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Melinda Brunell of Our Children's Homestead
Downers Grove mom Melinda Brunell enjoyed looking after her 15 year old daughter and her job in communications, but was looking for something more.
"I had been doing the mid life reflection thing and I realized that I loved what I did, but that it wouldn't have a long lasting impact for good," she recalls. "I wanted to get involved with a non profit and decided to find one that helps children because I am a mom and was in our own back yard."
A visit to a non profit fair led Melinda to Our Children's Homestead, an organization that provides families for foster children. She laughingly calls it "the best kept secret of Naperville." Based on Shuman Boulevard, OCH was founded in 2005 and serves 200 children throughout the western suburbs.
"At the time I joined there were many stories about children lost in the foster care system," Melinda said. "They were shuffled from home to home disabled as people as they didn't think people cared for them. It rang a lot of bells with me so I decided to get involved."
Melinda started out as a volunteer, joining the board two years ago where she's using her communication skills as Chairman of Marketing and Development.
"One of the things we're focussing on is ways to have more outreach to the community," she said. "Not just donations but also volunteers."
OCH has 165 foster families, and Melinda admits they are not easy to find.
"These kids are medically and emotionally challenged," she explained. "The average age is 14 to 16 and prior to coming to us they may have lived in 15 different homes. The stories would break your heart. Parents may be substance abusers and the children have often been shuffled around different family members."
The parents who do step forward to help are very special.
"They tend to be people who have a large world view, and often have a number of children of their own," Melinda said. "They see they have great skill at parenting and are big hearted folks. They still receive specialized training. We are blessed with a lot of people who do an outstanding job."
OCH welcomes donations and offers many volunteer opportunities. They also collect used suitcases.
Melinda said: "We give them to the children to put their belongings in. It's much better for them to have their own case instead of a garbage bag. We don't want them to feel like garbage."
If you would like to get involved visit www.ourchildrenshomestead.org.
-Hilary Decent, Features Editor