Nonprofit leaders take stock of 2024

Each January, we talk to the leaders of seven major nonprofit agencies in Hinsdale about their experiences over the previous year and ask them to share one wish for the current year.

The second article in this two-part series — focusing on Candor Health Education, Community Memorial Foundation, Hinsdale Humane Society and The Community House — will run Jan. 16.

Hinsdale Historical Society

The past year marked the 49th for the Hinsdale Historical Society. Katharine Andrew, society manager, said 2024 gave the organization good momentum heading into its half-century celebration.

“It has been wonderful to see the amount of support that we’ve gotten,” she said.

From record registration for the annual Holly Jolly Trolley fundraiser to generous donations from people near and far, the historical society has been able to grow its services.

“We were able to expand the (Hinsdale History) museum’s opening hours and launch a few education programs for adults,” Andrew reported.

Those programs included one on caring for heirlooms and another on genealogy that Andrew led last fall.

“Those were really great,” she said. “We wanted to see if there was an interest in Hinsdale, and there was. We’re looking to expand on that this year as well.”

In February, Immanuel Hall was the venue for “The Lights of Paris” exhibition featuring vintage posters promoting the Paris shows of Fullersburg native and pioneering dancer Loie Fuller. She’s also the subject of new documentary, a clip of which was shown at the event.

“We worked with companies Heritage Auctions and the Triad Art Group to make that happen,” she said.

A partnership with local Eagle Scout Greg Warren resulted in the teen upgrading part of the museum to enhance displays for visitors.

“We’re excited to put up rotating exhibits thanks to his efforts,” she said.

Immanuel Hall has been getting its own interior makeover to make the space more conducive for society programs and outside events.

“We’re repainting the main room and also installing display cork board on the lower half of the wall to be able to hang things for large exhibits without having to nail into the walls,” Andrew said.

Community promotion of historic home preservation has meant more archival research projects for Andrew and her volunteers. But she’s not complaining.

“It’s a problem that we’re happy to have,” she said. “We enjoy teaching people the history of Hinsdale and engaging people to make them aware of our services.”

Fundraising activity continues for the project to renovate the R. Harold Zook Home and Studio located at Katherine Legge Memorial Park.

“We want the building to be usable for people,” said Andrew, not offering a timeline but hinting at the possibility of an announcement later this year.

The historical society participated in village events like the Wine Walk and Christmas Walk, she noted, and regularly receives inquiries for old documents — from as far away as Los Angeles.

“We’ve gotten a lot of people that stop in and email us with questions,” Andrew said. “Even those whose family has been away for generations, they still appreciate their roots here.”

HCS Family Services

It’s hard to overstate the significance of 2024 for HCS Family Services.

“It was a true milestone,” Executive Director Wendy Michalski said of the nonprofit’s move over the summer from its longtime cramped quarters in Memorial Hall to its own building at 22 N. Elm St.

“I’m grateful for the support from the community and those who deeply care about HCS working together to make that move happen.”

The centerpiece is the John W. Otten Food Pantry, named in honor of the late, community-minded Hinsdale resident as part a grant of $750,000 from the J. Norman Young MD Foundation to HCS.

“It’s an example of neighbors caring for neighbors and that this pantry cares for neighbors by providing healthy and nutritious food,” Michalski said.

The new space means no more time-consuming breaking down of large pallets of perishable food into small portions to transport from the main level of the hall to the food pantry in the basement via a tight elevator.

“We can now bring an entire pallet into the walk-in freezers and cooler,” she said.

The large refrigeration units can keep produce fresh without having to cover it in ice blankets, as had been necessary previously.

“The walk-ins give us tremendous capacity to store,” Michalski said. ”It’s such a more efficient operation, and we have greater ability to serve those in need in our community.”

The need continues to be significant, with Michalski reporting that the pantry feeds about 400 families in an average week.

“It’s higher than it ever was during COVID,” she noted. “We served about 800 individuals through our holiday program.”

Clients no longer have to line the block extending from the busy circle drive at Memorial Hall. They now cue in the Hinsdale Seventh-day Adventist Church parking lot before proceeding one by one for their curbside distribution.

“The clients are just are so grateful to be away from the circle drive traffic,” Michalski said

A marketplace inside the new facility has begun welcoming those desiring in-person shopping. Before the space could open, Michalski said volunteers scrubbed down shelves and carts for a fresh start.

“Just so many people coming together to make that move happen,” she said, praising everyone’s efforts. “It really did take a village.”

Dedicated rooms afford HCS and its partnering agencies the ability to address a range of other needs, such as counseling, diabetes education or spiritual support.

A refrigerated van courtesy of DuPage County means the agency can more safely transport rescued food from local grocery store partners back to the Hinsdale pantry and to its other pantry site in at Anne M. Jeans School in Willowbrook.

“The quantity of fresh produce that we can provide now to our clients is so much more,” emphasized Michalski, who added that a second refrigerated van will be arriving in the new year.

“We’ve just been so blessed to have the support that we have,” she said.

Wellness House

Lisa Kolavennu, executive director of Wellness House, said the cancer patient support organization welcomed 17 percent more people to its programs in 2024 over 2023.

“The demand certainly continues to grow, and people are finding benefit and value in the programs here,” she said. “The services are helping to support people during a vulnerable time in their lives.”

She said records indicate more than 50,000 have been served dating back to Wellness House’s founding in 1990.

“That’s a significant number since we opened our doors,” she said.

The Cancer Health Equity Summit in the fall spearheaded by the organization was aimed at providing better access to care in underserved communities.

“It brought together over 80 health care professionals in oncology settings from across the Chicagoland area to discuss how to best serve patients and family members,” she said. “That was an opportunity for Wellness House to demonstrate our leadership in this area. It’s now going to become an annual thing.

Kolavennu said Wellness House continues to extend its programs and resources into a diverse range of neighborhoods throughout the region and even in other parts of the state.

“We were fortunate to be selected to deliver training to health care professionals throughout the state of Illinois,” she said. “There’s a desire to pair the really great quality care for people who are experiencing cancer we offer with those professionals to elevate the care they provide.”

“We’re coming at the issue from all different angles and thinking about all the ways we can help people who are going through cancer and support those who are supporting them,” Kolavennu underscored.

At the Kay and Mike Birck Home of Hope in Hinsdale, about 75 percent of programs are in person and 25 percent online.

“We want to make our programs available for those who can’t be in person, so we will continue to deliver them (remotely),” she said.

More than 3,000 people participated in May’s annual Walk for Wellness, raising more than $750,000 for the organization. The Wellness Ball in October was also a success, Kolavennu said.

“The events provide a significant amount of operating support,” she said.

On the cusp of the Wellness House’s 35th anniversary, Kolavennu related adapting to current needs has been key to the agency’s thriving.

“One of the ways that we stay true to our roots is to continue to grow and be flexible in how we meet the needs of cancer patients,” she said. “We’ve significantly expanded the number of people we’ve been able to serve.

“It’s helping them with their quality of life and helping them cope with side effects of cancer treatment,” she added.