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4 | August 22, 2019 | the new lenox patriot news<br />
newlenoxpatriot.com<br />
New Lenox Police Department gives $2,500 donation to HERO<br />
Sean Hastings, Editor<br />
John Roberts, co-founder<br />
and president of the<br />
Heroin Epidemic Relief<br />
Organization, was stunned<br />
when he found out the size<br />
of the donation the New<br />
Lenox Police Department<br />
was giving HERO.<br />
HERO lives by donations,<br />
so even the smallest<br />
of donations makes<br />
Roberts happy. And that is<br />
what Roberts expected.<br />
When Deputy Chief<br />
Louis Alessandrini called<br />
Roberts to tell him about<br />
the donation the <strong>NL</strong>PD<br />
would be giving, he initially<br />
said it would be $1,500.<br />
Roberts kind of laughed<br />
at it because of the size of<br />
the donation was so huge,<br />
figuring Alessandrini definitely<br />
misspoke.<br />
He did. The actual donation<br />
was $2,500.<br />
“It was delightful news,”<br />
Roberts said. “When I<br />
heard $2,500, I said ‘oh<br />
my God.’ We work closely<br />
with the mayor [Tim Baldermann]<br />
and I have met<br />
with him before. They are<br />
one of the four partners for<br />
HERO. I told the mayor<br />
the other day and said it<br />
last year: New Lenox is a<br />
model community. All that<br />
they are doing is so important<br />
and makes our work<br />
easier.<br />
“They know we’re there<br />
to help. We didn’t ask for<br />
it and the chief just offered<br />
it.”<br />
Alessandrini had talked<br />
to Roberts a couple days<br />
before to ask who he<br />
should make the check out<br />
to — Roberts or HERO—<br />
and when Roberts called<br />
him back, Alessandrini had<br />
forgotten what the amount<br />
was going to be.<br />
Roberts spent quite some<br />
time talking with Bob Sterba,<br />
New Lenox chief of police,<br />
at the National Night<br />
Out event on Aug. 6 in the<br />
New Lenox Commons.<br />
The event was sponsored<br />
by the New Lenox Police<br />
Department and HERO<br />
was there with its “hidden<br />
in plain sight” trailer. Roberts<br />
said Sterba offered to<br />
help with the trailer.<br />
The two discussed on<br />
ways that can continue to<br />
work together to combat<br />
the heroin epidemic. It was<br />
Sterba’s doing that got the<br />
ball rolling for the donation.<br />
“We’ve grown together,”<br />
Roberts said. “They know<br />
what we’re going to do. We<br />
are who we say we are. The<br />
chief really surprised me.”<br />
Roberts added that 98-99<br />
percent of the donations go<br />
back into the organization.<br />
The money for the donation<br />
came from forfeiture<br />
funds from drug investigations<br />
when a car was seized<br />
or from proceeds received<br />
on a search warrant or<br />
things of that nature, Alessandrini<br />
said.<br />
Alessandrini added that<br />
it is ironic that the money<br />
they used to donate to<br />
Posing for a photo with the check are (left to right) Deputy Chief April Di Sandro, Mayor Tim Baldermann, HERO<br />
Co-Founder/President John Roberts, Chief Bob Sterba and Deputy Chief Louis Alessandrini. Photo Submitted<br />
HERO came from what is<br />
causing the epidemic, but<br />
is happy that money is being<br />
used for good now.<br />
“We know that HERO<br />
and John Roberts are<br />
fighting the good fight<br />
and trying to prevent this<br />
epidemic from growing,”<br />
Alessandrini said. “Overall,<br />
there may be a period<br />
of time where we don’t<br />
hear it and then unfortunately<br />
you may get a death.<br />
We try to do what we can<br />
to combat it and more people<br />
are affected by it than<br />
many people realize.”<br />
HERO offers a family<br />
support group 7-8:30 p.m.<br />
every Tuesday at Lincolnway<br />
Christian Church, 690<br />
E. Illinois Highway. It also<br />
offers grief support 7-8:30<br />
p.m. on the first and third<br />
Tuesday of every month<br />
at Calvary Church, 16100<br />
S. 104th Avenue, Orland<br />
Park.<br />
For more information<br />
about HERO, visit the<br />
herofoundation.org.<br />
salon<br />
From Page 3<br />
based, because it’s less<br />
chemical exposure. This<br />
is my passion.”<br />
She has also worked<br />
with women going<br />
through hair loss, either<br />
by chemotherapy or alopecia.<br />
Her salon does not<br />
do high toxic services<br />
such as perms and relaxers.<br />
“Working with clients<br />
going through cancer, I<br />
want to limit their toxic<br />
exposure,” she said. “We<br />
create a plan for each client.<br />
Some clients want a<br />
healthier lifestyle, other<br />
clients want to be as clean<br />
and organic as they can be<br />
and others have allergies<br />
to hair dye. I assist them<br />
as well.”<br />
Stopping by with large<br />
scissors was CEO of the<br />
New Lenox Chamber of<br />
Commerce Emily Johnson.<br />
“Sheli has done a great<br />
job of documenting the<br />
transformation of this<br />
space,” Johnson said. “It’s<br />
also a way of learning<br />
about the services she’s<br />
doing. It’s been a fun process<br />
to watch.”<br />
The New Lenox Chamber<br />
is always looking for<br />
businesses to join.<br />
“One of my goals when<br />
I took over the chamber<br />
was to connect with the<br />
community,” Johnson<br />
said. “It’s also important<br />
to reach their target market<br />
of the Lincoln-Way<br />
area. We work very hard<br />
to work with our members<br />
on sharing their events<br />
and things they have going<br />
on such as this ribbon<br />
cutting today. We want the<br />
residents to know what’s<br />
here. We have so many<br />
unique and special things<br />
in New Lenox we want<br />
the ‘shop local’ mentality,<br />
that residents are embracing.”<br />
For information on the<br />
salon visit the website at<br />
thecleanbeautyboutique.<br />
com.
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