By the numbers
130 Field Elementary School students and parents who helped
225 Seniors who the program has helped this fall
About 130 students and parents from Field Elementary School in Elmhurst teamed up with the DuPage Senior Citizen’s Council to help local seniors with their yardwork as the autumn leaves fall.
The group from Field lent a hand at 17 homes last weekend.
“This fall was one of the biggest chore days ever for us,” said Patricia Thein, head of the council’s volunteer program. “It was tremendous.”
According to Field PTA president Jeni Keane, 90 of the students and parents helped clean up along the Prairie Path also.
Keane said the service was done in lieu of the school’s annual fall festival.
“We had a group last year where kids did some things for seniors and we decided to formalize it,” she said. “We wanted to do something that kids could get involved with.”
The students and their parents filled up bags of leaves, branches, and did pruning for local seniors, including Robert Antolak of Elmhurst.
“They give a good example of helping older folks,” he said. “I’m glad to see some people that care about other people in this day and age.”
Another grateful senior was Jean Casto of Villa Park.
“It was very nice and I really appreciated it,” she said.
Keane’s daughters, Samantha, 9, and Jessica, 7, were two of the students who helped.
“They had a big backyard and it was a lot of fun,” Jessica said. “It felt good.”
The DuPage Senior Citizen’s Council Chore Days program is for the first three weekends in May and November and serves the entire county. Thein said 225 seniors received help with yardwork this fall alone.
“It was really cool,” Samantha said. “They were really thankful.”
