More than 400 South Elmhurst Girl Scouts and 500 of their family members marched in the cold, drizzling rain Friday, Oct. 16, and by doing so, helped bring clothes to those who will need them when that fall rain turns into wintry ice and snow.

The South Elmhurst Girl Scouts, which draws girls from Lincoln, Jackson, Visitation, Jefferson elementaries and Bryan Middle School, had been collecting clothes for the needy since mid-September. They donated enough to fill 40 bags and an enormous sport utility vehicle for their third annual Lantern Hike event.

“I had a (Chevy) Suburban there with no seats in it and I couldn’t see out any of the windows and a load in the front passenger seat came out to the front window,” Hike organizer Kristine DeGrace said.

For the scouts, the night was not only about service but also fun: the hike involved girl scout trivia games, sing-alongs, and meeting other scouts from different schools in Elmhurst.

“People come and know they can have a great time,” DeGrace said. “They see girls they may know from soccer, and get to see a lot of kids not just from their own school but other schools.”
DeGrace’s 9-year-old daughter, Madeleine, personally enjoyed the pumpkin carving.

“This is something we’ve always been looking forward to at the beginning of the school year,” Madeleine said.

The donations were more than just fun and games for Jan Martin, an administrator with First United Methodist Church, which operates a Clothing Center that collaborated with the South Elmhurst Girl Scouts for the second time on the event.

The church, Martin said, was wowed by the amount of clothes they received this year.

“It’s vital, it will impact so many lives,” she said. “It almost brought me to tears when I went out there ... and saw how many clothes and scarves and hats were there.”

Martin said the center, which is open two days a month, saw 100 visitors from across the Chicago area last Saturday, an average number for a year that has seen increased need due to the economic downturn.

“It’s pretty amazing as we walk to our coat closet, we don’t think about some people who can’t do that,” Martin said. “This is clearly one of, if not the biggest donation we’ve received. It means a great deal to us because it comes from local children. For them to be able to have an impact for people they may never even meet means a lot.”