HSP Receives Blankets from Project Linus

HSP was fortunate enough to receive 80 hand made blankets from Project Linus.

A non-profit headquartered out of Bloomington, IL Project Linus has chapters all over the country. The organization works with the mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children

We feel very fortunate to be able to pass these blankets on to those we serve. Thank you Project Lunus!

Welcome, Aliza!

Today we are welcoming our newest intern, Aliza Scott. Aliza is a senior at Elmhurst College, majoring in Interdisciplinary Communication. She will be joining us three days a week, providing administrative support and working on social media updates and press releases. Aliza will also be helping out with our yearly senior interviews and updates, which is how we get a lot of feedback on what we’re doing well and how we can improve our services.

When asked why she chose HSP for her internship, Aliza stated that she has a strong interest in non-profit work. She thinks she would like working in the non-profit sector and would feel better about doing something that helps people than just contributing to corporate advertising. In addition to classes and her internship, Aliza also works on campus in the academic computing office.

We’re excited to have Aliza here and to put her communications skills to good use! Welcome to HSP, Aliza!

Senior Care Kits

Yesterday, HSP received a generous donation of 60 senior care kits from the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva. These senior care kits will be distributed to the seniors enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project. We would like to thank Jean and the Social Justice Committee for their continued support and for this generous contribution. Their commitment to making a difference in the lives of seniors and children is inspiring and truly appreciated.

If you are looking to make a contribution to the Humanitarian Service Project, please, give us a call at 630-221-8340, or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Thank you, Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva.

The Exchange Club of Naperville visits HSP

HSP was visited today by Ed De Paepe and John Dovale from the Naperville Exchange Club. They dropped off a letter stating that HSP would be receiving a $4,300 grant to go towards our 2010 Feed the Kids Project.

During summer 2011 Feed the Kids provided 100 families (454 children) with 750 pounds of food during the months of June, July, and August. Each month every family enrolled receives a 250 lb food package that contains: 9 fresh fruits, 9 fresh vegetables, 7 selections of frozen meats, and at least 4 boxes of non perishables weighing 25 pounds a piece.

The Exchange Club of Naperville was established in 1987, with the mission of helping people in the belief that hope for tomorrow happens today. Thanks to their kind and generous donation, we will be able to give hope and promise to needy area children this summer through providing them with nutritious food.

HSP Donates six large bags of new toys to Jubilee Village

The Humanitarian Service Project was very blessed with the kindness and generosity of our donors during the Holiday Season. All of our programs start serving Children at the age of 3, so when we were given many wonderful items for infants, we wanted to find a cause that would put these items to good use.

After the Holiday rush was over we made contact with Jubilee Village to see if they were in need of these wonderful items. Jubilee village is a transitional and independent living program for young, single mothers ages 17-20. The goal is to provide safe, secure housing for these mothers with the goal of teaching them to live independently after graduating the program.

All of us here at HSP hope that through this collaboration, Jubilee Village can utilize the infant items in order to reach out to more needy children and families in the  Dupage and Kane county area!

Cantigny Employees Give Us Their Time

You might have noticed in this morning’s post that we mentioned there were two volunteers here from Cantigny who helped Pete and Mike load the van with furniture to deliver to some seniors. Well now we’d like to tell you about those two volunteers, Wayne Wozniak and John Hartness.

Cantigny, which is part of the McCormick Foundation, encourages all employees to spend 4 days each year doing a service project for another charitable organization at the McCormick Foundation’s expense! Being a charitable, nonprofit organization itself, Cantigny gives to many causes each year, but through this program they allow their employees to choose which organizations they want to give back to with their 4 days of service.

Wayne and John work in security and guest services for Cantigny. They have both been here before, so this isn’t the first time they’ve blessed us with their time and Cantigny’s generous donation, and we’re so grateful. When asked why they like coming to HSP Wayne explained that Cantigny gives its employees a booklet with different charitable organizations and what they each do. When he read about the Children’s Birthday Project, he knew he wanted to come check out HSP. Wayne loves children, and loves that HSP does too. John decided to come along, and he’s enjoyed coming back ever since his first visit. He agrees that the Children’s Birthday Project is a great program, and he enjoyed helping at Christmas time. We’re so thankful for the support of Cantigny, Wayne, and John. Thank you for all your support!

Special Delivery!

Bright and early this morning we had two of our generous volunteers come in to pick up furniture and a large television to deliver to a few of our seniors. A black couch and a blue recliner came to us from the estate of a long-time Humanitarian Service Project supporter, and a 36 inch television was donated by Pete Laabs, one of the volunteers delivering the items! Pete and Mike Baumgartner loaded up the van, with the help of two other volunteers who happened to be here from Cantigny, and headed off to deliver the items to 3 lucky seniors.

Global Hope Donates New Toys for Children’s Birthday Project

This morning here at HSP we were blessed to receive a donation of new toys from an organization called Global Hope. Toys ranged from Uno Attack to Playdoh to Action Figures. Global Hope is an oranization dedicated to "support and empower the underserved throughout the world" and to put "Goodwill in motion".

Global Hope has helped HSP in the past with generous donations and volunteers. We could not be more thankful for their continued support!

Pictured is Joyce Owen, one of the original founders of Global Hope, with their donation this morning.

Thank You, Pepperidge Farm!

Every delivery day, along with the nonperishable foods, frozen meats, produce, and paper products, we also deliver a variety of breads to our seniors, donated to us by Pepperidge Farm. On the third Friday of each month Pepperidge Farm lets us fill up our van with delicious and healthy breads for our seniors. Because their donation has so much variety, we are even able to custom order the bread so that our seniors are able to get their preferred varieties. They give us all types of wheat, whole grain, oat, Italian, and cinnamon swirled breads, as well as burger and hot dog buns, bagels, and flatbread. We want to say THANK YOU to Pepperidge Farm for helping us give our seniors the foods needed for a well-balanced diet.

January's Delivery Day!

We’re happy to report that we had another successful delivery day this weekend! The Friday before delivery day is always busy and exciting, sorting and preparing all the nonperishable foods, meats, produce, and gifts. With the help of a great group of high school students from Glenbard South High School’s National Honor Society, we were able to sort all the produce so that each senior was able to receive a custom order! A big thank you to those students! We would have been here all night without your help!

Saturday morning was frigid and snowy, but our dedicated volunteer drivers pulled in with smiles on their faces. Some even brought hot chocolate to share with the other volunteers and staff, and as a special treat, one driver brought doughnuts! That certainly made the morning brighter and warmer.

One by one the cars were loaded up and the drivers headed off to deliver food and gifts to the seniors on their lists! When all was said and done we had delivered to 116 seniors. Each senior received 5 bags of nonperishable foods, 7 selections of frozen meat, 9 varieties of fresh vegetables, and 9 varieties of fruits, along with 3 bags of paper products and personal care items, plus their Secret Pal gifts! Thanks to a donation we received, we were even able to deliver a flat screen TV to one of our grateful seniors! Thank you to everyone involved for your hard work and commitment to helping HSP and our very special seniors!

(Pictured from top to bottom, listed from left to right: Glenbard South High School's National Honor Society; Volunteers Steve Stasiak, Carole Kimmey, Ruby Feeley, Aaron Kunamalla, Dawn Spiewak, Dave Swiston, Bob Petersen, Sergio Murillo, and Jim Hebert; Volunteers Carole Kimmey, Kelly Moody, and Ruby Feeley)

D-day Incoming

Tomorrow is the first delivery day of this year. 120 seniors enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project will receive fresh produce picked out individually just for them, frozen meats, assortment of breads, and gifts given to them by their Secret Pals. The Humanitarian Service Project would like to thank everyone who contributes to our projects. You make such a tremendous difference in the lives of seniors living in poverty in the DuPage County. Thank You.

Plunging Paper Product Supplies!

The Humanitarian Service Project is experiencing an extreme shortage in various paper products. When most individuals contemplate donating supplies to those that are in need; food and clothing are the initial ideas that spring to mind. Paper products, such as paper towels, Kleenex, and toilet paper, are often not considered. Because of this, HSP’s paper product shelves are becoming sparse. PLEASE assist HSP in their collection of paper products for those seniors enrolled in the Senior Citizen Project!!

 

WELCOME Katie!!!

WELCOME,

HSP would like to introduce to everyone, one of our newest interns, Katie Springfield. Katie is currently a graduate student at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. When Katie graduates in 2012 she will have a degree in Forensic Psychology and she plans on continuing her schooling to achieve a 2^nd degree in Clinical Psychology.

After Katie graduates, she hopes to work as prison Psychologist helping prisoners rehabilitate and learn anger management skills. Katie would also like to work within her community assisting individuals who are victims of domestic violence.

We, at HSP feel very fortunate to have Katie volunteering with us! We welcome Katie and look forward to spending the next 6 months with her. WELCOME Katie!!!

Welcome, Navya!

We’d like to introduce you to our newest intern, Navya Samson! Navya is a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago, but has decided to take an extra year of classes so that she can pursue a double major. When Navya graduates next year she will have degrees in Sociology and Anthropology.

Navya came to HSP because she wanted to do some work with a non-profit organization and thought it would be a good experience to be able to help people so close to home. Navya was born in India and lived there until she was 12 when her family moved to Illinois. She likes that HSP is helping the neighbors around her.

After she graduates, Navya wants to pursue a Graduate Degree in International Relations. She hopes to eventually work for an organization that will allow her to travel the world while helping others. Whatever she does, she wants to be able to enjoy her job while having time for her hobbies, which include reading and traveling.

We’re so glad to welcome Navya to HSP and look forward to all the wonderful help she will provide us. This is only her second week and she’s already jumping in with both feet and a big smile!

Charity Navigator's 4-Star Rating

Last year HSP learned that we received the coveted Charity Navigator’s 4-star rating for sound fiscal management for the 6th consecutive year. “Charity Navigator, American’s premier charity evaluator, highlights the fine work of efficient charities…and provides donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make,” according to Charity Navigator’s President, Ken Berger.

Receiving this honor for the 6th consecutive year puts HSP in the top 3% of charities evaluated by the premier online evaluator. The designation makes us so proud and we want everyone who works with us or is considering working with us to know that we are worthy of your trust. We are confident that we will continue to achieve this high honor. We want to thank all of you who support us and assure you that we will continue to be fiscally responsible in spending the hard-earned dollars you donate to us.

Arts and Crafts for Older Kids

Earlier this month we told you about our need for new toys for older children, ages 8-12. Through the Children’s Birthday Project, HSP sponsors children ages 3-12, and while we receive many donations from our great supporters, there always seems to be a shortage of gifts for the older kids.

We gave you some ideas of gifts for boys and girls ages 8-12, but we’ve had a few questions about what kinds of craft items we could use. We thought we’d give you some great ideas that we’ve seen before and seem to be a big hit!

Whether you buy single items or get creative and put together a craft kit, the list of items below will give you ideas on some great gifts for older children!

 Sketchbook, watercolor pad, drawing paper, tracing paper, canvas panels
 Drawing pencils, mechanical pencils
 Watercolor pencils
 Markers
 Watercolor sets like Crayola Washable Water Color Set
 Acrylic paint set
 Brushes/brush set
 Paint by number set
 Sidewalk chalk
 Pastels
 Calligraphy & lettering sets
 Art instruction books such as how-to draw and paint books
 Construction paper
 Dream catcher kits
 Cray-pas
 Coloring books
 Fabric stickers and items to decorate such as canvas bags, aprons, etc.
 Crayola Fabric Crayons or Markers
 Air-dry or modeling clay
 Rubber stamp kits
 Scrapbooks and supplies like paper, art punches, ribbons, stickers, embellishment charms
 Pom-poms, googly eyes, pipe cleaners wavy craft scissors, buttons, spools, sticky gems or dots, felt squares
 Glue pens or sticks
 Loop and loom sets to make potholders
 Craft sticks
 Bead kits
 Sand art kits
 Unfinished ornaments to decorate
 Sewing or needlecraft kits
 Origami projects
 Photo frame decorating supplies

Not snow, nor sleet, nor freezing rain will keep us away!

This morning brought yet another slippery and slushy commute, but that didn’t stop us from opening up and doing the work we love to do, especially with the monthly senior food deliveries coming up on Saturday.

But there was still the issue of all that snow and slush this morning that someone had to shovel. So how could we resist but to rush out and take a picture of Karole Kettering, Founder and Executive Director, shovel in hand, clearing the sidewalk with the help of Alex Gordy, our Database Administrator. A little while later Karole’s husband, Floyd, our CFO and Co-Founder, was out there taking a turn too! Karole and Floyd are always stressing teamwork, and today they really led by example!

We wish you all a safe commute and happy winter travels. Stay safe and take some time to enjoy the winter weather.

Thank YOU!

The Seniors and Families we serve are very grateful for not only the material items they receive, but also for the love and support they are shown. We know this because we get so many wonderful phone calls, cards and letters from them expressing their gratitude. Many of our seniors send “thank you” notes to their Secret Pals or their delivery drivers, but we also want to share their gratitude with you. So many of you give your time and talents, or you may have given donations that go to fill in when a Secret Pal isn’t available or able to bring in a gift. We want to make sure you all know how much you’re appreciated and what a group effort serving our seniors and families through the Senior Citizen Project and the Christmas Offering is.

Here are some examples of things that were written in a recent batch of cards and letters:

One note from a senior stated, “Thank you for the gift card, you have no idea how much it helps and is so appreciated. Thank the Lord for the people like you who make a difference in someone’s life.”
Another note asked us to pass along thanks, “Please thank my secret pal for the wonderful gifts and thank the other people who brought meals. They were so wonderful and delicious.”
In a note to her secret pal a senior expressed her thanks for the gifts she received and said, “The gifts were delivered on December 14 which is my birthday and I felt doubly blessed.”

So now you can see just how grateful our seniors are to have such caring people on their side. Everyone who gives, whether it’s time, money, or items, helps our seniors and families in one way or another, so thank you! You are appreciated.

Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day we have a special group of people volunteering with us. Organizing for America, an organization in support of President Obama’s initiatives, decided to send some of its members to HSP to give back to the community today. In 1994 President Clinton signed legislation challenging Americans to honor the late Dr. King by making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a day of service. Organizing for America certainly stepped up to the challenge today! Sean Schindl, the Regional Field Director, along with about 20 of the organization’s members, came out in the cold and snow this morning to help inventory and organize all the extra and late toys that came in for Christmas. The toys are being sorted and will be used for the Children’s Birthday Project.

Organizing for America isn’t new to HSP. They gave quite a bit of their time to us over the Christmas season, helping to organize and sort the gifts for the Christmas Offering and to hand out food and gifts on pick-up days. Their many members took turns coming in for different days and shifts, and really made things easier on us by giving their time to ensure that everything would run smoothly during the busy holiday season. Thank you, Organizing for America, for honoring the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and for giving so freely to HSP. We appreciate everything you’ve done for us!

HAPPY Birthday

Today, HSP is celebrating the birthday of a special man. He is a great leader, a loyal co-founder, a loving husband, a caring father, a wonderful grandfather, and a dear friend. Mr. Floyd Kettering, the co-founder of HSP, has recently retired from the Theosophical Society. Greatly respected there, he and the society commemorated his dedication over 37 years to make his retirement a successful and a touching event. And today, we are commemorating and celebrating a different event – his 70th birthday.

Floyd Kettering, with his wife Karole, built the Humanitarian Service Project from the ground up. Over the past 32 years, HSP has grown to serve 120 low-income seniors who receive fresh produce every month and over 700 children born into poverty in the DuPage County. Just as these 700 children feel special on their birthdays due to HSP’s commitment to bring an unforgettable birthday to them, we want to make Floyd’s birthday as special and unforgettable.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Floyd. From all of us at HSP, we wish you a very happy birthday, good health, happiness, love, joy, money, and a special wish coming true for every candle in your birthday cake.

Buy a BRICK from HSP!!

The Humanitarian Service is tremendously grateful for the vast amount of donations that are generously given to our not for profit charity. It is with a hopeful and thankful heart that we ask for support with our Buy a Brick program. The donation will become a permanent fixture within the front entrance sidewalk of HSP. Not only will this brick serve as a stepping stone, this donation would work ideally as memorial or as a gift in recognition of a loved one. Your brick can be engraved with a name, business, special date, or a message. Your brick may have up to 2 lines containing 20 characters, .4” height.

Yes, I’ll buy a Brick!

If you would like to make an influential impression on our organization and help our Building fund, donating $500 for the purchase of a Brick would be significant. This $500 tax-deductible donation can be submitted in one sum; or with a deposit of $50, we will send you a payment book for 18 monthly payments of $25 each.

Kiwanis Club of Villa Park

Yesterday we introduced you to Paul Yambrovich, our new Community Outreach Coordinator. Well Paul is jumping right into his new position and, along with our CFO and Co-Founder, Floyd Kettering, took an early morning trip to talk to the members of the Kiwanis Club of Villa Park at their monthly meeting. The main purpose of the trip was to thank the Kiwanis Club of Villa Park for their continued sponsorship, but while at the meeting, Floyd was presented with a check by Vice President, Dan Krause, and Treasurer, Irene Shaffer. The Kiwanis Club of Villa Park donated $800.00 for the co-sponsorship of 2 seniors in the Senior Citizen Project and $104.00 for the sponsorship of 2 children in the Children’s Birthday Project.

The Kiwanis Club of Villa Park has been generously helping HSP for over 10 years. In order to be able to support HSP and the various other organizations they support, the Kiwanis Club of Villa Park holds several fundraising events each year. This year they will be holding a bowling fundraiser, a golf outing, a battle of the bands, and the Kiwanis Peanut Day, among other events.

We want the Kiwanis Club of Villa Park to know how very grateful we are for their continued support, so from everyone here to everyone there, THANK YOU!

Why We Love Judi and Cindy

If it seems like we’re doing a lot of writing about our volunteers it’s because we are – we just have so many wonderful people giving us their time and talents, and they often go unrecognized. We want to make sure you know that we couldn’t do all we do without them!

This morning we want to tell you about two of our Wednesday volunteers, Judi Simon and Cindy Fabbri. Judi and Cindy come in each week to do whatever kind of sorting is needed to prepare for the monthly holiday delivery for seniors. Today they’re back in the Secret Pal room inventorying all the extra gifts so that when it’s time to see which seniors didn’t get a Secret Pal gift it will be easier to find something suitable for them. Next week they’ll probably be pulling those gifts for the January 22 delivery. Other weeks you’ll find them sorting food for the seniors.

Judi has been volunteering regularly for almost 7 years, and has been a senior sponsor for over 15 years! She started out volunteering around the holidays after reading a newspaper article about HSP but wanted to do more once she stopped working. She’s always had an interest in helping seniors and enjoys doing a variety of things for HSP. Sometimes she helps sort toys and even brings home bags of them to wrap.

Cindy has been giving us her time for over a year now. She was looking for a volunteer opportunity and found us on the website for “Giving DuPage.” She started coming around the holidays and really enjoyed being a part of the Christmas Offering. She came back to help with the Christmas gift sorting and delivery again this year. Cindy also sponsors 4 children through the Children’s Birthday Project. When asked what she likes most about coming Cindy stated, “Christmas is a lot of fun, but so is the senior gift and food sorting. Plus I get to share recipes with Judi every week!” Sounds good to us! We’re so glad they keep coming back.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to Judi and Cindy for their hard work and dedication to HSP! We appreciate all you do!

Happy Birthday, Paul!

As the Children’s Birthday Project may have led you to believe, we love birthdays! So when one of us here at HSP has a birthday, we celebrate! Today we are celebrating the birthday of one of our newest staff members, Paul Yambrovich. Paul was recently hired as our Community Outreach Coordinator, but he isn’t new to HSP. Paul has been volunteering for the past 25 years, helping out when needed, but primarily around the holidays. Paul’s experience is in marketing and sales, and we’re so excited to have his expertise. We look forward to all the great connections Paul will be making and maintaining for us.

To celebrate Paul’s birthday, the entire staff along with two of our volunteers ate a delicious lunch from Jimmy John’s. As with any good party, we had party hats and balloons, and finished the meal with cake, ice-cream, and a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” Happy Birthday, Paul, and welcome to the HSP team! We’re so glad to have you!

Thanks to Ginna Ericksen

Yesterday we told you about our need for Secret Pals. Today we’re going to introduce to you a dedicated volunteer behind the scenes, Ginna Ericksen. Ginna is our primary coordinator for the Secret Pals program.

Ginna began working with HSP as a Girl Scout Leader. Years earlier she had read a newspaper article about HSP and its founder, Karole Kettering, and when she was looking for organizations for her Troop to work with she remembered HSP and contacted Karole. The rest is history!

Ginna’s Girl Scout Troop did a lot of work with HSP so in 2007 when her son, Nick, needed to do an internship she naturally thought of HSP. While Nick was interning he had to make phone calls to find volunteer drivers for the monthly senior delivery, and he called his mom. She agreed, and during the delivery she learned about the Secret Pals program. Ginna, along with her daughter Emily, who was 11 at the time, decided to become Secret Pals and have been enjoying their duties together ever since.

After becoming a Secret Pal Ginna decided to do a little more by coming in and helping to sort and ready the gifts for delivery. Last spring she became the primary coordinator for the Secret Pal program. You can often find her in the little glass Secret Pal room, either sorting gifts or plugging away with wishlists and requests.

If you’re wondering what it takes to coordinate the Secret Pals program, it all starts when someone asks to become a Secret Pal. Ginna matches Secret Pals with the seniors who don’t already have one. She maintains wishlists for the seniors and gives each Secret Pal either a wishlist from the senior, or a list of general ideas. Each month when the gifts come in, Ginna organizes them on the shelves in the Secret Pal room and gets them ready for delivery day. If a senior doesn’t have a Secret Pal or a Secret Pal misses a month, Ginna makes every effort to ensure each senior gets something from the stockpile of small gifts or toiletries that HSP keeps.

In addition to involving Nick and Emily, Ginna’s daughter, Melissa, also did an internship with HSP last summer. Volunteering with HSP has really become a family activity for Ginna and her children! For all that Ginna, Nick, Melissa, and Emily do, we show our gratitude with a great big THANK YOU!!!

15 Secret Pals Needed!

Do you know about our Secret Pals program for seniors?

Each month, when we deliver food to our needy seniors, we also deliver gifts from their “Secret Pals.” We match seniors up with Secret Pals and give each Secret Pal a wishlist from the senior along with a profile of that senior. The wishlist is a list of items that the senior would like, but can’t afford to buy. We ask that Secret Pals to purchase monthly items between $5 and $25 in value and either deliver or mail the gifts to us at HSP. When we package up the food for the senior delivery day each month we include any Secret Pal gifts. This gift not only gives the seniors a fun surprise, but also lets them know that someone cares for them and is thinking of them.

In order to become a Secret Pal we ask that you commit to bringing or mailing in a small gift once a month, before delivery day. If you’re worried that getting here once a month might become too hectic, you also have the option of bringing in several months’ worth of gifts at once, and we will be sure to distribute the gifts for the appropriate months. Another option is to send in a gift card as your gift for the month.

If you’re looking for examples of the types of items that may be on wishlists, they include: towels, washcloths, picture frames, sponges, cleaning supplies, slippers, sunglasses, hats, socks, moisturizing lotion, sunscreen, stationary, crafts, and puzzles.

We currently need 15 people to sponsor our seniors as Secret Pals in order to have a Secret Pal for each one of our seniors. If you are interested in becoming a Secret Pal or would like more information, please call Sarah Grindstaff, our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator at 630-221-8340, or email her at scp@humanitarianservice.org. The Secret Pal program is very rewarding. Your senior will feel good, and so will you!