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Carol Stream, IL —
Karole and Floyd Kettering, Humanitarian Service Project co-founders
FAMILY Married for 47 years, two children and three grandchildren
RESIDENCE Wheaton
EDUCATION Floyd graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree
On a Friday morning, the loading dock bell rang and 1,000 toys appeared without notice or warning.
“Sometimes it’s like magic,” Karole Kettering said. “The universe has ears and knows what you want.”
She and her husband, Floyd, are the co-founders of the Humanitarian Service Project, a charity in Carol Stream that they started in a spare bedroom and garage in 1979.
For 32 years, donors, volunteers and little surprises that appear on the loading dock have unfolded. All the while, the couple’s initial vision of helping a few families during the holidays transformed into a year-round project that brings children joy on their birthdays, serves needy families and aids senior citizens in DuPage and Kane counties.
Last Saturday, employees and volunteers at the service project sent 11 tons of food to 120 senior citizens’ homes, which is the average amount sent each month for the organizations’ Senior Citizen Project.
Volunteers also package gift boxes and party supplies for children whose families can’t afford to give them a birthday party as part of its Children’s Birthday Project.
The couple’s vision continues to expand.
“Our goal is to last 100 years,” Karole said.
And they may be well on their way. On Feb. 25, the couple toasted with a group of their largest supporters, the Wheaton Junior Women’s Club, and announced the organization will add onto the group’s building in Carol Stream. The plan is to almost double the size of warehouse to 14,000 square feet by adding onto the back of the building, with the project set to be complete by Christmas 2012.
“We want to be a model that could be replicated somewhere else … to mentor smaller organizations,” Floyd added.
Notable
Floyd and Karole Kettering started the Humanitarian Service Project, 465 Randy Road, Carol Stream, in their garage and spare bedroom in 1979.
"able
The couple said the project has taught them persistence and patience. “I call it my donkey,” Karole Kettering said. “I think ‘I can’t do this,’ and my donkey tells me ‘Oh yes, you can.’”
Statistics
Last year, the Humanitarian Service Project distributed 273,000 pounds of food and gifts to 1,200 children, 456 families and 120 senior citizens living in poverty in the area, according to Community Outreach Coordinator Paul Yambrovich
More online
Visit www.humanitarianservice.org for more on the project or to get information about how to help.
Karole and Floyd Kettering, Humanitarian Service Project co-founders
FAMILY Married for 47 years, two children and three grandchildren
RESIDENCE Wheaton
EDUCATION Floyd graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree
On a Friday morning, the loading dock bell rang and 1,000 toys appeared without notice or warning.
“Sometimes it’s like magic,” Karole Kettering said. “The universe has ears and knows what you want.”
She and her husband, Floyd, are the co-founders of the Humanitarian Service Project, a charity in Carol Stream that they started in a spare bedroom and garage in 1979.
For 32 years, donors, volunteers and little surprises that appear on the loading dock have unfolded. All the while, the couple’s initial vision of helping a few families during the holidays transformed into a year-round project that brings children joy on their birthdays, serves needy families and aids senior citizens in DuPage and Kane counties.
Last Saturday, employees and volunteers at the service project sent 11 tons of food to 120 senior citizens’ homes, which is the average amount sent each month for the organizations’ Senior Citizen Project.
Volunteers also package gift boxes and party supplies for children whose families can’t afford to give them a birthday party as part of its Children’s Birthday Project.
The couple’s vision continues to expand.
“Our goal is to last 100 years,” Karole said.
And they may be well on their way. On Feb. 25, the couple toasted with a group of their largest supporters, the Wheaton Junior Women’s Club, and announced the organization will add onto the group’s building in Carol Stream. The plan is to almost double the size of warehouse to 14,000 square feet by adding onto the back of the building, with the project set to be complete by Christmas 2012.
“We want to be a model that could be replicated somewhere else … to mentor smaller organizations,” Floyd added.
Notable
Floyd and Karole Kettering started the Humanitarian Service Project, 465 Randy Road, Carol Stream, in their garage and spare bedroom in 1979.
"able
The couple said the project has taught them persistence and patience. “I call it my donkey,” Karole Kettering said. “I think ‘I can’t do this,’ and my donkey tells me ‘Oh yes, you can.’”
Statistics
Last year, the Humanitarian Service Project distributed 273,000 pounds of food and gifts to 1,200 children, 456 families and 120 senior citizens living in poverty in the area, according to Community Outreach Coordinator Paul Yambrovich
More online
Visit www.humanitarianservice.org for more on the project or to get information about how to help.
