The Superhero 5K is perhaps one of our most anticipated events of the year. What in your opinion makes the 5K so special? 

Nick: I think part of it is that, coming out of winter, as Chicagoans, we are so cooped up all winter long. The Superhero 5K is so active. It’s outside. It’s physical. It’s also a welcoming way for people to get involved. All skill levels can participate. I’m by no means the best runner, but I’m still able to feel like I’m really engaged. Whether you’re walking or running – going for your best 5K time or just there to finish the course, it’s a great opportunity for everyone to join in.
 
Paul: Yes, and it’s a great opportunity to get the whole family involved supporting JOURNEYS’ mission. Our gala in the fall and Women’s Luncheon in the spring are not necessarily family-oriented, but this one is. I’ve been a runner for 25 years, and I really love that the 5K allows you to get outside and enjoy the outdoors with loved ones while also supporting our neighbors in need. 

It’s our 10th anniversary Superhero 5K! What are some of the things that you are most looking forward to this year? 

Nick: I think the 10th anniversary of the 5K is made even more special as it coincides with the opening of our new building. It will be a great time to tell our community about what’s in store for JOURNEYS with our new space and capabilities. I’m really looking forward to talking to participants about the future of JOURNEYS. 

Paul: Running is meaningful to me because it’s something I can do with friends and loved ones. That makes it so enjoyable. That’s how I feel when I’m at the 5K. We’re all there for the common purpose of helping people experiencing homelessness in our community. It’s also a great opportunity to broaden our message, to get more people involved and spread the word. As a runner, I enjoy taking something I love to do and use it to do something good for others. 

How has the 5K changed or developed during your tenure as event chairs? 

Nick: It’s been great to watch the 5K gain a really loyal following of participants over the last few years, despite the pandemic! I think it’s also the affordability of the event that keeps bringing people back. It’s not only a great event; it’s also a way to regularly engage with JOURNEYS’ mission over the long term. It’s been so rewarding to watch people come back year after year and really get into the spirit of the 5K. 

Paul: We’ve also really transformed in terms of the event itself. A few years ago, the 5K was in the streets of downtown Palatine, which was very fun. We’ve since moved it into the Forest Preserves, and this will be our second year at Deer Grove East. I think putting the event out there makes it safer and more pleasant. It’s an enclosed course so there’s no risk of traffic. It makes it a bit safer for families with small children who want to come out and participate. 

How have your professional or personal experiences impacted your work with JOURNEYS - or vice versa? 

Nick: My work with the Palatine Police Department and with JOURNEYS play off each other really well. They augment each other. My work as a JOURNEYS board member has allowed me to learn more about housing policy and has in turn taught me how we can help people experiencing homelessness more effectively. There’s a lot of political attention these days regarding people without homes, and my work with JOURNEYS has helped me to stay grounded in the fact that ultimately, it’s an issue related to people, and that we really need to emphasize the person as we think about solutions. 
 
Paul: I worked for 40 years in downtown Chicago. I took the train in every day, and when I’d get off, I’d see people on the streets with signs, with little cartons or cups for donations. And it’s not something you can ever feel good about seeing, but it’s difficult to figure out what you can do to help. I’ve never had to worry about where I’m going to rest my head at night or where my next meal is coming from, but it’s a real experience that happens right in our very community. It isn’t just in downtown Chicago. I think often about how my work with JOURNEYS has broadened my field of vision and enabled me to do more to help.

Final Thoughts 

Nick: The 5K is such an incredible event. We’re a nonprofit in the Chicagoland area that has one of the biggest effects on the community it serves. I would love to see people come out to support JOURNEYS’ mission and growth. 

Paul: Life is short, and every day counts. I think about the ways I can change – the ways our community can change – to keep helping the people in our community who need it most. We’ve got something good and we’re moving in a great direction. There have been hiccups and bumps in the past few years, but I’m excited for the opportunity to come together to celebrate not only the 10th anniversary of our Superhero 5K, but also how far JOURNEYS has come over the years.  
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To register for the the Superhero 5K, visit our Run Signup page. For sponsorship opportunities, visit our event page on our website.

Transcribed and arranged by Roxanne Gentry, Marketing Associate

Our Ninth Annual Women's Luncheon is next month on Wednesday, April 26th! Today is also International Women's Day, a day that celebrates all women, and brings awareness to issues related to women, like gender equality, domestic violence, reproductive topics, and women's contributions to society, politics, and culture. 

This month, I was able to have a conversation with Katie Barrett Ford, JOURNEYS' Woman of the Year 2023. Katie is a true example of what it means to be a woman who is also a professional powerhouse and community advocate. She currently serves on JOURNEYS' Advisory Board, but has been involved with JOURNEYS since 2015. 



​
We talked about her history with JOURNEYS, how homelessness affects our shared community, and the importance of our Women's Luncheon as an opportunity to bring attention to the experiences of women and children experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.

Congratulations, Katie, on being awarded Woman of the Year, and thank you for your continued support and advocacy for our neighbors in need!

"My mom was involved with JOURNEYS before it was even called JOURNEYS | The Road Home. She set a strong example for what it means to give back to her community. I learned a lot about giving back from watching her help with PADS at various churches in the area for over twenty-five years.  
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I was born in Arlington Heights, but I ended up living downtown and then all over the world. Eventually I returned to Arlington Heights and have lived here now for quite some time. I had a successful career, an amazing family, and I was looking for a way to give back. So, when Beth reached out to me about getting involved with JOURNEYS, I truly believed that it was divine intervention. 

I've been in the media marketing profession for 29 years. When Beth brought me on, she had a specific remit in thinking about how we can drive JOURNEYS marketing capabilities. I secured free media for our biggest fundraising event of the year, Bid for HOPE, including billboards and bus shelter ads to boost awareness. I’ve since been able be a point of contact for JOURNEYS when it comes to expanding and developing its marketing and messaging, and I’ve always been happy to parlay my expertise.    

I think it’s everyone’s responsibility to give back however they can. Many people don’t think there’s homelessness in the northwest suburbs. But poverty is right in our backyard. And as a community, that’s where our obligation is – and exactly where JOURNEYS lives and works.  

We were finally able to build a beautiful new facility where there's so many services to help people get back on their feet. JOURNEYS has never had this kind of state-of-the-art facility before. What’s truly incredible is that it’s a community initiative created by neighbors for neighbors. 

JOURNEYS helps people no matter who they are. Poverty isn't specific to a gender or an age group; it’s prevalent across all ages, genders, and races. 

JOURNEYS’ Women’s Luncheon highlights how our demographics transcend many of the stereotypes of homelessness and how our clientele has evolved over the years. Homelessness is often represented by a struggling adult male, but our data show that 43% of our clients identify as women and 25% are children. JOURNEYS serves not only individuals, but also families, something that’s important to highlight as an agency serving a large suburban area. 

As an agency, JOURNEYS is sustained by a lot of female leadership. Beth, our Executive Director, is an amazing leader. I admire her passion and persistence. Her dogged tenacity is what brought JOURNEYS to where it is today. That’s why it’s an honor to be recognized by her and JOURNEYS as Woman of the Year. It’s a role I envision as one of advocacy. I want to help make connections and drive awareness. It’s the natural inclination of people to want to do good. It’s human nature to want to help. I want to make it as easy as possible for people to get involved and give back, whether that’s financially or with their time. 
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That’s what JOURNEYS is all about: giving back. Making connections. Advocating a “never-take-no" attitude for our clients on their journeys home and for the wider community as we support our neighbors. It takes a village." 

Transcribed and arranged by Roxanne Gentry, Marketing Associate

I was excited to have the the opportunity to sit down with our newest board member, Amy Williams, to talk about why JOURNEYS' mission is so important in our suburban community. Take a look at what she had to say, and why she believes JOURNEYS | Lives Here is just as much about acknowledging the visibility of homelessness in suburban spaces as it about addressing homelessness as a community. 





"I’ve called Schaumburg home for 30 years. It’s really important to me to find an opportunity to give back in a positive way to the community, especially given the disruption from the pandemic. The work JOURNEYS does has a profound impact on so many people, and its work is something I really value. 

As a board member, I am excited to be able to leverage the knowledge I’ve acquired throughout my career to help contribute to JOURNEYS’ mission. I’ve been in communications and PR for 25 years, serving primarily healthcare and wellness. Regardless of the kind of work I’ve done, whether I'm trying to get people to buy something or to do something, storytelling is so critical. It’s all about getting people to believe in something.  

I believe that JOURNEYS’ mission is absolutely critical.  

I think all too often people hear of homelessness, and we think, “Oh, that's an inner-city problem. It's not in my community. We don't have that here.” For me, JOURNEYS | Lives Here is a reminder that homelessness can happen to anyone, and people at risk of being homeless can live anywhere. It’s a reminder that homelessness is an issue that touches every community. If for no other reason than that, it's up to the community to help address it, and everybody has an opportunity to play a role."
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Transcribed and arranged by Roxanne Gentry, Marketing Associate​

As we begin the new year, we're reviving our blog features! First up is our Board President, Tony Butler, who took his new position back in September. I had the opportunity to talk to Tony about his connections to the community, his plans as Board President, and what JOURNEYS | Lives Here means to him.








​"Much earlier in my career I was working as a firefighter paramedic in Hoffman Estates, and I went to a medical call in a motel. When we went inside there was a family of four and two dogs living in this small motel room. The two kids were at the little table doing their homework, and they had all their personal belongings stacked up to the ceiling, and a little cooktop apparatus on the counter to cook their food. I just thought, 'We've got to do better with this. I know we can do better than this and help people in these situations.' 

So, when Beth, our Executive Director, asked me to be on the Board in 2019, remembering that experience years ago, I didn’t hesitate. For the last two years we've had to be focused on COVID and the construction of the new building and raising the necessary funds. As Board President, I really want the Board to start thinking more strategically and taking a longer view of things now that the new building is up and that we're back to normal operations since the interruptions at start of the pandemic.

I’m going to start thinking about how we structure our board by forming smaller committees focused on specific issues. This will allow the Board to focus hard on these key areas, and move our mission forward! 

As we look toward the next three to five years, we want to make sure we’re maximizing our operations, using our facility to its full benefit and maximizing its impact. Our service area stretches from Streamwood all the way to Lake Michigan. That’s a lot of people within a large area where JOURNEYS makes a footprint.

​When I think of where JOURNEYS lives, it really lives everywhere. We have the opportunity before us to improve a lot of lives. "

Transcribed and arranged by Roxanne Gentry, Marketing Associate

Meet our newest Board Member, Kevin Mathew, a former case manager at JOURNEYS who now works for the State of Illinois. We're so excited to bring Kevin on "Board"! Read below for more on Kevin's history and future with JOURNEYS!









"Social work is a field where you help others empower themselves. It’s such a diverse field. One social worker can help a person with resume-building assistance, while another could be working at a hospital. 

I am currently working as a caseworker at the State of Illinois Department of Human Services. I help individuals who apply for state benefit programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medical Assistance, and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). An interview must be done in order to see if a person is eligible for these benefits. I go through the customer’s application with them to review their information and see if there are any discrepancies. 

It really is an honor to be partnering with JOURNEYS again. I worked at JOURNEYS back in 2017 as a vocational case manager, and I really enjoyed my time here. It was always such a great feeling to hear from a client that they obtained a job opportunity.  

JOURNEYS was also a great place for me to build my skills as a social worker, and I really felt like I was making positive changes in my local community. So now that I am on the board, it feels like a continuation of the work I put in back in 2017, but now I get to bring a new perspective to the table. 

I am glad that JOURNEYS for this opportunity, and it is truly an honor. As a new member, I am trying to soak in all the knowledge I can get from my fellow board members and how we as a team can empower those in our community even further. I think I bring a unique perspective to the board since I had previously worked at JOURNEYS, and I continue to work as a caseworker now. It allows me to share my experiences on the ground level of helping individuals in our local community. I am excited to attend my first board meeting and for the future of JOURNEYS!"

Transcribed and arranged by Roxanne Gentry, Marketing Associate
 

Continuing to meet more people within the JOURNEYS community, I had the chance to talk with one of our Board Members, Lori. Lori talked about her history in the area, her work with JOURNEYS, and how her day job helps provide a unique perspective and approach to helping those in need in her community.

Take a look at what she had to say!


"I grew up in Buffalo Grove, and my husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to raise our three kids in this community and send our kids to the same high school we both attended.

We started working with PADS out of our church when our kids were in high school, and we did that as a family for about 10 years. It's really been an important part of our family to work within our community and do what we can to help members in our community that are facing homelessness or dealing with homelessness directly. 

I'm an attorney by trade, and while my daily work isn’t really related to non-profit work, it does allow me to think analytically and critically about problem-solving and risk mitigation. I can use some of those day-job skills to have more systemic impact in my community than just volunteering.  

In 2020 I was fortunate enough to participate in the United Way Board Leadership Institute. It was a great training program for people who want to serve on non-profit boards. Through that program I was connected with JOURNEYS. I don't know that I really, fully understood the breadth of JOURNEYS’ profile in the community before that since I was previously only working with PADS program.  

Beth, JOURNEYS’ Executive Director, is such a dynamic leader and very much engaged in this community, has lived in this community forever like me. I really loved her leadership style, and I was thrilled to be able to use my opportunity to serve on JOURNEYS’ board to better support the homeless community and expand services, especially during COVID. 

JOURNEYS has had programs that we've had in place for years that we've totally had to pivot from because of the pandemic, and I think that the staff has done an amazing job. The board has really just tried to support them along the way. So what we are trying to do - and I think the new building is evidence of this - is to evolve with the needs of the community. 

JOURNEYS has done an excellent job of trying to partner with existing community organizations that are already supporting this population in different areas, connecting them with mental health services, job services, and housing services. The care teams that are interfacing with people one-on-one have also had to get creative. For example, there have been clients for whom the best thing is to get them connected with a family member, and their family might be out in California or somewhere across the country. A train ticket could be a resource to this individual to get them back on the right track. It’s important to think creatively about what the community needs are, and how we can pivot our programs to meet the needs that exist today. 

As a community, I think we do a really good job of providing opportunities for supporting JOURNEYS in a number of different ways. Some people are involved day-to-day either working at the [HOPE] Center and working directly with clients, while others are delivering food, or doing some once-a-week or once-a-month support.  ​

Our events are another fun way to support JOURNEYS. I was just at the self-defense class, and I took my two nieces who are both in college. Everyone had a really good time, and it was very rewarding to be involved. We have lots of other events, like the Casino Night and the Bid for HOPE Gala that's coming up in the fall, and even a golf outing. There are lots ways for the community to make a connection and it's really rewarding to be one-on-one with people that are in your community and making an impact where you live."

-Arranged by Roxanne Gentry, Marketing Associate