A New Home

Summer 2014

The Annual Meeting A Message from Joel

Williams, Executive Director

October is right around the corner. And

that means a lot of things at PADS. First

and foremost, it means that our many

volunteers are gearing up for “shelter sea-

son.” On October 1, we begin the rotation

of shelters at different houses of worship

throughout Lake County. While we do

provide a summer shelter, these com-

mitted groups during shelter season are

really what make PADS work. As always, I

extend my most sincere thanks to them.

But October also means something else

for PADS. It is when we hold our Annual

Meeting. As a non-profit organization,

PADS is required by law to have an Annual

Meeting. But we aren’t doing this because

we have to. We are doing this in order to

connect with you.

PADS is, and always will be, accountable

to you—our volunteers, donors, clients,

and other partners. We owe you a report

on what we’ve done, and what we want to

do in the future. We want to strive to be

as transparent as possible about our gov-

ernance and operations.

The Annual Meeting is also a time for us to

hear from you. What are we doing well?

What could we do better? And how can

we get there?

Our Annual Meeting will be held this

year on Wednesday, October 22 at

6:00pm. Watch for more information

about it. We’d love to see you all

there. ∎

Each night, somewhere in Lake County, PADS’ partners open up a building

and provide a safe, warm place to sleep for the many men, women and

children that are experiencing homelessness in our community.

Each morning, those same persons wake up, ready to work on improving

their situation, and seeking the assistance they need to do so.

That assistance

has long been

provided at the

PADS Resource

Center. Located

for many years at

the VA Hospital,

the Resource

Center provides

daytime services

to help people get jobs, identify housing opportunities, and obtain any

other resources they may need to get into housing of their own.

With the need to relocate, PADS searched all around for a facility that

would be accessible to its population, usable with its service model, and

provide the deserved dignity and respect to the people we serve. During

the search, PADS engaged in conversations with the Esper A. Petersen

Foundation regarding a building it owns.

After some discussion, the Foundation made the decision to give the prop-

erty to PADS for its use as the Resource Center. This incredibly generous

gesture will benefit so many, and PADS is truly fortunate and grateful to

the Esper A. Petersen Foundation for this gift.

“Our goal for the use of this building was always to benefit the communi-

ty,” said Esper A. Petersen, Jr. of the Foundation. “Based on the very belief

my father built this Foundation on, ‘For the improvement of social condi-

tions and to advance good will among men through education and chari-

ty,’ PADS was a logical fit for this building, and we are very pleased that

we could provide them with it.”

We have a new place to call home. And we’ll use it to help others find a

place to call home as well. ∎

Recent Events...

SleepOut for Shelter 2014

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year’s SleepOut for

Shelter! The perseverance of the participants, the dedication of the donors and

the selflessness of the sponsors made this year’s event a great success.

This year’s SleepOut was held at the Libertyville Sports Complex, and it proved to

be an ideal location. With 102.3 WXLC broadcasting live, making s’mores on an

open fire, and the awards that were given, it was a wonderful sight to see everyone

come together in order to raise awareness about homelessness in Lake County.

Even the late night thunderstorms weren’t enough to cloud the ray of hope that

will ultimately be given as a result of this year’s SleepOut! Because of you and your support of SleepOut we

were able to raise awareness of the issue and funds for our programs, both of which will go a long way in pre-

venting others within our community from having to sleep outside.

A special thanks to the United Protestant Church of Grayslake for being this year’s top fundraiser and to Lake

County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim’s Office for bringing the most participants!

Be on the lookout for details about SleepOut for Shelter 2015!

March PADS-ness 3on3 Basketball Tournament

The fun had at this event can best be summarized by this sentence: Joel Williams, the

Executive Director of PADS, got jumped OVER by a former Harlem Globetrotter for a

slam dunk! If you were not there to witness this moment, you can see the video on

our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PADSLakeCounty

A big shout out to Team Crusaders for stepping up to every challenge and proving

once and for all that youth is NOT wasted on the young!

Based upon the success of this event we have decided to make it annual! Details com-

ing soon for March PADS-ness 2015! ∎

SAVE THE DATE!

PADS is pleased and honored to be a beneficiary of B’nai B’rith’s

Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament! Proceeds from the event will bene-

fit PADS and the people we serve.

When: October 25, 2014

Where: Hawthorn Woods Country Club

Info: Contact Brad Adolph at 847.431.7000 or

bjadolph@comcast.net

In this space, we’d

like to highlight

one of the many

people that make

PADS work. This

time, we will high-

light Melvin Ford’s

story, starting with his own words…

I came to PADS Lake County around a

decade ago—as a client.

I was homeless and felt hopeless due

to a number of factors. Fortunately,

PADS was there for me and others.

I would like to express my gratitude to

PADS for what it offered me not only

then, but also now. I am forever in-

debted to the people in this organiza-

tion who provided case management,

mentorship and reconnected me with

family and friends. They put me on a

path to do the same for others, as an

employee here at PADS.

Melvin is one of the greatest success

stories that PADS has had. He worked

with the people at PADS and overcame

the barriers he was facing. He got out

of homelessness and back into housing.

Melvin then knew that he wanted to

have that same effect on others. He has

worked his way up in the organization,

to his current role as Director of Sup-

portive Services. Along the way, he has

had a profound impact on many people.

But he always remembers the profound

impact PADS had on him. ∎

Wines for Humanity

Who could have imagined that the body of a Bordeaux

could brighten the future for so many or the decanting

of a dry could display hope for a community? Well, Anton Steinhart

of Wines for Humanity could…and did! He un-corked his passion

for wine and philanthropy and out flowed a vision that is pleasing

to the palate: wine tastings that benefit local charities.

Picture the scene: good friends, good wine and a good cause. This

is what Wines for Humanity provides: in-home private wine

tastings to hosts and guests so that everyone walks away not only

appreciating fine wine, but also appreciating the hope their dona-

tion provides to so many.

Anton Steinhart and Wines for Humanity have been partnering

with PADS for over 10 years and the result has been nothing short

of aromatic. Because of their efforts PADS has been the recipient of

well over $75,000 in that time period.

To host a wine tasting in your home,

you can either visit their website at

www.winesforhumanity.com or contact

them directly at 630.995.4600. PADS

will receive 12-17% of the proceeds.

Salud! ∎

Getting to know…

Melvin Ford

Co

nn

ect

Wit

h U

s!

/padslakecounty

@padslakecounty1

padslakecounty

www.padslakecounty.org

PO Box 428

North Chicago, IL 60064

Office: **NEW**

1800 Grand Avenue

Waukegan, IL 60085

Phone: 847.689.4357

E-mail: info@padslakecounty.org

Providing

Advocacy

Dignity &

Shelter

PADS Lake County Board of Directors

President John Wineman

Vice President—Operations Richard Greenswag

Vice President—Development Jacalyn Ramdin-Johnson

Treasurer David D. Grumhaus, Jr.

Secretary Robert J. Braasch

Christopher B. Baker -- Ronald Finch -- Archibald Fletcher

-- Tom Ritter -- Stephen A. Sullivan -- Marc Zisook

Shopping online? Go to smile.amazon.com and select PADS

Lake County as your charity. The AmazonSmile Foundation will

then donate a portion of your eligible purchases to PADS!

Printing generously supported by:

www.printarts.com

PADS is always in need of volunteers. We know we cannot do

this without you. We have a variety of opportunities available,

ranging from making bag lunches to overnight assistance,

cleaning & organizing to data entry.

If you are interested in volunteering at PADS and would like

more information, please either call Stephen Love at

847.689.4357 x127 or email volunteer@padslakecounty.org.

You can also fill out the volunteer form on our website:

www.padslakecounty.org/volunteer-application

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

Seeking Volunteers!