital, but returned to the Ray Walker HeadStart program after Labor Day.Leewyn TrevorRSVP volunteer at PHD, Inverness and Lutheran Home and Services, Arlington HeightsSociety for the Preservation of Human Dignity provides professional counseling and support services to women struggling with pregnancy and parenting. Through the commitment of donors, volunteers and staffers, PHD assists more than 1,250 women each year in Chicago#146;s North and Northwest suburbs.For the past 12 years, Leewyn Trevor has been crocheting baby blankets for PHD#146;s Baby Maternity Closet where new moms and moms-to-be can get diapers, formula and other baby accessories.#147;I typically make about three blankets per month,#148; she said. #147;I like that they are given to young mothers and their babies.#148;She said her first donation to PHD was her stuffed bear collection. I had over 100 stuffed bears and I did not want to see them go to the resale shop,#148; she said. #147;I wanted them to be gifts to these little kids instead of being sold.#148;Lee began her crocheting career knitting scarves for visitors to PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter). Also, two days a week she is a Lutheran Home Friendly Visitor, where she pays home visits to three elderly ladies.Like others who volunteer their services, Lee says that she gets back more than she gives.#147;It#146;s very rewarding for me and I#146;ve also made some really good friends.#148; The vision of PHD reflects #147;A compassionate community where dignity is preserved, hope is restored, lives are empowered and protected, one woman, one child, one family at a time.#148;And Leewyn Trevor is contributing her share, one loop at a time!