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Adopt
a Needy Child
Individuals,
families, clubs and groups can "adopt" a needy child for just
$54 per year. Many businesses, clubs and organizations adopt groups
of children ... for example, 10 children for $540 per year. When you
adopt a child, that young person becomes part of our
Children's
Birthday Project, which provides him or her with birthday and
Christmas packages every year until the child turns thirteen. Each year, you
will know that on their birthday your adopted child has received:
- Four new
educational books
- Three new toys and a game
- Several Small "Filler"
Gifts
- Stuffed Animals
- School Supplies
- A Party-In-A-Box
- Christmas gifts
from their wish list
- The knowledge
that someone cares and believes they are special!
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Each child receives a fun
stuffed animal
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Adopt
a Needy Senior
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Boxes of fresh produce for all
our 120 seniors
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Individuals,
families, clubs and groups can "adopt" a needy senior
citizen. There are several options for "full" or
"co-" sponsorship of a senior. A full senior sponsorship
is $800 per year. A "co-sponsorship" is $400 per
year. Any type of sponsorship can be paid for on an annual,
bi-annual, or monthly basis.
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When you adopt a
senior citizen, we welcome one of DuPage and Kane County's neediest elderly into our
Senior
Citizen Project for the rest of their life (or until their living
circumstances change such that they no longer require our service).
One of our seniors has been in our program now for over 13 years! From that point on, we will lovingly deliver nutritious food, household
products and personal care items to their home each month. They are
also eligible to receive a "secret pal" who will provide them with small
gifts on a regular basis. They will have a place to call with
desperate needs ... such as the need for hearing aids, glasses,
furniture, and blankets. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Become
an HSP Speaker
| If you enjoy public
speaking on behalf of great causes ... then we need you on our speakers
team! We are fortunate to have the support of many local clubs,
groups, schools, churches and businesses. We like to "stay
connected" with them by sending HSP speakers to their meetings
on a regular basis. Further, we enjoy sending speakers to talk with
groups that we haven't had a chance to work with to tell them all about
what the HSP does. |
Speakers Team Meeting
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If you are interested in
joining our speakers team, then please contact us via e-mail by clicking
the "I'm Interested" link below. To get you
started, you'll be invited to our office in Carol Stream for a tour, and
we'll
tell you more. Then, we'll partner you with one of our
"seasoned" speakers so that you can experience what an HSP talk
is like. After that, we'll keep you on our list of speakers and will
call you when speaking opportunities are available. We have a dinner
celebration each year for all of our speakers. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Become
a Delivery Day or Substitute driver
 One Saturday each
month, we deliver food and care packages to the 120 senior citizens that we
support. This would not be possible if it weren't for the wonderful
drivers who contribute a portion of their Saturday to the cause of feeding
the needy. On Delivery Day, the drivers pick up boxes and bags of
food at our center in Carol Stream and joyfully deliver them to the
seniors. Many of our drivers have established wonderful
relationships with the seniors on their routes and look forward to
delivery day as a chance to visit with the seniors. The seniors
really look forward to the company, too!
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If
you are interested in becoming a driver - or in substituting when drivers
are unable to help on delivery day, please send us an e-mail by clicking
the "I'm Interested" link below! |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Conduct a Food Drive for Seniors and Kids
|
 Food
drives are critical to the success of our Senior Citizen Project and our Feed the
Kids project. If it
weren't for all of the wonderful non-perishable food that we receive
through drives, we'd have to buy far more of it - which would
limit our ability to provide fresh produce and frozen meat and serve as many
seniors and families as do. Please click
here for
suggestions on what food items to collect.
Food drives are ideal for school, business and church groups who
have access to many people on a regular basis. If you are
interested in conducting a food drive, please contact us via e-mail by
clicking the "I'm Interested" link below. We will respond by sending you information
(if needed) on how food drives can be conducted, and we will plan food drive
logistics with you. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Conduct
a Toy / Book Drive
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New Toy
and Book Drives are critical to the success of our Children's Birthday
Project. With 1,200 needy children receiving gifts from HSP two times a
year, you can imagine that our book and toy shelves become empty quickly!
Please click
here for suggestions
on what toys to collect.
Toy drives are ideal for school, business, and church groups who
have access to many people on a regular basis. If you are
interested in conducting a new toy or new book drive, please
contact us via e-mail by clicking the "I'm Interested" link below. We
will respond by sending you information (if needed) on how toy
drives can be conducted, and we will plan logistics with you. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
Return
to idea list. |
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Bag
Non-Perishable Food for the Seniors
| Once a month, we
deliver food to our adopted seniors. The week before we
deliver food, we bag all of the non-perishable goods so they are ready for
our drivers to deliver them on Saturday. Typically, we have groups
of middle- or high school students bag the non-perishables on the
Thursday before delivery day each month. We especially need groups who can bag
during the summer months - June, July, and August.
If your group is
interested, please contact us via e-mail by clicking the "I'm
Interested" link below.
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Volunteers bagging the
non-perishable items for the seniors
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Become
a Secret Pal
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Secret Pal gifts ready to be delivered
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All of the
seniors in our Senior Citizen Project are eligible to have a Secret
Pal. A Secret Pal provides special, small gifts on a regular
basis to put a little extra joy in the life a struggling senior. Some
examples of gifts include candles, picture frames, stamps, stationery, lotions,
shower gels, crossword puzzle books, pots/pans, puzzles, blankets, plants,
and
Gift Certificates. The gifts are either dropped off or
mailed to our our Carol Stream Center and are delivered to the seniors by their "delivery day
driver" at the same time as their monthly food. |
If you are interested in
becoming a Secret Pal, please contact us via e-mail by clicking the "I'm
Interested" link below. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
Return
to idea list. |
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Hold a Party in Honor of HSP
| We have some very
creative and generous friends who have made us the "guest of
honor" at their own personal parties. For example, we had a
wonderful person ask party guests to bring a new Barbie doll to a 40th surprise
birthday party instead of a gift ... then all of the dolls were donated to our Children's Birthday Project.
WOW! What a great idea, huh? |
Birthdays are to be celebrated
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If you ever have a
"no gifts, please" party ... but know people will bring gifts
anyways ... then please keep us in mind. Perhaps asking guests to
bring a new toy or book instead of saying "no gifts" will make it a
win/win situation for everyone! |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Help
With the Senior Wish List
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A selection of donated items for
seniors
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Our 120 adopted
senior citizens have many unmet needs. For example, many of our
seniors need small household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, microwaves,
coffee makers, fans, and air conditioners. We also accept medical
aids such as walkers and wheelchairs, as long as they are in good condition. If you would
like to review our Senior Wish List on a regular basis, please let us
know. If there are items on the list that you are interested in
donating, please let us know. To view the current Wish
List, please click
here. |
If you would like to donate
an item that is on the Senior Wish List, please contact us via e-mail by
clicking the "I'm Interested" link below. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
Return
to idea list. |
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Become
a General Donor
| If you or
your group are interested in donating ... but do not want to donate
annually to the Senior Citizen Project or to the Children's Birthday
Project ... please know that we will always be able to make good use
of donated funds. As a matter of fact, sometimes we get a really
special need and we solicit general donations in order to meet the
need. For example, one past winter we wanted to make sure we could provide each
child enrolled in our Children's Birthday Project with a pair of gloves and a hat, so we received donations
specifically to purchase these items for the low-income children. Also, sometimes an unexpected illness may arise for a senior and the
senior may need help paying for an additional one-time medication. If
you would like to be a general donor - please let us know. We
will put you on a list of people / groups to contact when unexpected needs
arise. |
Our center and Service Sidewalk
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Help with Christmas Offering/Christmas Boxing Party 2008
Dates for our
Christmas Offering
are:
Friday, December
21st, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday December 22nd, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
You can volunteer in 2 hour or longer shifts.
The Christmas
Boxing is scheduled for
Sunday, December 9th from 3:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. and you must stay for
all four hours. Please contact us by clicking the "I'm Interested"
link to make reservations for
any of these dates. |
Sorting food at the Christmas Offering serving
100 low-low-income families
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Conduct
a Fund-Raiser in our Honor
| There are many
creative ways for schools, clubs and groups to raise funds to help us
sponsor more needy DuPage and Kane children and seniors. For example, a group
of middle school students once bagged groceries at Cub Foods for a day and
donated their tip money to HSP. Their tip money turned out to be
over $1,200! That was enough to sponsor a senior and ten needy
children for a year!! What an amazing contribution these middle-schoolers
made to us and to the senior/children we are able to help because of
them!! We are also fortunate enough to be the recipient of proceeds
from local club-sponsored parties and events such as fashion shows and
dinner dances. Click
here
for more suggestions for
fundraising events. |
Please let us know
about your creative fundraising ideas. We'd love to work with you/your
club to raise money for our cause. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Wrap
Birthday Gifts for the Children's Birthday Project
| We deliver festive
birthday packages to 1,200 needy children each year. The packages are
picked up by the family or delivered via UPS, and are filled with beautifully-wrapped
books and toys. The presents are wrapped by local groups or individuals. If
you or your group is interested in wrapping presents for the
Children's Birthday Project, please let us know by clicking the "I'm
Interested" link below. Please note, this is
such a popular activity that we suggest that you book well in
advance. |
Birthday gifts wrapped by
volunteers
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
Senior
Holiday Dinner Delivery
Through the generosity of another
non-profit organization, we are able to provide hot meals to those senior citizens who
want them on Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We are always
in need of drivers to help deliver to the seniors on those holiday mornings.
Just click the "I’m Interested" link to receive more information. |
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I'm
Interested! Contact HSP. |
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to idea list. |
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Help with Food
Sorting Whenever
we have large food drives come in, we need volunteers to help us sort the donated
non-perishables. Individuals interested in helping can join our Wednesday
morning team of volunteers! Groups interested can call or e-mail to
schedule a time to help. Click the "I'm Interested" link below to
contact us. |
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I'm Interested!
Contact HSP. |
Return to idea list. |
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Deliver Groceries
to Families
Once a month during June, July, and August, we deliver food to
the
families in our Feed the Kids program. This would not be possible if it
weren't for the wonderful drivers who contribute a portion of their day to
the cause of feeding the needy. Drivers come to our Center in Carol Stream
to pick up boxes and bags of food and joyfully deliver them to the
families. This is an excellent opportunity for families to help out
during summer vacation.
If you are
interested in becoming a driver, please contact us via e-mail by clicking
the "I'm Interested" link below. |
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I'm interested!
Contact HSP. |
Return to idea list. |
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Organize Secret Pal
Gifts
Come to our Center and help us organize Secret Pal gifts for our seniors
the Friday before Delivery Day each month.
If you are
interested in helping us organize Secret Pal gifts, please contact us via
e-mail by clicking the "I'm Interested" link below. |
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I'm Interested!
Contact HSP. |
Return to idea list. |
Assemble
Parties-in-a-Box
| Take a shoebox or
similarly-sized container, wrap it in birthday wrapping paper, and load it with birthday
party supplies for a low-income child! This is a great project for an
elementary school
classroom or Girl Scout Troop.
Items for the birthday boxes include
cake mix, frosting, balloons, hats, plates, napkins, tablecloths,
party favors, candles, and cake decorations. You can also add any
other items you might think of that will help with a fun-filled
birthday party! It’s fun to pack a box according to a certain theme, like Harry
Potter, Powerpuff Girls, Blue’s Clues, Barbie, or Scooby Doo. Just
click the "I’m Interested" link to send us an e-mail! |
Girl Scouts delivering
Birthday Boxes
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Assemble Christmas
Boxes
 We help a total of
100 families with over 400
children at our Christmas Offering, and you can help give them a very merry
Christmas! Just wrap a shoebox (or similarly-sized container) with festive
wrapping paper, and load it with Christmas goodies the whole family can
enjoy! Deliver them to us by the first week in December and we’ll get it to them in
time for Christmas!
Suggested items include: Christmas cards, stamps,
candles, tree decorations, candy canes, Christmas lights and ornaments,
cookie cutters, cookie mix, food coloring, sprinkles, hot chocolate, and
festive tablecloths, napkins, plates, and cups. You’re welcome to add
your own ideas as well! Just click the "I’m Interested" button
and we’ll send you more information!
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Back-to-School
Survival Kits
| We help 1,200 low-income children, and they shouldn’t
lack any of the basic school necessities! Fill a shoebox, backpack, or lunchbox with school essentials like: pens, pencils, erasers,
paper, notebooks, rulers, Scotch tape, crayons, folders, binders, lunch
bags, and a pocket dictionary/thesaurus. You can also come up with ideas
of your own! This is a great project for a youth group. Click the
"I’m Interested" button if you’d like more information. |
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Endowments
In 100 years, we’d still like to be helping
low-income children and seniors. Through a one-time donation, you can
provide perpetual support for a low-income child or senior citizen. This
way there will ALWAYS be one needy child or senior who will benefit
from our program. When they no longer need us, we will be able to replace
them with another deserving soul.
A child endowment is $800. A senior endowment is
$15,000. Monthly payment plans are available. Contact us for more
information!
Walkway of Service
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Our Service
Sidewalk at our Center recognizes individuals and groups who have made
donations toward our building. For $500, or $25 a month, you can have your very
own brick, engraved with your name and/or a personal message. We are
currently in the process of arranging for the sidewalk to be moved to and
installed at our new center - during one of your next visits you will be
able to see the bricks inscribed with the names
of past and current donors. Your donation will go towards maintenance and
expansion of our building.
Click the "I’m Interested" button if you
would like to purchase a brick, or make a general donation towards our
building fund.
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Miscellaneous Volunteer
Opportunities
We often need volunteers for one-time projects.
Possible jobs include: picking up toy/food donations or delivering
donations to our seniors. We also may need groups to do special projects
at our Center in Carol Stream. Our seniors sometimes need help with housecleaning, inside house painting, or other odd jobs.
If you’d like to volunteer once in a while
without long-term commitment, contact us by clicking the "I’m
Interested" button. We’ll put you on our contact list and let you
know when jobs become available where we could use your help!
Personal Care Drive
Besides providing our seniors with food items, we
also provide household supplies, like cleaning supplies, Kleenex, toilet
paper, and paper towels.
In fact, each month we distribute 115 rolls of paper towels, 460 rolls of
toilet paper, and 115 boxes of Kleenex. Click here
for
suggestions.
These everyday items are necessary for living,
but often rather high-priced, and our seniors simply can’t afford to
purchase them on their own. A personal care drive is a great project for
schools, churches, and companies. If your group would like to provide
these seniors with these necessities, click the "I’m
Interested" button.
Assemble Senior Care Kits
This is a fun activity for groups and it gives
our senior citizens an extra special treat! Decorate a shoebox or small
basket, and fill it with items like tissues, throat lozenges, tea packets,
a hot water bottle, aspirin, chicken boullion/broth, Chapstick, hand
lotion, coffee, hot chocolate etc. A "thinking of you" card adds
an extra touch.
Purchase
Donald Zolan Lithographs
We have a collection of Donald Zolan Lithographs that
are for sale. Please visit the
Donald Zolan page to view prints that are
available. All proceeds benefit our programs! |
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I'm Interested!
Contact HSP. |
Return to idea
list. |
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