I participated in TCF Bank's 2nd Annual Ride the Rail Bike Ride for the March of Dimes. A group of 11 of us rode our bikes from Milwaukee to Chicago in two days. TCF Bank is an avid supporter of the March of Dimes and the Ride the Rail is just one of the many fund raising events the Bank sponsors.

Truth be told, I was one of the slower riders, but I didn’t drop out (two did) and actually completed the ride. Not bad for an aging Baby Boomer whose idea of exercise is walking down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

In spite of my sister’s dire prediction, I didn’t have a heart attack, not even mild chest pains. My thighs did feel like lead after the first day of riding though. Thank goodness for Motrin and the hot tub at the hotel. I experienced only nominal butt soreness, which I attribute to my many dedicated years of holding desk jobs. And Doyle you'll be happy to hear that I experienced no back problems.  (Must have been that pre-ride adjustment.)

We started off on Friday morning from the TCF Bank Bayside branch, located approximately ten miles north of downtown Milwaukee. The weather was in the 60’s and partly-cloudy, which was great biking weather. We biked by incredible mansions in Shorewood, passed by the world-famous Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum, cruised through downtown Milwaukee and had a picnic lunch at the South Shore Yacht Club, located just south of downtown. From here on, we generally followed the Milwaukee to Chicago bike trip promoted by Wisconsin radio station WGTD.

The segment from the Yacht Club, hugging the lake through Cudahy and South Milwaukee ending at Oak Creek Parkway, was glorious: incredible scenery and views of the lake. The flip side was the trip through Racine (along urban streets) and Kenosha (along a monotonous gravel path through the prairie). By this time, the temperature had dropped a bit. Thanks to our support team, we were brought to our hotel, for showers, dinner and blissful sleep. (Big treat: sleep number beds at the Radisson. Who knew?)

On Saturday, we rejoined the trail after departing from the TCF Bank Waukegan branch. Mother Nature looked favorably upon us, as it was sunny and in the 70’s. This segment of the path up to the Great Lakes Naval Station is another gravel path, which appears to be an abandoned train line bordered by nondescript housing stock. South of the Naval Station we found ourselves on a tree-lined asphalt path, generally cycling parallel to the Metra tracks. This segment went through some of the most affluent Chicago Northshore suburbs. After passing through Wilmette, we arrived at Evanston, where we cycled on the streets until we reached the Northwestern University Campus. At this point the path ran along the lake front and we were treated to a postcard-perfect view of downtown Chicago. Upon reaching the Chicago border, we traveled the streets for about three miles at which point we joined the Chicago lake front bike path at the northern-most fringe of Lincoln Park. After biking for a few more leisurely miles along the bike path (passing through clots of healthy young joggers, roller bladers and cyclists) we left the path, made a quick jog through the streets of Lincoln Park and ended the trip at the Children’s Memorial Hospital Outpatient Clinic on north Clark Street.

Taking into account our revamped itinerary (due to unexpected construction, and bowing to time pressures) and tossing in a few wrong turns here & there, I rode for approximately 88 miles. Who would have thought?

But most importantly I raised $1,410, surpassing my goal of $1,000.

Paul J. Jarsoz
May 19-20, 2006

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3^rd Foreign Mission Trip to The Dominican Republic by Doyle Heimann


In February 2006, I went with 20 adults from the First Baptist Church to help with various stages of construction on two homes in an orphanage named EL Arca of The Ark. The orphanage is located in Jarabacoa, a small village in the center of the Dominican Republic. This new home allowed new orphans the opportunity to be cared for and educated in the name of Jesus Christ. Our projects included painting, pouring cement, plumbing and electrical work. We had other opportunities to minister to the children, both at The Ark and in the nearby "Barrios" (slum areas), which have rat-infested shacks with dirt floors and drafty walls made from scraps of wood and tin.

Doyle Heimann, D.C.
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Downers Grove - Winner of the 2003 Governor’s Home Town Award - April 2003

Keith Hoffman and Marc Hausmann celebrated reaching goal by shaving their heads Why were people cheering when Marc Hausmann and Keith Hoffman had their heads shaved at the Scot press/Julian BBQ? Marc and Keith promised to shave their heads if the Chamber/Kiwanis Bone Marrow Drive raised $21,000. The crowd recognized the tremendous amount of hard work that went into organizing the Bone Marrow Drive and the dedicated efforts of hundreds of volunteers involved in the process. Reaching the goal was a major accomplishment for the entire community and could help make a positive difference for people with life threatening illnesses in Downers Grove and around the world. The State of Illinois also recognized the significance of this project. In April, Downers Grove received the 2003 Governor’s Home Town Award. For 22 years, the Home Town Award Program has honored communities that have planned and implemented projects that positively addressed local needs and had strong volunteer involvement. The Bone Marrow Drive qualified on both those fronts. Kiwanis members Keith Hoffman, Becky Anderson and Warren Holbrook with Award In a few short months, the Bone Marrow Drive united the entire community and raised a total of $22,500 to fund the bone marrow testing of 1,070 people. To date, 523 people have undergone testing and three potential matches have been identified. One donor completed a transplant in hopes of helping a young girl in St. Louis. All test results were placed in the National Bone Marrow Registry, which is accessible to people throughout the world. In addition, 60 people donated blood in hopes of saving more lives. In March 2003, judges visited Downers Grove to learn more about our Bone Marrow Drive and meet the people involved. In April, the State of Illinois announced that Downers Grove had won the Home Town Award.  In June, representatives from the Village traveled to Springfield Illinois to attend the 2003 Governor's Home Town Awards Banquet to accept the Award. Winning the 2003 Governor’s Home Town Award is a great honor, recognizes the tremendous volunteer efforts of the hundreds of people who were involved with the Bone Marrow Drive and reflects the warm hometown spirit of our community. Congratulations to all involved in bringing the 2003 Governor’s Home Town Award “Home” to Downers Grove

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First Foreign Mission Trip to The Dominican Republic by Doyle Heimann

It was just before Thanksgiving of 1999 that I first heard about a missions trip to the Dominican Republic.  It was a simple announcement in our church bulletin.  Another church in the area Wheaton Bible Church, was partnering with Kids Alive International, located in Valparaiso Indiana.  Kids Alive operates orphanages all around the world and one of the largest is in the D.R., called El Arca.  Kids Alive organizes church groups schools or youth groups of a few people to groups of 20 or so.  These groups work on repairs of the facility or in new construction of homes.

We left for the D.R.  On Saturday the first week of January 2000.  This was my first trip out the country.  After two plane fights we took a bus for about three and a half hours into the mountains to a town called Jarabacoa. The house we stayed in was plain but adequate, all painted concrete with electricity and bathrooms.  The electricity was not dependable and the water was not safe for drinking.  They have a poor septic system in the D.R. so all paper products are burned not flushed.  On Sunday we went to the Spanish speaking church. That was were we first met the kids of the El Arca, they would just sit right next to you.  Everyone was so friendly.

Our first day of work was Monday.  We were divided into work groups base on levels of skill or experience.  My profession is Chiropractic; I was also the team “nurse”.  However I have an extensive construction background.  I was ready to build, build, and build.  I was assigned to minor repairs like window screen replacement.  It seemed that everyone else was working on plumbing and electrical in teams, fellowshipping, working together and having a great time.  I was disappointed and wondering why am I doing this stuff, my abilities could be used better elsewhere.  I remember questioning God.  An hour or two into my projects I had 3 or 4 little boys watching me replace the window screens.  A little later I had them helping me with the job.  It was then, that I realized that I had the better job I got to be right with the kids and interact with them.  A short while later I heard a bunch of the kids yelling outside.  I went outside and one of the staff was walking with a little girl who had fallen at the playground.  They asked me to look at her arm. I did and I said I was sure that it was broken.  They asked me go to the hospital with them. Now things are really changing.  I went from woe is me to I’m helping cast this little girl’s arm at the hospital.

I am getting the opportunity to experience unique things that were available only because I doing a lowly job.  I was right where God wanted me to be.  And little did I know that I made a friend for life.  That little girl’s name was Rubelina, I am now one of her sponsors. All this and my first day at El Arca was not even over. The week continued with me working on special projects and with having a shadow buddy giving me small flowers and other little gifts.  During the evening the team shared experiences and what they had learned.  Later in the week, I was also involved with leading up a team to make a small bridge and a couple of sidewalks.  When Friday came I was off to the hospital with Rubelina again.  During the week I had several opportunities to treat (give adjustments, that what Chiropractors do) several of our team members for migraine headaches with back complaints

Our last evening with the kids ended with a party.  The following day we had a little R&R at the beach and flew home back to the states, not without a delay however. The trip was quite an experience.  I learned several things.  1) No matter how special or qualified we think we are, it is God who knows where and when we are needed.   2) God can and does use anyone for his purpose.  3) When you go planning to help someone, that is to be a blessing to someone, it is often the case that you are truly the one receiving the blessing.

Doyle J. Heimann, D.C.
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ILLINOIS BELL TELEPHONE'S (AMERITECT'S) - Highest Community Service Award - The Alexander Graham Bell Award
for FORMATION OF TROOP 84
1988 Report by Curtis B. Frank

I provided initial planning, guidance and coordination to create and maintain a Boy Scout Troop, which would serve the more severely

Illinois Bell President, Frank Zimmerman and Curtis Frank

retarded and handicapped young boys in the Western suburbs. After the troop was formed, I continued to provide guidance and assistance in order to help the troop become solidly established and functional in providing a meaningful and challenging experience for the boys.

As scoutmaster of Troop 57 of Downers Grove, I had successfully opened that troop to the financially disadvantaged, the mildly retarded, and the deaf. These youths were able to enjoy the full scout program and enter into the many challenging activities with assistance from the other youth of the troop. This sharing strengthen the troop, but it also had its limitations in that the programs had to be geared to the majority of the scouts in order to hold their interest and to provide the caliber of program that could give them a challenge. The more severely handicapped youth who could benefit by the companionship, skill training, and leadership development offered by scouting were thus excluded.

A "new" troop was needed that could provide scouting benefits with programs scaled to the special needs of the more severely retarded and physically handicapped youth. Several years ago, a troop for the handicapped was attempted in Western Springs, but it had failed leaving the youth of the Western suburbs unable to join in with their peers above the Cub Scout level.

Fortunately, my active participation in scouting for nearly twenty years coupled with my involvement in the Downers Grove Breakfast Kiwanis and with the Downers Grove Park District's SEASPAR program for the handicapped afforded me with the necessary resources and connections to start a new scout troop for the handicapped.

Kiwanis has been willing to assist and help the scouting program and has provided financial assistance to Troop 57 by helping the scouts afford Summer camp and special high adventure activities. During the Summer and Fall of 1986, I worked with the president of Kiwanis, Mr. Leroy James, with the idea of starting a new troop that would cater to the handicapped and be sponsored by Kiwanis. Mr. Bruce Gates, West Suburban Council District Executive, and Mr. John Katzfey, the Scouting Coordinator, were very receptive of the idea as well as Mr. Bob Pindar of SEASPAR. Together we worked to make the new troop a reality. Since SEASPAR is regional in scope and in order to be able to serve the maximum number of handicapped youth, we decided to make the new scout troop regional in scope encompassing suburbs from as far away as Elmhurst, Brookfield, Lemont and Naperville. After conducting several exploratory meetings in the Fall of 1986 we met with the Downers Grove Kiwanis Club to present a plan of action and to secure their support for a new troop. After soliciting the assistance of a fellow Scoutmaster, Mr. Jim Baldwin of Troop 80, the stage was set to start organization meetings with the parents of the initial core of twelve scouts who showed an interest in joining a new troop. The meetings continued throughout the Winter of 1986-1987 with the target of being able to start as early as the Spring of 1987.

Although I had full support of the scouting council and other involved scouters, we realized that in order for the new troop to function and be viable, leadership would have to come from the parents themselves. The parents were understandably very apprehensive of the program, how their children would fit in, and were unsure of their own capabilities of leading the new troop and of the contribution they could make. With Bob Pindar' s guidance and the assistance of my fellow scouters and their wives, we met repeatively. As our meetings stretched from Winter to Spring of 1987 we provided scout training along with each organizational meeting until the parents felt confident in their own abilities and the scouting movement.

A major obstacle of obtaining a Scoutmaster was in a large part overcome by my giving the parents my personal assurance that I would be there to assist them. Since I was already Scoutmaster of Troop 57, I would not be able to properly run one troop while simultaneously giving all the support necessary to start and maintain a second troop. A new Scoutmaster for Troop 57 had to be found. Mr. Dave Conley, a former Webelo's Leader came forward so that I could reduce my Troop 57 involvement to that of Assistant Scoutmaster. As assistant I still went and helped on all campouts, and hikes throughout 1987 as well as spending two weeks at Summer Camp, but Dave shouldered the weekly responsibility of planning and overseeing Troop 57's meetings freeing me for the new troop.

Our many meetings with scouters, scouts and parents finally paid off when Troop 84 was chartered with Mr. Laddie Malek as Scoutmaster and Mrs. Joy Kellogg as Committee Chairman for a core of eight enthusiastic scouts. Everyone's personal contribution of time and energy was rewarded, as we knew we had a core of workers who would make Troop 84 strong. Since the original meetings were carried on well into 1987, the first troop meeting could not be held until the end of Spring preventing us from fully organizing the scouts into patrols until late Summer due to vacations. I do not know of anyone who logged the actual hours involved, but they were extensive, especially if you consider the men of Kiwanis, the men and women of scouting, the SEASPAR organization, the parents, the new scouts as well as present scouts from both Troop 57 and Troop 80 who gave unselfishly of their time and talents.

With the arrival of Fall, Mr. Baldwin, who is scoutmaster of Troop 80 and myself accompanied by volunteer scouts from our respective troops, assisted the new scouts by teaching outdoor skills at the weekly troop meetings. Also, several scouts of Troop 80 accompanied the new scouts on their first short day hike and the new scouts were invited to join with the other troops at their first Camp-O-Ree in October. Additional plans to have the new scouts join Troop 57 scouts for a cookout and overnight are temporarily put on hold due to the cold weather and the understandable apprehensive of the new scout parents for the boys tenting in cool weather.

Although Troop 84 has its advancement requirements and activities geared to the special needs of the scouts, the ideas of scouting are the same. In order to better promote patrol coordination, a basketball game was organized as the troop was forced to consider more indoor activities. Mr. Malek and the parents coached and I was elected by the scouts as referee. At first all effort was based strictly on each scout for himself, but after several weeks, the scouts started to play more as a team, which was a rewarding experience for me.

So that the scouts would not lose interest, the troop meetings had to be kept interesting and involve the scouts. I combined these two ideas by teaching them First Aid. The use of bandages goes over well with all boys and Troop 84 was not an exception. The First Aid merit badge is not easy in any troop, and the First Aid segment proved to be just as challenging for Troop 84. After five weeks of participative teaching, capped by a film by the Downers Grove Para-medics, I was rewarded once more to see six of the scouts earn the segment for advancement.

With the return of Spring, we will start simple outdoor activities that can involve the scouts as patrols.

Equipping a new troop can be costly. The troop flag and lettering alone cost over $200 but it is a very important symbol during troop activities and for giving personal pride to the scouts. After Troop 3 which was the first troop chartered in Downers Grove stopped several years ago because of the closing of the schools which brought boys to that troop, I was honored by having their last colors awarded to me. With great pride I re-dedicated these same colors to Troop 84 as the first troop for the handicapped in Downers Grove and Kiwanis paid for the lettered troop flag.
Some troop equipment was able to be donated by other area troops, and operating funds were earned by the new scouts themselves in order that they could have personal pride. With only eight handicapped scouts to start with, fund raising was limited. By having Troop 84 sell Christmas wreaths and garland, their order could be added to Troop 57's large wholesale order giving Troop 84 all the advantage of a large troop. In addition to helping Troop 57 deliver their wreaths, I delivered wreaths to the new scouts of Troop 84 so they could distribute them themselves to their customers. The scouts of Troop 84 earned over $250 to pay for their awards and equipment on their own.

When we started Troop 84 there were several parents who had reservations on the value of scouting for their sons. With the success of Troop 84, we are expecting many more boys to join us come Spring and are now actively recontacting those parents and boys.

When you help any child there's a great reward, and I have felt this reward for my nineteen years in scouting, but none as great as the love that is given freely by the handicapped. With my recent nomination as a district scouter, I will endeavor to continue my service to the youth for herein lives the future.

Curtis B. Frank

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