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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving Service at the Parkview Community Church

During Thanksgiving, in November 2008 and 2009, I have volunteered for the Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Parkview Community Church with Henry W. Hochstatter, located at 764 St. Charles Road, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137, Email: info@pccmail.org, Telephone: 630.469.4306. The first year, Scott, the coordinator, along with Reverend Mike McDuffy, encouraged everyone attending during the Sunday morning service, to sign-up and help for the free Thanksgiving Community Dinner.

The first time, I remembered that Henry W. Hochstatter signed-up to volunteer for the Kitchen Clean-Up and I also helped cleaning up the dining room, after the Thanksgiving Luncheon at the Parkview Community Church in Glen Ellyn, DuPage County, Illinois.

Later during the year in 2009, Henry W. Hochstatter's 1996 Toyota SUV developed a broken transmission gearshift and needed financial assistance to pay the $800.00 repair and replacement costs at the Next Generation Auto Shop in Villa Park, managed by his cousin, mechanic Bobby Pickerill. By the grace of God, the Parkview Community Church offered financial assistance to Henry W. Hochstatter with $200.00 from the Sunday collection to help him pay the Toyota SUV transmission gearshift repair and replacement.

So, it was not surprising that during November 2009, Henry W. Hochstatter volunteered again for Kitchen Clean-Up after the free Thanksgiving Community Luncheon at the Parkview Community Church in Glen Ellyn.

During Thanksgiving in November 2009, I also registered to help at the Parkview Community Church, stationed at the Welcome Reception Table for registration verification, and also afterwards for Kitchen Clean-Up duties. I remembered that David was seating nearby and Sidney Williams came to say "Hi!" and talk in the background with Henry W. Hochstatter. Afterwards, Betty, the church receptionist sat by me to keep company during the Thanksgiving Luncheon rush hour.

Two years have passed since then and in 2010, Henry W. Hochstatter has changed a lot since he has been working with brake-bleeding for the Next Generation Auto Shop managed by his cousin mechanic Bobby Pickerill. In 2010, Henry W. Hochstatter does not want to spend Thanksgiving with the Parkview Community Church in Glen Ellyn this year. Nor does Henry W. Hochstatter want to spend Thanksgiving with a very close friend who has been helping him during his homelessness after his separation from his second wife, followed by divorce in 2010. In two years, people can change and not volunteer, the way they used to do so. It is unfortunate that Henry W. Hochstatter has changed so much in his community service since he moved to Villa Park near his family.

Friday, November 12, 2010

York Township Community Service Assistance at the Deicke Home for the Retarded

YORK TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY SERVICE ASSISTANCE AT THE DEICKE HOME FOR THE RETARDED IN CARE OF BRUCE THOMPSON AND DARLENE COX FOR VOLUNTEER SERVICE BY GARDENIA C. HUNG-WITTLER IN THE VILLAGE OF LOMBARD, 1005 WEST DIVISION STREET, LOMBARD, ILLINOIS 60148

     My name is Gardenia C. Hung-Wittler, Lombard resident homeowner, taxpayer, and U.S. citizen in Du Page County, Illinois, in the United States of America. I have been involved in community service for the York Township Senior Community Center, at 1502 S. Meyers Road in Lombard in care of Diane Arturi, Michael, and Daniel Dragojevich for Senior Transportation Services during 2009 and 2010. The first week of July 2010, Diane Arturi advised that I was being re-assigned to another community service facility on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010. On Thursday, July 2nd, Pam at the Reception Desk provided a handwritten note with Bruce Thompson’s name and telephone number to report at the Deicke Home for the Retarded. http://www.deickehome.org/,  on Tuesday, July 6th, at 9:00 a.m. at 1005 West Division Street, Lombard, Illinois  60148.

     When I arrived, I met Bruce Thompson and Sherry who was waiting by the lobby door. Bruce Thompson invited to sit in his office and complete the Deicke Home for the Retarded Volunteer Form. During the Volunteer Service Interview, I mentioned to Bruce Thompson that I had been a volunteer at the Deicke Home for the Retarded before on behalf of the Wheaton Friends of the Court Program for John Gar and Peter, court wards, sponsored by Judge Robert E. Byrne and Judge Mehling formerly at the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court, 505 North County Farm Road, at the Du Page County Government Center—during our conversation, I mentioned that I remembered when Peter Fantuzzi was there as the former director of the Deicke Home of the Retarded in Lombard. I told Bruce Thompson that I have been a certified Illinois teacher and faculty at the College of Du Page in Glen Ellyn and Lombard, Illinois. Bruce Thompson provided a copy of the July 2010 Calendar for Activities at the Deicke Home for the Retarded, so that I could select which two (2) days of the week I would visit the Deicke Home for community assistance. I chose to provide community volunteer assistance on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the Deicke Home of the Retarded residents in Lombard, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thereafter, I have arrived at 8:00 a.m. and sometimes have stayed for activities in the afternoon until 4:30 p.m. or after 3:00 p.m. For the record, I have provided volunteer community assistance at the Deicke Home for the Retarded with laundry folding and bed-dressing for Denise, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club shopping, outdoor recreational activities, lunch assistance for preparation and serving set-up, pantry cleaning, Sam’s Club Grocery Shopping Day Loading and Unloading, Lake View Nature Center in Oakbrook Terrace, Spirit of Chicago Luncheon Yacht Cruise, Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, Helen M. Plum Library Scarecrow Crafts Day, Sonny Acres Farm in West Chicago, Sewing and Designing Crafts for Marilyn, etc.





     Afterwards, Bruce Thompson introduced me to Darlene Cox, I told her that I had been there before for the Wheaton Friends of the Court when Peter Fantuzzi had been the director of the Deicke Home for the Retarded. Some of the Deicke Home residents met me and remembered that I had visited them some years ago.

     On Tuesday morning, I was also introduced to Linda Hallenstein and Joyce, the other two staff members along with Crystal, the secretary. First, I was assigned to assist with the Vegetable Garden and the existing weeds around the tomatoes, peppers, Brussel sprouts, cabbages, and zucchini. Then, Linda invited me to play Billiards Pool in the basement—since I had had a billiards pool table at home, I was familiar with playing pool as an amateur. Then, we went upstairs to help set up lunch and the tables, along with the preparation of the lunch meal for serving to the Deicke Home residents.

During the weekly visits for community assistance on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I helped the Deicke Home residents shopping at Wal-Mart and with the groceries loading and unloading from Sam’s Club to the Deicke Home’s kitchen in Lombard.










Also, during the summertime, Linda Hallenstein planned outdoor activities at the Lake View Nature Center on Wild Wednesdays with Story Time in Oakbrook Terrace.
www.vimeo.com/13416253  A Story Time at the Lake View Nature Center
www.vimeo.com/13363343  A Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly on Wild Wednesday



     The first week of September 2010, the Deicke Home residents with Maryann, Joyce, Linda, and Adelle, a senior citizen community volunteer, planned a Lake Michigan yacht cruise with luncheon aboard the Spirit of Chicago organized by Tiffany Weinstein on Tuesday. When I arrived early on Tuesday morning, Bruce Thompson told me that I did not have to stay that day because the Deicke Home resident were going on the Spirit of Chicago Luncheon Cruise at a cost of $36.03 per person paid for them, but he would not pay for me to attend as a volunteer, only for the others. I was rather disappointed that Bruce Thompson would not pay for me as a community volunteer, when I had been providing community assistance every Tuesday and Wednesday, even before… So, I paid for my Spirit of Chicago Cruise ticket by mail, after Bruce Thompson made a telephone and Email reservation for me with Tiffany Weinstein.


     Sometimes, I was assigned to do outdoor detail for picking up twigs and weeds with Marilyn around the front yard, up to corner and all around the Deicke Home, including the indoor walking courtyard and track. Another time, I had to help checking out the glass storm windows and screens which had popped out overnight, all around the Deicke Home.

     During October and November 2010, Marilyn Francik asked me to help her with her Sewing and Mending clothes, as well as some Sewing Projects which Nancy who had left, did not complete for her—such as the Bunny Remote Control Holder and her Memorabilia Pillow with the pink satin recyclable fabric they had left for remnants. In addition, I gave Marilyn several new Thanksgiving fabric material for her holiday gifts for her guardian Stephan, her cousin Evelyn, and also for Adelle, the senior volunteer driver.  I was designing and sewing for Marilyn's holiday gifts of fabric, as well as for her own sewing needs.  I helped Marilyn with her Pink Satin Memorabilia Pillow, the Bunny Remote Control Holder, Guardian Stephan's Clown Placemat, Cousin Evelyn's Thanksgiving Table Runner and Adelle's Holiday Table Runner.







Marilyn Francik displays the Thanksgiving Table Runner for the holidays.



Sarah Guidolin by the Castle Lizzadro display in Elmhurst, Illinois USA.


American Gothic at the Sonny Acres Farm