Community Corner

Village Lines Up to Help Needy With Tinley Wish

The 15-year-old charity each year raises money to fulfill the Christmas wishes of Tinley Park families facing hard times.

Katelyn Krafcisin, 7, of Tinley Park, still remembers the day last year when a siren-blaring procession of police officers, firefighters and neighbors stormed up to her house to give her and her family Christmas presents.

"I was like, 'What's happening?'" she said in a mock shriek, a rare pause between giggles.

Katelyn has leukemia.

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She and her family were so overwhelmed by the gifts and love they received from the community when they were selected as one of last year's Tinley Wish families that they volunteered to be among the gift-givers at this year's event.

"To have a whole community behind you, it really gives you a special feeling," Katelyn's father Jim said.

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Started by a group of Tinley Park police officers 15 years ago, Tinley Wish each year raises thousands of dollars from Tinley Park residents and businesses to fulfill the holiday wish list of a Tinley Park family in need. And they stormed the streets Saturday morning, sirens wailing to give four families a day that, according to the Krafcisins, the recipients will never forget.

"It was one of the best days of our lives," mother Maureen Krafcisin said. "It was nice being able to be on the opposite side this year."

It's all Tinley Park. It's only Tinley Park.

"It means a lot because it's local people helping local people," gift-giver Mayor Ed Zabrocki said.

"I think this is the only suburb that does this," Trustee Tom Staunton said. "I hate to say just the South Side. I think this is the only suburb period that does this."

This year, seven families received Tinley Wish gifts. Three preferred to have their gifts delivered privately, "without all the bells and whistles," as Tinley Wish board president and one of the original founders Patrolman Dennis Mahoney said.

Aside from the gifts, several of the recipients had mortgage, medical or other insurmountable bills paid by the charity. The gifts were . The recipients ranged from families that had no beds to ones drowning in medical bills due to family illnesses.

Watch a video with officers and firefighters describing the recipients and their needs .

The collection started in September, buoyed by donations from businesses like , which auctioned off , and Jersey Mike's, which .

Checks from individuals ranged from $1 to $10,000, Mahoney said.

And scores of volunteers signed up to deliver the gifts alongside the firefighters, police and village officials.

"It's just very humbling," said volunteer Mark Moylan, who brought his daughter along after hearing about the event at a Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce event. "You take for granted your own health."

Tinley Wish board member T.J. Grady, who was , said the event has become a yearly one for his family. Involved since the beginning, Grady said it has been a joy to see one of the first recipients, then a 5-year-old girl with cancer, become a healthy adult.

"You have the happy endings to these sort of things and, unfortunately, sometimes you have the endings where things don't turn out so well," Grady said.

But Tinley Wish continues each year. And the Kraficisins plan to be part of that.

We plan on being involved with this for many years," Jim Krafcisin said.


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