Love, Inc. Opens Its Heart to People In Need

Joe Besenjak tells the story of a Wauconda-area woman’s quandary. Her mobile home needed roofing repairs and the roofing company’s quote came in at $2,500, out of her financial reach.

Fortunately, she and Love, Inc., Besenjak’s organization, crossed paths. The nonprofit group, which serves the Barrington community, opened one of its newest affiliates in Wauconda last September, and came to the rescue.

For no more than $150 in materials, volunteers from three area churches collaborated to solve the problem.

 “People from three different churches fixed her roof,” said Besenjak.

The story illustrates how Love, Inc., first established 34 years ago in northwest Michigan, works with the local community.

Besenjak, executive director of the southwest Lake County affiliate, explains that Love, Inc. partners with local churches to bring resources to people in need in an efficient way.

“They call our location a clearinghouse,” Besenjak said. “We screen people in need. We do assessments of people. We have a team of volunteers and a screening process.”

He said screeners explore many aspects of the issues facing those seeking help.

“We try to go deeper and try to explore the main issues of their lives,” Besenjak said. “Our goal is really transformation.”

With the cooperation of local churches, the nondenominational Christian-based organization – the “Inc.” in Love, Inc. is actually an acronym that stands for "in the name of Christ" – operates through about 150 affiliates sprinkled throughout 30 states.

“Each Love, Inc. association is its own 501c3 nonprofit,” Besenjak said.

The Wauconda location, which serves Barrington and towns in the southwestern area of Lake County, has been busy since it opened its doors just five months ago.

“We’ve taken about 200 calls,” said Besenjak. Most of the calls came from churches and social service agencies, but a few came from individuals, he said.

The agency was launched with a core group of supporting churches in place.

“When a new Love, Inc. affiliate starts, they have to have a minimum of six churches, all from different denominations,” he said.

The southwest Lake County affiliate began with the Village Church of Barrington, an Evangelical Free Church, the Alpine Chapel in Lake Zurich, a nondenominational evangelical church, Fusion Church of Lake Zurich, Harvest Bible Chapel of Lake Zurich, the Messiah Lutheran Church in Wauconda and the Northwest Christian Community Church in Mundelein.

 “We’ll partner with any Christian church,” he said.

Besenjak said Love, Inc.’s approach helps local churches channel their resources and energies.

“We really take that burden off them. That serves the church best and it serves the client best,” he said.

Love, Inc. is funded by its partner churches, by individual donors and by the local business community, Besenjak said.

And while Besenjak is a staff member of the organization, along with Sheree Packer, who serves as clearinghouse coordinator, Love, Inc. runs mostly on volunteer energy. Lynn O'Brien, Lake Zurich resident and president/COO and co-owner of the Women's Physical Therapy Institute, serves on Love Inc.'s board of directors.

“Every Love, Inc. affiliate is heavily, heavily volunteer driven,” he said.

For more information about volunteering at Love, Inc. or for more information about the organization, visit loveincsouthwest.org or call 847-469-8835.