2021 FAMILIES
The 2021 CPBC Families
This year the Chicago Polar Bear Club is honored to support three amazing families.
Read on for their inspiring stories below, including details on how your support for the CPBC will each of help these families look forward to a bright future in 2021.
(1) The Flores Family
Meet Maria, Jerry, Johnny who live with their parents in the Chicago community of Albany Park. Their father is a true "jack-of-all trades" - holding multiple jobs to help make ends meet for the family. Their mother is a stay-at-home mom who runs the house and provides care to her two youngest children: Jerry (age 19) and Johnny (age 16), who are both on the autism spectrum. In 2020, the family has struggled to make ends meet and provide the necessary care and support for each other.
Meet Jerry
The oldest brother, Jerry, has low support needs, but has struggled with the changes COVID has brought to his education and care. The shift to online classes has been challenging, and he isn’t receiving the same level of resources and attention required to continue his education. Jerry graduated high school earlier this year, and was accepted into college, but due to these challenges, he is currently taking a break before continuing his education.
Meet Johnny
Johnny, the younger brother, requires much more attention and support. Johnny is also on the autism spectrum, but is non-verbal (cannot speak) and therefore requires help for every type of day-to-day task. His condition entails significant time and support from his family and medical professionals, and currently this help is provided by his parents, as well as his sister, Maria. In addition, Johnny developed epilepsy in 2017, and now requires treatments and medications to help with this condition as well.
Before COVID, Johnny was attending a specialized school that provided daily speech and behavioral therapy. On top of the therapy services, the school used special assistive technology that allowed and helped Johnny to communicate with his family.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID crisis, his school is closed. As a result, his access to therapy and this technology has been severely limited, and Johnny is missing out on valuable developmental therapy. Private services are available, but can be costly, and have wait times of up to 6 months.
Meet Maria
Maria (age 24) is the oldest child, and has a plan: Become a pharmacist so she can help support her family with a professional income. She is well on her way, but doing so has required her to carry a superhuman load – currently attending college part-time, working full-time at a local pharmacy (as a front line worker), while also helping take care of her brothers. Whenever possible, Maria also works side jobs to help her family financially.
She will soon complete her college degree, and after graduation, plans to continue her education by going to pharmacy school to become a full-time pharmacist. However, this dream is challenged by the current financial realities facing her family today.
WITH YOUR HELP
The Flores family’s journey has truly inspired the CPBC, and with your help, we can make a real difference in their lives by: helping cover costs for outstanding medical bills, purchasing the assistive technology for Johnny’s in-home therapy, and helping to cover costs for in-home developmental care and therapy for Jerry and Johnny.
With this support, we can improve the situation for the entire family, and ensure Maria is able to focus on her studies. Together we can offer hope and support to this amazing Chicago family.
(2) The Wilson Family
Meet Erica, and her two children, Elliot & Mia
Erica is a fighter in many ways -- she is a survivor of an abusive relationship and a single mother to two beautiful children, Elliot (age 3, who loves music, singing, and animals - he can name an animal for every letter of the alphabet, A-Z) and Mia (age 1, who was born in January 2019 during the “polar vortex”, one of the coldest days of the year, which means she’s already part polar bear!)
Erica’s #1 goal is “to be a great mom to my kids and give them all the things they need”.
She fights every day to give her children love and stability, and has shown a tremendous amount of courage by leaving an abusive relationship and moving out with her children. The path has not been easy, as the family spent nine months homeless and between multiple shelters.
Fortunately, through the help of a local community program, the family recently moved into an apartment. With this fresh start, and each new day, Erica continues to build a more stable and safe home for her children.
With this first step toward stability, Erica continues to seek opportunities for her family: Elliot is going through assessments to be placed in preschool, and Erica is exploring day-care options for Mia.
Though she has faced a series of challenges in her life, she continues to remain optimistic and takes her journey one day at a time. This is especially true now that she feels “like she has a second chance” with the new apartment. Erica is “ready to get up and go” by pursuing new career opportunities: She hopes to go back to school to get certified in medical billing & coding, so she can earn a more stable income for her family.
Erica is truly devoted to her children, and wants nothing more than to ensure Elliot and Mia grow up in a safe and loving home. Despite the challenges she has faced, she remains resilient and optimistic about the future, and describes herself as “light-hearted and always ready to smile”.
WITH YOUR HELP
Erica (and her smile) has inspired the Chicago Polar Bear Club, and with your help, we’ll be able to assist her, Elliot, and Mia with their new start, including support for therapy sessions, rent assistance, medical bills, and monthly utility bills, as they work to build a new home, and new life, together.
(3) The Rutledge Family
Meet Sharon, Luis, Robert, and Andre
Sharon Rutledge resides on the north side of Chicago with her three grandsons - Luis (age 17), Robert (age 14), and Andre (age 10). Nine years ago, Sharon was given full custody of her grandsons and has cared for full-time since then.
Caring for three growing boys is a tall order in itself, but on top of that, when Sharon became their legal guardian, she was already retired and living on a budget. The increase in the family size, from one to now four, led to a dramatic increase in expenses, including a need to upsize their apartment. As a retiree, Sharon relies on Social Security and a small stipend to support herself and her grandsons, with rent taking a significant 70% of her income.
In addition, the family is challenged by a number of medical issues: Sharon suffers from a variety of illnesses, including lupus, which at times means she cannot perform daily activities. Additionally, Andre suffers from asthma and joint issues, both of which require medical care. As you can imagine, their combined medical expenses add up quickly, and come on top of the costs of 3 additional family members. Unfortunately, this has at times become more than Sharon could afford, and for a two-year period, led to the family living off-and-on in homeless shelters.
Since that time in-and-out of shelters, Sharon has worked with a number of local programs and has recently secured an apartment for the family. Though the costs will be substantial, she is currently on the waiting list for housing vouchers to help with the increased expense.
Furthermore, this year has been difficult beyond these household expenses and medical costs, as the family also experienced three family deaths, which required any savings be used for burial expenses.
Despite all of these challenges, Sharon remains devoted to her grandsons. She encourages them all to do their best - including receiving good grades in school and staying involved in extracurricular activities.
WITH YOUR HELP
The CPBC has been inspired by Sharon’s dedication and drive to care for and improve the lives of her grandsons -- including the incredible and successful effort to get out of homelessness and into a new stable, home.
With your help, we will be able to provide the family with financial grants to help with: medical bills, rent, groceries, clothing, and day-to-day supplies to ensure Luis, Robert, and Andre grow up in a safe and loving home, with a bright future.