Jay Stream Middle School Raises $140 to Help Needy Seniors

Earlier this week, HSP received a donation from the Student Council of Jay Stream Middle School, right here in Carol Stream. These students heard about the great needs of the seniors in our Senior Citizen Project from their advisor Kelly Colucci, and this inspired them to hold a fundraiser to support the project. These student council members were able to raise, and donate, $140 through the admission proceeds from a “Fun Night” for the sixth graders at the school.

Because the sixth graders could not attend a dance held for the seventh and eighth graders, the student council put together this event for the sixth graders. This money will help HSP purchase nutritious food like fresh fruits and vegetables, to provide the seniors in our program with the healthy diet they need. With 121 needy seniors receiving 100 lbs. of groceries each month through the Senior Citizen Project, it is great to see young people, like the members of Jay Stream’s student council, doing their part to help reach out to those in need in the community. While today, most area students are taking a well deserved rest at the tail end of their spring break, Humanitarian Service Project would like to take the opportunity to recognize these young, local students for stepping up to help HSP serve needy senior citizens.

If you too would like to help HSP make an impact in the lives of needy senior citizens, you can learn how to lend a hand on our website: http://humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index.html.

HSP Says Goodbye to a Great Intern

Rosie

Today, at the Humanitarian Service Project, we are bidding farewell to one of the members of our bright, intern team. Rosie Bruns, our marketing intern, has completed her internship as of today, and will be moving on to new endeavors. By finishing her internship, Rosie, a senior at Northern Michigan University, has now officially fulfilled the requirements for her degree in Communication Studies. In her time here, Rosie has done great work for the sake of the needy seniors and families we serve, and she has been quite the cheerful presence around the HSP Center.

During her internship, Rosie lent her support by connecting HSP with schools, churches, and other community groups, informing them about ways they could help HSP in fulfilling the needs of those served by our programs. Rosie’s efforts have contributed greatly in bringing in many donations of non-perishable foods and paper products for the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. She has also lent her support to a number of other projects, including contributing to this very blog. Everyone at HSP is sad to see Rosie go, and we wish her the best in all her future endeavors as she embarks on this exciting, new, post-collegiate stage of her life.

High Five for this Drive!

Humanitarian Service Project would like to take a moment and thank the fantastic student body from Harrison Street School in Geneva. The school ran a generous drive for HSP by collecting both paper products and food items, which are both greatly needed in order for us to serve our needy seniors. This morning our volunteer, Jeff Marker, kindly picked up the wonderful donation. The students collected 10 boxes worth of various non-perishable food items and paper products, mostly consisting of toilet paper!

This food and paper drive, hosted by Harrison Street School, has helped HSP in such a big way and will greatly benefit our needy seniors! To add to the celebration, the school was able to collect enough party supplies and decorations to put together 4 Party-In-A-Bag Kits that will help several needy children in the Children’s Birthday Project! HSP would like to thank Harrison Street School for their teamwork and generosity in putting this drive together and creating such a successful outcome!

If you would like to host a food drive or paper drive to help HSP serve the needy seniors of DuPage and Kane Counties, please give us a call at (630)221-8340 or e-mail us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org. 

Two New Interns Join HSP!

Yesterday, HSP was happy to welcome new intern Michael Thurston onto the team. Michael is currently a senior at North Central College, majoring in Sociology. Michael joins us as a general intern, and, in this capacity, he will be assisting HSP in a number of different projects including interviewing the needy seniors we served for our annual updates on their status. Michael comes onboard our intern team already having some familiarity with HSP and our programs. A few years ago, as a student at College of DuPage, Michael did community service hours with us as part of the College’s Service Learning program. Michael is planning on applying to work with AmeriCorps after he graduates, and eventually intends to get a Masters Degree in Social Work. These goals, and his strong drive to serve others, are what guided Michael to want to join the HSP team. He says that going on a service trip to the Gulf Coast shortly after Hurricane Katrina is what inspired him to dedicate himself to serving others. Michael is also heavily involved with Habitat for Humanity, and even went to Guatemala last summer to help build houses in a remote village. With such a clear passion for service, Michael certainly fits in well here at HSP, and we are glad to welcome him to the team.

          Then today HSP added another bright intern to the team, Byron McGuire. A recent graduate from Elmhurst College, who discovered HSP at the Elmhurst College Job Fair only a few weeks ago, Byron will be working as a Grant Writing Intern. Byron graduated with an English Degree, making him the ideal candidate for writing up and applying for the necessary grants Humanitarian Service Project needs to be a success in helping serve the needy seniors and children of DuPage and Kane Counties. Byron has been interested in the non-profit world for quite some time, seeing as he was involved with First Church’s Outreach House, helping with children, and participating in a monthly food drive. Outside his interest in service, Byron reaches out to many others in his spare time with his very own Youtube channel, where he applies his more creative writing skills by sharing his poetry. Byron’s goal, after HSP, is to find a career that he really enjoys.

        Both Michael and Byron have expressed excitement in starting their internships, and we at HSP are grateful to be able to have them join our team. Please join us in welcoming them to HSP.

A Donation Stuffed Full of Care

Late last week, Humanitarian Service Project received a donation that was both thoughtful and unbearably cute. St. Raphael Catholic Church, in Naperville, made and donated 160 soft and cuddly teddy bears for the needy children in our Children’s Birthday Project. The bears, which came in the form of regular teddy bears, panda bears, and koalas, were made by St. Raphael’s parishioners as part of a church-wide weekend of service last month. These adorable teddy bears are only the most recent donation from the members of St. Raphael, who have been very active and generous in helping us fulfill the needs of the impoverished seniors and children served by our programs. Last month, as part of the same weekend of service, the parishioners from the church wrapped the gifts for 25 of the needy children in our Children’s Birthday Project and made kits full of personal care items, for the needy seniors we serve.

            These donated teddy bears will become part of the 20-25 lb. “Birthday Boxes” received by the 900 needy children in our project. Each box contains 6-10 new gifts, 6 books, school supplies, numerous smaller “filler gifts,” a “party in a box” kit full of party supplies, and, of course, a stuffed animal. HSP wishes to thank St. Raphael Church for these bears, and their continued support in helping us make birthdays special for needy children. If you too are interested in our Children’s Birthday Project, you can learn the many ways you can lend a hand on our website: http://humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/bdayproject.html.  

Serve a Senior as a Secret Pal!

Humanitarian Service Project is looking for supporters willing to participate in our Secret Pal program. This program is part of our Senior Citizen Project, which serves 121 seniors suffering under poverty. Struggling to afford necessary expenses like rent, or medical costs, these seniors have to go without purchasing items that could make their lives easier, or provide them comfort. Participants in the Secret Pal program sign up to buy a $5-$25 gift for their senior each month, which is delivered to the seniors with the 100 lb. delivery of nutritious groceries they receive from our program each month.

            Here is how you can help! There are a number of seniors in our program who are currently without Secret Pals. Signing up for the program is a way for you to provide a heartfelt service to a senior in need. When you sign up, HSP will assign you a needy senior, and give you a list of items that senior has personally requested, as well as other great gift ideas. Many of our current secret pals have a lot of fun with the project, getting creative with the items they buy, or with packaging the gifts. Or, if coming to our Carol Stream Center monthly is not easy for you, several secret pals mail in gifts, like gift cards, to their pals.          

           HSP receives a great deal of feedback from the needy seniors in our project, expressing gratitude for their secret pals. One senior wrote in, “Words cannot express my gratitude for all you [her Secret Pal] do for me.” Another senior said, “To see that I am cared for through your thoughtful gifts, never fails to make my day brighter.” If fulfilling a need in the life of a needy senior in this way, sounds like something you would be interested in, please consider signing up as a secret pal. Call HSP at 630-221-8340, or check out our website for more info: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/secretpals.html. 

 

Happy Birthdays Come from California!

One of the kits donated by the Girl Scout Troop 60027

Today we at Humanitarian Service Project would like to share a story with you showing how generosity and giving know no borders. Yesterday we were delighted to receive a donation from Girl Scout Troop 60027 all the way from Los Altos, California. Joanne Griffis, a leader of the troop, happened upon our website, and thought making some Party in a Box kits for needy children, would be a perfect service project for her scouts. The girls obviously loved the idea as well, because yesterday we received 4 beautiful boxes that had just made the whopping 2, 146 mile journey from Los Altos, to our center in Carol Stream!

            The four wonderful kits made by these sunny, Californian scouts, were chalk full of all the supplies needed to throw exciting and memorable birthday parties. They contained cake mix, frosting, plates, napkins, cups, streamers, party hats, candles, balloons, and various other party favors. These kits will supply four of the needy kids in our Children’s Birthday Project with the special birthday parties they deserve. We want to thank these Girls Scouts for sending their generosity, and these kits, across state lines to help us make a difference in the lives of needy children!

            HSP serves more than 900 needy children with a 20-25 pound birthday box full or new toys, boxes, and party kits, like these. If you, like this great group of Girl Scouts from California, would like to be involved in helping HSP make this all happen, you can learn more at our website: www.humanitarianservice.org.