Our contact number is 708 / 341-5434.

An Angel's Touch Wish List

We need the following. And they should be brand new.

McDonald’s Gift Certificates

Light Bulbs

School Supplies – Packages of loose leaf paper, 
Washable and regular Markers, Rulers, 
Highlighters(teen-agers), Pencils,

Pencil Sharpeners, colored pencils, 
folders, notebooks,

Pencil cases, crayons,

New Backpacks

Fruit Snacks

Baby bottles or any other infant items,

Sippy cups or any other toddler items,

Cheese and Crackers (Individual 
Serving Size), Combs/brushes,

Granola Bars,

Shaving cream and good shavers 
(not Dollar store shavers),

Tic Tacs or rolls of lifesavers,

Packs of playing cards,

Halloween Candy, Dress-up Stuff,

Shopping Bags, Gift Boxes,

Disposable Cameras, Playing Cards

Sudoku books,  Crossword puzzle 
books, Tooth Brushes, Toothpaste,  
Floss, Boxes of Candy Canes,

New Plush to fit into a stocking,

ANY items for teenagers,

Nail polish / nail files, Nail Clippers

Personal size lotions / shampoos etc.

These items can be dropped off at City Hall when we begin our collection. Thank you.

2014 Benefit

I had been following the weather for a week and a half leading up to our October 5th benefit. At one point, a 60% chance of rain was predicted. I prayed, "Dear Lord Jesus, don't let it rain on that day!" Well it didn't. It rained the night before, so much so that the canopy over the patio at Tenochtitlan filled with water. We pushed them up, and emptied the rain when we arrived that morning, and we swept water off the patio. The sun came out and stayed out all day long. The only draw back was that the temperature dropped and it was cold. Where we didn't have as many people attend as I would have hoped, all day long people dropped in, saying, "I'm not staying, but here's a contribution for the good work you do." That helped to make this our most successful benefit yet.

A huge thank you goes out to Restuarante de Tenochtitlan. Their meals are excellent. To Tom Gerez and Alex Francois. Their music was better than excellent! The Blue Island FORUM. To Lenore Lallo, Carr Gardens, Interstate, Korbakes Liquors, Iversen's Bakery, Flowers by Cathe, Double Play Saloon, Franklin Framing, Maple Tree Inn, to Palos Lyons Club. To Grace Diaz, Samantha Tuman, Marie Jones, Lucie O'Connor, Debby Coyle, Angelina Kelly, Joey and Victor. Evelyn A. Vanek. And honestly, I think I would have lost my mind if not for my helpers, Becki and Jon Coyle, Chris Rondinella, and most particularly Mary O'Brien and Peggy Flood. And a huge thank you to all those who donated cash!

Christmas in Photos - 2013

November, 2013 rolled around and we began our Christmas activities by inspecting our new digs. Each year a local Blue Island company provides with a temporary facility where we can do our thing. 

Once we are ready, we move to that ultra secret location where we store gently used clothing, the little bit of toys we have left from the year before and the few housewares we didn't distribute. Then we carry all that stuff back to our new space. 

And we move in.

This year, we joined hands in prayer. We asked not only that God provide us with help in accomplishing our goals, but also to help one of our own who could not join us this year.

Then we began to collect items that we would give to needy families, like toys.

And clothing.

In between we had fun. Every year for the past two years, Romin'Chariots Car Club has held Hot Rod Holiday Hoedown for us. Participants not only donate money, but food, toys, school supplies and other items as well. Last year we brought in tons thanks to these guys. Someone even showed up with a truck filled with Donettes. We even covered our clients breakfast thanks to these guys! 

The Cadillac Casanovas kept partiers hopping with their renditions of great '50's classics.

And here are the Romin'Chariot members themselves.

We met some old friends.

And we met some new.

We entertained ourselves.

We ate.

At the end of the evening, I walked out the door, and I fell in love with the first shiny vehicle I saw.

We picked-up food other organization gathered for us. One of the first groups to do so was the Blue Island Police Department. They had a squad car at Memorial Park at the beginning of our holiday season. Unfortunately, I don't have photos. Below are photos from Memorial Park and from Veteran's Memorial Middle School.

We packed boxes of food, clothing, Christmas presents and housewares for each family on our list. This year we helped more than thirty Blue Island families.

We delivered for what seemed like forever, and then we cleaned up our mess and went home to prepare our own Christmases.

A huge thank you goes to the following: The City of Blue Island; Mayor Domingo Vargas; Aldermen Jan Ostling, Marcia Stone, Leticia Vieyra, Tom Hawley, Nancy Rita; The Police Department; Bob Rita and Worth Township; First Lutheran Church; St. Isidore the Farmer; Grace Methodist; Christian Right Church; St. Walter's; St. Rita High School; Eisenhower High School; Paul Revere Primary, Paul Revere Intermediate, Veteran's Memorial Middle Schools; The Blue Island Park District; Romin'Chariots; Metro South Hospital; Bob Jones and Beverly Bank, the Simborg Family, Candy Carr; Lynn Ingersol; Betty Nagel and Joe DiNova. A big thank you to my sort crew; Ed, Jon and Becki Coyle, Bob O'Connor, Grace Diaz, Ed Diaz, Tom and Stephen Gerez, Gloria Zaper, Chris Rondinella, and Debby Coyle. If I forgot anyone, please accept my apologies.