DuPage Senior Citizens Council, also doing business as Kane Senior Council, will celebrate their 50th Anniversary this year. “Come see who we are,” said Marylin Krolak, executive director of the DuPage Senior Citizens Council/Kane Senior Council.
DuPage Senior Citizens Council is a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that initiates, delivers, monitors and coordinates services promoting the ability of older people to live in dignity. Over the past 50 years, they have become an integral part of the social service fabric in the DuPage community, offering 10 programs for older adults in DuPage County and since 2018, six programs in Kane County.
“The eight to 10 visionaries who came together in 1975 to create the DuPage Senior Citizens Council clearly saw what we are now living through – the aging out of the baby boomers. We have maintained the same mission through the years, to provide advocacy, education, and coordination of services for seniors to help them live out their lives in dignity, said Krolak. “We were the first to have legislative forums and monthly health care meetings dedicated exclusively for older adults,” she added. “In recent years, the council has grown to offer so much more.”
Some programs for older adults living in Kane County, such as case management and friendly phone calls are handled by staff and volunteers at Senior Services Associates, Inc. Meanwhile, Kane Senior Council, offers daily well-being checks, pet food, community dining, health and wellness education, and the home delivered meals program commonly referred to as Meals on Wheels.
“In Kane County throughout the past year, we served approximately 2,620 seniors, 195,000 meals, conducted 138,500 well-being checks, and offered over 31,000 instances of health and wellness education,” said Zack Neumann, volunteer outreach coordinator for the DuPage Senior Citizens Council / Kane Senior Council. “In DuPage County, we served approximately 5,530 seniors,416,515 meals, 250,000 well-being checks, 510 home and yard services, 4,900 friendly phone calls, and 62,000 instances of health and wellness education.”
The agency has a few truck delivery routes and manages three physical distribution sites for home delivered meals in the northern half of Kane County: The United Methodist Church in Geneva; Embrace Living Community (Green Castle) in North Aurora; and their Elgin office at 418-B Airport Road. They are currently looking for a space in the Southern half of Kane, preferably the City of Aurora, to make it easier and closer for volunteers to deliver meals to seniors.
“We would like to find a distribution site there where we can bring in our equipment and partner with another entity by using their space,” said Krolak. “Monday through Friday, we serve 800 homebound seniors, and everyone receives a well-being check. Neighbors are helping neighbors regardless of the lines between communities. But Kane is a huge county, and we feel that partnering with our agency is another way the community can give back. We know there are spaces not being utilized that can become a site for this important service,” she added. There is also the opportunity for businesses and organizations to become part of the Adopt-A-Route program. A group of people, rather than one individual, can take the responsibility for a home delivered meal route. If a different team member delivers each week, an individual from a team of eight to 10 people would deliver once in a two-month period.
“We are kicking off our 50th year and will have special events in both counties. So, look for more news from us as we celebrate the past 50 years,” Krolak said. “We plan to reach out to the local chambers of commerce and other groups in the next few months too, to let them know who we are.” “Community support and volunteering will really help us sustain our vital programs into the future,” she said. “We hope to continue to grow and become a vital part of the Kane County culture and community as we continue to make the western suburbs the very best place there is to live and age.”
To learn more about how you can get involved and make a difference in the lives of neighbors in need, contact Zack Neumann, at Zack.neumann@dupageseniorcouncil.org, visit online at www.KaneSeniorCouncil.org, or call 630-338-0999.
Barb Nadeau is a freelance writer who has worked in public relations, as a television producer and an on-air host for television and radio, as a print journalist and managing editor, as well as in the non-profit sector networking among several social service agencies and service providers throughout Illinois. She is serving a third term as an elected alderman in the City of Plano, Ill.. Contact Barb at bvnadeau@gmail.com.