The doors didn’t open until 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Odeum Sports & Expo Center in Villa Park, but the line started forming at 6:45, and by 8, several dozen people were ready and waiting. By 10:30, the line snaked around the building.
No, this was not a camp-out-early-to-get-tickets occasion. This was the 6th Annual Back to School Fair geared toward helping low-income DuPage County families get the medical care and school supplies they need for their children.
“We’re one of the wealthiest counties in the country, but we have almost 10,000 school-aged children who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, and we know a lot of them have trouble (affording) the shots and physical exams they need for school,” said Shirl Kowski, who coordinated the event for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet.
Children whose families met the income requirement–$2,474 a month or less for a family of four–could get their shots, dental and eye exams and lead screening test for free. School physicals were also available, but required an appointment.
As his little sister watched intently, Frankie Velasco, going into 5th grade, stoically got a test for tuberculosis and then a hepatitis B shot. His younger brother, Carlos, only needed a hepatitis B shot.
“I took him to the doctor for his exam, and then they told me he needed a shot and it would be $30,” their mother, Michelle, said, gesturing toward one of her sons. “I said no, we couldn’t afford that.”
She inadvertently found out about the fair when she called township offices, trying to find where she could get a crib for a new baby due in December. “They told me about this,” she said.
A family with two children could save up to $400 by receiving services at the fair, according to Kowski.
In addition, children needing further attention were referred to agencies that provide low cost or free services. An hour after he got his shot and exams, Frankie was brimming with excitement over the prospect of getting glasses through the DuPage County Health Department.
“The lady said we’d probably have to wait a while when we go there but that I could get them (glasses). She said it would be free. My eyes hurt sometimes, I’m really happy,” he said.
Carolina, a little girl of about 4 or 5, wiggled in the dental chair and shook her head when dentist Suzanne Mahoney asked if she spoke English. So Mahoney leaned close and started talking to her gently in Spanish. Carolina then opened wide, as Mahoney exclaimed “muy bien, muy bien!”
Mahoney, with a private practice in Aurora, was one of seven dentists and about 10 hygienists volunteering their services. In addition to the mouth exams, children could get mouthguards, molded on-site, which normally cost a minimum of $35 and can go as high as $250.
“My mom is a foster parent, and she knows how hard it is sometimes to get (medical) care, so that’s how I got started doing this,” Mahoney said. “I’ve been here almost from the beginning.”
“A lot of people don’t know where to even start. They can get a lot of information here as well as the services. And with transportation being so bad in DuPage, we decided to do everything on one day,” she said. Last year, about 1,000 families with 1,998 children came to the fair.
Altogether, 60 agencies were on hand to provide direct services and information. People could sign up for computer training classes at the Peoples Resource Center booth, get information on topics ranging from nutrition to housing and pick up children’s books available from the School Recycling Assistance Program.
The final back-to-school step was the last stop of the fair: a long-stemmed carnation for the moms (or other adult bringing children) and a hefty package of school supplies for the children.
“We get glue, pencils, a spiral notebook, paper, crayons, pencils, an eraser, lots of stuff,” said Frankie.
“I was really happy when we got out of school, but yeah, I’m happy to be going back.”
