Home of the Sparrow Fundraiser Planned

On Wednesday, April 13, a fundraiser will be held to benefit Home of the Sparrow, a McHenry based organization which provides shelter and services for homeless women and children, according to Ginny Beck, President of the Friends of Home of the Sparrow, a fundraising arm of the charity.

The event, held at Wynstone Country Club in North Barrington, is an annual shopping and brunch fundraiser which sports an East meets West theme this year.  Vendors will be on hand to display their wares at the fundraiser, with a percentage of the income going to Home of the Sparrow. “They have jewelry, clothing, different kinds of items, things that you can use in your house,” Beck said.

Each vendor donates an item worth $50, which is raffled off for the organization and an Asian Fusion brunch will be served at 11 a.m.

Established in 1986, Home of the Sparrow provides two shelters, five transitional apartments and after school care for homeless children.  Each year sees 100 homeless women and children come through the agency’s doors, 75 percent of which are children.  Although Home of the Sparrow concentrates its efforts in McHenry it also serves the entire Northern Illinois area and has benefited 2,000 women over the course of it’s existence.

“We have a couple of houses,” Beck said.  “There’s a computer room , there’s a kitchen that they all share and they all have their own room with beds for the children.”

The facilities are unique in that while most shelters separate adolescent boys from group situations, Home of the Sparrow provides special housing so that 12-year-old and up boys need not endure separation from their mother along with the trauma of homelessness.

Although this event is sold out, there are future fundraisers planned. For more information about Home of the Sparrow services and fundraisers visit: http://www.h-o-s.org or call: 815-271-5444

For shelter assistance call: (815) 271-5444, ext. 50