Latino and diverse low-income communities served by Erie Neighborhood House

Dianne Lambert

PW members co-chaired by Dianne Lambert and Judy Den Uyl sold 240 1-pound bags of pecans, which benefited Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago with $328.80.  Erie House, established in 1870, empowers members of these communities to reach their fullest potential with educational programs for all ages and annually serves over 5000 participants. 22 of our shut-in members Members of Elizabeth Circle each baked two dozen cookies to bring to their December meeting hosted by Ann Herndon.   They enjoyed the cookies as their refreshment; and then each member selected a shut-in, filled a box with cookies, and delivered them.  Christmas cookies for shut-ins have been a circle tradition for at least 25 years.

52 seniors at Outreach Community Center

Members of Grace Circle prepared and served a lunch of white chicken chili, corn bread, and apple cake at the Outreach Community Center for their November Lunch and Learn program.  After lunch they helped the seniors each make two Christmas cards using a precut Christmas scene and lots of glitter.

Some of the 800 DuPage families served by People’s Resource Center

Eight members of Ruth Circle gathered the morning of December 9 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds to help People’s Resource Center with their Share the Spirit program.  The members helped families select gift items from new toys, household items, and gift cards.  They added to the gift items 20 basketballs which Jane Wilson had purchased with money donated by circle members.

Some of the 300 residents of the DuPage Convalescent Center

PW sponsored a Christmas tree for the DuPage Convalescent Center.  Church members took ornaments from the tree listing needed items such as CD players, candy, cookies, postage stamps, batteries, calendars, and gift cards.  Phyllis Josephson and Kim Van Oss delivered over five laundry baskets full of these items to the Convalescent Center where they were wrapped and presented to the residents at their Christmas party.  The tradition of providing gifts for the residents was started by Kay Iverson more than 20 years ago when her son Don was a resident.  In the beginning Elizabeth Circle donated the gifts, and in recent years PW has expanded the project by inviting all church members to participate.

Children from birth to age 5 at the Roseland Community
“Good News” Day Care

PW Program Co-Chair Jan Foster organized a church-wide collection of children’s books for Roseland Day Care run by Pearl Willis on the south side of Chicago.  The collection well exceeded the goal of 100 (for our centennial) books.  Pearl had participated in our church’s trip to Israel and presented her inspirational story as part of the PW October meeting.  Roseland provides free Christ-centered day care for children of teenage moms, college moms, and low-income moms in
one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago.  Since its inception in 1993 the day care has touched the lives of 500 children and 200 moms.

Children ages 12-19 at Kemmerer Village, a Presbyterian Child Care Agency

Members of PW donated $400 to Kemmerer Village to help buy Christmas presents for the children.  Kemmerer Village opened in 1914 on a 400-acre farm in central Illinois left by Philip Kemmerer to the Presbyterian Church.  Originally an orphanage it now serves about 100 children referred by DCFS, Department of Correction, and county probation offices.  The Village provides residential care and an on-grounds school.

Worldwide mission projects of PW

The PW circles collected $285 which Jan Higgins, treasurer, sent to the Chicago Presbytery as our part in a denomination-wide PW Thank Offering which is collected each fall.   Starting in the late 1800’s, the Thank Offering now uses forty percent of the total offering for worldwide medical missions and the remaining sixty percent for creative missions selected from project proposals.

Newborns and pediatric surgical patients at
Rush University Medical Center

On December 8, 2008, Phyllis Josephson delivered to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago baby caps knitted by Doris Wiechmann, Bea Grabowski, and Sherry Halleran, a baby blanket and cap knitted by Jane Mitchell, and surgical dolls which the doctors and nurses use as therapy aides for children facing surgery.  The women of Elizabeth and Ruth Circles fashioned and sewed yarn hair on the dolls.  Jan Foster, Linda Lanier, Joan Reuss, and Liz Timmer sewed the dolls’ surgical gowns.  Many members of PW work year round on projects for the Medical Center.  Although the name is now Rush University Medical Center, it still has the Presbyterian and Episcopalian affiliations on which it was founded.