Addison residents may be thrown off a bit when checking the Addison Community Television program listing these days.  A mainstay of the December program lineup will not be there this year — the annual Addison Community Switchboard Telethon, a fundraising entertainment smorgasbord event that has long been a traditional holiday staple of Addison Community Television.

Not to worry. The compassionately dutiful work of the Switchboard will still continue full steam as usual during this holiday season.

The Addison Community Switchboard has been providing help to Addison families and seniors in need since 1970. While its Christmas food and gift program is well-known, especially because of the televised telethon, the group provides assistance year-round by means of a food pantry, clothes closet and other general assistance services. 

The decision to forgo the telethon this year was largely based on a lack of manpower for orchestrating the huge event as well as a general change in television viewership of the program.

Jim Lombardo, Switchboard vice president and coordinator, said the organization is such an integral part of Addison’s fabric, that support for the Switchboard’s work should not suffer in the absence of a televised telethon.

“Putting the telethon together was such a long process,” he said. “Times have changed, and that’s OK. Things are going very well and organizations continue to donate.”

Generous support for the Switchboard comes from clubs, churches, companies, and schools throughout the community. 

“There is not one school in town that is not involved in our holiday food program,” Lombardo said. 

As in years past, Addison schools held food drives in November to collect provisions for donation to the Switchboard which will benefit 220 families and 40 seniors this year.

The organization gathers all the food and organizes it into generous parcels for distribution. Each family receives two boxes of food, plus a Christmas dinner, which includes a turkey and all the trimmings for eight people. 

While food is essential, most children would make the case that Christmas isn’t Christmas without gifts. The Switchboard has always agreed with this, so they continue to provide gifts for children along with the food given to their families. 

Christmas trees bearing tags that stand for a child in need are located throughout the village. Beneficiaries of the program remain anonymous, so the tags simply contain gift-giving guidelines like the child’s age, gender and size. The tag eventually gets attached to its corresponding donated gift and into the happy hands of a child who otherwise would go without.    

“Addison School District 4 has taken more than 100 tags already, and tags have also been taken by Addison Trail and Driscoll Catholic high schools,” Lombardo said.

The nonprofit also serves as the vehicle used by UPS to donate Christmas gifts to the Lutherbrook Child and Adolescent Center in Addison. This year,52 young people there are in line to receive this holiday cheer. 

And the Switchboard itself has reason to cheer since it recently moved into a new facility. It now has its own space in the brand-new Henry J. Hyde Neighborhood Resource Center located on Michael Lane. When asked about how life has improved for the Switchboard in its new location, Lombardo’s response bubbled forth intensely. 

“Oh, I can’t even describe the difference,” he said. “We’ve gone from 750 to 2,000 square feet. We have specific areas designated just for clothing, a pantry with all of our food products, and warehouse space in back. It’s been fantastic. We give our thanks to the village for allowing us to have this facility.” 

Lombardo, a 37-year resident of Addison, serves along with Mary Arbaugh, Switchboard president, and Rose Kindle, coordinator.  He first began his volunteer service for the group as Santa Claus, donning the classic red suit and white beard to play the role at telethons for 15 years. His involvement with the organization has expanded through the years and his resulting gratification has followed suit. 

“What we get at the end is when you give someone a gift and they hug you so hard they almost break your bones,” Lombardo said. “A lady once hugged me so hard that my back still hurts after two years.  It’s that feeling – that’s the reward.”

To find out more about supporting the work of the Switchboard, call (630) 628-2698. Donations can be sent to 193 W. Michael Lane, Addison, IL 60101. 
 
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