Plainfield Students Give Back To Eatery Affected By Pandemic

PLAINFIELD, IL — Student athletes from three Plainfield high schools gave back to a local restaurant owner for his community efforts during the pandemic. Thirty student athletes from Plainfield Central High School, Plainfield South High School and Plainfield North High School donated $500 to honor and thank Gus Alexopoulus, long-time owner of Larry’s Diner.

Plainfield central senior Kaylie Dahms organized the event on Aug. 30 — National Grief Awareness Day — with help from the nonprofit Buddy’s HELPERS and the PepsiCo Showdown Series. On Aug. 28 in 1990, a terrible tornado tore through the village and its surrounding areas, killing 29 people and leaving damages worth millions of dollars in its wake.

Students chose to help Alexopoulus because the pandemic hurt his business and the diner is a place where people gathered to eat and heal after the tornado. Athletes from several sports including soccer, tennis, bowling, cross-country and cheerleading came to the event, Dahms said.

Dahms, who plays soccer and tennis for the school, has done more charity work through the Making a Difference On and Off the Field campaign, seeks to unite high school athletes, teachers, and coaches in community service, since the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine began in March, she said.

"This is the first time I got to get other Plainfield kids involved which is super cool," Dahms said. "It was the most amazing thing, seeing [Alexopoulus] happy."

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