A trivia night Friday hopes to raise enough money to start construction on a backyard deck assessible to the wheelchair-bound residents of Open Door Rehabilitation Center’s “Birch” residence in the Sandwich area.
The project, organized by the non-profit Tommy’s Gift, needs $15,000 for the deck materials. The labor has been donated, said Tom Zimmermann, who founded Tommy’s Gift along with his wife Kim to honor their son who died three weeks after being born prematurely.
Eight people live in “Birch,” which is one of nine facilities run by Open Door to allow those with developmental disabilities to live independently.
Debbi Bewley, a case manager, said each room is decorated to show the resident’s personality and each resident has responsibilities such as vacuuming, cooking and laundry.
“The house they live in isn’t just a house or a cookie-cutter institution, it is a home,” she said, adding that residents love to be outdoors, but that has been too difficult at “Birch.”
Tommy’s Gift is trying to provide an option to the front porch or sloping circle drive by building a 900-square-foot backyard deck that wraps around a large tree and includes a large activity table.
The organization, formed in 2012, tackles one or two large projects a year in addition to helping about 50 families on smaller-scale projects and other non-profit groups.
Tom and Kim Zimmermann of Plano started focusing on serving others after their son Tommy died.
“When your heart is pure and you sacrifice for others, you are rewarded sometimes more than those you have helped,” Tom Zimmermann said. “When we found our faith, we realized we had to walk the walk and do things for other people.”
Tommy’s Gift is under the umbrella of the United Methodist Church of Plano, and concentrates on such projects for seniors and the disabled as installing ramps and providing food and diapers, he said.
If the needed funds are raised, construction could begin at “Birch” this fall. If not, fundraising will continue through the winter and work would begin in spring.
He expects the outdoor area to make a big difference to residents.
“We feel that we need to do everything we can to honor and respect those individuals,” Zimmermann said.
Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.
Trivia night fundraiser for Tommy’s Gift
7 p.m. Aug. 26
More Top Picks Connectors Landscapes
Plano American Legion Post #395
510 E Dearborn St, Plano, IL
Donations may be sent to: Tommy’s Gift, PO Box 113, Plano, IL 60545