A Community at its Best
“That's what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.”― Simone de Beauvoir
For the last 9 years the Barrington community has collaborated to bring a meal, hope, attention and gifts for about 150 - 200 families of ex prisoners. Chess Without Borders, Peter Wulff Center, Salem United Methodist and Barrington United Methodist Church, several families and youth and adult volunteers from Barrington worked tirelessly to collect used clothes, toys, winter clothes, boots, shoes and gifts for each of the 150 guests invited for lunch in Chicago. 20 adult volunteers travel to Chicago to serve and clean up after the event.
This will be the 10th year that Barrington has supported the lunch. Teenagers Krish Nara, Jack Weed with their mentor Chris Majkowski will be leading the team to collect used clothes, toys, gifts and funds. At the last fundraiser for the Peter Wullf Center hosted in July by Chris Majkowski a donation of $500 was made towards the ex prisoner lunch. The lunch in Chicago is meaningful because families share testimony of how some of them have come through in spite of the hard times and that they are also a support for others struggling with loneliness and addition. The Barrington community engages with families directly as well as visiting with some of the same people each year. These experiences are important for both youth and adult volunteers because they allow an exchange of ideas and enable support for people not as fortunate. The nonprofit Outside the Walls hosts the event under the leadership of Reverend Tommy Johnson. This year Rev Johnson has been awarded a prestigious national award for his work in reducing recidivism.
"Reverend Johnson's excellence in working with individuals with substance use disorders and individuals reentering society after returning from prison years before we met. We met 15 years ago as conference presenters and I was immediately impressed with his oratory, storytelling skills and his ability to inspire people to take action!" Mark Sanders.
Join us on December 13th at Bethany Baptist Church in Chicago to celebrate the return of these ex prisoners to a community that helps build them for success that in turn we all share as a society. In addition events such as this are filled with appreciation and accumulation of knowledge from a diverse group of highly developed individuals with curiosity about the human race.
To raise funds for the lunch we are offering:
Zein Bertacchi's Humanitarian Hummus for $6 per 10 oz cups.
Zein Bertacchi's meal packages for 2 for $100. You can request the food you like.
Dr Kiran Frey's Indian meal package for 2 for $100.
After expenses all the proceeds will be donated towards this Christmas luncheon.
Please email me at peterwulffcenter@gmail.com for orders or call at 847 915 5130 for details.
Thank you for sustaining and making this event a success over the last 9 years.
Here is a video of the event a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjywsL0qseE&t=5s