New Arrivals at HSP

By: Megan Sturomski, intern

Spring has sprung at HSP, and along with the new season we have welcomed two new members to the HSP team! HSP has welcomed Megan Birkey as a new staff member. Megan has been brought on to be HSP's new database assistant. Megan has a bachelors in Sociology from North Central College in Naperville, and she also has a masters in Non-profit studies from Arizona State University. Along with welcoming Megan to the team HSP has also welcomed back Andrea King who is a returning intern at HSP. Andrea is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in International Studies. HSP and all of its members are so excited to add two great people to the team!!

Pictured here is Megan Birkey HSP's new database assistant.

Pictured at left is Andrea King, HSP's returning intern.

HSP Receives an Awesome Donation!!

By: Megan Sturomski, intern

Today HSP was so excited to receive a donation of 600 boxes from United Stationers!! We are so thankful and delighted to receive such an awesome donation. These boxes will be used for many of HSP's projects, and will allow HSP and its volunteers to deliver many diffrent items to needy people in our programs. The boxes will greatly help HSP and the donation eases some of the worry that goes into making sure that all of the people in our programs receive the proper care and items that they deserve. We are so pleased with the donation and the help that the United Stationers granted to HSP. Thank you so much!!

Look at all the wonderful boxes!!!!

HSP Has Visitors!!

By: Megan Sturomski, intern

HSP has recently been visited by a girl scout troop from Villa Park who generously made a donation to the Senior Citizen Project. The troop donated pots and pans in response to HSP's newsletter. We are so excited that the troop was able to bring HSP and the seniors items that we so desparately needed! The pots and pans will go to some great seniors who will be very surprised and excited to receive such an awesome gift. Thank you girl scouts!!

An Intern Leaves HSP but a New One Joins the Team!!

By: Megan Sturomski, intern

One of HSP's favorite interns Kristen Lindholm, a graduate from University of Wisconsin at Madison, has left HSP to join the working world. Although we were saddened to see Kristen leave, HSP also welcomed two new interns to the team. HSP's new intern is Melissa Proulx, a senior at North Central College who is studying Spanish. HSP's other new intern is Melissa Wiegel who comes to HSP from Elmhurst College.

HSP bids farewell to Kristen

Melissa Proulx HSP's new intern!!

HSP receives a new desk!!

By: Megan Sturomski, intern

We have received a new addition at HSP, and it is a new desk! The desk was donated to HSP by the Angelman Syndrome Foundation in Aurora. We moved the new desk into our intern room, and hope to use it as new office area. The desk is beautiful and we cannot wait until we get the opportunity to use it.

We thank our hardworking handymen Pete, Dick, Mike & Terry for all of the effort they put into picking up our desk as well as assembling it...you guys ROCK!!

Girl Scouts Give to HSP!

By: Kristen Lindholm, Intern

HSP received an enormous donation of arts & crafts supplies from the Girl Scout troops at Prairie Elementary School this morning! Mother Patty Komar along with her eight year-old daughters Jessica and Caitlyn gathered the supplies from 15 Girl Scout troops at Prairie Elementary School and delivered them to us this morning. A trunk full of supplies for our arts & crafts kits await the children in the Children's Birthday Project!

Girl Scouts Thinking Day began in 1926 and happens each February. The theme for 2010 World Thinking Day is "girls worldwide say 'together we can end extreme poverty and hunger.'" Patty said, "the Prairie Elementary School Girl Scout troops decided on the Humanitarian Service Project, and more specifically, collecting the arts & crafts supplies for the Children's Birthday Project. We thought the girls could relate to idea that other children their age don't get to enjoy arts & crafts. It was something they could really get behind and understand.

Because of the generosity of these Girl Scouts and their efforts focused for World Thinking Day 2010, children in the Children's Birthday Project will experience the joys of making art and have colorful birthdays!

Arts & crafts donated from Girl Scout troops at Prairie Elementary School!

Girl Scouts and sisters, Jessica and Caityln, with their donation!

General Mills Employees Visit HSP!

By: Megan Sturomski, intern

Today we had a large group of employees who came from General Mills to volunteer at HSP. The volunteers were enthusiastic and generous enough to spend time wrapping birthday presents for our Children's Birthday Project!!

Here the volunteers are hard at work wrapping gifts for our Children's Birthday Project. We appreciated the care that the General Mill's employees put into wrapping the gifts.

Recently at HSP...

By: Megan Sturomski, intern

There has been a lot going on at HSP lately. Not only have we been preparing for our next senior D-day, but we have also had some other exciting happenings as well. First of all, HSP is delighted to announce that we have recently received a new color copier! We are so excited for our new addition to HSP, and the copier allows us to communicate in a more efficient matter with our supporters!

Here HSP's Senior Citizen Project coordinator ,Sarah Grindstaff, poses with our new copy machine!

Eric Anderson of Konica Minolta helped to install and educated HSP staff on the proper usage of the new color copier.

Another recent happening at HSP was the celebration of HSP's very own Krista Ravenscraft's birthday. Krista, our grant writer intern at HSP, was given a birthday party to celebrate the big day!

Here Krista and Karole watch as Jan ever so carefully places the candles on Krista's cake.

HSP has also received a few large food donations

recently. Congregation Etz Chaim of Lombard held a Macaroni and Cheese drive and was able to donate 5 large garbage bags full to HSP. Another large donation was also made by St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church of Auroa. St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church was able to donate 575 lbs of mixed non perishables!

Pictured here is a colorful bag of Mac & Cheese that was donated by Congregation Etz Chaim!

HSP also has the privilege of sending three speakers: Sherri Lloyd, Judy Simon and Diane McGuire to The Carol Stream Woman's Club Family Fashion Show on Sunday March 7th. The speakers will be able to educate the participants, as well as the attendees, about HSP's Senior Citizen Project.

Pictured here is Megan Sturomski an intern at HSP, holding a poster she made about SCP for the speakers to use at the Family Fashion Show on Sunday.

Before and After

By: Kristen Lindholm, Intern

Here is a before and after shot of gifts that go to the children in our Children's Birthday Project. The transformation from start to finish is incredible!

Brand new toys that are donated to the Children's Birthday Project are sorted to be age and gender appropriate. Each child receives a birthday box full of toys that are chosen specifically for them. Every box includes:

• 6-15 new toys
• 1 new game
• 4 new books
• Party-in-a-Box (cake mix, party hats, plates, napkins, etc.)
• Stuffed animal or action figure
• School supplies
• 3 mini gifts
• 2 Beanie Babies

Wonderful volunteers take bags of gifts to wrap - some make it a family project, others make it a project for their organization, and some do it individually. Their efforts turn out beautifully wrapped birthday gifts in colorful paper and lovely ribbons.

In addition to receiving gifts on their birthday, each child is eligible to be a part of our summer program, Feed the Kids, which provides food for approximately 90 families. CBP children also receive Christmas gifts during the holiday season.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Children's Birthday Project, contact us at 630-221-8340 or at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.