Families walking to help families

A few years ago, a single mother working a minimum-wage job and her 10-month-old son escaped an abusive living situation and landed in the hands of Families Helping Families mentor Melanie Mackin.

Today, after accepting a helping hand in the way of a donated apartment and utilities and some good checkbook-keeping advice from Mackin, the woman has remade herself, is working a $43,000-a-year teaching job that helped get her out of debt and is providing a better life for both her and her young son.

You too can help someone get a fresh start or recover from a mistake by participating Sunday in Families Helping Families' 15th annual Family Fun Walk.

Families Helping Families is a nonprofit, tax-deductible, Naperville-based organization that helps families find stability, greater earning potential, and a brighter future through financial literacy, education, mentorship and housing.

The heads-of-household work toward financial self-sufficiency, which in turn offers a stable environment for their children.

Sunday's walk, the first of the organization's two annual fundraisers, will raise money to pay for the housing and utility costs for the approximately 10 families currently being served.

Many participants treat the event as more of a 30-40 minute stroll than a 5K race, and when it's over, participants can chow on donated hot dogs and play games including tossing a bean bag through an elevated toilet seat.

Mackin said organizers frown upon counting pennies and setting financial goals because they're thankful for every cent they get during these events.

"That being said, if we get 200 families to come out and donate $40 a family in ticket sales, that would be phenomenal," she said. "That would help several families take the first steps to get back on their feet."

Families are referred to Families Helping Families after being evaluated by DuPage County's Bridge Communities program. Mackin described the program's clients as people who made financial or other costly mistakes and are willing to learn from them.

The organization then works to serve 10 families at a time for a period of about two years. During that time, clients give mentors the authority to monitor their financial habits, and to make sure clients follow basic rules such as no overnight guests and no alcohol.

"When they leave, they know how to balance a checkbook and budget for a family and stay on track," Mackin said. "Many of us were fortunate enough to be taught these things by our parents and loving families but not all of us."