Yorkville woman faced homelessness twice, now gives back doubly to PADS of Kendall County

By Tom Siebert
Assistant Director for Community Relations
Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) of Kendall County

"I was homeless for two years in Aurora when I was a teenager," recalled April Morsch, who now lives in Yorkville with her husband, son, daughter, and three grandchildren. "I know what it's like."

 

Many years later, in 2012, her husband Robert had shoulder surgery, forcing him to take leave from his job at Caterpillar in Montgomery and receive disability benefits.

The couple had to move in with relatives, while their daughter and her three children took refuge at one of the seven homeless shelters that Kendall County PADS operates during the cold months of the fall, winter, and early spring.

 

In 2016, Robert was successfully treated for Stage 4 cancer and it has been in remission for two years. So he has returned to his job repairing tractors and the family is back together living in a two-bedroom apartment in Yorkville.

"God has always kept his hand on us," said April, exuding gratitude.

She now runs a Facebook page called April's Awesome Attic, which is sort of an online garage sale--only without any junk. She collects and sells good clothes, coats, shoes, boots, jewelry, toys, baby equipment, and other items.

Thirty percent of the profits go toward helping to support her family, while the remaining 70 percent is directly donated to PADS, the Kendall County Food Pantry, the Caring Hands Thrift Shop in Yorkville, and the 3:11 Project nonprofit charity.

Mrs. Morsch washes, mends, and irons all the clothing as well as sanitizes the toys, jewelry, and baby items.

"I just get sheer joy out of it," said April, who all together has three adult children and six grandchildren.

Anyone wishing to purchase donated goods or make a contribution to April's Awesome Attic may click on www.facebook.com/groups/wife1020/.

PADS of Kendall County is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) group funded by donations received from grants, gifts, individuals, organizations, and businesses. Those who want to donate or volunteer may call (630) 553-5073 or visit the website at kendallcountypads.org.

Anne Engelhardt, executive director of Kendall County PADS, said that April and her family were helped in a severe time of need and are now survivors.

She added: "PADS could not have helped them or others without our 600 volunteers. It takes a large collaborative and reliable effort to be able to offer shelter and food and kindness so that others can find help and hope."

The nonprofit organization still needs about 75 more people to volunteer for four and a half hours one night per month in order to open the seven shelters starting next Sunday, October 21, and operating through April 20, 2019.

The nights and sites are as follows:

Sundays, Cross Lutheran Church, 8609 Route 47, Yorkville
Mondays, Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ, 409 Center Parkway, Yorkville
Tuesdays, Harvest New Beginnings church, 5315 Douglas Road, Oswego
Wednesdays: Parkview Christian Academy, upper campus, 202 East Countryside Parkway, Yorkville
Thursdays: Trinity United Methodist Church, 2505 Boomer Lane, Yorkville
Fridays, Church of the Good Shepherd, 5 West Washington Street, Oswego
Saturdays, St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 53 Fernwood Road, Montgomery

Since its founding in 2010, Kendall County PADS has served a total of 428 homeless guests, provided 9,725 overnight stays, and served 29,209 meals including breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Homeless guests also receive help with employment, personal issues, and permanent housing.

Sexual assault survivor shares story of healing and helping others to Wheaton Bible Church singles group

By Tom Siebert

Julie Woodley was sharing the message of “me too” long before there was a Me Too movement.

The sexual assault survivor turned trauma therapist told her inspiring story Friday evening to more than 180 women and men at the Single Purpose group at Wheaton Bible Church in West Chicago.

“Women, let us rise up whether we have it right or not,” Ms. Woodley said. “You men, cherish the women in this room. Our hearts have been broken.”

Julie’s life was shattered at an early age, when her father began to molest her, threatening her with guns if she told anyone. She grew up in “dirty shame” and by high school was medicating her psychic pain with alcohol and marijuana.

Julie ran away from her home in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and wound up in St. Paul, Minnesota, living in the streets and scrounging for meals and a place to sleep. Then she began looking for love in all the wrong places and became addicted to the original sin that her dad had committed upon her.

“I became a prostitute,” she said tearfully. “I had two abortions. I became the spokesperson for Planned Parenthood.”

To add more trauma to her already-traumatized life, Julie’s best friend was murdered, prompting her to go on a bucket-list binge of drinking before deciding to commit suicide by taking a bottle of pills.

Sobbing uncontrollably, she took the bottle, but instead of consuming the deadly medicine, threw it into the trash, and shouted out: “God, save my life.”

Then she cried herself to sleep, only to be awakened by a voice, saying, “Julie, I love you.”

It was God speaking to her, Ms. Woodley told the hushed Wheaton singles group. And shortly thereafter, her life began to radically change.

Julie enrolled in nearby Northwestern College, joined a church and Bible study, got married, and had four children. She was even able to forgive her father, whom she had not seen for 17 years.

She later attended Bethel and Liberty universities, earning a master’s degree in counseling and a certificate in theological studies.

For more than 20 years, Ms. Woodley has used her past horrors to help others, especially those who have been suffering from the emotional effects of sexual assault and abortion.

“I love to work with the traumatized. I was one of the first trained therapists at 9/11,” she recalled, referring to the coordinated terrorist attacks on four U.S. targets that killed 2,996 people and injured more than 6,000 on September 11, 2001.

Recently, Julie took on the opioid epidemic in south Florida, counseling addicts in treatment centers.

“It is time to reach out to the generation that is dying of addiction,” she implored the enthralled church audience. “Step it up.”

Ms. Woodley recently relocated to west suburban Naperville, where she continues to lead her Restoring the Heart Ministries. She has co-authored three books: Restoring the Heart: Experiencing Christ’s Healing after Brokenness; Post-Abortion Trauma: The Silent Side of Abortion; and Surviving the Storms of Life.

She is also a brain tumor and thyroid cancer survivor. Her story has been featured on several radio and TV shows, including Unshackled, Focus on the Family, The 700 Club, and Life Today.

Meanwhile, in October 2017, the Me Too movement began and spread virally on social media, calling attention to sexual assault and harassment, particularly in the workplace.

Ms. Woodley’s focus, however, is on healing, forgiveness, and moving forward.

“We are all sinners and saints,” she concluded. “Let’s reach out to a hurting world.”

Residents can become heroes to the homeless by volunteering at a Kendall County PADS shelter

By Tom Siebert

“We can be heroes just for one day,” rock star David Bowie famously sang.

Well, area residents can feel as if they are both heroes and rock stars by volunteering for just one night per month at one of the seven temporary homeless shelters that Kendall County PADS is scheduled to open later this month.

“It’s such a rewarding experience to know that, at least for one night, you’ve helped take some of the burden off of our guests,” said Sara Poniatowski, PADS site coordinator at Church of the Good Shepherd in Oswego.

Anyone interested in learning how PADS has been helping their homeless neighbors is invited to attend a new-volunteers training session from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, at Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ, 409 Center Parkway, on the northwest corner of Illinois routes 34 and 47.

“People sometimes think that they need to belong to the church where the PADS site is located, or that they should have some experience working or interacting with the homeless in order to volunteer,” explained Ms. Poniatowski, who has been a volunteer for the past eight shelter seasons, the last six as a site coordinator. “We will train anyone who has a welcoming heart and a desire to serve those in need. Those two things are really all you need to get started.”

The two-hour training session will include an overview of PADS––how it operates each night and the integral role of volunteers. Attendees will learn general operational procedures, how to address health issues, and the importance of kindness to the men, women, and children who come to the shelters.

New recruits will also receive a volunteer manual and be assigned to an experienced shelter coordinator who will serve as a mentor to them. The hope is that each person attending will be informed and would feel comfortable with their role in Kendall County PADS, should they be inspired to serve. The session is free, refreshments will be served, and there is no commitment obligation.

First-time volunteers, however, are required to attend the training, which will feature representatives of the Kendall County health department and sheriff’s office as well as the Guest Assistance Program offered by social work interns from Aurora University. The GAP helps guests with employment, personal issues, and permanent housing.

During the colder months of the year, nearly 600 volunteers provide safe shelter, nourishing meals, and caring hospitality to PADS guests. Most volunteers serve one or two times each month for four and a half hours. Some of the site coordinators serve every week. PADS retains about 90 percent of its volunteers each shelter season, leaving an annual need of 100 new recruits.

Anticipating that shortage of help this year, a 14-member recruitment team has been set up to attract new volunteers through social media postings; handing out brochures to local businesses; reaching out to churches, civic groups, senior communities, and emergency/medical personnel; and setting up a database of the names of all volunteers so they can be called upon to meet staffing needs at sites other than the one for which they signed up.

The shelters are scheduled to be open one overnight per week from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. starting on October 21 and ending on April 20, 2019. The nights and sites are as follows:

• Sundays: Cross Lutheran Church, 8609 Route 47, Yorkville
• Mondays: Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ, 409 Center Parkway, Yorkville
• Tuesdays: Harvest New Beginnings church, 5315 Douglas Road, Oswego
• Wednesdays: Parkview Christian Academy, upper campus, 202 East Countryside Parkway, Yorkville
• Thursdays: Trinity United Methodist Church, 2505 Boomer Lane, Yorkville
• Fridays: Church of the Good Shepherd, 5 West Washington Street, Oswego
• Saturdays: St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 53 Fernwood Road, Montgomery

Since its founding in 2010, Kendall County PADS has served a total of 428 homeless guests, provided 9,725 overnight stays, and served 29,209 meals including breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

PADS of Kendall County is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) group funded by donations received from grants, gifts, individuals, organizations, and businesses. Those who wish to volunteer may call (630) 553-5073 or visit the website at www.kendallcountypads.org.

“The training is easy and entertaining,” said Anne Engelhardt, executive director of Kendall County PADS. “Volunteering can be easier than hosting guests at your own home.”