{"id":3312,"date":"2015-12-22T19:12:19","date_gmt":"2015-12-23T00:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/?p=3312"},"modified":"2015-12-23T12:35:34","modified_gmt":"2015-12-23T17:35:34","slug":"its-about-walking-our-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s About Walking Our Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_3313\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_172649\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3313\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3313\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_172649\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_172649.jpg?fit=973%2C527&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"973,527\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-P600&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1450286809&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.4&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;64&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20151216_172649\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_172649.jpg?fit=973%2C527&amp;ssl=1\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3313\" class=\"wp-image-3313 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_172649-300x162.jpg?resize=300%2C162\" alt=\"20151216_172649\" width=\"300\" height=\"162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_172649.jpg?resize=300%2C162&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_172649.jpg?resize=768%2C416&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_172649.jpg?resize=550%2C298&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_172649.jpg?w=973&amp;ssl=1 973w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3313\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Setting up beds for the overnight shift.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As the weather turns sharply colder, it reminds us of the hardships endured by too many at this time of\u00a0the year. <a href=\"http:\/\/dupagepads.org\/\">PADS- Public Action to Deliver Shelter<\/a>-was founded in 1985 and is the largest provider of\u00a0interim, or emergency, housing in DuPage County. Its mission is to offer people hope and possibility.\u00a0They are focused on the promise to end homelessness in our communities. As PADS notes, \u201cit\u2019s about\u00a0the journey from dependency to self-sufficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interim housing offers men, women, and children a safe environment. Volunteers assist staff in\u00a0providing the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dinner, breakfast, and a bag lunch<\/li>\n<li>Sleeping space<\/li>\n<li>Support activities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are thirty-one sites throughout DuPage County providing shelter 365 nights a year on a seasonal\u00a0basis with support from congregational and community volunteers. In Naperville, those sites include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Community Methodist Church<\/li>\n<li>1st Congregational Church<\/li>\n<li>St. Margaret Mary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgecommunities.org\/index.html\">Bridge Communities website<\/a>, the average age of a homeless person is 8 years old! On\u00a0January 28th, 2015, 642 people in DuPage County were homeless; 204 of these individuals were in\u00a0emergency shelters; 80 of those individuals were between the ages of 18-24.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3316\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_175326\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3316\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3316\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_175326\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175326.jpg?fit=710%2C591&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"710,591\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-P600&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1450288406&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.4&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.05&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20151216_175326\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175326.jpg?fit=710%2C591&amp;ssl=1\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3316\" class=\"wp-image-3316 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175326-300x250.jpg?resize=300%2C250\" alt=\"20151216_175326\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175326.jpg?resize=300%2C250&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175326.jpg?resize=550%2C458&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175326.jpg?w=710&amp;ssl=1 710w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3316\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tony Michelassi and Regina Brent show off a few gifts.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>On December 16th, several NTDO volunteers, under the direction of <strong>Carole Kerr<\/strong>, Precinct 13 PC,\u00a0delivered over 100 pairs of warm cotton socks for adults, donated by NTDO members, to the PADS\u00a0shelter site at the 1st Congregational Church here in Naperville. Among our (very much appreciated!) volunteers were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Carole Kerr<\/strong>, PC 13<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paul Mandrik<\/strong>, PC 52, NTDO Precinct Director<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tony Michelassi<\/strong>, PC 35, DuPage County Board Member, District 5<\/li>\n<li><strong>Regina Brent<\/strong>, PC 44, Candidate for DuPage County Board, District 5<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rose Johnson<\/strong>, PC 20<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_175015\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3314\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3314\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_175015\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015.jpg?fit=956%2C553&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"956,553\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-P600&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1450288214&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.4&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;64&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20151216_175015\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015.jpg?fit=956%2C553&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3314\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015-300x174.jpg?resize=300%2C174\" alt=\"20151216_175015\" width=\"300\" height=\"174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015.jpg?resize=300%2C174&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015.jpg?resize=768%2C444&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015.jpg?resize=550%2C318&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015.jpg?w=956&amp;ssl=1 956w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The impact upon our volunteers was eloquently expressed by <strong>Regina Brent<\/strong> who shared \u201cthat a six inch\u00a0mattress, blanket, pillow and hot meal is the answer for one night, but that is not what we as DuPage\u00a0constituents voted for\u2026families turn to homeless shelters such as PADS to\u2026survive and to keep their\u00a0heads above water\u2026they are destitute. .. If we fail, they fail.\u201d All of the volunteers expressed support for\u00a0keeping the needs of the poor, disadvantaged, and homeless front and center with policy makers.<\/p>\n<p>Our thanks to <strong>Carole Kerr<\/strong> for coordinating this charitable outreach activity for the NTDO, to all the\u00a0donors, and to the volunteers who assisted with delivery and set-up of the shelter. Donations may be\u00a0made at the <a href=\"http:\/\/dupagepads.org\/\">PADS website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3315\" style=\"width: 726px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_174142\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3315\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3315\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/20151216_174142\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_174142.jpg?fit=716%2C267&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"716,267\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-P600&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1450287701&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.4&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20151216_174142\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_174142.jpg?fit=716%2C267&amp;ssl=1\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3315\" class=\"wp-image-3315 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_174142.jpg?resize=716%2C267\" alt=\"20151216_174142\" width=\"716\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_174142.jpg?w=716&amp;ssl=1 716w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_174142.jpg?resize=300%2C112&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_174142.jpg?resize=550%2C205&amp;ssl=1 550w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3315\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Event\u00a0coordinator Carole Kerr, talking with Regina Brent during dinner setup.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>[NOTE: Thanks as so often to <a href=\"mailto:dianne@napervilledemocrats.org\">NTDO Chair Dianne McGuire<\/a> for the text above, and for the photos, many more of which can be viewed at\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/napervilledemocrats\/\">NTDO Flickr photostream<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/napervilledemocrats\/albums\/72157660390863843\">here&#8217;s the album for this event<\/a>. I&#8217;m told that Regina Brent took many of the photos, though she&#8217;s in lots of them, too, so there must have been at least one other\u00a0photographer. Dianne, maybe?\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:steve@napervilledemocrats.org\">Steve<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- sktbuilder starter --><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/plugins\/skt-builder\/sktbuilder\/sktbuilder-frontend-starter.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/plugins\/skt-builder\/sktbuilder-wordpress-driver.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> var starter = new SktbuilderStarter({\"mode\": \"prod\", \"skip\":[\"jquery\",\"underscore\",\"backbone\"],\"sktbuilderUrl\": \"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/plugins\/skt-builder\/sktbuilder\/\", \"driver\": new SktbuilderWordpressDriver({\"ajaxUrl\": \"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\", \"iframeUrl\": \"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/?sktbuilder=true\", \"pageId\": 3312,  \"nonce\": \"7ca83600d7\", \"pages\": [{\"title\":\"NTD Officers\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/napervilledemocrats.org\\\/ntdo\\\/wp-admin\\\/post.php?post=475&action=sktbuilder\"},{\"title\":\"2022 Election\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/napervilledemocrats.org\\\/ntdo\\\/wp-admin\\\/post.php?post=11490&action=sktbuilder\"}], \"page\": \"It\\'s About Walking Our Talk\" }) });<\/script><!-- end sktbuilder starter -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the weather turns sharply colder, it reminds us of the hardships endured by too many at this time of\u00a0the year. PADS- Public Action to Deliver Shelter-was founded in 1985<br \/><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/its-about-walking-our-talk\/\">+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151216_175015.jpg?fit=956%2C553&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2BzCg-Rq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3312"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3325,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3312\/revisions\/3325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napervilledemocrats.org\/ntdo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}