Tuesday, January 11th Whole Foods will share 5% of the daily profits at it's 1640 Chicago Avenue store with Pocket Change for Global Change.  Pocket Change supports several groups, including Connections for the Homeless.  We are excited about the community visibility and hope you will participate in this event if possible.

Partner Spotlight: St. Norbert's Catholic Church  

I didn't know anything about St. Norbert's church except that they were one of the many churches that cooked for Hilda's Place on a monthly basis.  Over the summer I had Maggie Bruce, the Youth Coordinator for the church, surprise me with massive food and bottled water donations.  She had taken young people from the church on Habitat for Humanity service trips and was bringing us the unused food and drinks.  Next, she was calling me to plan a visit of German students from their sister church to join them in making dinner.  They entertained the residents in the shelter with bits and pieces of German culture and of course German food. 

Holiday Party volunteers from St. Norbert's and Our Lady of the Brook Youth Ministry

Another member, Mark Leaman, called to organize their yearly donation of turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Clients who had been placed in their own housing were able to celebrate a traditional holiday meal as a result.  At around the same time the church organized a clothing drive and shared about 30 large bags just as we were trying to prepare for the cold weather.

I was starting to understand that St. Norbert's had a commitment to service but an equally important commitment to living life fully.  That opinion became pure fact when I worked with them this past month on the holiday party for Connections' clients.  St. Norbert's and Our Lady of the Brook Youth Ministry was in charge of all the food and drinks for the party (hosted at Beth Emet Synagogue).  Having met Maggie and learning a little bit more about St. Norbert's, I decided to ask if they had anyone in the church who could bring a karaoke machine for entertainment.  It turns out that there was a couple (the Dolan's) who could not only bring the machine but also run it AND work the crowd.

 

The evening was filled with great food, laughter, amazingly good music(!) and tremendous fellowship.  We are so thankful to have St. Norbert's as one of our supporters.  They teach us how important it is to find ways to celebrate life and to invite new people to join you in the celebrations whenever possible.                     

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Maggie reflected on the evening, "Our teens love to serve others; but more than anything, they love interacting with others.  Thank you to all of the participants in the event and for Beth Emet for being so accepting and gracious and for celebrating by singing, dancing, and enjoying conversation with St. Norbert & Our Lady of the Brook Youth Ministry!  Thanks for the memories, and we pray that everyone has a Happy New Year!!!"    

 

Thank you St. Norberts, for all the ways that you share your community with us. 

We might just be two 7^th grade girls but we would like to make a difference, and show we care for everyone.

We have put our feet in their shoes and are now running at full speed to do what we can to change what they are going through.  These were words included in a flyer that two area youth created to solicit donations from their neighbors.  They collected pajamas, underwear and winterwear for the children in our Family Housing Program.  Their experience was repeated over and over again with youth groups, scouts and schools.

Evanston Township High School students similarly wanted to reach out and help with a specific need.  They collected children's items as well as alarm clocks and watches for residents of Hilda's Place Transitional Shelter. 

St. Athanasius students collecting items for the Warm Hearts/Warm Hands drive.