Flossmoor Seeking Volunteers, Donations For Day Of Service

FLOSSMOOR, IL — Flossmoor residents are invited to engage with their community and give back, during the Village's annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

The Village on Tuesday released a list of volunteer opportunities for Monday, Jan. 15.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

• Flossmoor Village Hall, 2800 Flossmoor Rd., Flossmoor
  • 9 a.m. to noon: Help needed to package and deliver donations with Plan 4 Success. Sign up online.
  • 1 to 4 p.m.: Crochet or knit covers for water filters for Water by Women from 1 to 4 p.m. Click here for the pattern.
• Irwin Community Center, 18120 S. Highland Ave., Homewood
  • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Donate blood with Versiti Blood Center. Schedule an appointment online. Project site is organized by Chi Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
• Serena Hills Elementary School, 255 Pleasant Drive, Chicago Heights
  • 9 to 10:30 a.m.: Create Valentine’s Day cards for residents of long-term care facilities. Pre-registration is required, available online.
• Sand Ridge Nature Center, 15981 Paxton Ave., South Holland
  • 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Clean up a nature preserve. Call 708-868-0606 or email sandridge.naturecenter@cookcountyil.gov with the number of participants in your group. Project site organized by Forest Preserves of Cook County.
• Heather Hill Elementary School, 1439 Lawrence Crescent, Flossmoor
  • 10 a.m. to noon: Make lunches for South Suburban PADS and to create tie blankets for Project Kennedy. Project site is organized by You Matter 2 and Flossmoor School District 161.
• Flossmoor Hills Elementary School, 3721 Beech St., Flossmoor
  • 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Make cards supporting veterans at the Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno. Project site is organized by Flossmoor School District 161.
• Western Avenue School, 940 Western Ave., Flossmoor
  • 12:45 to 2 p.m.: Assemble care packages for Prairie State College’s TRIO students. Project site is organized by Flossmoor School District 161 and Jack & Jill of America Inc. Monarch Cities Chapter.
• Irons Oaks, 20000 S. Western Ave., Olympia Fields
  • 10 a.m. to noon: Work on various nature projects. Register at https://hfparks.com. Project site is organized by Homewood-Flossmoor Park District / Irons Oaks.
• Spotlight Performance Academy, 18022 Dixie Hwy., Homewood
  • 9 a.m. to noon: Organize food items and make blankets. Project site is organized by Spotlight Performance Academy.
• Flossmoor Community Church, 2218 Hutchison, Flossmoor
  • 9 to 11:30 a.m.: Create Kindness Kits and deliver them to nursing home residents from 9-11:30 a.m. Sign up online.

DONATIONS NEEDED:

• New, used and broken electronics are being collected by the Chicago Southland Green Committee for PCs for People on Monday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Park Place in Flossmoor Park, 2523 Flossmoor Rd. Accepted items include: desktop/laptop computers, phones, TVs and monitors (no CRTs), printers, power cords and cables, servers and networking equipment, hard drives and other computer parts, and computer accessories, such as keyboards, mice and speakers.
• Gently used or new blankets, t-shirts and towels that can be made into pet toys or used for shelter animals are being collected at Sunrise Senior Living in Flossmoor, 19715 Governors Hwy, and Olympia Fields, 3633 Breaker Dr. Donations can be dropped off through Monday, Jan. 15.
• New socks, gloves and scarves to donate to women, men and children through Respond Now are being collected by Girl Scout Troop 65152. A donation box is currently available through Monday, Jan. 15, at Flossmoor Village Hall.
• Non-perishable food items for the Souper Bowl of Caring to benefit the Bloom Township Community Pantry are being collected by Jack and Jill of America Inc.’s South Suburban Chapter. Donation box is currently available through Monday, Jan. 15, at Flossmoor Village Hall.
• Packaged, store-bought baked goods are being collected by Plan4Success for South Suburban teachers and first responders. Donation box is currently available through Sunday, Jan. 14, at Flossmoor Village Hall.
• Donations of non-perishable snacks and foods, energy drinks, cough drops, Halls Vitamin C Drops, chewing gum, Visa gift cards, hygiene items and travel cups will be accepted at Western Avenue School (940 Western Ave.) by Jack and Jill of America Inc. Monarch Cities Chapter Jan. 8-12, and through curbside dropoffs on Monday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Full-sized personal care items (body wash, lotion, deodorant, hair care products) will be accepted for Anew at Parker Junior High School (2810 School Street, Flossmoor) from 9-11:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15.
• All sizes of Lego building sets will be collected at Flossmoor Village Hall from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, for the Bricks of Hope organization, which brings sets to hospitalized children.
• Warm socks for senior citizens and non-perishable snacks and sodas will be collected at 1029 Douglas Ave., Flossmoor, through Sunday, Jan. 14, for a Chicago Heights nursing home.
• New gloves, hats, mittens, coats and scarves will be collected at Flossmoor Hills Elementary School (3721 Beech St., Flossmoor) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, to be donated to local needy families.
• Food items to benefit the Center for Food Equity in Medicine will be accepted at Dunning’s Gourmet Market & Deli (1050 Sterling Ave., Flossmoor) on Monday, Jan. 15, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Items being collected are: low-sodium chicken, chicken bone, and vegetable broths; dry goods, such as dry beans, brown rice, bean soup mixes, pasta and crackers; and Lipton and Progresso brand soups.
• New baby clothes, diapers, wipes and bottles are being collected from 9 a.m.-Noon on Monday, Jan. 15, at Infant Jesus of Prague School (1101 Douglas Ave., Flossmoor) to benefit Aid for Women.

SPECIAL HAPPENINGS

• The 4th Annual Classical Music Concert — featuring highly talented pre-conservatory student-musicians from the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago playing works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Barber and Roumain — will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, at Flossmoor Community Church, 2218 Hutchison, Flossmoor. This event is free and open to the public; monetary donations will be collected to help Open Access, a 501(c)3 charity, fund weekend backpacks of food for students who face weekend food insecurity in South Holland and Glenwood, and Community Closets located in South Holland and Richton Park.
  • Find out more.
• Sunrise Senior Living, 19715 Governors Highway, Flossmoor, will be selling dog toys and treats made by residents on Monday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All proceeds will be given to the South Suburban Humane Society in Matteson.

Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School is hosting three separate activities in honor of the Day of Service:

• Enjoy high school Boys' Basketball games at H-F High School's Hoops for Hunger Tournament, held Sunday, Jan. 14, and Monday, Jan. 15, in the school’s South Building Gym (999 Kedzie Ave., Flossmoor). Donations of non-perishable food items will be collected for Respond Now on both days. Games on Sunday, Jan. 14, are: 1 p.m. Stagg vs. Kankakee; 2:30 p.m. Bloom vs. St. Laurence; and 4 p.m. Rich vs. Marian. Tournament will continue on Monday, Jan. 15, with: 1 p.m. Hillcrest vs. Riverside-Brookfield; 2:30 p.m. Thornton vs. Niles North; and 4 p.m. H-F vs. Romeoville. Admission is $15/person.
• The H-F Boys’ Wrestling team will be reading with elementary grade school students at the H-F Fieldhouse (800 Governors Highway) from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15. Donations of children’s books will be accepted.
• The H-F Girls’ Wresting team will offer a wrestling demo, followed by a friendship bracelet-making session to promote kindness and inclusivity for girls in Kindergarten-Grade 8 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, at the school’s Fieldhouse. Register online.