Lincolnland Club and District Leaders,

This edition of "Around Lincolnland" features the Exchange Club of Lockport.  For more information, please contact Lockport Acting President and Lincolnland VFR (Volunteer Field Representative) Frank Alberico at frankaexch@aol.com.

The Exchange Club of Lockport was begun as a club building project of the Joliet Club and was chartered on April 30th, 1983.  Two years later, the Lockport and Joliet Clubs co-sponsored the establishment of The Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse at the Guardian Angel Home in Joliet.  The center provides child abuse prevention services for Will and Grundy Counties.  The Lockport Club has provided members for the advisory board and the parent board of directors for many years and continues to do so.

From 1984 through 2006, the Lockport Club produced the Southwest Chicago Fishing & Boating Show as our key fundraiser.  Each year the "fishing show" attracted an average of 4,000 to 5,000 visitors to the City of Lockport on the third weekend of February.  Through 23 years, the club raised over $780,000, all of which was channeled to various charities and community organizations in the Lockport / Joliet area.  The bulk of the funds raised were allocated to the Child Abuse Prevention Center at the Guardian Angel Home.

Lockport has presented numerous Youth of the Year and ACE Scholarships to deserving local students through the years.  The club has funded various high school and college leadership seminars and scholarships to high school students seeking careers in conservation and environmental studies.  The club has also worked closely with Trinity School in Joliet to provide for its educational and instructional needs.  Lockport is especially proud of beginning the horseback adaptive educational program to assist in building trust and communications among severely challenged children and adults.

With the assistance of several Lockport financial institutions, the club has sponsored Freedom Shrines at Lockport Township High School, the public library, and six grade schools in the local area.  The club has also erected "Welcome to Lockport" signs on two highways leading into the city.  These signs are featured prominently in the city's public service announcements on cable television and other media.

Each year the club has presented Firefighter of the Year Awards and honored outstanding police officers from the Lockport Police Department, the Will County Sheriff's Department, and the Illinois State Police at District 5.  In partnership with the Lockport Township Fire Department, the club has supplied smoke alarms to senior citizens with the fire department providing the installations.  The club has also provided financial support to the Lockport Police Department for funding the purchases of a departmental police dog and support materials for the "Officer Friendly" program.

Lockport has supplied leadership to our district by providing four District Presidents and eight District / Division Directors, and Lockport has sponsored the building of the Bolingbrook and Plainfield Clubs.

Most recently Lockport has adopted two new community service projects.  First, after a guest speaker informed the club of the new Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and its programs, Lockport decided to establish a "Memorial Walk" to honor Illinois veterans at the cemetery.  Under the leadership of Committee Chair Jim Egly, Lockport successfully raised support from colleges and universities (for design and labor services), labor unions, business leaders, and other community patriots.  Through much hard work including clearing trees and brush from the site, that "Memorial Walk" now includes serene gardens, a concrete walkway, flowerbeds, and appropriate plantings.  The club continues to maintain the site through spring and fall plantings and clean-up.

The second project began four years ago when the club partnered with the Lockport Township Park District in hosting a program called "Touch-a-truck".  Each year on the first Friday after school ends, the club and park district invite local children to Dellwood Park, where they find a plethora of heavy equipment (road graders, dump trucks, tow trucks), police squad cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and even helicopters to climb on, blow the horns and sirens, and have their pictures taken.  The youthful and exuberant crowd has continued to grow in numbers each year, with last year's attendance reaching over 4,000 children and their parents.  The club uses this venue to distribute American Flags as part of Exchange's "GiveAKidAFlagToWave" program.

The Exchange Club of Lockport is very proud of the many services we have provided our community.

Thanks for all you do in the Spirit of Exchange.

Scot

Scot Warren
Lincolnland District President, 2009 - 2010
The Power of Exchange - Be Inspired!

Home: (630) 527-9130, swwarren@att.net
Work: (815) 609-2137, scot.warren@veoliawater.com