Schaumburg woman keeps plate full with volunteer opportunities

It's been said that if you want something done, and done well, you should ask a busy person to do it.

Schaumburg resident Gail Edgren is a prime example of a busy person, and she never hesitates to jump right in whenever and wherever help is needed.

For the last five years, Edgren has been volunteering for Schaumburg Township Disabled Services in Hoffman Estates.

"I have been so fortunate in my own life that even though I have two adult, handicapped children at home, I would like to do for others. If I can share some of my limited, free time with others, I want to do so," she said.

Last winter, Edgren added one more volunteer activity to her hectic schedule. She noticed a Web site asking for volunteers to knit or crochet helmet hats for the troops serving overseas. The hats are very simple to make, and designed to be worn under a helmet to keep the head and ears warm. Even though it gets extremely hot during the day in the desert, it also gets very cold during certain times of the year and at night.

Edgren asked for help from some of her friends and other volunteers at Schaumburg Township Senior Center and Schaumburg Township Disabled Services and last year she was able to send off 24 hats to a contact in Florida, where they were packed for shipment to the troops.

Edgren made six hats in one week in January this year, and 10 in February. She and her fellow volunteers have sent 39 this year, and this number will increase before the last overseas shipment is sent early in April.

Plans are already under way for shipments to be sent in the fall, and hats are being sent from all over the country. Patterns and more information about the helmet hats is available at www.theshipsproject.com.

Edgren's volunteer activities at Schaumburg Township have included helping to wrap Christmas gifts for children, assisting with the newsletter for the disabled, and volunteering with the crochet group that makes baby caps and other projects. Once a week she works in the office where she makes phone calls, answers phones and assists clients who are interested in obtaining an amplified telephone. She explains the program, and helps the clients try out the four different types of phones, and all the different features that are available. The phones are provided free of charge to anybody with certified hearing loss, and there are no age or income requirements. The program is sponsored by ITAC (Illinois Telecommunication Access Corp.), and Schaumburg Township is one of approximately 15 selection centers in Illinois where the phones are available.

"Gail works very hard, and displays a great eye for detail. She takes her assignments very seriously, and gets the most benefit out of what she is doing," said Bonnie Sargeant, Assistant Director of Disabled Services and Volunteer Coordinator. "She is quite a wonderful person; she is very compassionate, and I frequently wonder how she does everything that she does."

Caring for her two, special-needs children, James and Kathleen Conway, doesn't leave much time for hobbies, but Edgren does enjoy knitting, crocheting, reading and TV when time permits. She retired after 32 years as a senior staff specialist with United Airlines, and is a member of the Schaumburg Crochet Group and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.