Thank you Volt!

Humanitarian Service Project would like to extend a big thank you to a group from Volt, a workforce management company in Downers Grove, who volunteered their time to wrap gifts for the needy children served by our Children’s Birthday Project. The group of thirteen took more than two hours out of their busy work schedules and helped us wrap gifts for thirty five needy children. When you take into account that each child receives between 4-10 new toys, 5-7 books, numerous smaller gifts, school supplies and party supplies, wrapping all the gifts for thirty five children is no small undertaking. These Volt volunteers even donated the wrapping paper and ribbon they used to wrap the gifts. Again, we’d like to thank this wonderful group from Volt for spending part of their day helping us reach children in need.

This fantastic show of support from Volt comes at a very important time. In order to devote the energy necessary to serving the needy seniors and families in our programs during the months leading up to our Christmas Offering, it is important for us to get a leg up on wrapping birthday gifts for needy children with winter birthdays as soon as possible. The assistance of this group from Volt, and many of our other volunteer wrappers has enabled us to do just that. If you too would like to be involved in HSP’s Children’s Birthday Project, either as a volunteer wrapper or in some other way, you can learn more about it on our website: http://humanitarianservice.org/.

HSP Salutes our Super Speakers!

Today, Humanitarian Service Project was pleased to host four members of our volunteer speaker team at our center in Carol Stream; in order to show our appreciation for all that they have done for the project. We had a wonderful time sitting down to lunch with them, catching up with them, and talking about the goings on at HSP. We want to thank speakers Georgeann Georges, Leslie Ronson-Brown, Beth Danna, and Christine Potthoff for attending the event, as well as, all of the other members of the team for being such huge supporters of HSP.

The speakers play an incredibly important role for HSP because, as HSP Co-founder and CFO Floyd Kettering said at the event, “[they] really are the face of HSP to the community.” The speakers represent HSP in front of community groups, schools, businesses, etc., to educate them about HSP’s programs. Every member of our speaker team has been of invaluable assistance by keeping the community engaged in HSP’s mission to serve senior citizens and families who are suffering under the burden of poverty, in our community. We were delighted to have the opportunity today to recognize them for all their hard work.

If representing HSP in the community as a member of our speaker team sounds like something you’d be interested in, it is a great way to utilize your talents to help HSP serve the needy seniors and families in our programs. Please contact us at 630-221-8340 for more information.

Birthday Gifts and Bread for Lake Park Elementary

Earlier this week, a van full of birthday boxes for the needy children with October birthdays Lake Park Elementary was delivered from our center in Carol Stream to the school. HSP is very happy to be partnered with Lake Park Elementary as we know the need there is so great. 88% of students qualify for free or subsidized lunches. Earlier this year HSP was able to adopt all of these needy children into our Children’s Birthday Project. Each child in the Children’s Birthday Project Birthday Box includes a 20-25 pound package containing 4-10 toys, 5-7 books, numerous smaller “filler gifts,” school supplies, and all of the supplies necessary to hold a memorable birthday party.

HSP would like to thank volunteer Steve Stasiak, who volunteered his to make this delivery to Lake Park Elementary, in order to help us make these children’s (birth)days!

In addition to the boxes, HSP was also able to donate upwards of 24 boxes of Pepperidge Farm bread to Lake Park Elementary. This bread will be distributed to needy families with children at the school.

Friend of the project Jeff Marker, with the van packed full of gifts and bread that was delivered to Lake Park Elementary earlier this week.)

It is the support of our numerous volunteers and donors that has enabled HSP to make this difference in the lives of the needy children at Lake Park, and all of the other children served by our project. If you too would be interested in being involved in this project, you can learn more at our website: http://humanitarianservice.org/.

Thank You Young Men’s Service League

Humanitarian Service Project would like to extend a huge thank you to the Carol Stream “Panther” Chapter of the Young Men’s Service League for holding and donating a large toy drive for the sake of the needy children served by our Children’s Birthday Project. The donation was dropped off at our center in Carol Stream earlier today by Debbie Finnegan, and, let us tell you, it was quite the impressive drive. Debbie’s van was completely filled with wonderful gifts including many heavily needed items like board games and sports equipment.

The Young Men’s Service League is an organization with chapters in five different states, in which mothers and their sons engage in service and make donations to benefit the needy of their communities. The Carol Stream chapter has been very active in assisting HSP this year, and has shown particular devotion to helping us reach the needy children served by our Children’s Birthday Project. Several members volunteered their time on two different days in the month of July to help sort gifts for the project, and numerous other members helped out in May during the annual Stamp out Hunger food drive. We wish to thank them again, for all this phenomenal support.

This fantastic toy drive from the Young Men’s Service League comes in a great time, as we at HSP are just beginning to prepare for the Christmas season. Not only are we committed to providing gifts to help make birthdays special for the 888 children ages 3-11 in our Children’s Birthday Project, but they, along with their siblings up to age 15, receive gifts at Christmas time as well. Toy donations, such as this one, are what continue to allow HSP to reach out to these needy children and help them feel special. If you would be interested in helping HSP’s Children’s Birthday Project, or one of our other projects, you can learn more at our website: http://humanitarianservice.org or call us at 630-221-8340. 

Allured Business Media Donates $10,000 to HSP’s Senior Citizen Project!

HSP would like to thank everyone at Allured Business Media, who generously donated all the proceeds from their Charity Garage Sale to HSP for their Senior Citizen Project.  Today, Allured representative Anita Singh presented HSP with a series of checks totaling $10,000.

From Left: HSP Co-founders Floyd and Karole Kettering, Anita  Singh from Allured, and HSP Assistant Director Kristin Maxwell.

On September 7^th and 8^th, the Carol Stream company held their garage sale in their warehouse, at 336 Gunderson Drive, Suite A. After the dust settled, $5,000 came in from the sale, and was generously matched, dollar for dollar, by Allured! The funds received represent two thirds of a full endowment to enroll a new senior into our program. Thanks to another recent partial endowment, HSP is close enough now to increase our program by one new senior. This means that there will be a permanent slot for another senior in our program forever.

Furthermore, many items that were not sold at the sale were donated to HSP to help fulfill the needs of the impoverished seniors served by HSP.  Each senior in the Senior Citizen Project has an individual wishlist consisting of household items that they need to make their lives easier, but they cannot afford.  Allured generously donated many such items that were not sold at the garage sale, including vacuums, TVs, and a computer. These items were delivered to the seniors as part of our Senior Delivery Day this past Saturday.

Our Senior Citizen Project helps impoverished seniors in DuPage and Kane Counties by providing a monthly 90 pound delivery of groceries, non-perishables, paper supplies, and toiletries. 

HSP would like to specifically recognize Allured President Jan Ludwig for organizing the event. HSP is very grateful to Allured for everything they have done, both for HSP and for the needy seniors they have helped!

Senior Delivery Day is Right Around the Corner

Once again HSP is gearing up for our monthly, Senior Citizen Project delivery day, which is happening tomorrow, the 22^nd of September. On our delivery days our volunteer delivery drivers personally deliver 90 pounds of fresh fruits, crisp vegetables, non-perishable food, frozen meat, bread, paper products, personal care items, and a gift from a “secret pal” to each of the 120 needy seniors served by our project.

 

Today was a very happening day around HSP as we prepared for tomorrow’s event. We would like to recognize our dedicated volunteers Steve Stasiak and Mike Reich for picking up the Pepperidge Farm bread for our seniors. We would also like to thank all of the volunteers who came, on short notice no less, to help us sort the fresh fruits and vegetables we ordered from Caputo’s. These friends of the project; Gretchen Van Dyn, Sandra Burke, Peter Stepaniuk, Linda Krieger, Mark Pierce, Marilyn Kinney, Dawn Spiewak, and Mary Persinger, were all smiles despite the gloomy weather.  Everyone today did a smashing job and once again thank you for coming in last minute and helping out.

We would also like to acknowledge Rose Garcia, founder of the DuPage County chapter of Birthday Cakes 4 Free, who brought eight lovely cakes donated from Whole Foods for our seniors with birthdays this month.

If you are interested in being involved in our senior delivery days there are numerous ways for you to join in. Please feel free to call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org with any questions. 

McGladrey Charity Night

On Tuesday night, our very own Assistant Director, Kristin Maxwell, attended the McGladrey Charity Night for their Accounting Senior Associates and Supervisors. McGladrey, the fifth largest U.S. provider of assurance, tax and consulting services, had a rather large group of roughly 175 people come to donate gifts to HSP’s Children’s Birthday Project. Everyone wrapped their gifts while having some fun watching the Cubs and Reds baseball game at the Fox River Ballroom in the Q Center. Overall 97 gifts were donated and wrapped, ready to go to a great group of children, aged 8-11! 

This is the third time in the past few months McGladrey has hosted an event like this to benefit HSP,  as Kristin attended similar events in June and July. We would like to thank McGladrey for all that you’ve helped donate to HSP and our Children’s’ Birthday Project. We also want to specifically thank Chunna Yan and Donie McDermott for organizing this event series and supporting HSP. Because of groups like this one, we are continually able to help needy children feel special on their birthdays. We currently have 888 impoverished children participating in the Children’s Birthday Project, and every gift that we receive truly makes a child’s birthday fantastic! If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of the needy children we serve, check out our website for more information: https://www.humanitarianservice.org/, or call us at, (630)-221-8340.