CareFest volunteers give schools, nonprofits ‘a little shine’

When it comes to caring, 1,500 volunteers from five DuPage County churches took a “show not tell” approach Saturday with the annual CareFest day of service.

Volunteers painted bathrooms, cleaned windows, spread mulch and did other cleaning and landscaping work at 55 schools, homes, nonprofit facilities and other locations throughout the county.

In many cases, the volunteers had no personal connection to the facility they were cleaning or beautifying, said volunteer Chuck Sahly of Winfield, a Wheaton Bible Church member who led a group of about 15 people at the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association facility in Carol Stream.

“It’s kind of a selfless duty, selfless thing that the people are doing here,” Sahly said. “It shows people care.”

Wheaton Bible Church members were joined by people who attend Community Fellowship, Pleasant Hill Community, Crossroads and Waters Edge Bible churches, along with other volunteers for the day of service.

“Part of the Christian life is serving others,” said Steve Wilkin of Carol Stream, a Community Fellowship Church member who volunteered Saturday with his wife, Karen. “Jesus teaches to serve others, so we try to make it a part of our lives.”

Wilkin washed windows inside the special recreation association’s building with Bob and Norma Lyon of Wheaton, removing and dusting the screens, then wiping down the panes.

“It’s a good opportunity to help out the western DuPage special recreation facility and have some camaraderie and get to know new people,” Bob Lyon said.

Volunteers from CareFest have been consistent in helping spruce up the special recreation association’s building every spring for the past six or seven years, said Curtis Lease, the organization’s business manager. Their effort — and care — is appreciated, he said.

“Painting always seems to be needed in one room or the other,” Lease said. “It helps give the place a little shine.”