Even 30 years later, the work of former Naperville Sun photojournalist Pat Van Doren continues to tell a powerful story, one that began here in the Fox Valley but has spread across the country and next month will reach the lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
It was after an assignment for the newspaper at Hesed House in Aurora back in 1990 that Van Doren began her relentless crusade for families struggling with homelessness.
Over the years, spending hundreds of hours not just shooting photos but getting to know those living in shelters, she captured truly unforgettable images of this often invisible yet vulnerable population.
But it was two small children – a smiling preschooler hugging a stray cat, and a newborn’s toes sticking out from a blanket – that became iconic images still hanging on walls in school districts, shelters and offices from coast to coast.
If you have seen either of these Van Doren photos, you likely have not forgotten them, especially the one of 4-year-old Charlie, belly hanging out above drooping pants with shoes on the wrong feet.
This image became the centerpiece logo for HEAR US, the national nonprofit started by former Hesed House director Diane Nilan. And little Charlie literally turned into the poster child for the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act of 1994 that became known as “Charlie’s Bill” and was the basis for the federal McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2002 that mandates public schools must prove immediate access, services and support to these students.
Van Doren also created a powerful photo exhibit, “Spirit on the Street,” that included the work of her Naperville Sun colleague Jim Svehla and late Beacon-News photographer Karen Kerckhove, which was displayed, among other places, in the Illinois State Capitol.
According to Nilan, her friend Pat Van Doren, a founding board member of HEAR US and former member of the PADS board at Hesed House, was always willing to do “unconventional” things to bring awareness to homelessness.
That included floating life preservers – with names of homeless families written on them – down the Des Plaines River and past a hotel where HUD officials were meeting, to protest pending cuts to federal housing assistance.
Or engineering a photo shoot of homeless families sleeping in and around the Illinois State Capitol and Governor’s Mansion as drastic budget cuts were being implemented.
These were just a couple of the many crusades Van Doren took part in when not working at the Naperville Sun, said Nilan, adding that even after mobility became an issue, Pat continued working on projects that “give voice and visibility” to families and kids experiencing homelessness.
That included travel to national conventions, where she would distribute images of her photos via posters, keychains and T-shirts that, Nilan said, “were always in high demand.”
Van Doran also wrote the award-winning book “Where Can I Build My Volcano?” and completed two other books in the “It’s About the Children” series.
However, it’s “Five Piggies” and “Charlie” that perhaps will best define her decades of advocacy. Marking Homeless Persons Memorial Day on Dec. 21, those two images will be the centerpieces of The Memorial Blanket art display in front of the U.S. Capitol, which is being held to create a stunning visual reminder that the number of homeless families, especially in these challenging economic times, continues to soar.
Nilan said Illinois alone will likely contribute at least 100 blankets to the display – including the Piggie and Charlie quilts sewn by volunteers from Aurora, Naperville and Huntley – which will later be passed out to those in need, locally and in D.C.
By the way, Charlie is now 34 years old and “doing the best he can” in West Virginia, where he lives with his wife and three children, Nilan told me. And yes he’s well aware of how “a lot of kids have been able to go to school” thanks in large part to his image, she added.
Now 80 years old and battling mounting health issues, Van Doren herself will also be honored this Saturday at 10 a.m. by U.S Rep. Bill Foster for her many decades of advocacy. Open to the public, this program will take place at Heritage Woods in Bolingbrook, the assisted living facility where she now resides, and will feature a video of her many photos that have impacted so many on a national scale.
“Pat is a faithful bright light, encouraging me when times are dark and tough,” said Nilan. “Her life and commitment to social change will always be my inspiration.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
