They may not look like Santa’s Helpers, and they definitely don’t sing carols, but Tinley Park High School student Wade Bonow, along with alumni Ryan and Mike Belliveau, made many children’s Christmas wishes come true! The school’s Key Club, run by math teacher Mrs. Lauren Osborne, took it upon themselves to purchase gifts for 35 children from the community who had been identified as those would probably not receive anything this year. The club held two fundraisers to raise money for the gifts. In her math classes, Mrs. Osborne told all of her students about the purpose of the fundraisers and asked them to participate. Wade Bonow heard Mrs. Osborne’s plea, and knew he and his friends could help.
Wade, Ryan and Mike organized a “Toy Drive & Stage Dives” benefit concert on December 15. They decided that admission to the benefit would be $10 or one toy. They found ten bands who wanted to perform and found a venue in Alsip who was willing to host the event. Fliers were created, social media spread the word of the event, and all was set to go, or so they thought. The night of the benefit, Wade and his parents arrived at the venue to find the doors locked. Workers inside informed them that the event could no longer be held at the store. The bands had already started to arrive and Mr. and Mrs. Bonow told their son that he had tried, but the event probably wasn’t going to happen. The boys were adamant that the event would take place that night. Wade told his parents that the kids deserved more than one small gift for Christmas.
Many phone calls were made and the owner of Bobby McGee’s generously offered to let the teens hold their benefit at his restaurant. A giant sign was taped to the front of the shop in Alsip, informing concert goers of the last minute change, but the bands were not all optimistic that their fans would follow them. Everyone was in for a shock when Bobby McGee’s was packed with concert goers. The teens collected hundreds of toys, as well as cash donations. Tuesday morning, Ryan Belliveau, Wade Bonow and his parents delivered the toys and cash to Mrs. Osborne, who was brought to tears. She went through the toys and selected some for the needy children, but decided to share the wealth. The additional toys will be donated to the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation for children battling cancer. The holiday spirit is alive and well in Tinley Park!
