School Year 2024-25 Off to an Incredible Start! | |
Pictured above: One of our fabulous Lincoln volunteers teaches the students how to play a card game after homework is done for the day. | |
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The 2024-25 GECRC program kicked off the first week with a tremendous start of 178 students across the five program sites - Lincoln, Churchill, Park View, Glen Crest and Hadley - the highest beginning enrollment ever!
"Our GECRC team is so pleased that so many students and their families have come to know GECRC as a safe, welcoming, and fun after school opportunity and are eager to participate. As of Thanksgiving week, we are at nearly 200 enrolled students across our five sites, Lincoln, Churchill, Park View, Hadley and Glen Crest. We are fully staffed and ready to have another great year of GECRC afterschool programs."
As enrollment numbers grow each month, we are thankful for our 107 current volunteers. More volunteers are always needed to ensure more one-on-one student support. Please consider applying to volunteer today!
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Thanksgiving Celebrations | |
We are so thankful for all of our wonderful volunteers, community partners and board members who made our annual Churchill Thanksgiving celebration possible! An extra special thank you to the Glen Ellyn Lions Club who not only donated delicious turkey legs to our feast, but also stayed to help serve food to our Churchill students and their families. Thank you so much, Lions Club! Thank you also to District 41 Superintendent Dr. Jeff McHugh, chief communications officer Erika Krehbiel, Churchill principal Amanda Kanter, and assistant principal Timothy Shermak for attending and helping out, as well! A fun and festive time was had by all: students, families, volunteers, staff and board members! | |
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Lots of smiles and giant turkey legs at our second annual Thanksgiving celebration at Park View Elementary. Students and their families enjoyed turkey,
sides and desserts. Thank you to our staff and board members for volunteering and donating goodies, and thank you to Community Consolidated School District 89 Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jill Kingsfield for speaking to our families! It was a wonderful event!
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The Glen Ellyn Lions Club supplied and served food at all three of our elementary program sites. We are so grateful for their generosity and support each Thanksgiving!
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Lincoln Program Coordinator Cheryl Sammer said that one of the first days of program back in September, one of the Lincoln students asked her, "What day is our Thanksgiving pizza party??"
This much anticipated day finally arrived, thanks to the generosity of the Glen Ellyn Lions Club.
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We Love Morton Arboretum! | |
Lincoln, Churchill and Park View students were all lucky enough to visit Morton Arboretum this October, and the schools all each hosted Miss Laura from Morton for on-site visits, as well. Miss Laura took the students on nature walks around the school grounds, pointing out various leaves, pinecones and seeds, showing them how much there is to see in their own backyards! Visits to the Arboretum included wandering through the English Maze, playing in the Children's Garden and making lots of memories with friends in nature. Thank you to Morton Arboretum for your hospitality! | |
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Laura Gromala
Laura is one of our new classroom coordinators at Churchill Elementary; she is an elementary education major with a music minor and endorsements in both middle grade language arts and special education at Wheaton College.
"I have loved working with kids for as long as I can remember, "says Laura. "I find my most joy in helping kids learn and grow. It is a privilege to work with GECRC this year as a classroom coordinator. I have the opportunity to build relationships and connections with the kids and staff here at the program. In my free time I love to get coffee with friends, play music and enjoy the sunsets!" Welcome, Laura!
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Maggie Humbert
Maggie is one of our new program aides at Park View Elementary; she graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Social Work.
"I have been working with kids since I was in high school and have experience working at after-school programs too," Maggie says. "I am so beyond excited to continue this work through GECRC and build connections with not only the kids but the staff as well! When I have free time, I spend it reading! I love to sit outside with my iced coffee and read a book." Welcome, Maggie!
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Patrick McDevitt
Patrick is one of our new classroom aides at Lincoln Elementary; he is currently a student at the College of DuPage.
"I love working with other people and hope I can make a positive impact on every person I meet, "Patrick says. "GECRC has been a great place to work so far with awesome colleagues. I enjoy snowboarding, working out, and meeting new people!" Welcome, Patrick!
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Kendra Winter
Kendra is one of our new classroom coordinators at Churchill Elementary; she graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2022 with a degree in child development.
"I have been teaching for about five years, two years with my degree," Kendra says. "In my free time, I enjoy traveling with my boyfriend. This summer I went to Italy, the Dominican Republic and Switzerland! I am excited to work at GECRC so that I can get to know my students and watch them grow!" Welcome, Kendra!
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Please join GECRC in welcoming Jodi Herbold to its Board of Directors!
Jodi is an attorney at the law firm of Clingen, Callow & McLean, LLC in Lisle; CCM is a boutique business law firm where Jodi specializes in commercial real estate and corporate law.
Jodi grew up in Glen Ellyn and then attended the University of Illinois, followed by DePaul College of Law. She and her husband Rob have two children that attended D41 and D87 schools. Nate is a junior at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, and Abbie is a freshman at Miami University (Ohio).
Jodi's previous board experience includes: member, executive board, and president of Glen Ellyn Juniors; District 41 PTA Council member and president; D41 Kids executive board; director and president of BR Ryall YMCA and the Glenbard West Boosters executive board and co-president.
Jodi was involved in the planning committee for launching GECRC at Churchill School and was an active member of the annual fundraising event for the same effort for a few years. She is currently a board member of DuPage County Bar Association. In her spare time, Jodi enjoys reading, gardening, playing pickleball and paddle tennis.
Welcome, Jodi! GECRC is so thrilled to have you on the Board of Directors!
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New Officers on the GECRC Board | |
Congratulations to our new Board President Alan Taylor and Vice President Catherine Voight, pictured at the Churchill Thanksgiving Celebration. Thank you all for your past and future Board service! | |  |
Congratulations to our new Board Secretary Becky Gasaway and Treasurer Kim Laubinger, pictured at the Holiday Trivia event at Two Hound Red. Thank you all for your past and future Board service! | | |
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We would like to thank Custom Direct, Inc. for their donated web development services which are so beneficial for us in communicating the mission of GECRC to the public. Their team, especially Digital Creative Director Kristen Cudden and Vice-President Nancy O'Leary, have been incredibly generous partners to GECRC; they have enabled us to share our mission and vision and grow our organization, and for that, we are so truly grateful.
THANK YOU, Custom Direct, Inc!!!
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Thank You, GECRC Community! | |
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As the selected non-profit beneficiary of the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce's Fashion Show Nov. 10, GECRC was invited to speak about the mission of our organization. Executive Director Leah Harding spoke, while our Development Manager Laura Ulepic and her daughter Carly both modeled in the show! One of our very own board members Evelyn Rodriguez was one of the co-chairpersons of the event along with Chamber Board President Elyse Kennard and Cheryl Shurtz from the Shurtz Team of RE/MAX Suburban.
Thank you so much to the Chamber for selecting GECRC as a beneficiary and involving us in the fun planning of the event! Thank you to all who attended, purchased raffle tickets and bid on the silent auction items! Your generosity makes a difference in the lives of our students!
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We are so very proud of our Churchill classroom coordinator Stephanie Chavez, who was recently honored by U.S. Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-IL, 3) on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.
Stephanie was highlighted as a constituent on the House floor for Hispanic Heritage Month in October.
“I had the pleasure of seeing firsthand the incredible leadership and positive example that Stephanie sets for her children at Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center in my district,” Ramirez said. “On behalf of the Illinois’ third congressional district, I commend you for yoru passion and dedication. She is an inspiration to all of us, especially young Latinas, dreaming of a future of liberation like I do. Stephanie, thank you. Congratulations.”
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Thank you to Kelly Stetler Real Estate for your incredibly generous donation to GECRC! You are a tremendous community partner, and we are so grateful for your kind generosity! | | |
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GECRC is grateful to the DuPage Children’s Museum, which, though their "Wonder Club" curriculum, provided the tools and resources to help facilitate hands-on STEAM learning experiences for our students with easy-to-implement lessons.
Churchill students created their own amusement park maps and spinning color wheels! Creativity abounds!
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Pictured Above: Lincoln Elementary teacher Amy Bishop and her band Altered Suburbia played for the Sunset Avenue block party which included many of her current and former students! | |
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We are incredibly grateful to all of the members of our tremendous community who came out to support GECRC at the four Rock the Block parties Sept. 7! Attendees enjoyed listening to talented local musicians, catching up with neighbors and learning more about GECRC. Generous donations have topped $4000 and counting - thank you to everyone who donated! Extra special thanks to our block party hosts: the Winters, the Lobdells, the Stortzs, the Buttimers, and a new block party in the Mary Knoll neighborhood this year, hosted by former GECRC board member Judy Cheney and long standing Lincoln tutor Kim Tolliver. Thank you also to the incredible musicians: Exmoor Avenue: Justin "Bronco" Ullman, Barry Dupuy and GECRC tutor Courtnay Roberts; Cottage Avenue: Gabi Winter, Ryan and Carrie O'Halloran, Jenny Mauzer and Drew Tedford; Sunset Avenue: Lincoln Elementary teacher Amy Bishop and her band Altered Suburbia; Mary Knoll: The Arts Department - former GECRC board member Lucy Dallman and Ben Franklin music teacher Billy Van Duzor. Our community is talented, generous and amazing!
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GECRC Bartending Night and Holiday Trivia | |
Director of Program and Volunteers Lisa Hepner and Communications Coordinator Emily Lobdell worked a shift pouring drinks behind the bar at 2HR to raise "tips" for GECRC | |
What a fun kick-off to the holiday season! Thank you so much to Two Hound Red Brewing Co. for giving us the opportunity to "tend bar for tips" and host a Holiday Trivia fundraiser! Volunteers from our board and staff poured beer for our lovely guests who participated in several rounds of festive holiday trivia which was written and emceed by the Wion, Gasaway and Illingworth families - huge thank you to those families for the hours of preparation and creativity! We raised more than $1K in tips! Thank you so much to everyone who attended and donated; we are so grateful to all of you! | |
Save the Date: Literary Event 2025 | |
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Mark your calendars NOW for April 24, 2025 for our annual literary event featuring the amazing author Catherine Newman, who will speak about her New York Times Bestselling novel 'Sandwich'!
Catherine Newman has written numerous columns, articles, and canned-bean recipes for magazines and newspapers, and her essays have been widely anthologized. She is the author of 'Sandwich,' as well as the novel 'We All Want Impossible Things;' the memoirs 'Waiting for Birdy' and 'Catastrophic Happiness;' the middle-grade novel 'One Mixed-Up Night;' and the bestselling kids’ life-skills books 'How to Be a Person' and 'What Can I Say'? She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
This literary event will be held at Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton. More details and ticket sales to come... watch this space, and tell your friends!
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Want to Give Back?
Our volunteer tutors are so invaluable to the mission of GECRC. Volunteering is a mutually beneficial experience where volunteers engage with students, staff and their fellow volunteers in meaningful and purpose-driven ways. Some wonderful and long-lasting mentoring relationships develop between tutors and students!
If you or your high school student or perhaps even retired parents or neighbors would be interested in becoming a volunteer tutor this school year, please complete a volunteer application to join us! If you've tutored with GECRC in the past, please send an email to volunteer@gecrc.com.
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GECRC's tremendous community partner, The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn has curated a wonderful list of Spanish language titles per the request of GECRC program staff, who would like to stock the various program sites - Lincoln, Churchill, Park View, Glen Crest and Hadley - with more Spanish language books for our Spanish speaking students. They are also great reading for our English speaking students who are learning Spanish! If you would like to support this effort, as well as support the Bookstore, please stop by and purchase one of the titles in this list, or order right online.
Either way, the Bookstore will collect your purchase for GECRC, and our staff will pick it up. We thank you so much for your support of both GECRC and the Bookstore, an invaluable downtown Glen Ellyn business!
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Giving Tuesday is coming up soon on Tuesday, Dec. 3!
We hope you will consider joining us again with a donation to support our mission: to offer out-of-school programming that empowers under-resourced K-12 students to meet state and local standards for academic and social-emotional learning; to involve students in activities that enrich learning; and connect families to schools and other resources necessary to support student success and well-being.
A rising tide lifts all boats... will you help "be the tide?"
Please visit our Facebook or Instagram page on Giving Tuesday to make a donation through a special campaign just that day. Or make a donation today!
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346 Taft Avenue, Suite 205
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Office: 630 479-9920
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