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JOLIET – On Feb. 22, 1981, a group of Irish-American men and women gathered in the basement of a home in the 1000 block of Westminster Road in Joliet and formed an organization that has become a model of philanthropy throughout Will County.
“There had been an Irish club in Joliet, but that failed,” Joliet resident Bill Ferguson said. “It was just guys, no women. The standard thing was to call a meeting to order. Then somebody would buy a case of beer, and it was a lot of fun, good, hard-working guys.”
But that approach wasn’t built to last. So the group decided to form the Irish American Society of County Will.
The organization consisted of 13 original members, but has grown to more than 150.
Today, the group devotes its resources to provide Ireland scholarships for high school students. It has donated thousands of dollars to organizations such as MorningStar Mission.
But the inclusive group also has been focusing on letting the next generation of Irish Americans, or Americans of any ethnicity, take over.
‘County Will’
The reversal of “Will County” in the organization’s name is a play on the way Ireland talks about its provinces, Ferguson said.
When the first meeting was held in his basement, Ferguson said, the desire for an organization with altruistic goals led to a discussion over several months hashing out a constitution and bylaws.
One of the primary changes in the group was the inclusion of women.
“Historically in Ireland, women had the same rights as men,” Ferguson said. “Women could own land, divorce, go into battle.”
Another objective of the group was to promote Irish culture while including all – Irish and Italian, white and black.
“Even our first black [Joliet] city councilman, Andy Hinch, was a member of the club at the beginning,” Ferguson said.
Contributions
The Irish American Society usually gives an annual scholarship to a high school student. But this year, the selection committee couldn’t decide. So it awarded the “2016 Irish Life Experience” to three students: Shannon Davison from Providence Catholic High School, Brianna Bell from Joliet Central High School and Max Kottman from Joliet Catholic Academy.
The three students were given half scholarships of $2,500 each, and were honored at the organization’s annual dinner Saturday.
“It’s so hard to send just one to Ireland,” Society President Chris Schaal said. “They’re all so overqualified.”
The scholarships will help fund a trip to Ireland, where the students will spend 27 days experiencing Irish country life, city life and Celtic traditions.
The Irish American Society also holds two festivals a year: the Will County Celtic Fest in August and the Manhattan Irish Fest, held earlier this month.
Membership
Membership has been slow until the last couple of years, said Mike McHugh, the organization’s treasurer, who credited the group’s involvement with the local Shamrocks and Morrigans rugby clubs with the recent bump.
“It gets a lot of younger people enthused about Irish heritage,” he said. “They help out with all the different functions that we have.”
McHugh said the injection of youth helps the organization move forward.
“Passing it on is what it’s all about,” he said.
Schaal said the group has made moves to appeal to younger crowds, including creating a new membership director position and partnering with organizations like the rugby clubs.
“We are trying to transfer it down from generation to generation,” Schaal said. “We’re all about coming back to society and giving back.”