Agency’s Christmas tree a winner
The DuPage Senior Citizens Council (DSCC) is a winner—not just in the eyes of area seniors who benefit from its services, but because of a Christmas tree that was voted to be a favorite among visitors to Cantigny Park in Wheaton.
The Lombard organization was one of seven that were invited to submit a tree for a Christmas tree decorating contest this year, according to a Cantigny press release, the winner of which would receive a monetary prize.
“This was our second year for the event and it was even more popular than the first,” Diane Gutenkauf, director of the McCormick Museum, stated in a press release.
Marylin Krolak, DSCC executive director, explained that this was the organization’s first year entering the event, adding, “Our staff decorated that tree.”
She said entrants received $2,500 and the winning entry received an additional $2,500 grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, for a total of $5,000.
The six other entrants included the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville, the DuPage Community Foundation in Wheaton, the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Giving DuPage in Wheaton, Literacy DuPage in Wheaton and People’s Resource Center in Wheaton, according to the press release.
“The trees were a holiday attraction to celebrate Cantigny’s connections with the community and honor Col. McCormick’s philanthropic legacy,” the press release outlines, adding that the seven charities were invited to participate “because their missions involve issues or causes that were meaningful to Robert McCormick.”
Visitors to the museum were asked to vote for their favorite tree and were invited to make a donation to one or more of the agencies. Contributions from the visitors totaled $633, according to the press release.
The senior citizens council, a 501(c) (3) charity, was established in 1975, and with a budget of nearly $3 million, is mainly volunteer based. There are 12 full-time and 32 part-time staff members, and over 1,900 volunteers, according to DSCC figures.
The agency offers seniors a Meals on Wheels program of home-delivered meals, community dining, health and wellness education, well-being visits and safety checks, and home maintenance, including minor home repair, contractor referrals and chore days, according to Krolak.
Roughly 98 percent of the seniors served live in DuPage County with the remaining 2 percent living along the border areas of Will, Kane and Cook counties.
DSCC figures show that in fiscal year 2011, it provided 244,000 meals, conducted 210,000 well-being checks, performed 1,000 home and yard services and served 3,500 seniors.
When asked what the organization would do with the money, Krolak didn’t hesitate when she responded that it would go right back into the Meals on Wheels program. She related that while the program is tied to the Older Americans Act and does get some government funding, “less than half of what it costs to run the program” comes from that funding.
The senior citizens council “has to fundraise to make up that difference,” she continued, and also relies on donations from individuals and municipalities, as well as grants such as the one from the Robert McCormick Foundation.
The director praised the volunteers who are the driving force behind the DSCC, saying that “without them we could not implement [services] the way we do.”
She related that the purpose of the senior citizens council is to serve seniors—some of whom may not have any family or support system either nearby or at all—in such a way as to allow them to stay in their own home and maintain a sense of independence and dignity.
“Our mission and what we do reaches out to people,” Krolak continued, adding, “It touches my heart.”
She said that seniors who receive the Meals on Wheels are typically homebound and, along with the well-being checks, these encounters may be the only contact the seniors have with others. At the same time, the well-being checks serve as a way to keep an eye on the older folks who may not have anyone else to look in on them.
The volunteers can check on their physical surroundings—and physical state—to see that everything “is as it should be,” the director said, adding that the volunteers, who get to know the seniors, “can detect changes in health early on.”
Even the minor home repairs and contractor referrals for qualified help at a reduced cost, along with the spring and fall chore days, help seniors maintain their ability to stay at home, Krolak pointed out.
When asked how it felt to have the DSCC tree chosen as the 2011 winner, she replied, “We’re totally thrilled.”
“We’re just very honored,” she added.
“Aging is something that’s going to happen to all of us,” Krolak emphasized, adding. “We’re here 365 days a year.”
The DuPage Senior Citizens Council is located at 1919 S. Highland Ave., Building A, Suite 210. For more information, call 630-620-0804, or visit www.dupageseniorcouncil.org.
Cantigny Park/the Robert McCormick Museum is located at 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. The museum is now open for free guided tours Friday through Sunday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday tour schedules will resume in March.
Visit www.cantigny.org for more information on hours, directions and exhibits.


Students become ‘Sheldon Peck’ for contest
The Lombard Historical Society (LHS) is committed to bringing the past to life, and is hoping to get students interested in one of the village’s prominent historical figures.
The annual letter-writing contest is now under way, in which fifth-grade students can submit a letter—written in the voice of Sheldon Peck from 1848—to Abraham Lincoln, talking about himself as an artist, farmer, founder of Babcock’s Grove’s first school and abolitionist.
For those readers not familiar with Peck, he was a famous artist who lived at Grace and Parkside, from 1837-68. Besides starting the first school in his house, he was a church leader, farmer and portrait artist.
His works can be found in art museums and copies can also be found in the homestead museum, but one thing research has shown is that he was also a noted abolitionist, who helped slaves seeking freedom through the auspices of the Underground Railroad. In fact, the research shows that his home served as a “station,” or stop, along the Underground Railroad.
It is this knowledge, of one of the village’s most noted residents, that the historical society hopes to impart on the elementary school students, according to contest chair Brigitte O’Brien.
When asked what she sees as the value of such a contest, O’Brien replied that it allows the children to “explore Lombard’s history,” adding with a chuckle, “You’re talking to a former teacher.”
As an educator for 34 years, she said the contest caught her eye and she took on the responsibility of chairperson.
“I think that’s why I was interested,” she related.
Pat Poskocil, LHS committee chair and past contest chair, related that she started the contest after the Peck Homestead began restoration in the mid-1990s because “I thought it would be a fun way for students to learn a little bit about local history.”
She mentioned that she chose Peck in attempt to find “ways we could get more young people involved,” adding that LHS staff and volunteers would come to the schools and present pioneer programs to students, and “it just kind of spun from that.”
Since the contest’s inception, the historical society has been excited to learn so much more about Peck in the process, Poskocil beamed.
There are other values of the contest besides just learning about Peck and Lincoln, O’Brien emphasized, adding, “It is getting the kids involved in the research.”
“They’ve never been exposed to it before,” she said of the general introduction to Lombard history, but noted that this contest is “not meant to be an in-school activity but it certainly can be.”
In other words, it is up to the teachers if they want to work the research and letter-writing into the curriculum, “as much or as little as they want.”
O’Brien said that with Black History Month taking place during February, she sees “a lot of potential tie-ins” by introducing Peck in the classroom.
In fact, information on the contest and Peck’s biography have been distributed to the area schools, and the information shows that the contest meets five state goals in English language arts and two state goals in social sciences.
“We worked on identifying what state goal(s) it met,” Poskocil said, adding that volunteers started about five years ago aligning the contest with state educational objectives.
The historical society is available for class tours, pioneer programs or history events for school groups, and museum staff or volunteers are available to visit the schools to talk with teachers for staff events, or to students, on local history. They will also provide pioneer demonstrations, show exhibit materials and share ideas about local history, according to a press release distributed by O’Brien.
Poskocil observed that “the excitement gets built up” once students start learning more about Lombard’s historical ancestor, and when they visit the homestead and learn more about Peck, she hears them exclaim, “I didn’t know this. How about that?”
Students “have a lot of fun coming over to the Peck Homestead,” she emphasized.
The rules involve writing a letter of between 250-400 words on one or two pages. It is to be hand-written in the words of Peck, O’Brien said; no typewriter or spell checking allowed.
“We’re trying to be as historically accurate as possible,” she quipped.
A handful of judges will grade the letters on a 100-point scale, distributed equally on several criteria.
The letter must show the “student writer’s ability to create a hand-written, interesting letter that Lincoln could read and Peck could have written in 1848,” the rules state.
The letter must contain details about Peck, “his life as an artist, the abolitionist movement, the Underground Railroad, his family and/or as a community leader.”
Additionally, the letter must show the student’s ability to research and locate accurate information about Lincoln from 1848, as well as Babcock’s Grove and Illinois, that would relate to them in a personal way.
Finally, the judges will look for accuracy in spelling and word use, along with being written in a legible letter format.
O’Brien said the contest is open to all fifth-grade students in the Lombard public, private and parochial schools, and to home-schooled students with a Lombard mailing address who have the appropriate fifth-grade level student ID.
Prizes will be awarded for first place ($40 and publication of the winning entry), second place ($25 and publication of the winning entry) and third place ($10 and publication of the winning entry.
An award ceremony will be held at the Peck Homestead Sunday, March 18, at 2 p.m., with winners, family and teachers invited to attend the ceremony, after which refreshments will be served.
The contest runs now through 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, when all letters must be received by the historical society.
For information on the contest or to request an entry form, contact Jeanne S. Angel or Poskocil at the Lombard Historical Society office, 630-629-0886; or contact O’Brien at 630-627-2892 or by e-mail at obrienb@villageoflombard.org.
The Lombard Historical Society office is located at 23 W. Maple St., Lombard.