Des Plaines Community Foundation volunteers shovel snow to assist neighbors. (Photo taken 2014)
Extreme cold temperatures and heavy snowfall Saturday (Jan. 24) and Sunday (Jan. 25) left sidewalks in need of plowing. Residents who are unable to take on the task themselves can look toward the Des Plaines Community Foundation.
The organization, founded in 2003, takes pride in being a neighbor that always lends a helping hand. Foundation volunteers focus on providing assistance to the elderly and low-income families. Some of their services include emergency lawn care, building and setting up wheelchair ramps for residences, and snow removal for those who are unable to get out and do it themselves.
Residents are invited to call the foundation hotline (888-646-8898) to request the service and volunteers will come out and make a clear pathway. For years they’ve provided this service without facing any obstacles and this year was no different.
According to their website, the 501(c)3 foundation receives private funding through grants, donations from residents, and community business, including Sysco Foods as one of their top donors.
They partnered with Sysco Foods 10 years ago to provide meals for the elderly, the homebound, and individuals who simply can’t afford a meal. This charitable work led to an expansion of hot meals on Thanksgiving.
“We just thought everybody should have a meal on Thanksgiving,” said Rich Holke, president of Des Plaines Community Foundation.
They formed a co-collaboration with Sysco Foods and Sunrise Grill, which make the meals, while members of the organization arrange for pick up and distribution.
“We would set up routes in partnership with the city of Des Plaines to map out the delivery routes, load them in the car, and deliver them door to door,” said Holke.
During the first few years, they reached about 100 individuals. However, over the last year and this year they saw a huge increase.
“We hit about 380 folks last year and this year we actually had 800 people requesting the meal and we had to stop it at 700 because we just didn’t have the capacity to do anything more. We did the difference between 700 and 800 and provided a $25 gift card to a local grocery store for each individual in the household. So if you had a family of four we would give $100,” he said.
Holke says they plan to explore new ways to expand this program. They not only want to be able to accommodate more individuals, but their volunteers too.
“They have families as well, and they can’t be spending the entire day on Thanksgiving doing this,” said Holke.
The organization is scheduled to have a planning session next month to start the discussion and brainstorm ideas. Additionally, they gained a new executive director. Dina Argus, who previously held the position of secretary for three years at the organization and eight years before that as a trustee on the board, stepped into the role once held by her mother-in-law Rosemary Argus.
Longtime foundation director Rosemary Argus passed away last June. Argus had a long career at United Airlines, in addition to serving as an alderman for the city of Des Plaines and a park commissioner as well.
Holke met Argus at United Airlines where they were both employed. He says she was a wonderful mentor to him throughout his career.
“When she asked me to join this board I jumped into it with both feet forward. She was a very compassionate community member. She forged the building of the conservatory at Friendship Park. I loved working with her and she is missed dearly by all of us,” he said.
Friendship Park on Des Plaines’ west side was renamed Rosemary S. Argus Friendship Park several years ago in her honor. Because of her desire to uplift and support the youth, Holke says Argus was also instrumental in the development of RecPlex in Mount Prospect.
Young people played a big role in some of the other programs the organization provides. Its Sadie Rose Argus program offers five scholarships of $1,500 each to four traditional colleges/universities and one vocational/trade scholarship for graduating high school seniors.
The foundation has also added three new board members that are young in their careers.
“We’re trying to get a younger board to get some fresh ideas. And with the digital age we need some people that really understand the digital footprint,” said Holke.
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