Pillars Community Health

Pillars Community Health’s President and CEO, Angela Curran; Senior Vice President of External Affairs, Julie Ryan; Award Recipient, Sally Kurfirst; and Kim Stephens, Senior Vice President of Domestic and Sexual Violence Services
Pillars Community Health’s President and CEO, Angela Curran; Senior Vice President of External Affairs, Julie Ryan; Award Recipient, Sally Kurfirst; and Kim Stephens, Senior Vice President of Domestic and Sexual Violence Services

In late October, Pillars Community Health (PCH) held its 9th Annual Silent Witness and Survivor Speak-Out at the Union Church of Hinsdale, marking the end of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The event aimed to raise awareness, promote healing, and offer hope to survivors and their loved ones. The exhibit featured life-sized red silhouettes with the name and story of a victim who lost their life to domestic violence.

The event also featured a heartfelt recognition of Sally Kurfirst, a community partner who had dedicated over three decades to the cause. Sally was honored for her unwavering commitment to PCH through The Hope Chest, a resale shop in LaGrange she co-founded to provide essential resources for those affected by domestic violence and to promote awareness and change through fundraising. Her story serves as an inspiring example of the difference one person can make when fueled by compassion and dedication and surrounded by the right team.

To learn more about PCH, their Domestic Violence Program, or Constance Morris House Domestic Violence Shelter, please contact Julie Ryan, Senior Vice President of External Affairs, at [email protected]. ■

The life-sized red silhouettes in the vestibule of Union Church of Hinsdale

Rev. Dr. Robert C. Knuepfer, Jr., Associate Pastor, Union Church of Hinsdale, provides a welcome

The Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Team

Members of the Hinsdale Junior Women’s Club volunteered during the evening

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Kristina and Matthew Bailey began reading books to their son, Owen when he was six months old— they haven’t stopped.
Owen turned 4 in June and recently received an award from the Clarendon Hills Public Library for having had 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten.

The library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge is one of a few reading challenge programs offered in Clarendon Hills, where the Bailey family has lived for the past 2 1/2 years.
Kristin Bailey said she saw an ad about the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge and decided it was a good fit for Owen.

“He’s always been really into books,” Bailey said. “He had a natural interest in books at nine months old. That’s when COVID started, and he didn’t get out much, so reading books to him worked out very well. He’s a naturally curious kid, and imagination-building is important. The reading allows him to learn and explore new things, and he really wants to learn to read now.”

Krista Devlin, the Clarendon Hills library’s youth services librarian, said there’s a specific reason The Friends of the Library-sponsored 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge was started in 2022.

“Reading aloud to a child is one of the best ways to help develop important early literacy skills, which will prepare them for kindergarten,” Devlin said. “It is also a great way to bond with your child and to encourage a love of reading.”

Devlin said Owen was the second child to reach the challenge of having 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten. He was awarded a certificate, a crown, and his picture was taken to recognize his accomplishment.

Bailey, who said she is “a big reader,” said her family usually goes to the library once a week. Reading three books each night to Owen, along with a book before nap time, is the household normal.

“Consistency in our routine has been good and is important,” she said, adding that Owen’s two sisters, ages 2 1/2 and 1

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