A group of McHenry County volunteers will spend Saturday serving those who have served our country.
Leadership of Greater McHenry County, a nonprofit group that encourages residents to become involved with nonprofits and give back to the community, will hold its seventh annual Lend a Hand Day on Saturday. The event is dedicated to giving back to veterans living in McHenry County.
LGMC has several programs planned for area veterans. A local human resources company will be on-site to help with resumes and provide other assistance to help veterans transition into the workforce.
McHenry County College will give information about continuing education, including information on how to enroll for classes, how to apply for financial aid and possible career paths. And LGMC will honor the former servicemen and women with a breakfast and provide other information about services that are available to McHenry County veterans.
“Each year we take on a group of projects and we solicit ideas from the community,” said Tom Keaty, a member of the LGMC alumni committee. “This year was a little bit different. We wanted to pick a specific group of people to help.”
The Lend a Hand Day, which will be at New Horizons in Hebron, is also a chance for LGMC to collect supplies for homeless veterans. The group has collected supplies such as pillows, twin sheet sets, bath towels, hand towels, deodorant and toothpaste since Oct. 1, and will donate the items to New Horizons over the weekend.
The group is still taking donations, and those interested can drop supplies off at 1160 N. Silver Lake Road in Cary, at 7900 Pyott Road in Crystal Lake, at 4900 Prime Parkway in McHenry, or at 1290 Lake Ave. in Woodstock.
Founded in 2004, LGMC builds community leaders by offering one-year programs that offer leadership training and information about how to get involved in area nonprofits. The group has an alumni network of more than 200 members.
Lend a Hand Day will conclude with LGMC alumni doing some cleaning and maintenance at New Horizons and at Hearthstone Communities, the new transitional housing buildings in Woodstock.
“It’s a wonderful deal,” Keaty said. “At the end of the day, everyone looks at each other and feels great about we’ve done. … And you feel good that the people you’ve helped are so grateful. You’ve done more for them in a day than they could probably do for themselves in a month.”