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the glencoe anchor | November 9, 2017 | 13
Locals gather for goodwill at Make a Difference Day
New Trier baseball
team donates
sporting goods
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
The Volunteer Center of
Winnetka helped folks —
and the New Trier baseball
team — clean out
their closets while giving
to those in need during the
15th annual Make a Difference
Day event on Oct.
28, where dozens of nonprofits
happily received
community donations at
Winnetka’s Indian Hill
Train Station.
Barbara Tubekis, executive
director for The
Volunteer Center, and her
volunteers worked tirelessly
to direct donors to
the appropriate charity,
pleased at the outpouring
of goodwill.
“We have not slowed
down a bit,” Tubekis said.
“We have had nonstop donations
since the very start
and we couldn’t be more
grateful. We live in very
benevolent communities,
and when people on the
North Shore are asked to
give back, everyone is
ready and willing to jump
in and help those who are
in need.”
To streamline the process,
Tubekis listed the
specific items each nonprofit
needed on The Volunteer
Center’s website,
maximizing efficiency.
“The nonprofits here
today have very defined
needs, and people have
come very well-organized
and prepared with labeled
items, helping us make
the day run smoothly,”
Tubekis added.
Phil Kaplan, a Highland
Park resident and
board president for Working
Bikes charity, loaded
Volunteers from across the North Shore sort through
donations to send off to various local charities.
a variety of bikes into
his truck, with plans to
send them to South Africa,
Central America and
across Chicago.
“We are an 18-yearold
organization that collects
all types of bikes,”
Kaplan said. “Overseas,
bikes provide jobs and
transportation, as people
are taught how to repair
broken bikes and then sell
or use them for transportation.
Here in Chicago,
we fix bikes first, and then
distribute them to social
service agencies. Having
events like these draws
attention to our cause and
allows us to gather a large
amount of donations at
one spot.”
Similarly, Bill Phillips,
of Wilmette, and Rick
Bjorsegh, of Lake Forest,
who work as volunteers
for Orphans of the Storm
animal shelter, collected
pet supplies. They were
impressed by the outpouring
of donations.
“We’ve already run a
few truckloads back to
the shop today,” Bjorsegh
said. “People have been
very generous, and we
really appreciate the opportunity
to meet donors
and tell them about our
mission.”
Patrick Jodloman, of
Wilmette, a member
of the New Trier High
School baseball team,
came ready to help with a
car full of his teammates.
They brought baseball
bats, golf clubs, mitts and
other sporting goods, donating
to Gear for Goals.
Make a Difference Day
has become a tradition the
team embraces every year.
“We all meet up at the
field and collect a ton of
gear, then pack up our
cars and drive everything
over as many times as
we need,” Jodloman explained.
“We are very
fortunate in the communities
we live in, and knowing
that we can give other
kids an opportunity to
play sports motivates all
of us to participate year
after year.”
As the day of doing
good drew to a close, cars
were still lined up, waiting
to drop off the final
donations, much to Tubekis’s
delight.
“Just seeing all the
people here today is heartwarming,
reminding us
all of the generosity that
exists within the community,”
she said.
New Trier baseball player Patrick Jodloman donates used sporting goods at The
Volunteer Center of Winnetka’s annual Make A Difference Day charity event Oct. 28 at
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