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Volunteerism

There is no doubt that Sycamore is a tight-knit community, a place where friendly faces are found around every corner and neighbors look out for one another. Residents, as well as businesses, regularly donate their time to a variety of community causes, and organizations dedicate their efforts to helping those in need.

While Sycamore is a smaller community in size, it’s heart certainly outgrows its boundaries. One indicator of this is the impressive number of community organizations operating in the Sycamore area. From an assortment of community foundations with a mission to meet a variety of charitable needs to local branches of national organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club and others, Sycamore and DeKalb County are bursting with people ready for the next opportunity to help.

Below is a look at three very different local organizations making a difference in their community.

Opportunity House, Inc.
Opportunity House, Inc. is a not-for-profit, community-sponsored organization with a mission to help people with disabilities work, live and, ultimately, enjoy and partake in community life. Organized in August of 1963, Opportunity House, Inc. provides a long list of services designed to support those with various disabling conditions and needs, including employment services, developmental training and recreation.

In 2009, Opportunity House, Inc. served approximately 250 individuals in its programs. While the majority of those served through the organization are adults aged 18+, younger individuals are being served through the In-Home Respite program and the year-round Special Olympics program. Additionally, the Opportunity House, Inc. teams up with the Kishwaukee Special Recreation Association (KSRA) to supply opportunities for children with disabilities to participate in various extracurricular recreation activities.

Sycamore houses the organization’s new Developmental Training Center (357 N. California St.) and its corporate headquarters (202 Lucas St.), which is home to several departments, as well as OH Industries, a workshop that provides packaging and light assembly work for local industry. In addition, Opportunity House, Inc. offers seven group homes—five in DeKalb and two in Sycamore—where residents are trained in daily living skills.

Detailed information on the Opportunity House, Inc.’s services, programs and volunteer/donation opportunities are available online at www.ohinc.org or by calling 815-895-5108.

Voluntary Action Center
The Voluntary Action Center (VAC) has grown tremendously since its inception in 1973. It was during this year that a group of active residents in DeKalb County came together and established a social service program geared towards aiding area seniors and disabled individuals. VAC began providing door-to-door transportation services, and within one year was incorporated as a not-for-profit social service agency. That first year, 7,111 elderly and disabled residents utilized the transportation services of VAC.

Today, the VAC transportation fleet has grown by leaps and bounds, not only providing transit options for the elderly and disabled, but for the general public as well. In addition to these access services, the organization invests in several nutrition programs. The Meals on Wheels program serves approximately 300 meals every day to both homebound residents and those participating in the Senior Lunch Program, which offers a mix of food and social interaction at several community congregate luncheon sites throughout the county.

The volunteers, who tirelessly give their time to the community and these programs, are what make the Voluntary Action Center a success. More than 2,000 people generously donate their time to VAC, driving vans, delivering meals, planning activities, fundraising… the list goes on. VAC welcomes new volunteers who are ready to make a difference in the lives of DeKalb County residents.

For more information on how to get involved with the Voluntary Action Center, visit www.vacdk.com or call 815-758-3932.

Pay-It-Forward House
The Pay-It-Forward House is a hospital hospitality house offering a home-away- from-home for families of patients admitted to Kindred Hospital-Sycamore, and now, other DeKalb County medical facilities, such as Kishwaukee Hospital and DeKalb County Hospice. According to Mary Lou Eubanks, executive director of the Pay-It-Forward House, the average patient stay at Kindred, in particular, is between 25 and 35 days. Those patients are normally transferred from hospitals across the state, with most of the Pay-It-Forward House guests traveling more than 100 miles to Sycamore.

“The patients’ families want to be close to their seriously ill loved one, but with medical bills piling up, finances are often a concern,” she said. “The Pay-It-Forward House was founded in response to this need, giving [families] an inexpensive place to stay where other people living through similar stressful times can help them gain perspective as they rest and relax.”

The House opened on March 24, 2005 within a 139-year-old building on Somonauk Street. “With the help of hundreds of community members doing everything from donating pillows to painting rooms, the community rallied to help the founders transform the building into a warm, welcoming refuge for people living through a loved one’s medical crisis,” said Eubanks.

Some guests spend several weeks at the Pay-It-Forward House; others just stop by to unwind or chat with the volunteers staffing the House. During the day, families and friends of patients enjoy complimentary coffee and soft drinks, homemade cookies, books, shower and laundry facilities and much more. “In 2009, Pay-It-Forward House provided more than 1,400 nights of rest to patient families, as well as offering a quiet place to rest for others who just dropped in for a break from the patient’s bedside,” added Eubanks.

More than 2,500 hours of service were donated by volunteers in 2009. These dedicated citizens offered help welcoming guests, serving on the Cookie Committee and Fundraising Committee and maintaining the outdoor gardens. Volunteers arrange the annual Meet Me at the Fair event, as well. This key fundraiser, filled with games, music, food and a silent auction, is held in July to raise money to help pay the House’s heating, cooling, water and other bills.

Learn more about the Pay-It-Forward House and its volunteer opportunities at www.payitforwardhouse.org or by calling 815-762-4882.