Libertyville Patch Hero 'Bringing The Town Together'

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented times. Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these everyday heroes.

Libertyville residents Jim Fehling, Brian Snader and Anne DeFranco each submitted separate local hero nominations for Les LaFollette. Here are their submissions:

Where the nominee lives: Libertyville

Where the person who nominated the hero lives: Libertyville

Name of the nominee: Lester LaFollette

Name of the person who nominated the hero: Jim Fehling

Is the nominee considered an “essential worker”?: No

What does the nominee do for work?: Sports 11

Why do you believe the nominee should be recognized or honored? Les has begun a fundraiser for front line workers at Condell Hospital raising over $8,000. He’s done this by selling shirts, signs, flags and sweatshirts with Liberty VILLE strong emblazoned on them. A wonderful man with a wonderful project.

What’s one thing you want everyone to know about your hero?: Loves Libertyville

Where the nominee lives:

Libertyville

Where the person who nominated the hero lives:
Libertyville, IL

Name of the nominee:
Les LaFollette

Name of the person who nominated the hero:
Brian Snader

Is the nominee considered an “essential worker”?:
No

What does the nominee do for work?:
Owner of Sports11

Why do you believe the nominee should be recognized or honored?
Selling T-Shirts "Liberty VILLE Strong" with $8,000+ having been raised and will be given to our heroes at the hospital (Condell) + they have received 6 dozen of these shirts as a gift.

What’s one thing you want everyone to know about your hero?:
Has a genuine care about our community and wears his heart on his sleeves.

Where the nominee lives:

Libertyville

Where the person who nominated the hero lives:
Libertyville

Name of the nominee:
Les LaFollette

Name of the person who nominated the hero:
Anne DeFranco

Is the nominee considered an “essential worker”?:
No

What does the nominee do for work?:
He is a small business owner in Libertyville

Why do you believe the nominee should be recognized or honored?
Les owns Sports 11. It's a small business who provides spirit wear attire for local schools, clubs etc. In March, Les started rallying the town of Libertyville together by offering tshirts, shorts, sweatshirts, and yard signs which have "Liberty VILLE Strong" printed on them. The money raised from the purchases go toward a fund Les set up to support Condell which is our local hospital. To date he has raised over $8000 for the hospital. People around "the Ville" wear their "Ville Strong" attire with great pride. It's a great thing Les is doing. He's not only bringing the town together but also supporting our frontline workers.

What’s one thing you want everyone to know about your hero?:
He is a selfless individual who loves his town

Thank you for all you do, Les!

All photos included in this post are owned by identified third parties who have given Patch the right to use explicitly for the Patch Local Heroes series.

>> Do YOU have a local hero you would like us to know about? Share their story here.