From the Director's Desk

The Work, The Cause, The Hope, The Dream

Fall is quickly approaching and the shelves are bare at our pantries. We are serving 47% more people this year than last year with less funding. About half the food we distribute goes to children. Please consider a food drive for COOL. Call the Pantries Manager at 847-662-1230 for a menu of most needed items. If you have a desire to volunteer we need those with a little time to spare as well. Volunteers are needed for 4 hour shifts at the pantries in Waukegan and Ingleside. COOL no longer has a Maintenance Department for our Transitional Housing units so we need men or women able to do small repairs, painting, yard or unit clean up. To help, call the T-H manager at 847-662-1340.

COOL is truly a community effort. We’ve been working together for over 26 years to serve our neighbors in Lake County that need our help. Our service has been enormously successful in meeting the needs of those in crisis and we will continue to go forward.

The way we choose to live and care for each other in the here and now matters. Those closely associated with COOL are privileged to see the best kindnesses and generosity in the world come from volunteers every day. We are grateful for those who support and give for the sake of others. Our beliefs and values are made tangible through caring for the vulnerable in our midst.

U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy passed to eternal life recently. The Kennedy family ethic was something no one in America could miss. The children were taught at a young age to give their lives for the good of humanity. So many went into public service, but the younger generation is making a mark more behind the scenes, yet powerfully and effectively. In victory and defeat this family kept the torch illuminating their values burning brightly. The words Kennedy spoke in 1980 seem timeless and relevant for all of us no matter what our vocations in life happen to be.

“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope rises again and the dream will never die”.

Our dreams, ideals and life ethics are lived out at a price for most of us. It’s not always easy to continue to strive for the goals we set for ourselves. The spiritual growth found in the journey is the greater height we all rise to when we make others a more important endeavor than ourselves.

Many Blessings,