Christmas in August

Last year we didn't bring in enough food at Christmas. Our schools, all who have been so generous with their time and their efforts, just couldn't pull in enough food. They tried so hard, but ran headlong into the worst economic situation since the Great Depression. Seeing that the economy is still stalled, we decided to hold Christmas in August. So we invited the public to join us at the Calumet Township Senior Center for food, fun, music and a raffle. We asked that each family bring with four cans of food. Where we didn't fill the hall with celebrants, we did have a steady flow all day long. Blue Island area business people, and individuals were so kind and so generous. We had a great time, and we brought in enough cans to fill the bed of a pickup truck. 

Thank You Letter

(All letters are copied as written.)

Dear touch of angels

I'm sorry for my delay in wrighting you. I have been very ill. I'm feeling a lot better now and I have not forgotten the beautiful christmas thay you all Supplied to me and my boys. It has been the best christmas Sence I was a child. To the family that sponsered us. Thankyou so much for the great presents. Patrick started school and all the cloths you supplied made him look like a million dollars starting school. The tree and decorations has inspried the christmas joy in me that I lost so many years ago. and I will forever look at that tree each and every christmas and Remember the Kindness that you have all showed my family. I will hang the beautiful stocking with pride. I was overwelmed at all you have All shared with me this christmas you supplied everything that I needed even down to the cleaning after the dinner. I shared my christmas with my neighbor who is disabled and has no family. It was a great day you helped my family and brought joy to a neighbor who was lonely and disabled. You all will never know how you have brought the christmas spit and love back to me and my children. They never had a tree before. Thank you so much from the bottem of my heart to all who helped to make up so happy. I thought that Kind of Kindness was gone. You all are beautiful great people. And I admire everyone of you. Thank you so much again and I hope you all had a great christmas and I hope good things for you in your life.

forever Thankful

http://www.facebook.com/TouchedbytheLoveofAngels, borrowed with their permission.

Thank You From An Angel's Touch: The Year of Friendship

Thank You From An Angel's Touch

The Year of Friendship

(as published in the February 21, 2012 Blue Island Forum)

by Jude Coyle

Before I start, let me say that this article is about the experiences of my family. There are quite a number of people involved in An Angel's Touch. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to, I haven't got the time or the space to write about what they do, which I guarantee is a lot.

Let me open with something I usually finish with: Donations stop at Christmas. Hunger doesn't. This year has been a bad year for most of us. Money is much dearer and the need is dreadful. Donations were very bad this year, and in fact, after 17 years of doing this work, I think this year was the worst. We were again lucky. We ran out of food early on. But thanks to Jim Reihl and his wonderful can shake, we were able to force our way forward. When the second wave of requests for help hit us, we bought food.

The second wave of food donations came after delivering to most of our families. So most went directly to the Salvation Army and St. Benedict's St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. Please note. Every year we try to collect as much as we can just so we can pass food onto these groups. Our goal is to help families through emergencies, and being hungry is an emergency. Helping ease that by providing food to both these organizations then becomes one of our priorities. So, please, keep them in your prayers.

We lost a great friend this Christmas. Rose Rita used to collect cereal for us. She began way back when she was first elected Alderman. She called friends and family to say, “Please bring me a box of cereal.” By the time we arrived at her home to pick it up, she had bags loaded with boxes stacked in her entrance hall, up the stairs, and out in the garage. The first year she collected so much, we loaded our car, boxing both my son and me into our seats. Ed had packages stacked on his lap, on both shoulders, between his feet, and behind his head. When I opened the door to let him out, my husband and I caught cereal boxes as they fell. Rose began another tradition that day. She apologized because she didn't collect as much as she had hoped. Each year, she collected more, and each year she apologized for what she didn't collect. Once before John Rita passed, he commented towards me as I shook a collection can his way, about how cereal was taking over his home. I should mention that John was as wonderful to us as Rose was. Last year Rose was so ill, and yet she managed to make several calls, and again apologize. This year, Annie West collected cereal. We appreciate Annie's efforts and we pray she continues. Still every time I see a box of cereal I will think of Rose and her generous spirit. We will miss her dearly.

On to the next subject. I've written many times how my family became involved in An Angel's Touch because friends helped us out at Christmas when Bill took ill. It wasn't just food, presents and the niceties that meant the most to us, it was lasting friendship. Our troubled time wasn't easy. We had three children and needs we couldn't meet. This year the Coyle family relived that time as we watched our closest friends go through it. R. is a Vietnam vet, and Bronze Star recipient, and currently a member of the 99 club. In other words he was laid off three years ago when his company went under, and is no longer eligible for Unemployment. He tried and tried to find a new job. At his age though, no one was interested. He took ill, and lost a ton of weight. This man is about 5'9”, and now weighs less than 120 lbs. After about a year of testing, the V.A. doctors decided that it might be celiac disease. There's a lot more involved in this story that makes their situation harder yet.

There is a bright spot though. Bill and I picked up turkeys from Doubleplay Lounge. The Calumet Park Troublemakers have partnered with us over the last three years to help make the holidays a special time for needy families. As we were loading our trunk with five full turkey dinners, Bill took the opportunity to explain R.'s situation to Tony, Doubleplay's proprietor. A week later Tony called. “Say, Jude, you know your veteran friend? Troublemakers would like to help him.” He gave me a check. It wasn't an extraordinary amount, but let me tell you from personal experience, it was enough to knock our friend from his feet. So thank you Troublemakers for making his family's Christmas special.

Also a big thank you to Blue Island's troubadour and renaissance woman, Anna Stange. She surprised me one morning with a phone call. "Can I knit hats for you?" So thanks to Anna, we passed on a ton of exquisitely made hats.

Thank you to Patti Filewicz and the FORUM for collecting animal food. When money is that tight, dogs and cats are left behind.

Last year we helped a man living in his car after losing his home. This year he called to say he lost his car. We helped him and 37 other families. We joined with other organizations to help fire victims. We also helped 6 other charitable organizations. Like last year, we helped fewer families. It just seems that the families we did help found themselves in worse situations than ever before.

Please, friends, remember when donating, don't be embarrassed about how little you can give. Every can, every box and every penny adds up. More than that, your donations lets each family know that when something happens, they have friends. What better place to find friendship, than in Blue Island?

To all our friends, to all our donors, thank you. Please accept my apologies if I forget to mention your name or if I misspelled it. Your participation makes it possible to do the work we do. So thank you Mayor Donald E. Peloquin, his office; City Council, particularly Aldermen Nancy Thompson, Leticia Vieyra, Jan Ostling, Marcia Stone, Nancy Rita and Cathy Spizzirri; the Police and Fire Departments, the Building, Public Works and Water Departments; City Clerk Pam Frasor, Linda P, Linda O, Betty and Barb; MetroSouth Hospital; the Blue Island Public Library; Annie West and the Calumet Township Senior Center; St. Rita High School, DDE Key and Leo Clubs; Raeann Zylman and Veteran's Memorial Middle School; Paul Revere Intermediate and Primary Schools; First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Grace United Methodist Church; Lori Campione and St. Walter's School; Accurate Perforating; Mike Moran and RBM Motor Sales, Krueger's Funeral Home, the Calumet Park Troublemakers; Tony and the Doubleplay Lounge; The FORUM, Bob Jones and Beverly Bank: Bobbie and Jewel Foods; the Simborg Family, Temulac Boat Club and Windjammers Marina of Chicago, Korbakis Liquors, T&G's, Iversen's Bakery, Carr Gardens, A&R Security, Jim and Carol Reihl, John and Marsha Rauch, Betty Nagel, Nancy Schultz and Raymond Garay. Cadet Girl Scout Troop 602, Perry Recker, Anna Stange, Willie Scott, the Mark and Kathy Kuehner family, Gerry and Kim Runge, Jon and Becki Coyle, Gloria Zaper, Chris Rondella and Matt Hess. A huge thank you to my son, Ed, who was indispensable in everything we did this year.

Rose V. Rita

March 21, 1933 to December 2, 2011


John Spizzirri
July 22, 1961 to September 15, 2011

You will be missed.

Top Leo honors go to Blue Island student, again

Top Leo honors go to Blue Island student, again

Donna Vickroy dvickroy@southtownstar.com | (708) 633-5982 Apr 21, 2011 7:42AM

“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.”

Frank A. Clark

Like a lot of Chicago’s smaller, older suburbs, Blue Island has its struggles.

The population is declining. The average school expenditure is less than the national average. And the cost of living is below that of many other suburban Cook County communities.

Yet, despite the challenges its residents face, the city produces an exorbitant number of compassionate students. Not only is the turnout for service-driven clubs and events continually high but, for five of the past six years, a student at Eisenhower High School has been honored with the countywide Leo of the Year award.

This year, that distinction goes to senior Matthew Taylor-Schultz, who learned he’d won when teacher/club sponsor Susan Hodges walked into the special education classroom where he was volunteering one week in March and screamed, “Guess what?”

The next thing Matt remembers is the room going up for grabs, with students cheering and clapping.

When asked to explain his generous spirit, Matt shyly shrugs and says: “I’ve always been a nice kid. I’ve always felt an obligation to help others. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just grateful for what I have, but I’m happy to help others.”

Matt’s been a member of the Leo Club, the high school affiliate of the Lions Club, all four years of his high school career.

This year, he is president. Last year, he was treasurer.

In addition to fundraising for leukemia and breast cancer research, Matt pitches in to run the school food drive, which helped feed 13 families this year. He also helps organize the annual special education prom coming up next month.

Outside of school, he helps community organizations such as Blue Cap and An Angel’s Touch.

Based in Blue Island, Blue Cap provides education, therapy and vocational assistance to children and adults with developmental disabilities.

An Angel’s Touch provides assistance to needy Blue Island families with food during the year, gifts at Christmastime that students actually deliver on Christmas Day and used clothing, as needed.

“I know the family who started Angel’s Touch,” Matt said. “I also have friends whose family members have lost jobs.”

In addition to his impressive service record, Matt is a top student who enjoys being involved with choir, drama and the school newspaper.

He plans to attend Elmhurst College after graduation but he’s not sure of a major yet.

“Maybe nursing, maybe public relations,” he said.

For now, Matt joins the ranks of previous Leo Award winners: Stephanie Horvath, Alicia Johnson, Sara Spadoni and Stephanie Young.

By their nature, service clubs attract students with big hearts. So you might say competition for this award is fierce, even within a single school, let alone across the countywide 1A district.

Hodges, who nominated Matt this year, has run the Eisenhower Leo Club for the past nine years.

When asked to explain the extraordinary track record, she stated simply, “I’ve got good kids.”

Many of the 40 to 50 students who participate each year are members for all four of their high school years.

Of Matt, she said, he has a great sense of humor and a natural touch with people, especially the special education students.

“A couple of these kids who are especially challenged can’t remember anything but they remember Matt’s name,” she said.

Leo of the Year Award is determined by members of Lions Club International, among the largest service organizations in the world with 1.35 million members in 206 countries. The group, which focuses primarily on providing glasses and services to the visually impaired, was begun in 1917 by Melvin Jones, a Chicago businessman.

There are currently five Leo Clubs in Cook County. Every year at a spring convention, a committee of Lions Club members chooses the student Leo of the Year recipient, based on the individual’s volunteer record and the recommendation of a faculty member.

Joan McMillan is a member of the Mount Greenwood Lion’s Club. She said it is in some ways fitting that so many Leo of the Year recipients attend a District 218 school.

The first Leo Club in Illinois, McMillan said, was started at fellow 218 school Richards in Oak Lawn in 1969.

What, if anything, does this say about kids from the Southland?

That their hearts are as big as their dreams.

Thank You - Christmas 2010

Happy New Year's – 2011

The Year of the City Worker

by Jude Coyle

If you listen to the fat cats in Washington, you'll hear them refer to the fat cat union workers that saturate every part of government. They're making all this money and it's killing the American economy. It has to be stopped.

I've been searching my memory for a name I can blame as the cause of all of the discomfort America has felt of late, and frankly I can't come up with one. Instead I think of those individuals who patrol our streets, fight our fires and dig ditches in an effort to stop the flow of water main breaks. I think of the guys who fill the potholes, and the employees at City Hall who do the paperwork required in running a City the size of Blue Island. None of them are living in mansions, and if you read City Council News, you'll know that these are the same people who were asked to give up half their regular pay for the months of October and November because property tax bills went out late. They were to be repaid after Christmas.

Yet it was these people who on realizing that An Angel's Touch needed extra help this year because of the economy, dug deep to help us. For that reason, I am calling Christmas, 2010, the Year of the City Worker. To all of you, thank you so much.

An Angel's Touch is an organization that was created by friends to help other friends who ran into emergencies that threatened to wipe them out financially. We've grown from there, doing our best to help anywhere we can with emergencies of every kind. Over the nearly twenty years of operation, we've helped several hundred families with food, Christmas gifts, clothing and other necessities. This year alone we helped 43 families. What we do though, doesn't come from just us. It is because people like the City workers of Blue Island, the churches who have partnered with us, the Library, the Park District, Calumet Township Senior Center and other organizations, through their donations, allow us to help others.

This year it seemed that we would have to turn away families for the first time in our history as we just didn't have enough food. I begged at churches. I begged at City Hall. I begged on Facebook. I spoke to anyone who took the time to listen to me. At the last possible minute, Bernie Perryman donated huge stack of canned goods. So did Betty Nagle, Nancy Shultz, Raymond Guray, Charlene Finn, and John and Marsha Rauch. After that it seemed that I had to pick up canned goods every couple of days from City Hall. The very same people I referred to above, helped us out in spite of their own needs. I also picked up donations from the library, Calumet Senior Center, Lincoln, Oak Ridge and Beverly Cemeteries, Memorial Park and from various churches. Rose Rita, who has been ill, collected cereal for us. Tony from the Doubleplay Lounge, the Calumet Park Troublemakers and the Blue Island Professional Firefighters each provided five Christmas dinners. The Rickerson family made a huge donation. Again, thank you.

As I said, this year was harder than usual because of the economy, and a lot of our calls came from people living in odd situations. One woman called from a hotel room. She had two little boys, and had lost her home and her car. Could we help her? We did our best. We also helped a gentleman and his lady who were living in their car. There were too many others in similar situations. We did the best we could and we turned no one away. Better yet, we were able to pass on food to St. Benedict's Parish St. Vincent de Paul Society pantry and to the Salvation Army. As I've always said, donations end at Christmas. Hunger doesn't. We were also able to pass along coats to Reverend Rod Reinhart for veterans in need.

Our only disappointment was that we weren't able to pass along a full 240 gloves or mittens and hats to the CEDA preschool. We bought enough gloves to go around, but not hats. The boss saw mittens on sale right after Christmas this year, and purchased 200 pairs. So when next year comes along, I will be begging for 240 hats. A very big thank you to Jim Reihel who made that purchase possible because of the can shake he sponsors each year on our behalf.

Thank to the following. If I forgot your name or spelled it wrong, please accept my apology now, and know that you are in our prayers. Mayor Donald E. Peloquin, his office; City Clerk Pam Frasor and her office; City Council, particularly Aldermen Rose Rita, Leticia Vieyra, Jan Ostling, Marcia Stone; the Police and Fire Departments, and Professional Firefighters Union; the Building, Public Works and Water Departments; The 911 Center; the Chamber of Commerce; Metro South Hospital; the Blue Island Park District; the Public Library; the Calumet Township Senior Center; St. Rita High School, DDE Key and Leo Clubs; Veteran's Memorial Middle School; Paul Revere Intermediate and Primary Schools; Reverend Judy Jones, and Christ Memorial United Church of Christ; First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Grace United Methodist Church; Lori Campione and St. Walter's School; Accurate Perforating; the Kiwanis; the Calumet Park Troublemakers; Tony and the Doubleplay Lounge; The FORUM, Bob Jones and Beverly Bank, the Simborg Family, Temulac Boat Club and Windjammers Marina of Chicago, Beverly, Lincoln and Oak Ridge Cemeteries, Korbakis Liquors, T&G's, Iversen's Bakery, Blue Island Video, Carr Gardens, Harry's Long Bar, Gene's Dry Cleaners, A&R Security, Jim and Carol Reihel, American Legion Post #50, Charlene Finn, Bernie Perryman, Ron and Tracy Rickerson, John and Marsha Rauch, Betty Nagle, Nancy Schultz and Raymond Guray. Thank you to my sort crew who not only show up for me, but bring new people each year. Katherine Matthis, Chris Rondinella, Gloria Zaper, Ed and Grace Diaz, Matt Hess, Amber Sullivan, Stephen Gerez, Lisa Woodrich, Bob O'Connor, Ed, Jon and Becki Coyle. A special thank you to Bob, Roseanne and Kevin Moran and friend, Nicole. Every donor and every gift is very much appreciated, not only by the members of An Angel's Touch, but by the recipients of your love as well.