Naperville family to hold benefit garage sale

Shawn Nolan will always wonder what his son would have been had he grown up.

Blond, blue-eyed Patrick loved to play with Rescue Hero toys, had declared his intention of becoming a firefighter and was able to tackle activities in his Montessori preschool that went beyond his years.

The Naperville father recalled that the family once observed Patrick putting together puzzles upside down and wondered why. One of his teachers explained that when other children got stuck on puzzles at school, Patrick was the one who helped them out so he was used to looking at puzzles from the wrong side up.

"He had a brilliant mind for a 4-year-old," Nolan said.

Patrick died of liver cancer in November 2003 at the age of 4½. He had battled liver disease all this life and had been declared cured before the tumor was discovered. He was gone 2½ weeks later.

The Nolans remember their son every year by holding a garage sale and by enthusiastically participating in the Relay For Life of North Naperville/Lisle to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

"The reason we're doing this is it keeps his spirit with us," Nolan said.

The fifth annual garage sale runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 30 and 31 at their home at 25W525 Johnson Drive, Naperville.

The entire Nolan family, which includes Shawn's wife, Jennifer, their daughter, Moira, 12, and their son Alex, 2, will participate in the Relay For Life on June 20 and 21 at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St.

Garage sale

Jennifer said the garage sale started as a fundraiser for Relay For Life. The family had attended the St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Naperville the March after Patrick passed away and a representative of the American Cancer Society handed Shawn a flier about the relay.

"We just felt like this is what we were meant to do," Jennifer said.

Neighbors spread word of the garage sale by e-mail. People who are doing their spring cleaning or downsizing to move donate items to sell. Some buyers return to give the Nolans their own donations or to work at the sale.

"It's really moving," Jennifer said. "You have these strangers come into your life for a moment, and you have this unfortunate commonality.

"You spend much of the time just listening to people tell their stories."

Unlike most garage sales where buyers typically try to lowball the sellers, purchasers tend to be generous, Shawn said. The sale brings in $2,000 to $3,000 a year, with furniture and electronics selling especially well.

The Nolans have a team of about 15 to help, including daughter Moira. The junior high student and her friends have done cheerleading at the corner to attract buyers to the sale.

Nothing goes to waste, Jennifer said.

"All leftover stuff goes to charity," she said.

Relay For Life

Shawn is also on the planning committee for the Relay For Life of North Naperville/Lisle.

This year's event, "Field of Dreams," starts at 6 p.m. June 20 and lasts until 6 a.m. June 21. Teams of walkers raise donations and keep one member on the track at all times.

The event always begins with a survivors' lap, said Shawn, who is in charge of soliciting in-kind corporate donations for the relay. The donations help feed the walkers and provide themes for the laps, such as the Tootsie Roll lap.

The Nolans' team of 10 to 15 relatives and close friends call themselves the Rescue Heroes.

"That was my son's favorite toy," Jennifer said.

Their team makes a grand entrance. The Naperville Fire Department sends a fire truck, and a friend brings an old fire engine. Another friend arrives in a state police car.

"So we really make a scene," Shawn said.

They're no slouches at fundraising, either. Their team averages $20,000 a year, putting them in the top five and right behind large corporate teams.

"Per capita, we have the highest fundraising group," Shawn said.

The North Naperville/Lisle event brought in $340,000 overall last year, and planners have set a goal of $350,000 this year. Those who haven't raised money ahead of time can still come to see what Relay For Life is all about, Shawn said.

"When you lose someone, you can't do much about it," he said. "The only reason we do it is to prevent other families from having to go through this."

A national event, Relay For Life is a major fundraiser and services the American Cancer Society. The Nolans' passion for supporting the Relay clearly shines through, said Ashley Carlson, staff person for the North Naperville/Lisle event in the American Cancer Society's DuPage regional office.

"They're one of our top fundraising teams, and they come back every year with the same dedication," she said. "They are just a true joy."

The Nolans admit to feeling pretty dragged-out the day after the Relay, but Jennifer said she's always impressed with the energy of college and high school students at the event.

"When it's 3 o'clock in the morning and you don't feel like you want to walk anymore, they're running the track and having a great time with their friends," she said.

Shawn said he would like to get younger students involved in the relay, and Moira has recruited some of her junior high classmates to come this year.

Moira remembers her younger brother as a funny and active boy, who loved cars and playing outdoors. He once hit her in the head with a toy weed whacker he was swinging around and left her with a scar.

"I'm glad he did that because now I have something on me from him," she said.

The Nolans -- Shawn, a proposal engineer with Tellabs, and Jennifer, a Montessori teacher and administrator -- also find time to help raise money for other charitable work.

"They're fabulous people. They're selfless," said Erin Zards, who helps every year with the garage sale and is a member of the Nolans' relay team.

Zards, a clinical research consultant who has both professional and family experience with cancer, said the Nolans could have let cancer beat them down but didn't.

"When you've been touched with cancer it gets you in the mode," she said. "You really want to do something about it."

Garage sale

When: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 30 and 31

Where: 25W525 Johnson Drive, Naperville

Donations: May be dropped off through sale day

Info: (630) 420-8126 or mpadad@comcast.net

Relay For Life of North Naperville/Lisle

When: 6 p.m. June 20 to 6 a.m. June 21

Where: Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St., Naperville

Info: (630) 932-1141 or relayforlifennaperville.com