#ALittleBitofLaura: How suburbanites spread kindness in her name
Early last week, Amy Somary cut a postcard out of the Daily Herald encouraging readers to perform a random act of kindness in memory of Arlington Heights native Laura Szejka Zimmer.
Somary didn't know Laura, who died from colon cancer on July 14, 2016, at age 26. But she followed Laura's story and was inspired by her loved ones' efforts to spread generosity and positive energy through the #ALittleBitofLaura campaign on Twitter.
At first, Somary held onto the postcard, unsure of the best way to pay forward Laura's kindness. She wanted to do something meaningful, something that would make a difference.
A mother of four boys, Somary knew she found the best use for her postcard when she was invited to support an Off the Street Club fundraiser in Chicago to help send underprivileged children to summer camp.
"Everyone seems to want to help, but sometimes you just don't know how," said Somary, of Arlington Heights. "It's just about finding the right thing to do or something you're passionate about."
Somary was among several suburban residents who tweeted about their acts of kindness Saturday, on what would have been Laura's 29th birthday. Some bought meals for a stranger; others donated supplies or gifts to schools and hospitals.
Since her death, friends and family members have attempted to "spread the sunshine that Laura had shared with us for so many years," said her cousin, Rachel Vena, a Bloomingdale resident. "It is so wonderful to see the campaign grow each year."
This year, Vena and her younger sister, Lauren Venlos, celebrated their cousin's love of brainteasers by donating puzzles, games and activity books to visitors and patients at the Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton. Last year, they contributed books to a Little Free Library in honor of Laura's love of reading.
"It has been important to me to not only share Laura's kindness with others, but also to take this time to share all of the interests and hobbies that made her who she was," Vena said. "Laura served as such a wonderful example to my children and it has been a way for me to personally connect them to her memory."
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Karen Ozzello of St. Charles took her act of kindness across state lines to Marshfield, Wisconsin, where she was visiting over the weekend. She found her opportunity at her brother's hardware store .
A man came into the store and began chatting with her brother about a family reunion he and his wife put on every year, spending more than $1,000. The man was gazing at a children's art easel in the store, thinking they could offer some fun games for the children and perhaps a drawing contest with prizes.
Ozzello told him she wished get the easel and some prizes for the children. "That way, it would not just benefit one person but it would be benefiting all the kids that come to the family reunion."
"This man was almost in tears, which had me almost in tears," she said. "It really makes you feel good when you can do something for somebody and they really appreciate it."
He had a gift of his own for Ozzello. "He gave me a bag filled with cheese curds."
It turns out he works at a cheese factory and had just made them before he came into town.
"They were the freshest and squeakiest I have ever tasted," she said, adding, "Squeaky is a great thing in cheese curds."
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Others who participated in the #ALittleBitofLaura campaign on Twitter included:
• @LittleBitofLaur donated school supplies for students in need, provided a gift bag for a friend going through treatment, and reported that Laura's friend, bandmate and musical castmate @lzabes116, had made an inspiring donation to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "Laura would have LOOOOOVED to know she inspired and encouraged someone so much through music," her family tweeted.
• @Flosgirl1 donated blood to honor Laura and helped a new Chicago Public Schools teacher set up her classroom.
• @rallyogold handed out cash and Laura cards to families with young children at the Arlington Heights Farmers Market and told Laura's story. "Parents were tearing," the tweet said. "Later, overheard a family explaining it to their children, planning what to do to honor Laura's memory."
• @mrsgreazel said her family entertained a new friend at a T-ball game and delivered birthday bags to Northwest Community Hospital pediatric patients.
• @betsyk00038522 said she was delivering ears of her family's favorite sweet corn to friends and neighbors.
• Daily Herald staff writers Eric Peterson and Steve Zalusky contributed to this report.