$1 Million Building Capacity Campaign 

 ...for a new, larger building that will allow Big Brothers Big Sisters to meet the increasing demand for services provided for at-risk children primarily from single-parent homes.

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Big Brothers Big Sisters Kicks Off Capital Campaign for New Home

Crest Hill, Ill. – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties kicked off a $1 million capital campaign on Monday in a conference room so crowded it drove home the campaign’s appeal.  

“We know without question we need a new facility,” said campaign co-chairman Jim Roolf, president of First Midwest Bank Joliet and a member of the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors. He said unprecedented growth in Will and Grundy counties demands a larger facility to serve the needs of the increasing number of at-risk boys and girls from single-parent families, some 500 of whom are now being helped.

He said the goal can be “achieved pretty quickly,” despite launching a campaign near the holidays, “a difficult time of the year for many with expenses.”

“If everyone in Will and Grundy counties gave $1, we would almost accomplish our goal,” noted Roolf.

He introduced two boys, Nick Sayers of Morris, who has just been matched with a Big Brother, and Demetri Morris of Naperville, who has been on the ready-to-be-matched list waiting for a Big Brother for more than a year.

“Nick and Demetri, you’re what it’s all about. You are our future, and our future starts today.”

Co-chairman Paul Ganzert, an investment adviser, said Big Brothers Big Sisters started locally in 1972 and told about his experiences volunteering in the 1970s and 1980s as a Big Brother to two different boys. “Today, both are very good citizens,” he said proudly.

Dana Agnich of Morris, Nick’s mom, said that since being matched with his Big Brother, “Nick has already raised his grades from D’s and F’s to A’s with one C.”

This would seem to prove the points made by Will County Executive Larry Walsh earlier in the press conference.  National research shows Little Brothers and Sisters are 52 percent less likely to skip school and 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs.

“When children feel good about themselves, they positively impact their family, friends and community” he said. Walsh said it’s important to do the right thing by supporting Big Brothers, “one of the right things in life.”

State Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet, and State Rep. Jack McGuire, D-Joliet, announced state funding they had toward the campaign.

Wilhelmi’s $20,000 will go towards an electric sign for the new home. “The hardest thing is finding people to mentor our kids and a sign is so important because it will get the word out,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Lisa Morel Las.

McGuire, who secured a $50,000 donation to go towards the purchase of the building, said he hopes to find more state money. “It’s still up in the air, we’re still working on that, maybe we can double that number by the end of the year, but when the end of the (legislative) year is” is anyone’s guess, he said.

Roolf pointed out these two donations equal nearly 10 percent of the goal.

The press conference was at times serious, pointing out the driving need for mentoring services, and at times jovial.

“If Shaquille O’Neal were here, he couldn’t stand up,” joked Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, whose own head hovered dangerously near the ceiling.   

Glasgow said he would much rather see funding going into programs that help children at risk than pay for expensive rehabilitation programs later, like the drug court Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Las founded when she worked for him years ago, or the $67 million Will County jail expansion.

“For every $1 spent on this program, we will save $10 to $20 in remedial costs,” he said.

Campaign co-chairman Roolf was lauded by several who spoke. “He has an unbelievable record of success,” said County Executive Walsh, who cited Roolf as the man who made the Interstate 355 extension a reality.

Roolf, in turn, said that the key to any campaign is a successful team. The Big Brothers capital campaign committee includes local urologist Dr. Ernesto Tan, investment adviser Carroll Klotz, County Executive Walsh and Joliet attorney Laird Ozmon.

Later, tours around the modest building, a maze of cramped offices, proved another point. The building on Plainfield Road near six corners in Joliet, most probably at one time a garage, is not aging gracefully.

Las and campaign director Bridget Domberg pointed out damage by mold, termites and water. The building is slated to be torn down for much-needed parking for nearby businesses as soon as the agency raises the money to move.

You can help

The campaign: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties is trying to raise $1 million for a new building.

Campaign co-chairs: James Roolf, Joliet president of First Midwest Bank, and Paul Gantzert with Gantzert Investment Co.

Capital Campaign Committee: Carroll Klotz, chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters' Fund Development Committee; attorney Laird Ozmon; Dr. Ernesto Tan; and Will County Executive Larry Walsh.

Who to call: Those interested in contributing can call Bridget Domberg, chief advancement officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties, at (815) 725-4324.

More information: Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters by phone at (815) 725-4324, or visit the Web site www.bbbswillgrundy.org