ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – When community member Jenny Maxwell of St. Charles contacted the management of Kane County Court services in January, she said she had a desire to “do something” for the kids and families at the Juvenile Justice Center, Pretrial Services and Probation.
After meeting with Maxwell, Executive Director Lisa Aust said she was caught off guard.
“Most people I talk to are upset about something and I need to fix it. I’m not used to having someone offer to help us,” Aust said.
Court Services officials stated in a news release that Maxwell located providers in the community and acted as a liaison with management to help their clients.
She asked that that Court Services tell her what their clients needed to help them with their daily lives and she would find a way to fulfill it, the release stated.
For nearly a year, she located resources for masks, clothing, winter wear, hygiene products, and sponsorships for clients seeking vocational training.
800 coats
During November, Maxwell collaborated with Random Acts Matter, a St. Charles charity, to host a coat drive and 800 coats were donated.
Their support will allow Probation Officers and Youth Counselors at the Juvenile Justice Center to provide winter wear to clients who are homeless or experiencing financial hardships.
Some of the coats were given to the jail for people who are being released now that it is winter and they don’t own winter clothing.
Ecker Center for Behavioral Health received 100 coats, due to the generosity of the Kane County Community.
Juveniles being released from detention also received coats.
"The JJC is very thankful for the donation of clothing and coats from Jenny Maxwell and RAM,” Pam Ely a program manager at the Juvenile Justice Center, stated in the release. “We often release kids who do not have adequate clothing or coats.It’s wonderful to have a coat and a bag of clothing and hygiene to offer them. The kids are very appreciative of this as well.”
Ely thanked Maxwell and Sharon LeGare, the lead RAM volunteer coordinator “for organizing this amazingly successful coat drive."
Hygiene products
During the height of the pandemic, Maxwell connected Court Services with Go with the Glow of Elgin and Bag Lady Outreach, organizations that helped provide clients with masks to increase safety, basic hygiene items, and female sanitary products, the release stated.
Research shows that one in five girls aged 13-19 can’t afford to purchase hygiene items.
The lack of access to personal hygiene products affects school and work attendance for people experiencing poverty and is a much needed resource to the homeless population, the release stated.
Last week, a high-risk client reported that she didn’t have winter shoes and was forced to wear high heeled boots everywhere, since those were her only pair.
Maxwell located SneakerHeartz, a local charity that donates sneakers to people who need them, allowing her probation officer to give her shoes to get her through the winter.
Shoes and hygiene bags were also provided to clients in Treatment Alternative Court – a specialty mental health court.
Julissa Gonzalez, Treatment Alternative Court Coordinator said a client who received the donation stated, “Thank you very much for the food and warm clothes."
He was excited about having a coat that was large enough to allow him to layer up this winter.
The challenges of 2020
Court Services Director LaTanya Hill stated in the release that, “2020 has highlighted how a strained health care system, loss of income, and racial injustice can ravage the very idea of community.”
“However, we have also seen communities unite for common causes and support each other for the greater good of humanity,” Hill stated in the release.
The connection between lack of resources and crime is common knowledge for the court services staff.
However, having someone volunteer to assist in filling those financial gaps has been an opportunity for growth that has given a silver lining to 2020.
While supervising nearly 4,000 adults and juveniles in Kane County, probation officers can also find joy in the smiles and words of gratitude from our clients when we assist them in meeting their very basic needs, the release stated.
This community work has been made possible due to Maxwell’s diligence and persistence and the community members who give of their time, talent, and treasure to care for one another.