For 'Vest' Siders, club is about connecting, giving

In the midst of a mounting economic crisis, making a charitable donation would for many people come in second to filling up the family wagon or buying a gallon of milk.

But for a group of natives of Chicago's West Side, the gift of giving hasn't wavered in these fiscally turbulent times.

"Our parents were immigrants, and we were raised to be charitable," said Burt Pearlman, 76, of Northbrook, a member of the Great Vest Side Club. "People find money for what they want to find money for."

The club is a not-for-profit organization that was started when a few friends from the old neighborhood decided to get together to reconnect and reminisce.

The "Vest" in the name is used in place of "West" in honor of the club members' mostly immigrant Jewish parents - and the accents with which they spoke.

Well beyond the social outlet and historic ties it provides to its membership - now at more than 500 people around the country - the group has evolved into a charitable organization that has donated more than $700,000. The club is made up of men, many now elderly, who grew up on the West Side of Chicago from the 1930s to 1960s.

Recently, more than 300 club members gathered at their semiannual fundraising dinner at the Château Ritz in Niles.

The main attraction of the night was an ambulance that was to be donated by the club to the American Friends of Magen David Adom, an American fundraising group for Israel's equivalent to the Red Cross. The ambulance is the fifth of its kind donated by The Great Vest Side group.

The ambulances are not cheap, coming in at a staggering $100,000 - a price tag that not only fully stocks the ambulance with oxygen and other necessities, but also ships it to Israel. Within two weeks of the ambulance arriving, it becomes operational.

This year's ambulance was donated in the memory of the late famed sportswriter Jerome Holtzman and basketball great Irv Bemoras, both club members. Bemoras resided in Buffalo Grove until his 2007 death.

"Like everyone else, our fundraising has taken a hit, but that's exactly why what these men are doing is so significant," said Sandy Rosen, co-regional director for the Midwest region of American Friends of Magen David Adom.

Although millions of people have been affected by the current financial crisis, Art Farber, 72, a founding club member, said the group hasn't had trouble fundraising. The reason for this commitment can be attributed to the close bond that the men of the club feel with each other and their community.

Amid echoing laughter and merriment, club members went back and forth with stories of old. For many members, these dinners represent the sole opportunity to reconnect with friends of the past.

"Friendship is what keeps me coming back year after year," said Sam Jackson, 79, of Northbrook.

Seymour Gantman, 78, of Buffalo Grove, said the group's fundraising is significant for the impact that it has on Israel. Asked whether future financial calamities will affect the club, Gantman laughed and simply said: "Just take a look at how many people are already here."