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by Kristen Kucharski NAPERVILLE FAMILY KEEPS CHRISTMAS TREE UP YEAR-ROUND TO PROMOTE KINDNESS & POSITIVITY NAPERVILLE–Creative expressions come easy for the Hemmingway family who own Edit One, a production company that is led by Rich, an Emmy award winning video editor/creative director who worked at Harpo Productions for over 15 years. He is currently the Executive Producer of the reality show, “Rockstars Garage” and has produced many projects for local nonprofits including DanceON, Project Help and Hesed House. Tracy also collaborates with Rich on various projects when she is not teaching digital media writing courses and moderating the student run television news, LUTN at Lewis University. She has also published two children’s’ books and is working on a third. Recently, she has started health coaching as well and loves helping others. So, it should come as no surprise that their children Reilly (18), a Freshman at Dayton University studying Special Ed/Psychology who loves photography, art and volunteering with Best Buddies and Kate (11), a 6th grader at Crone Middle School and competitive dancer at Elevate Dance Experience, had the idea to keep their Christmas tree up year-round starting with Valentine’s Day. They love the lights and how cozy it makes the family room feel. “It brought peace and joy during the pandemic,” Tracy says. “Changing the theme to hearts promotes kindness and positivity”. Kate will oversee keeping it up throughout the changing seasons such as St. Patrick’s Day, Easter/Spring, Cinco de Mayo, Summer, 4th of July, Christmas in July, Back to School, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, along with the input from her other siblings Christina (32) who is Quality assurance / Food Safety manager and Jack (20) a junior at DePaul University studying film, and of course, Reilly. The Hemmingways come from a huge family with more than 50 first cousins that remain extremely close. Their walls are covered with family pictures, both past and present that are daily reminders of their indescribable feelings of love and gratitude of the quality time they spend together through travels, family reunions, picnics, and daily life. They live by The Golden Rule, “Treat others as you want to be treated” and extend their love through actions by volunteering with local organizations. They also attend Holy Spirit Catholic Church and Tracy has taught RE there for 12 years. This month, the Valentine tree is a visual representation of how they live their daily lives. “Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truths,” 1 John 3:18. Photos by Mike Catuara DUPAGE KANE KENDALL

FAMILY LOVE STORY | The Hemmingway Family

by Kristen Kucharski NAPERVILLE FAMILY KEEPS CHRISTMAS TREE UP YEAR-ROUND TO PROMOTE KINDNESS & POSITIVITY NAPERVILLE–Creative...

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A BLENDED FAMILY FILL WITH LOVE ELBURN/ST. CHARLES–Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain and Ashley Sloane met at work and became best friends. Their love continued to grow and on a get-away trip to Charleston, SC in November 2019, Ron surprised Ashley when they walked onto a waterfront pier and he got down on one knee and proposed. They were excited to bring together their newly blended family, Mason Hain (17), Ashlyn Hain (16), Sloane Kosinski (8), and Delavan Kosinski (4) for a big wedding in Disney World, but due to COVID-19, the trip was unfortunately cancelled. However, ‘Dreams Really Do Come True’ and just like a true fairytale, love conquers all. With Ron’s brother officiating, the two were joined together as one in their Elburn kitchen with family and friends witnessing through the living room window from the front lawn. Thanks to the innovative technologies of Zoom, the ceremony was viewed across the country. The Hain family has a lot of love to share throughout their new family of six. “Having four kids with a wide age range means always scanning for new ways to support, engage them, and make them feel equally loved and important,” Ron says. “The littles get up around 6:30 a.m. and are in bed by 8 p.m., then the teens really become active; so, there’s never much down time. But, having a loving wife, who is an incredible mother, makes all of it seamless and fun.” Ron may be the Sheriff in town, but Delavan (4) runs the house and keeps everyone on their toes with her humor and antics, while the other kids complete their e-learning and look forward to returning to softball, tennis, and college visits. Living in Elburn, the family loves downtown establishments like Gaedel's, Schmidt's and Obscurity and enjoy the proximity of St. Charles and Geneva for entertainment and food. They are a social bunch and cannot wait to reconnect with family and friends and share their newfound joy in each! DUPAGE KANE KENDALL

FAMILY LOVE STORY | The Hain Family

A BLENDED FAMILY FILL WITH LOVE ELBURN/ST. CHARLES–Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain and Ashley Sloane met at work and became best friends. ...

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AN ADOPTION LOVE STORY NAPERVILLE/WHEATON–Nothing expresses family love more than the Gelande family motto, “You were born from my heart”. Twenty-four-year Naperville residents, Mike, a CFO for Etnyre International and Barb a Special Education Teacher at Hubble Middle School in Wheaton, dreamed of having a family. They desired to adopt a pair of siblings and embarked on the adoption journey in 2006 with European Adoption Consultants (EAC). Although it took about two years to finalize, the couple was eventually connected with Lilia (7 ½) and Misha (6) and headed to a small town 2,400 miles east of Moscow in January 2008. “I will never forget walking out of the orphanage with two beautiful children,” Barb shares. Although both Lilia and Misha had medical issues including Rickets (a vitamin D deficiency), and were extremely malnourished causing underdevelopment for their ages, Barb and Mike let their love propel the healing of their children, who were truly born from their hearts. They went through years of growth hormone injections to aid in their growth; and along the way, they also learned that both kids had FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). “Like autism, FASD has degrees of severity. Our daughter was less affected than our son. This led to many years of counseling, biofeedback, and behavior problems with our son,” Barb reveals. “Our adoption story came with real struggles. More than we could imagine. However, I will always remember this quote by Sue Atkins, there is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one . Even with the struggles, we have always kept a positive outlook and searched for the good in each day.” Love will conquer all for the Gelande family and they continue to celebrate the successes. Today, Lilia is 20 years old and attending National Louis University and majoring in Elementary Education. Misha is 19 years old and a senior at Camelot in Naperville. The family is members of Alleluia Lutheran Church in Naperville and continue to expand their hearts by sponsoring a child named Nicholas in Peru with Compassion International through the church. Every January 25th is "Gottcha Day". They make Russian food and look through old photos and remember how thankful they are to be a family. DUPAGE KANE KENDALL

FAMILY LOVE STORY | The Gelande Family

AN ADOPTION LOVE STORY NAPERVILLE/WHEATON–Nothing expresses family love more than the Gelande family motto, “You were born from my...

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by Kristen Kucharski How do you spell love –Piglet You don’t spell it, you feel it –Pooh NAPERVILLE–When Kristen was maid of honor at one her closet friend’s wedding and Bruce was the best man, they felt it and married five years later at Sacred Heart Church in New York followed by a honeymoon in the Caribbean. Fast forward another 25 years, the couple decided to renew their wedding vows in Monroe, New York at St. Anastasia Church, followed by a romantic COVID-19 getaway at the Sky Top Lodge in Pennsylvania. They were thrilled to share this celebration with her mother, their children, and other relatives present; after all their parents were their guiding light with 50 years of marriage each. Kristen, an Honors Math and Project Idea teacher at Naperville’s Meadow Glens Elementary School; a Yoga teacher and Reiki Master at Abhyaasa Yoga Studio in Naperville, and the founder of Bring Your Own Bag Naperville, and Bruce, the owner of People’s Construction in Naperville have three children, Ryan (33) serving in the Air Force in Florida with his wife and daughter; Adam (21) a recent Western Michigan University graduate, and Brooke (17) a senior at Naperville Central High School. With busy professional and social lives, in addition to children and grandchildren, any marriage must master beginning each day with a deep breath, smile, and the willingness to start each day renewed. “The bond of friendship and family, and the strength of forgiveness are without a doubt what allowed our marriage to endure,” Kristen says. “We are happier now than we have ever been and planning for the next 25 years is full of excitement and joy.” Following a motto of “Lighten up and Let it Go” the couple is thrilled to have been able to celebrate the sacred occasion of renewed marriage and knows that no matter what, they will be able to overcome any obstacles ahead of them and forge ahead with the foundation of everlasting love. They are hopeful for a second honeymoon to Hawaii or Europe in this summer! Photos by Mike Catuara DUPAGE KANE KENDALL

FAMILY LOVE STORY | The Kainrath Family

by Kristen Kucharski How do you spell love –Piglet You don’t spell it, you feel it –Pooh NAPERVILLE–When Kristen was maid of honor at one...

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SO MUCH LOVE & CARE FOR HER SPECIAL NEEDS CAT NAPERVILLE–Brooke is used to living an active vibrant life as a graduate of Neuqua Valley High School who facilitated local book drives for charity and participates in the LGBTQ community. She continued her involvement at Hofstra University as a Resident Assistant and interned with YA imprint at Macmillan Publishers; so, living away from her Naperville family and friends, in the middle of a pandemic became very lonely upon her college graduation. With a heart of gold and love to share, Brooke sought to adopt a cat. She grew up with cats and knew the companionship one could bring; furthermore, Brooke was also aware that it is difficult for shelters to place special needs cats in forever homes because people think that they propose to many challenges. “Special needs cats are just as deserving of a family, even if it means giving them a little extra attention and patience,” Brooke shares. So, she adopted Novie, originally named Finch, a three-year-old cat with special from North Shore Animal League on Long Island. “Novie (short for adoptive month of November) has cerebellar hypoplasia (CH), which means the part of her brain in charge of balance is underdeveloped,” Brooke adds. “Some cats with moderate CH walk a little wobbly, but Novie has a severe case. She cannot jump, walk, or even stand, yet she is very capable and determined. She rolls, flops, and drags herself across the room to get where she wants (the floor is covered in foam yoga mats to make it easy for her). She uses the litterbox and eats food just like any "normal" cat does. Honestly, the way she moves around is adorable and it just makes her more charming to all who meet her.” Although Brooke has been almost completely shut in her apartment because of COVID, she is not lonely because she hangs with Novie every day. “It truly feels like I've become a mother because Novie is so much like a baby - sometimes she's feeling hyper and independent, and other times she just likes to cuddle up on my arm and sleep.” Novie is a great companion while Brooke completes her daily tasks working in data entry with the hopes to enter the children's publishing industry in the very near future. To share in the love, you can follow Novie via her Instagram page @noviefinch. - DUPAGE KANE KENDALL

FAMILY LOVE STORY | Brooke Sokoloski

SO MUCH LOVE & CARE FOR HER SPECIAL NEEDS CAT NAPERVILLE–Brooke is used to living an active vibrant life as a graduate of Neuqua Valley...

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