Page 29 - December 2015

From left, Tom Tuohy, Clara Kirk and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.
The Jesse White Tumblers amaze the Holiday for Hope attendees, including Lodge 7 President Dean Angelo, Sr.
FOP President – Dean Angelo, Sr. – got his first taste of the Hope and has been one of its most avid supporters ever since.
draws the members to give all they can give.
“I’ve seen some of the young kids go from being at-risk to become
If you have been to the FOP Lodge in the past several weeks, you can tell Holiday for Hope is near. Members deck the Hall with gifts, some bringing two, three, four cars, trucks, trains, dolls, games, etc. “We piled it up with hundreds and hundreds of toys each year,” Nolan recalls. “I’d like to get a number on how many we have distrib- uted. I’m guessing it’s thousands and thousands.”
successful people with good jobs and good families,” he elaborates. “And it’s great to think you were a little part of it.”
Tuohy quickly understood why Lodge members gave so much of themselves to Holiday for Hope. Dreams for Kids is built on a simple premise–“Every day can be Christmas,” he pledges. “If we let a day go by without doing something for someone, then it’s a wasted day.”
Members were also a little part of this: The Holiday for Hope is once again taking place this year in cities across the U.S. and countries around the world.
That doesn’t just sound like a cop; it defines what cops bring to the beat every day.
Tuohy presents the indelible image of hope as one with him and two brothers who had their faces painted. One was Spider-Man. The other was Lion King. He watched one of the kids carry out a bag of gifts bigger than he was.
So with so many Lodge members on hand for the event, volun- teering in one way or another, from playing Santa to serving food to providing security, it’s no wonder so much hope fills the room. And so many presents–tables upon tables are lined with gift bags that each kid gets to take home.
“He said, ‘This is the best bag of gifts I have ever gotten for Christ- mas,’” Tuohy tells. “Then his mother looks at me with tears in her eyes and tells me, ‘This is the only bag of gifts he has ever gotten for Christ- mas.’”
This year, Clara Kirk, the founder of Clara’s House and co-founder of Dreams for Kids, will bring 30 or so of the kids who happen to be staying with her. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White will not only bring his famous tumblers but 200 or so other underprivileged kids to partake of “kid’s food” like hamburgers and hot dogs, games, slides, face-painting and as much fun as can be packed into one day.
Turns out the mother had lost her husband and her mother within a month of each other. Then, she lost her job as a crossing guard. Five months later, the family was living in a shelter. Lion King was less than a year old when that happened. She was pregnant with Spider Man at the time.
“Tom is like Santa,” Clara declares. “Before meeting him, none of my kids had ever been to a party. It’s a great day that the kids never forget.”
But the mother persevered. She went to school and became a nurse. And now the three of them volunteer each year at Holiday for Hope.
They don’t forget. Tuohy reports most children who have come to the event as at-risk kids – at risk because of poverty; at risk because of homelessness or joblessness; at risk because of color or religion–become contributors. This is what Nolan contends really
“That’s our mission: paying forward the generosity,” Tuohy contin- ues. “And our message is this–When you read this, Christmas will be days away, so take the opportunity to reach out into your community and find somebody who might be alone for the holidays and who could use some of your love.”
Members were also part of this:
That’s what truly creates the joy of giving.
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2015 29