Among Naperville’s residents are hundreds who ring bells for spare change during the holidays, help families waiting for loved ones at Edward Hospital, drive shuttle buses for senior citizens, and otherwise do their best to help others.
They are members of Naperville’s service organizations.
“We try to make the community a better place,” said Naperville resident Larry Lyons about the work he does with the Kiwanis Club of Naperville. He has been a member since he retired in 1992 from his job in sales with General Motors Corp.
“We completed more than 10,000 hours of volunteer work in the community last year alone,” he said. “Just look, you’ll see a Kiwanian at Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry, battered women’s shelters, the DuPage Children’s Museum–we even ring bells for the Salvation Army. Look, you’ll see us out there.”
Kiwanis members can choose from 27 activities, depending on their talents and interests, Lyons said. The club has about 110 members.
“We have active stockbrokers who belong, real estate [brokers], insurance representatives, veterinarians and retired dentists–a real good group of people. We have a good time.”
Kiwanis member Joanne Pollack agreed.
“The people who are members are extremely gifted and great fun,” she said, but added that is not what fuels her involvement.
“I’ve been involved in philanthropy for many years,” she said. “It’s hard to realize that even in DuPage County there are those in need.
“I think [volunteering] gives you the opportunity to help someone else, but it also gives you more. It gives you the opportunity to give back, and I think it’s very important. I think you get more than you give.”
Pollack helps with the Kiwanis’ efforts to collect groceries and personal items to donate to Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry in Naperville.
Through Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, Pollack also volunteers at a homeless shelter at Hesed House in Aurora, helping to prepare and serve food to the homeless.
Pollack has been a member of the Kiwanis for two years. She met her husband, Frank, through the group. Frank Pollack delivers meals to homebound senior citizens through a home-delivered meals program that serves DuPage County.
“He gets very involved with the people” along his route, Joanne Pollack said.
“I’ve been doing it for about nine years, and it can get sort of sad,” Frank Pollack said. “This one lady really got to me. She … still had her own home, so I would help take care of her property. She was a real nice gal.” The woman died last summer.
The variety in Kiwanis membership helps the group succeed, Lyons said. For example, many members enjoy gardening and help local organizations such as Katharine Manor, a residential facility for the disabled in Naperville, keep up their landscaping.
“We also do a lot of work at Little Friends,” Lyons said, referring to the non-profit center in Naperville that serves the developmentally disabled. “We paint, put up walls, [and do] carpentry work and general maintenance.”
The Kiwanis also have helped out at Special Olympics events–track meets and bowling tournaments–for eight years.
“The participants really keep a jealous guard of their scores and stay on top of their games,” Lyons said.
At the track meets, the Kiwanis members pass out awards at the end of each race.
“We work in shifts and help … lead the contestants to the award area,” Lyons said. “Everyone gets an award, and we all stand there and applaud and make a big fuss as people take their picture.
“It’s so heartwarming to see their excitement. They say, `Oh golly, I got 8th place–isn’t that wonderful?’ when there are only eight places. It brings tears to your eyes, the joy they get from something we see as being so ordinary.
“The faces that you see and the excitement they have are just amazing. You see these kids out there in this competition and realize that they get as much gratification out of participating, more so, as the ordinary everyday athlete.”
Making a difference is also what prompts Naperville resident Lou Breeze to volunteer. For more than 10 years he has been a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, most recently at the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, Naperville.
“Our mission is to help our fellow veterans,” said Breeze, a Vietnam War veteran. “And locally that’s done by helping the homeless veterans so that they can regain their self-respect.”
The Naperville post was chartered in 1944. Members are required to have served and received a campaign medal for foreign service during a period of hostility. The post has more than 640 members.
“We have a number of ladies, Vietnam nurses, members who participated in [Operation] Desert Storm; we have every race, creed and rank of officer,” Breeze said. “Our post mirrors the community.”
Members range in age from 24 to 89. “It’s like a history lesson, coming down to the post,” he said.
Sharing that history is another important goal for Naperville’s veterans. Every year, the VFW, together with the Naperville American Legion, hosts the Memorial Day Parade, which often draws crowds of more than 55,000. Breeze was chosen to carry the American flag to kick off last year’s march. He said all the years of work and time he has committed were well worth it for the experience of seeing people rise as he passed waving the flag.
“It’s amazing, really something,” Breeze said.
Members of the Naperville post also visit schools to participate in history discussions and flag etiquette and protocol programs. Their goal is to foster a respect and understanding for the past in children, Breeze said.
The post also sponsors Boy Scout troops and softball teams and raises money through annual turkey raffles and poppy sales. Last year the post collected $5,000 for the veteran relief fund and outreach.
One of those outreach activities is trips made every Tuesday to deliver personal items and visit with patients at Hines Veterans Administration Hospital in Maywood.
“It warms you inside all the time,” he said. “And it feels like we are doing the right thing, so let’s keep going and doing more.”
Another service group is the Sunrise arm of the Rotary Club, which likes to dabble in art appreciation. Last year it established The Sunrise Rotary Fund for the Arts. Its primary goal is to cultivate, nurture and strengthen the performing arts and art appreciation in Naperville through grants to artists and arts organizations, said John Colucci, Sunrise president.
The organization also helps in other ways. “[We] take the Rotary slogan `Service Above Self’ very seriously,” Colucci said. One of the club’s established projects is Clean Sweep Weekend, held twice a year, in which members perform maintenance at a homeless shelter.
The Naperville Jaycees are longtime contributors to the community. The organization’s 235 members work year-round to help support various non-profit social services. They do everything from shoveling sidewalks for senior citizens to feeding hungry families during the holidays. Last year their annual Holiday Food Basket Program provided food baskets to 350 families.
“You go to people’s homes, and they hug you and say, `Oh thank you, thank you so much,’ and it’s touching,” said Susan Wallace, president of the Jaycees. “We do a huge delivery to the Ogden Manor Retirement Community [in Naperville], and those residents, most of whom … are by themselves every day, just light up. They are really happy that people are taking the time to come see them and care.
“It’s hard to describe, but I don’t know why I volunteer. It’s just a feeling I can’t explain. I have a full life, but it’s knowing that I can help people.”
The Jaycees was founded on the concept of developing personal skills, team building and leadership qualities through community service, said Sue Gensler, administrator for the Jaycees.
Membership to the Jaycees is open to anyone between 19 to 40. The group raises more than $100,000 each year for community programs.
Some of last year’s recipients were the Naperville Area Recycling Co., Naperville Community Outreach, and Ecumenical Adult Day Care.
SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
Following are some of the service organizations in Naperville.
DuPage Doubles Mothers of Multiples Club: P.O. Box 2464, Naperville, IL 60567, 630-585-3666. Meetings are held at Steeple Run Community Recreation Center, 6S050 Steeple Run Drive, Naperville. 234 members.
Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873: 908 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville, 60540-5213, 630-355-7664. 640 members.
Kiwanis Club of Naperville: 1040 Royal St. George Drive, Naperville, IL 60563-2311, 630-357-2833. Meetings held at Edward Hospital Auditorium/VFW, 908 Jackson Ave. 110 members.
Naperville Evening Lions: 1561 Shenandoah Lane, Naperville, IL 60563, 630-357-8277. Meetings held at Traverso’s Restaurant, 2523 S. Plainfield/Naperville Rd., Naperville. 15 members.
Naperville Jaycees: P.O. Box 22, Naperville, IL 60566, 630-961-9375. Meetings held at VFW Hall, 908 W. Jackson St. 235 members.
Naperville Junior Women’s Club: 1807 S. Washington St., Suite 106, Naperville, IL 60565, 630-369-8400. Meetings held at River Run Club House, 4204 Clearwater Lane, Naperville. 130 members.
Naperville Moose Lodge 290: 1488 Bond St., Naperville, IL 60563-0109, 630-355-1746. 1,700 members.
Naperville Post 43 American Legion/American Legion Post 43: P.O. Box 4, Naperville, IL 60566-0004, 630-355-4884. 350 members.
Rotary Club of Naperville (Noon): P.O. Box 2, Naperville, IL 60566, 630-585-4666. Meetings held at Cress Creek Country Club, 1215 Royal St. George Drive, Naperville. 125 members.
Rotary Club of Naperville (Sunrise): P.O. Box 890, Naperville, IL 60566-0890, 630-585-4666. 84 members.
— Keri Buscaglia
