Calumet City’s In His Hands Resource Center marked the 25 anniversary of 9/11 by bringing an array of community and veteran resources to the Richton Park Library, with many expressing the need for additional support after tornadoes and other storms tore through the south and southwest suburbs this summer.
“We expect it to get bigger, larger each time, and more people, just to bring awareness and remind them of what’s going on,” Valdimir Gavin, director of In His Hands, said Tuesday. “I think our veterans definitely need support and all the rest of the people also need support. So this is our way of trying to give back.”
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In His Hands hosted a similar event last year, offering support to as many as 350 people. Gavin said he hoped as many people as possible would benefit from the energy discounts offered by ComEd and Nicor, along with free computers handed out to 50 people registered through Compudopt Solutions.
“The price of everything — it’s been a struggle for most families,” Gavin said. “They’re trying to decide whether they’re going to get gas or get food, whether they’re going to get healthcare or food.”
While some heard about the resource fair online or through the Compudopt computer giveaway, others, like retired resident Jackie Turner, just happened to come to the Richton Park Library at the right time.
Turner said she was grateful to hear about options to lower energy bills through programs like ComEd’s Low-Income Discount Program, which provides savings based on customers’ income. After her home incurred damage during recent severe weather events, including a flooded basement, she said she had to replace both her refrigerator and water heater.
“Everything’s tight,” Turner said. “Every dollar you try to squeeze as hard as you can.”
Regis Browder and MarcyJo Chachakis, who are both veterans themselves, handed out informational flyers at the Richton Park Veterans Commission’s booth. Both said they were excited to hear about the computer giveaway, helping older veterans in particular gain independence in an increasingly digital world.
“So many of them rely on places like the library to come in, and that’s not always convenient,” Chachakis said.
Browder admitted his own struggles with technology, joking he hadn’t yet figured out wow how to scan the QR code on flyers he handed out Friday, providing information about upcoming veterans events.
“My wife and my daughter, they laugh at me so bad,” he said.
After speaking with a disabled veteran earlier in the day, Browder said his eyes were opened even more to the importance of being able to coordinate deliveries and other services from a device at home.
While he and Chachakis served in the United States military before 9/11, the two veterans acknowledged the importance of service on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
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“I remember everything,” Browder said. “The whole world stopped, everything stopped.”
Candice White, a volunteer with In His Hands who has many veteran family members, was also grateful to be able to help others, especially veterans, on the day of remembrance.
“My family served prior to 9/11, but I can empathize with the first responders that were there that day. I can only imagine some of the things that they had to experience,” White said. “It makes me excited and proud that veterans are getting the resources that they need.”