DuPage County backs grants to help Willowbrook-area residents

DuPage County Board members have approved two grants totaling more than $800,000 to help residents living in an unincorporated area near Willowbrook.

Board members on Tuesday approved a $277,300 grant to The Community House in Hinsdale to help provide mental health services to residents and a $556,600 grant to the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago's Strong Families Parent Mentor program.

The grants are a result of discussions that began following a June fatal mass shooting in the area commonly known as Willowbrook Corners.

Board member Lucy Chang Evans, whose district includes Willowbrook Corners, noted the area is not incorporated and that getting services to residents in the area has been challenging.

“It's been difficult to get resources to that area, and this is the best way to do it,” she said.

Both grants use federal COVID relief dollars and are available to both agencies through 2026.

Reginald Meadows, a 31-year-old father of two who lived in an apartment complex near Honeysuckle Rose Lane and Route 83 in Willowbrook Corners, was killed on Father's Day after a Juneteenth celebration turned deadly. The gathering drew hundreds to a strip mall parking lot near the apartment complex.

Gunfire erupted shortly after midnight on June 18, killing Meadows and injuring more than 20 others.

Authorities have not yet charged anyone for Meadows' death.

But last week, Anthony Mothershed, 19, of Aurora, was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the mass shooting.

According to authorities, Mothershed was with a group of individuals standing outside the Legacy Beauty Supply store when he began shooting a .45 caliber handgun in the direction of other people at the celebration. After the shooting, he fled the scene.

In September, a group of residents from Willowbrook Corners joined Meadows' fiancé, Ashley Miller, seeking answers and asking for help in their community.

County officials have been working with social service agencies to help address community needs since the shooting.

At a board meeting in August, DuPage County Board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy suggested she would seek funding for the YWCA and The Community House, noting both agencies have had success in providing services to residents in that area of the county.

“I believe with county involvement we can build on this success, creating greater impact for the residents,” Conroy said in August.