Sunday, November 3, 2013

An Angel Touch Benefit - 2013 - In Pictures

Back in February, Eli Rodriguez offered Tenochtitlan as a place for our Second Annual Benefit. 
The food is great!

Anyway, this took a great deal of work off of me and my helper. Eli took care of the food and drinks while I worried about advertising, advanced sales, printing and raffle gifts. Easy. Or so I thought. 

Becki couldn't help this year. Because of school and work, she is over extended. So I asked Grace Diaz to take her place. That worked for a while until I took ill, and couldn't get out. I was terrified to say the least, that I would never get done in time. That's when Candace Carr stepped in. She asked what she could do. I asked if she could sell advanced tickets, to which she agreed. Then I explained my situation to her and asked if she'd keep her eyes open for raffle gifts. As I said in an earlier post, she didn't bring in the most, just the best. 

Then Peggy Flood contacted me. She and sister, Mary O'Brien thought they could pull together about 15 more. And, thankfully, they did. Before we were finished, we had people seeking us out. Monica Iversen called to ask if I would like a gift certificate. Kim Bieker dropped off a DVD player at Carr Gardens. Both the Cleary Girls Candles and Metro South sent gifts Candy's way. We even had gifts dropped off during the benefit. To my surprise, Marcia Murtagh, who I graduated with in 1973, dropped off a bottle of vodka from Mid-Oak Distillery, Inc.

We were cold that day as we were given the patio to set up, but it was sunny, and Eli lit fires in his pottery fire pits. It went over well. It was crowded and everyone seemed to have a good time. 


Nephew David and great niece Addyson

Georgene

Grace

I don't know who the people are in this shot, but I used this photo to show how many raffle gifts we had. All those red cups represented on gift.

Peggy, Lucie, someone and Marie

Alex Francois and Tommy Gerez

Rene

Duke and Jimmy

Marsha, Patty and Letty

Kim and I

Ed

Angelina



I don't know who this little one is, but the smile is award winning! Apparently Mom dropped a ticket in the cup representing the pinata as the little one requested. Through out the entire day, she kept checking to see how many more tickets were there. She was so happy to win!

Debbie and Gloria

Eric. Last year his Mom won a piece of glass. When she learned that this year Lucie donated more, she sent Eric with money to spend on tickets for glass only. Out of three, he won two.

Clyde

Alex, Tommy and Rene


Becki

Gerry, me and Kim

Jon, Ed, Becki and I

My brother, Mike and I

Jon and my niece Kelly

A very special thank you to Lenore Lallo who took on all the responsibilities for printing. To the Blue Island FORUM for advertising in two issues. To my wonderful helpers, Candace Carr, Peggy Flood, Mary O'Brien, and Grace Diaz. I don't know what would have happened without your intervention at the most critical time. To Deputy Chief Mike Cornell and his help in selling tickets. To the City of Blue Island, for their participation, and their backing. To Eli Rodriguez and the staff at Tenochtitlan for their wonderful service and the wonderful food and drink we received. A special thank you to Tommy Gerez and Alex Francois for entertaining us. And thank you to the following for helping us with raffle gifts: Cleary Girls Candles, Metro South, Carr Gardens, Aztec, Inc., Kim Bieker, Joseph's Restaurant and Bar; Iversen's Bakery, B.I. McDonalds; Flower's by Cathe; Double Play Lounge; Supermercado Imelda; Brown's Fried Chicken; Lucie O'Connor; Sam Tuman; Debbie Coyle; Jeben's Hardware; Tenochtitlan; Mid-Oak Distillery, Inc. and Maria Murtagh. And to Gerry Runge who brought me mugs and gift certificates to Tower Car Wash. Finally, thank you to my kids, Ed, Jon and Becki, to Chris Rondinella, Gloria Zaper, Grace Diaz and Angelina Kelly, who kept everything moving throughout benefit day. A special thanks to Kathy Kuehner and Strivevent Lutheran.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Benefit

An Angel’s Touch Benefit
October 26, 2013
4 to 8PM
Restaurante de Tenochtitlan (patio)
12947 S. Western
Blue Island, Il 60406
$10 – includes one drink at the bar and appetizers
Music and silent auction

Beneficio de An Angel’s Touch
Octubre 26, 2013
4 a 8pm
Restaurante de Tenochtitlan (patio)
12947 S. Western
Blue Island, Il 60406
$10 – incluye un bebida en el bar y tapas

Musica y subasta silenciosa

Angel's are always with you


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thank You Letters

(All letters typed as written)

Hi: Georgene
I would like to saying Thank you for all the Angel's Touch food, personal, Q..... toys and wife's personel thing also Food too. I am very happy to support us for angel's Touch. We will pray for all our family to support. Thank you so much for support us for Angel's Touch food. We love it to see many food, toys, and personal too. Thank you so much again. We are deaf parents. We have one daugher our family. My daughter's name is Q... She is two yrs old now. She is hearing girls.
Thank you so much.
M.W.


To Whom it May Concern,
I K.L.T. would like to thank everyone who blessed my children this Christmas. J. and J. enjoyed opening every gift. It put so much joy in my heart seeing my children gleaming with joy and excitement on Christmas Day. Each and everyone of you that donated presents or boxed and wrap gifts for families in need are an angel. To know that there are people still in the world who have REAL Christmas Spitit and know the REAL reason for the season is just so moving. Every outfit every toy that they recieved was like you knew my children personally because the thing that they recieved is something I myself would have chose for them. I just wanted to say thank you so much for blessing my family and to say continue to do great work.
Sincerly,
KLT


Dec. 26, 2012
Dear Angel Touch
Words can't express the Love & Joy you have shown me & My family during this holiday SEASON. May each & every erson that participates be showered with many Blessings & Good Health in the upcoming year. Thank You once again from the depths of my heart.
T. L. & Family


Dear Pat & Georgene & Angel's Touch,
Thank you so very much for letting me 'help' a bit with Angel's Touch this year. It's what everyone should do. Secondly, thank you for all of the food we've received as well as the generous gift certificates. All will be used! It's incredible - the amount of people/organizations you help every year. God is so blessing you for blessing others. I always wondered what Angels looked like - and then I saw you two (& your multitudes.) The only difference is you don't have big wings. You have big hearts.
Love You All!!
C.D. & Kids
Thank you again.


Smile God Loves You
01-09-2013
Dear Ms. Geeorgena,
Thank you so much for Helping me And my Family
My Grand Kid's Love there giFts
they where so happy.
     And I wanted to tell You God Bless you And your Family. I Love You guys
That is so wonderful for you guys are doing to help people
Time's is so had
     I had to write you And let You Know the Great Job you are doing. I am so ThankFul And bless For you guys
Tell everyone I said Thank You
     And Ms. Georgeng Thank For Calling me to check to see Where everything okay for Christmas
the gifts we got.
     Thank you again
     If anything you need please fill free to ask's me
You have been A blessing to come and my Family


12/27/12
To An Angel's Touch
     Let me again give Thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for your ministry. I just had to write a second letter of gratitude and appreciation for your blessing upon me and my family. Had God not used you all here how my Christmas would have been. I would have borrow $200 from my best from my best friend and give my two daughter a $100 each and our tradition P.J., with ox tails on the menu, which by the way stayed in the menu.
     Here is why I really had to write again, cause when me and my daughters open our gifts at mid-night every item we open defined or character and personilty as well as my grandchildren, I didn't notice their's early on Christmas eve when they were opening their gifts. Its as if we were in the store with you all picking it out ourselves. I call this my Miracle Christmas. I see it every year on TV how people like you all bless families in need never though it could happen to me.
      God is an awesome and Wonderful God I will serve Him until eternity and continue prayer will be that He continue to bless An Angel Touch so you can continue to bless other as you have bless me and my family.
     Georgene thank everybody that made this possible for us Give them all great big hug for me! Love you all.
God Bless



12/17/12


I would like to Thank all of you for all you have done for the girls as well as myself  You all are truly angels and I hold you close to my heart. May God's Favor be upon all of your lives as you have blessed so many with your generorsity.

Thank you so much
D.R.





Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Christmas 2012 in Photos



   Last year was bad. Very bad. There wasn't enough food on the face of the earth to help people with. I didn't published Christmas photos either. The way last year worked out, I just didn't have enough photos to make an interesting entry. This year I made sure I had photos. So a huge thank you goes out to Angelina Kelly for supplying the majority. 
     I'd like to start out by recognizing George Partin III. He's a Cub Scout. True to my nature, when his grandfather, City Worker George Partin, called me to say that little George was collecting gloves for several organizations, I became sentimental. An Angel's Touch enjoyed a huge growth spurt when Boy Scout Troop 785 began a food drive on the Streets of Blue Island. I believe that was in  1994. Anyway, over the next few years every Boy and Girl Scout Troop in town joined us. We later used the area schools exclusively. We've had little contact with the Scouts since then. So George's participation was bittersweet. I hope in the future we can reconnect with the Boy Scouts. 


     My Christmas season began in October. At that time I contacted our neighborhood schools. I ask them to please have a food drive for An Angel's Touch before Thanksgiving. Most schools did, although, as usual, they pushed pick up back until the last week of Christmas. I will not complain here. We managed to  deliver most of our Christmas goodies to our clients by that time. I've always made a point of finding extra food anywhere I can. That's because we also make an effort to  help our two Blue Island pantries, the Salvation Army and the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. Benedict's. Our organizations help with emergencies, but these shelters help Blue Island residents on an ongoing basis. Donations end with the holiday season. Hunger doesn't. So we try to pass on what we can. Sometimes, like last year, it isn't much. This year we were able to do more. So please keep these pantries in mind throughout the year.
     During that time, our members are able to pick up several drives from places like St. Rita High School. This year Acme Refinery joined us, as did Great Lakes Bank from Alsip and St. Isidore the Farmer Church. 
     Below are photos of the warehouse and of the best young people in the entire world, my sort crew. I've heard the comment over and over again that bad things happen because God is not invited into public school. All of these kids, and there are a number of them, come from Blue Island Public Schools, District 130 and District 218. They are between the ages of 30 and 21. They volunteered when they attended school, and year after year, the same kids return to help. Tell me God isn't in their hearts. Tell me He isn't in those schools where children donate food to help others every year. 
     







     When I write my thank you for the Blue Island FORUM, I'm considering calling this 'A Year to Celebrate.' We celebrated Christmas in August with our first annual benefit. We called it 'Christmas in August.' D'Masti Catering, Beggars and Brown's Fried Chicken provided us with food. Carr Gardens, Lillian's Antiques, Restaurante Tenochtitlan, T&G's, Flowers by Cathee, Franklin Framing, Stefanelli's,  Double Play,  Korbakes Liquors, Gayla's Irish Bar, The Forge, McDonalds, Jebens Hardware and several others donated items to be auctioned off. Tommy Gerez and Alex Francois, of the Soda Jerks, entertained. We asked  for canned food and we got it. Thank you to all of you who participated. This year was the beginning of an idea. If we continue in 2013, it will be bigger and better.



          
     On December 1st, Blue Island held their tenth annual Christmas Lights Parade. I remember the very first, mostly because I didn't attend. An Angel's Touch members were working in a storefront on Western Avenue. I got to attend this year for the first time, and I really enjoyed myself. I'm adding photos of the parade because so many of our past and present donors entered trucks and cars that were decorated with lights. State Representative Bob Rita's Office and Calumet Township entered vans. Acme Refining, Metro South Hospital, St. Benedict's Parish, the Blue Island Park District, and the Police and Fire Depts., entered floats. There were others. The coolest float though was City Council's. They brought the parade to an end. City Council represents another growth spurt. I think it was the second or third year that Boy Scout Troop 785 had conducted the street portion of the food drive that I mentioned at a City Council Meeting what we were doing, that they became involved. I can honestly say that because of their help, we have been able to do as much as we have year after year. 































     The parade began at 7PM, and the Soda Jerks went on live at The Lyric at 8PM. I mention them because they were really good. Also, several members of Soda Jerks have been members of An Angel's Touch for a good while. 



     This year RominChariot Car Club held two awesome events for us. First was a car show in September. It was cool. Fifty three antique and refinished vehicles were on display just outside Nombach Builders on 127th Street, across from The Forge. They were truly cool. At the end of the show, five were pulled from the lot to perform in the 'fire show'. Check the out photo below. 


     The next event was called Hot Rod Holiday Hoedown. It took place on December 15th at Eagles. It was $10 to get in and every person was asked to donate toys or canned food. What a night! The Cadilac Casanovas rocked the hall '50's style. I met a lot of Blue Islanders there, and I met a lot of people who had never been to Blue Island before. At the end of the night we were shocked by what they collected. Not only did we have food and toys, we accepted our first check from out of State. Someone from a Milwaukee car club gave us $20!









     In the end, we helped 53 families and several other agencies. Happy New Years, and thank you, everyone, for a great Christmas season!