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Downers Grove, IL —
483
That's how many coats Downers Grove village employees collected for the needy this winter.
The plan
Some of the employees of the Village of Downers Grove belong to a committee called VOICE, which stands for Village Organized Ideas for the Community and Employees.
The committee’s mission is to offer village employees the opportunity to participate in fundraising projects, charitable collections, charity drives and social events. The goal is for the committee to support humanitarian efforts within the community.
This year, from Nov. 28 until Jan. 8, the committee set aside a small area in the Downers Grove Police Department where people could donate winter coats. In the end, the VOICE committee ended up collecting 483 coats. They also collected hats, gloves, boots and other cold weather apparel.
According to Janene Cerulli, an employee with the village and a member of the committee, the collection slightly exceeded the amount of coats collected last winter.
“Interestingly, last year we started collecting about two weeks earlier,” Cerulli said in an email to the Downers Grove Reporter.
The impact
The coats and other winter apparel will go to a local nonprofit called Sharing Connections, which is based in Downers Grove.
Chris K. Cholewa, executive director of Sharing Connections said the organization regularly gives winter coats to families in need.
The headquarters of Sharing Connections is a double warehouse located at 5111 Chase Ave. The organization exists to give furniture to families or individuals in need. While most of the organization’s space is filled with chairs, beds, sofas or book shelves, space is set aside for clothing.
The coats donated by the VOICE Committee will help Sharing Connections replenish their inventory of coats.
Many times Sharing Connections will receive a telephone call from a teacher in the area who wants to help a student coming to school without a coat.
“It really is a sad situation when we just don’t have coats for our kids. ... It’s really great to see the community does support all the things we do here. The only reason we are able to exist is because we have generous people in the community,” Cholewa said.
483
That's how many coats Downers Grove village employees collected for the needy this winter.
The plan
Some of the employees of the Village of Downers Grove belong to a committee called VOICE, which stands for Village Organized Ideas for the Community and Employees.
The committee’s mission is to offer village employees the opportunity to participate in fundraising projects, charitable collections, charity drives and social events. The goal is for the committee to support humanitarian efforts within the community.
This year, from Nov. 28 until Jan. 8, the committee set aside a small area in the Downers Grove Police Department where people could donate winter coats. In the end, the VOICE committee ended up collecting 483 coats. They also collected hats, gloves, boots and other cold weather apparel.
According to Janene Cerulli, an employee with the village and a member of the committee, the collection slightly exceeded the amount of coats collected last winter.
“Interestingly, last year we started collecting about two weeks earlier,” Cerulli said in an email to the Downers Grove Reporter.
The impact
The coats and other winter apparel will go to a local nonprofit called Sharing Connections, which is based in Downers Grove.
Chris K. Cholewa, executive director of Sharing Connections said the organization regularly gives winter coats to families in need.
The headquarters of Sharing Connections is a double warehouse located at 5111 Chase Ave. The organization exists to give furniture to families or individuals in need. While most of the organization’s space is filled with chairs, beds, sofas or book shelves, space is set aside for clothing.
The coats donated by the VOICE Committee will help Sharing Connections replenish their inventory of coats.
Many times Sharing Connections will receive a telephone call from a teacher in the area who wants to help a student coming to school without a coat.
“It really is a sad situation when we just don’t have coats for our kids. ... It’s really great to see the community does support all the things we do here. The only reason we are able to exist is because we have generous people in the community,” Cholewa said.
