DuPage PADS Gears Up for High-Speed Fundraiser

Teams will fly around Chicago Indoor Racing’s track all in an effort to raise $75,000 for DuPage PADS and the mission to end homelessness.

Continental Motors Group of Naperville, Chicago Indoor Racing and DuPage PADS have teamed up for the third annual six hour karting enduro for charity.   Eighteen teams will compete in raising money for DuPage PADS before race day with a goal of reaching $75,000 for DuPage PADS to assist families and individuals who are homeless. This year’s race will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Chicago Indoor Racing in Addison. Participants in this year’s event can look forward to a fast-paced, unique racing experience and an opportunity to help others. For more than 27 years, DuPage PADS has provided hope for people who are homeless by offering an array of services which seek to stop the cycle of homelessness. The Drive For 75 …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Community Rallies Together to Fight Hunger, End Homelessness

Naperville Patch welcomes letters to the editor. Letters may be submitted to Local Editor Collin Czarnecki at collin.czarnecki@patch.com.

To the Editor:  The Rotary Club of Naperville recently held its fifth annual Soup’s On! event to end hunger and homelessness in our communities on October 21st. We are grateful that more than 2,100 people – a new record – visited the beautiful Tellabs atrium on a perfect Sunday afternoon to discover and enjoy a myriad of scrumptious foods, desserts, and beverages donated by 30 of the area’s best-loved restaurants and food purveyors. Fabulous donated silent auction items encouraged eager bidders. Entertainment provided by the talented students of Naperville School Districts 203 and 204 and Benet Academy enchanted guests throughout the afternoon. Even young children had their own special play area, staffed by the DuPage Children’s Museum. A …

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KidsMatter to Naperville Patch

Carly Pomeroy: Helping the Hungry and Homeless

Carly Pomeroy was honored for her volunteer work with DuPage PADS.

Carly Pomeroy started volunteering with the DuPage PADS organization more than 4 years ago. But it was over the course of the last 2 years she has made the most difference with the organization. Every year, KidsMatter together with Mayor Pradel and the Naperville City Council, give out the Naperville Youth Service Awards to deserving teen volunteers during a special ceremony. Pomeroy was nominated for the award for her volunteer work through the KidsMatter Youth In Action program. KidsMatter and DuPage PADS nominatred Pomeroy for the award. The Youth In Action program leads and offers service opportunities to teens and families at a PADS overnight shelter once a month in Naperville.  DuPage PADS mission is “Ending homelessness by restoring…

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Patch Picks: Five Great Nonprofits Making a Difference

Groups help those in need throughout the Naperville community.

Patch is a big supporter of community volunteerism. Employees are encouraged to Give 5, spending time five days out of the year volunteering at local organizations. Today is a Give 5 day at Patch. In honor of the day, we are highlighting some of the great nonprofits in the area that are making a difference.  DuPage PADS has taken on the important and difficult task of ending homelessness in DuPage County. As the economy took a hit, more people became homeless in DuPage County and Naperville. Among the growing number of homeless were an increasing number of children. DuPage PADS provides temporary housing and resources for those in need. The organization was founded in 1971 and continues to be a vital resource for families and children who …

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Naperville Neighbors

Enjoying Life is About Helping Others, Says Naperville Teen

Naperville Central student Sheridan Carroll reaches out to her community whenever she can.

Volunteering has become a way of life for Sheridan Carroll. "It's a big part of the world," the 18-year-old Naperville resident said Tuesday. "If we had no volunteers, we wouldn't be able to do anything. Spending an hour doing something that's not helping you, but helping someone else, is so gratifying to me." A senior at Naperville Central High School, Carroll was one of 21 honored at an annual KidsMatter Youth Service Awards ceremony last week. Carroll was honored for her charity work through the Naperville Park District. She's the vice president of her school's Rotary Interact, a student service group that works to coordinate volunteer efforts in the community. "I basically bring opportunities to my peers in Naperville," …

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Holiday Season Increases Need for Food, Donations

Donations of food, money and time are in short supply during the holidays, so local organizations that assist those less fortunate are asking for everyone's help.

This year, instead of decking the halls with boughs of holly, how about filling the shelves of the Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry or helping to provide a holiday meal in a bag from DuPage PADS. Everyone's finances are tight, including the charitable organizations that assist Naperville residents and animals, which is why this might be the perfect year to consider helping someone in need. "Last year over 1,800 people came in for holiday food," said Jody Bender, community relations director for Loaves and Fishes. "We saw 500 people last week alone come in for holiday food, which is 47 percent higher than last year.  "We have been going through 50,000 pounds of food every week, so obviously there is a really fast turnaround" for the food…

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More Families, Children Homeless in DuPage County

DuPage PADS provides interim housing for those who are homeless, and in the last two years the number of children and families in need has increased 65 percent.

Terry Maulsby has been working with the homeless in the community for about 20 years. In all her years volunteering to help the homeless, one thing that has clearly changed is the people seeking assistance. "I think that right now in 2010, one of the dramatic changes are the intact families who have lost their homes, lost their housing," Maulsby said. "At the shelter we are not only serving the chronically homeless, but the families who need shelter." Maulsby is Our Saviour's Lutheran Church's night shelter coordinator for DuPage PADS. Our Saviour's became a summer shelter site location for DuPage PADS four years ago. During the summer, Our Saviour's can provide shelter to a maximum of 90 people. This past summer the shelter averaged 88 …

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