Jenny Elliott knows something about disappointment. When the Lake Forest High School senior was diagnosed with scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine) two years ago, the world she knew came to an end.
Elliott, who was on the school’s gymnastics and tennis teams, said she was given the distressing news that she would no longer be able to play competitive sports.
“It was a big shock,” she said. “At the time I didn’t understand why this happened to me.”
Elliott had spinal fusion surgery in the summer of 1997; two steel rods were placed in her spine. Undaunted, Elliott immediately set a goal of getting healthy for the start of the school year. “I tried not to focus on the pain,” she said of her coping strategy. “I looked past it and was optimistic about my recovery.”
Today the 18-year-old said time has healed her for the most part and provided a new outlook on the importance of giving back.
“I always had an inner urge to help people,” she said. “I really don’t know where it comes from, but what I went through made me even more aware of how important it is to help others in need.”
Armed with this fresh perspective, Elliott embarked on a journey of community outreach through her school’s ESCAPE program, a community service program for high school student volunteers at the high school, 1285 N. McKinley Rd.
ESCAPE, which stands for Education, Service, Confidence, Action, Prevention and Energy, offers students the opportunity to get involved in the community by helping non-profit organizations, said faculty adviser Linnea Logan.
ESCAPE has about 100 volunteers who work on projects throughout the school year, Logan said. Some efforts include building houses for the needy through Habitat for Humanity; tutoring children at North Chicago elementary schools for Children of the Future; and serving meals through PADS, an agency that provides shelter to the homeless.
“The students provide an important service to the community while learning the importance of teamwork and giving back,” Logan said.
ESCAPE brought Elliott just that, an escape from physical and emotional pain, allowing her to focus her energy on others’ needs.
“I decided I wanted to get more involved in order to deal with things,” she said. “I also knew I had more empathy for the people we help.”
Elliott took on additional responsibilities this year as an ESCAPE officer, a role that involves selecting volunteer activities.
“Jenny is a very dedicated person who is interested in helping her community,” Logan said. “When she went through the situation with her back, that dedication continued in both her schoolwork and volunteer efforts.”
Elliott said her three-year tenure with ESCAPE has provided many rich experiences. A particularly memorable event was a fall venture to the Women’s Residential Treatment Center in Vernon Hills, an agency that is for women fighting chemical dependency. ESCAPE and FOCUS, a student-run prevention and support organization for teens who choose to remain chemical-free, threw a Halloween party for residents and their children.
“We talked to the mothers about their progress and played with their children,” Elliott said. “The look on the kids’ faces when we walked in–pure joy. It was really touching.”
“Jenny is great with kids,” said FOCUS volunteer Ashley Yarrington of Elliott’s work at the treatment center. “She is outgoing and opens herself up to having fun. She makes it a good time for everyone there.”
Another favorite memory is making holiday gift baskets for needy families. Elliott said each homeroom adopted a needy family, and ESCAPE participants purchased gifts to fill the baskets.
“My family had a teenage daughter, so I could really relate to them,” she said.
Although ESCAPE is an important part of Elliott’s high school life, she volunteers with other school organizations as well. She also is an active participant in peer programs such as FOCUS and TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use), a new program initiated by the American Lung Association that trains teens to educate elementary and middle school children about the dangers of tobacco.
“We train students to conduct 30-minute presentations about the hazards of smoking,” said Cathy Stanley, Lake Forest High School program sponsor. “They’re very effective because the younger kids really look up to the older students.”
Stanley said Elliott is a group leader, often setting an example for other students. She recalled a recent program at Deerpath Junior High School, where Elliott was one of four presenters.
“She allowed everyone else to go first, then provided a summary that tied everything together in a very professional way,” Stanley said. “Jenny is a quiet leader, but very effective.”
Elliott also finds time to work on National Honor Society events, volunteer with SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), participate on her school’s yearbook staff and serve as president of her youth group at Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, all while keeping an A average in her classes.
Her academic ability is something she passes on to students she tutors at Lake Bluff Middle School, an activity she finds particularly rewarding.
“It’s great to see the look on their faces when they grasp an idea or math concept they’ve struggled with for a long time,” she said. “Taking the time to sit down with them one-on-one makes a difference.”
Although she can no longer participate in gymnastics as an athlete, she serves as team manager. Her role on the tennis team has also changed to assistant coach, although she hopes to play again.
“I really love the sports,” Elliott said. “Even though I can’t compete, I help out in a different way.”
With all of these activities, Elliott said, time management is essential. It helps to have inspiration, which she said is supplied by her family, particularly her mother.
“I really admire my mom,” she said. “The role of homemaker is kind of underrated. My mom is involved with the community and gets a lot accomplished.”
The Elliott family also includes her father, Dale, who is president of the industrial group of Snap-on Tools, Kenosha, and her sister, Nicole, 16, a sophomore at Lake Forest High School and a member of ESCAPE.
Elliott was born in Tulsa. Her family has moved several times due to her father’s career, living in Bradford, Pa., and Racine, Wis., before coming to Lake Bluff in 1991.
Her plans include college, although she hasn’t decided where, and a career in medicine.
For the time being, she’s happy to give something back through her outreach efforts and can appreciate the lessons scoliosis taught her.
“The whole healing process encouraged my volunteer work,” she said. “I know how much I appreciated people being there for me. I want to return that feeling.”
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For more information about ESCAPE, call Linnea Logan at Lake Forest High School, 847-234-3600, ext. 231. For more information about FOCUS and TATU, call Cathy Stanley, 847-234-3600, ext. 160.
