Operation School Bell at Lace School in Darien

Patricia Van Hoegarden zips Diga into her new coat

Diga and Patricia

Site Coordinator Marty Vexter had double the number of volunteers at Lace School, thanks to all the members and friends who came out on a rainy day to fit the third through fifth graders into brand new winter coats.

"You have the best job," said new Principal Erin Dwyer.







"Some students know their parents signed up for coats, others don't, so it's a big surprise," commented Megan Seagraves, social worker.
"They ask, 'I get to keep it, I can take it home?'"

Mrs. Seagraves added, "What's really cool is seeing the kids wearing their coats on the first cold day. They're really proud."

Barbara Christopher and Odarrius

Principal Erin Dwyer with Wade

Barb Keller with Lamar

Patricia with Bryan

Barbara with Brenda

Matthew, Victor and Mikayla

Mary and Nancy Newell

Michelle Czerwinski checks the fit for Rhianna

Michelle and Rhianna

Terri Diorio with Jayden

Jovani, Jayden and Rene

Fernando and Elashia

Marianne Cortopassi with Pamela

Janie Gold with Joseph

Barbara and Lourdes

Shari Gillespie with Sarah and Aliraona

Joyce with Principal Dwyer

Nancy with Mia

Prinicpal Dwyer with Andres

Marty Vexter, Janie Gold, Barb Keller, Nancy Newell, Sally Rozak, Marianne Cortopassi, Patricia Van Hoegarden, Terri Diorio

ALCW member Judy Casten finishes the Chicago Marathon in 5:14

Judy and her wonderful supporters

The Chicago Marathon on 10-13-13 was a family outing for ALCW member Judy Casten of Hinsdale. 

 Judy reports:

Sons Boze and Damien, Damien’s soon-to-be-wife Mo, Haj (came in from SF), Tom, and I all finished!  Boze’s wife Kara and Sarah (Dedi’s wife) ran the St. Charles marathon 2 weeks earlier.  Estimated cumulative distance run by  all of us during marathon training:  6017 miles!  Gill and Kara led the Where’s Waldo support team which included Kazem and Naser (Afghan Fulbrighters at Loyola), Esau (Peru) and friend TJ, and not pictured, granddaughters Gwen and Audrey, Dedi, Sarah, Ken and Ruth Frazier (Albuquerque), BJ Chimenti, and Marcos (new friend from Venezuela).  Unbelievable.

It was a milestone for me.  In March, as I think most of the Assistance League crew knows, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.  I’ve now seen docs at Northwestern, the Mayo Clinic, and early this month Tom and I went to a world conference on Parkinson’s in Montreal.   Clinicians and researchers agree that the only thing that seems to slow down the  disease is exercise.  Well, this qualifies as heart-pumping exercise!  I think a second marathon is Extremely Unlikely…  half marathons are easier! That said, it was a beautiful cloudless day, a beautiful finish line, and a perfectly wonderful gathering of family and friends. 

Tom and I ran most of the race with a group we’d trained with in Chicago, and finished in 5 hours, 14 minutes.  I was 5^th out of 14 women in the  70-74 age group.  That’s one item checked off my bucket list!  

Tom and Judy Casten

Metropolitan Family Services to Operation Early Reading: "What you're giving children is such an amazing gift!"

Operation Early Reading chairs Paula Whitelaw and Patty Dewitt delivered 300 backpacks for ten schools and four home-based programs to Metropolitan Family Services in Wheaton on Tuesday, October 8, assisted by Julia Wade and Marianne Cortopassi.

"How wonderful to meet you all," wrote Joy Aaronson, Community Partnership Coordinator Head Start, in a follow-up email.  "You all make such a positive impact in the lives of the Head Start children and their families.  We are very grateful." 

OER supplements the Dupage Center's Head Start program, which provides comprehensive services to preschool children and their families. The home-based program, available to families living outside the center-based service areas, allows MFS parent child educators to serve children in their homes.
The center based programs are located in many area schools, including Anne M. Jeans school in Willowbrook.

After a discussion with Aaronson and Darlene Towns, Senior Education Supervisor, Whitelaw announced that Operation Early Reading is expanding its program to serve the organization's Early Head Start program.

"We are going to purchase 60+ books geared toward infants and toddlers so that we can participate in the Home-Based Infant/Toddler program," Whitelaw said.  "We would be sending an additional 5 bins with 12 backpacks each."

Joy Aaronson, Patty DeWitt, Paula Whitelaw, Darlene Towns, Julia Wade, Mariannne Cortopassi

Operation School Bell Jams at Anne M. Jeans

Lynn Moynihan and Meghan Radtke

Lynn Moynihan and Meghan Radtke, social workers at Anne M. Jeans School in Willowbrook, are absolutely the best when it comes to handling and helping with coat fittings. They escort the kids into our fitting area and happily lend a hand when needed. Assistance League volunteers spent a full day at Anne M. Jeans on Monday, October 7 outfitting students with brand new coats, hats and gloves.

"Kids are proud to wear their coats and show us they're wearing them," said Mrs. Radtke.

"You are fantastic," said Mrs. Moynihan. "Keep up the mission. It's really wonderful!"

Diane Kurtz with Tykel

Pre-Kindergarten Kids

Marianne Cortopassi with Aaron

A happy Antonio

Mrs. Radtke gets hugs from Antonio, Tykel and Jenziel

Diane with Aaron, Jenziel, Olivia, Tykel and Antonio

Daisia and Breanna

Diane with Michael

Maria

Fernando and Verrazonio

     Fourth Graders

Demarco, Latavia and Triniti

Second Graders

Terrance, Steven and Jihad

Grace and Barb Keller

Barb Grand with Keivon

Keivon

Nancy Newell with Rueben

Diane, Barb K. Barb G, and Nancy with Ajanae, Adrieanna, Braniya, Destiny, Sade, Mya and Jayonna

Diane fits Tyrell

Antwon likes his "Bulls" jacket

Asia, Jada, Ariyanna, Shionna and Christine

 Thanks to Susan Becker for handling all the paperwork!

Operation School Bell Packs Up

(Front LtoR) Marie Raffl, Patty DeWitt, Diane Kurtz, Mo Hegarty, Mary McGovern, Mary Parsons, Phyllis Young and Diane Mrozek (Back LtoR) Trish Reider, Barb Grand, Sue Farrell, friend, Maria Garino, Eileen Hanley, Laila Alamuddin, friend, Patricia Van Hoegarden, Annette Phillips and 
Paula Whitelaw  Not pictured: Betty Cronin and Dee Dugo

Before Assistance League members step into local schools for coat fittings, numerous volunteers have clocked many hours of sorting, packing, labeling and boxing up the 2000 bags that will be distributed this fall to students in DuPage County.  Here's a photo of some of the members who have been assisting Operation School Bell since the first coats arrived in mid-summer.