Montini Catholic hosts successful coat drive benefiting Stroger Hospital

Montini Catholic's Bronco Football Program and Peer Ministry Team sponsored a coat drive with donations benefiting patients at John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County.

The Montini group worked with Montini Catholic alumnus, Dr. Michael Alebich, Class of 2003, at Stroger. He was also a member of Montini's football team back in the day.

In 2021, Dr. Alebich reached out to Coach Michael Bukovsky, Class of 1984, in the hopes that Broncos could provide assistance in obtaining new and gently used coats for the hospital's many underinsured patients - many of whom are without basics.

"I remember one day a patient was ready for discharge. It was maybe 15 degrees outside and he was undomiciled," he said. "To make matters worse, his clothes were discarded in the emergency department. We had to buy him clothes as we had limited supplies in our social work office for a man of his size.

"I felt this was an easy fix. I thought to myself, 'I'll ask the Montini community, they will donate and this situation won't happen again.' I wasn't disappointed," Dr. Alebich said.

Montini's team promoted the drive throughout the months of January and February.

"Thank you to Dr. Michael Alebich for partnering with us to run our annual MCHS Coat Drive," said Coach Bukovsky. "It's always a great lesson for our students when they're able to take the time to understand their responsibility to reach out and help those who are less fortunate than them. It really helps them appreciate all of the blessings we have in our own Montini community. Stroger Hospital was extremely welcoming and thankful for our donation of over 120 coats."

"On behalf of Stroger Hospital and the patients we serve, I send a heartfelt thank you for the generous donation from the Montini family," said Dr. Alebich. These coats may seem like a small gesture to the individual donator, but they will go a long way to assist our neediest patients."