Arlington Heights School District #25, Faith Lutheran Church, Northwest Community Hospital, the Salvation Army – Des Plaines Corps., Village Bank & Trust, Village of Arlington Heights and Wheeling Township joined forces with Northwest Suburban United Way to make the first Arlington Heights “Ready for School’ community initiative a success.

The ‘Ready for School’ initiative provided disadvantaged students a place for one-stop shopping to get ready for school. Students picked up backpacks filled with school supplies, visited the mobile dental clinic for a checkup and received a physical needed for school. Disadvantaged students living in School District #25, as well as other students who live in Arlington Heights, were able to take advantage of the services in a welcoming atmosphere provided by Faith Lutheran Church. Prior to the event, District #25 notified qualified students by mail in a multilingual flyer explaining the services available to them through the ‘Ready for School’ initiative. The students only needed to bring their flyer and show proof of residence in Arlington Heights, which could be in the form of a lease or utility bill.

On hand to welcome the students and their families were representatives of the participating organizations, including Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder, Village Bank & Trust CEO Mike Polanski, District #25 Superintendent Sarah Jerome, Pastor Tom Sanders of Faith Lutheran Church, as well as representatives from the Salvation Army and United Way.

Northwest Suburban United Way was instrumental in bringing these organizations together for the benefit of local elementary students. Meetings with Mayor Mulder and Superintendent Jerome to identify a local community issue began as early as January, but it was only after conversations with the Salvation Army and Faith Lutheran Church this summer that the plans for the school initiative began to take shape. The Northwest United Way board hopes to enlarge the scope of this initiative and make this an annual event in the Arlington Heights community.

“United Way provides leadership and resources to help people overcome life’s challenges and become independent,” said Marcia McMahon, Chief Professional Officer for Northwest Suburban United Way. “The ‘Ready for School’ initiative is just one of the ways that United Way works to improve lives and strengthen the community.”

Regina Schlamp, Vice President of Commercial Banking at Village Bank and Trust and Secretary of Northwest Suburban United Way, agrees.

“I think it is wonderful how United Way was able to bring together community organizations to make this program so successful,” stated Schlamp. “It makes me proud to be a Northwest United Way board member.”