Good News Sunday: Elgin nurse aims to help new moms separated from babies

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

A fundraiser organized by an Elgin nurse aims to help moms separated from their newborn babies for medical reasons to feel a little closer to their infants.

The Virtual Family Fun FBC 5K was organized by Stacie Doyle of Elgin, a labor and delivery nurse at Advocate Sherman Hospital for the past 15 years. Proceeds will help purchase livestream video cameras that will be used in the special care nursery at Sherman.

Doyle said she sees moms every day who can’t immediately be with their newborn child because of various medical conditions. Some are separated for 24 hours, some for days, she said. And her own experience as a “C-section mom” about 10 years ago gave her a glimpse at how hard it is to be separated from a baby for even a short time.

“It got me thinking about ways to make moms in that situation more connected to their babies, versus not having that instant moment like so many other parents get to have,” she said.

For the full story, click here.

Lake Zurich community honors retiring crossing guard

Seth Paine Elementary School crossing guard Curley Strack talks with parents and students at his retirement ceremony in Lake Zurich. – Courtesy of Erin O’Leary

The Seth Paine Elementary School community came together to recognize the faithful service of crossing guard Curley Strack.

He served as crossing guard for 19 years, and recently worked at the Miller and Crescent roads crossing in Lake Zurich. Strack waves to passersby and safely gets children across the street.

At the end of the school year, a group of parents, staff and teachers held a retirement ceremony, complete with signs, cards and gifts.

“He was all smiles when the music teacher, Ms. Schmidt, led the group in a happy retirement song,” parent Erin O’Leary said.

For the full story, click here.

Elk Grove Village hopes to pair jobseekers with companies in need

Seeing all the “help wanted” and “now hiring” signs in storefront windows and throughout the Elk Grove Village industrial park — as well as temporarily shut down lobbies at some local fast food eateries — has prompted Mayor Craig Johnson to organize the municipality’s first job fair.

The event comes five weeks before COVID-19 related federal and state unemployment benefits are scheduled to run out, and many will be looking to re-enter the workforce.

“As we’re coming out of this pandemic, businesses are feeling the effects of getting people to work,” Johnson said. “We’ve been kind of despondent; looking around, no one seems to be having job fairs trying to connect businesses with employees.”

The event is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Friday, July 30, at Elk Grove High School, and is open to any and all jobseekers.

For the full story, click here.

West Suburban Community Pantry reopens

Eggs, apples, grapes and other fresh produce were on display at the newly remodeled West Suburban Community Pantry in Woodridge. – Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Years of planning, fundraising, navigating construction and revamping operations culminated in the recent grand reopening of the West Suburban Community Pantry.

It’s been a challenging 15 months for the Woodridge-based nonprofit, which was forced to suddenly shift gears amid a global pandemic while still pushing forward its expansion goals to address a growing need, Executive Director Laura Coyle said.

But watching guests’ faces light up as they step into the renovated facility — and hearing the excitement over the pantry’s new partnership with Amazon Fresh — makes it all worthwhile.

“It just been so genuinely amazing,” Coyle said. “It’s sort of a turning-point moment for us and for the community and for the people we serve.”

The shelves were stocked with fresh produce and grocery items from Amazon Fresh, which opened its first Chicago-area store in Naperville this past December as part of its ongoing push to support local food banks and other philanthropic initiatives.

For the full story, click here.

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