HS Board

In pre-pandemic days, the Mount Prospect Interfaith Council gathered once a month (September through May) in person to discuss issues of common interest. But the COVID-19 pandemic made those types of gatherings impossible, at first, and then simply questionable, so the group continued to meet via an online meeting forum for months after most (if not all) participants had received their two inoculations.

In October 2021 representatives of the Mount Prospect Historical Society met with the group to get their perspectives on this overwhelmingly difficult time and how it had affected their congregations and those to whom they ministered.

Historical Society representatives asked a series of questions and sought feedback from the group.

Did you find members of your congregations having crises of faith during the pandemic? If so, how did you handle that?

“Our small church across the street from Randhurst is associated with another congregation in New York so when the pandemic began, we pivoted to Zoom gatherings and were able to worship with the group in New York. So, in one way the world contracted because we were all in our homes, but in another way it expanded since we were able to interact with the group in New York.” – Marguerite O’Connor, Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist congregation

“I was not aware of any crises of faith within my congregation. There were different opinions on masks and shots, though, and I was very happy to see my members respect each other’s opinions even when they didn’t agree.” – Russ Bechtold, Northwest Assembly of God

“St. Raymond’s Catholic Church never truly closed, even though we were not able to gather together for worship. Ministers from St. Raymond’s went out from the church itself to minister to members. For instance, we had very small, 10-person funerals because that was all that was permitted. And I did a lot of funerals. At one point I did 23 interments in a nine-day period of time.” – John Lorbach, deacon, St. Raymond Catholic Church

“Switching to Zoom helped membership grow because it made worship more accessible to interested people. They also sent personal notes to members and non-members in need of support. She noted that the pandemic was “a blessing of a new kind.” – Mary Grace Crowley-Koch, a Roman Catholic Womanpriest, Spirit of the Living God congregation. There are only 200 such female ministers worldwide at this time.

“The Pandemic, especially in the early months, was hard on elderly homebound Mount Prospect residents. Those who were not able to participate online felt disconnected.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

Do you think that the COVID-10 pandemic resulted in fewer or more members seeking God? Were people seeking comfort from religion or falling away because they couldn’t gather in person?

“The pandemic actually allowed us to connect better with some new people and also with homebound former members like several living at Luther Village in Arlington Heights. We learned that several would gather to watch the services together. We are also reconnected with former members who had moved away from Mount Prospect. On the other end of the spectrum, however, there were some members who felt that they had to step back from the church.” – Christie Webb, St. Mark Lutheran Church

“We had some parishioners who reached out to us and said that they needed to find God. We had others who backed away from church. I am also active in a prayer network and through that I had many people who said that they were seeking God in the midst of the chaos in the world and many who thanked me and others for being there for them.” – John Lorbach, St. Raymond Catholic Church

“I saw an increase in people’s need for community during this time so I have had to thank God for modern technology which kept people together and engaged during this terrible time. What I saw was a crisis of community, not a crisis of God.” – Norm Kurtz, Jewish community

“I dealt with so much grieving on every level and we used Zoom to support people through their grieving process.” – Mary Grace Crowley Koch, Spirit of the Living God congregation

“In our community, which has Methodist roots, we were able to experience a different level of connection through technology during the pandemic. We found that we were able to cultivate a sense of community on our computer screens and that was huge. During this time of uncertainty we had to use computers to build our sense of community and alleviate our fears so we spent a lot of time applying for and receiving grants to provide technology to low-income families like computer and Wi-Fi.” – Katherine Inserra, Kids Above All

Looking back, how would you characterize this period of time for those who follow us?

“It will be interesting in the future to see how children who experienced this time will talk about it and what changes we have endured will become permanent.” – Russ Bechtold, Northwest Assembly of God
“My grandson celebrated his first birthday during this time, and we weren’t able to be there because they live in Philadelphia. Instead, we celebrated virtually on Zoom. When he gets older, it will be interesting to show him the photos and tell him how we had to celebrate his first birthday!” – Mary Grace Crowley-Koch, Spirit of the Living God congregation

“I never realized when I was a child how the stories my grandparents told me of their younger lives would become so critical to me – the suffering they went through thanks to poverty, addiction, losses during childbirth and so forth. Reflecting on those stories during this time expanded my perspective. Those stories told me the importance of resilience, faith and stepping up for one another. We all need to err on the side of shared compassion. We cannot dismiss the seriousness of COVID and the racial hatred we saw these past few years, but we need to make sure that the stories we tell of this time are hopeful stories, not despairing ones.” – Katherine Inserra, Kids Above All

“This time of COVID will be a significant marker in history. There have been many shifts – large and small. For instance, my sister who has lived out of state for 40 years chose to move back here. That was one of the small shifts. At the Jewish cemetery where I work we have had more requests from people to videotape services for those who weren’t able to attend in person and then to leave the ceremony videos up on our website longer. I believe that moving forward we will continue to offer videotaped services for those who find it too expensive or difficult to travel to a service.” – Marguerite O’Connor, Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist congregation

“We saw lots of suicides and accidental drug overdoses among young people during COVID. We also saw many mental health problems, particularly among young people. I thank God for the opportunity to gather on Zoom. I reflected on this in several articles that I write for a Catholic Fraternal Society magazine and stated how important it is to help and support each other however we can.” – John Lorbach, deacon – St. Raymond Catholic Church

“Though Zoom gatherings I found many people across the country who have been looking for feminine-directed Catholic liturgies and found us online during the pandemic. I found myself sending notes, cards and emails of comfort to many people who were suffering.” – Mary Grace Crowley-Koch, Spirit of the Living God congregation

“I have a lot of clients who are senior citizens and they were struggling. They couldn’t have visitors and they couldn’t join in virtually because they didn’t have or couldn’t handle the technology and, as a result, they felt disconnected from their faith.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

“The hardest part was the fact that people without technical abilities were unable to connect with other people. So, we started mail and phone outreach at St. Mark’s; did call trees; and even did some drive-in worship services. It was amazing how much God showed up in our parking lot! The hardest part, as far as I was concerned, was not being able to celebrate people’s lives at funerals and memorial services.” – Christie Webb, St. Mark Lutheran Church

“I will never forget how the COVID pandemic showed everyone the importance of low-paying jobs. We found out that essential workers are not necessarily the lawyers and other highly paid people. They are the doctors, pharmacists and people stocking the grocery store shelves. I am 41 years old and I have never been through a time when I was afraid to leave my house and when people were hoarding food and toilet paper. This was not an incident isolated to Mount Prospect. The whole world has been traumatized and it has been so big and overwhelming that I believe the experience will stay with everyone as long as they live.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

Did you experience different responses from different demographic groups?

“We received over 3,000 hand-made masks from various groups – mainly women’s groups – around the area. There was a Veterans group in Huntley, however, that also made masks and most of them were men.” – Katherine Inserra – Kids Above All

“I found that the response depended upon where people were in their lives. Older adults were seeing much more of their spouse than normal and that caused some struggles. Those who lived alone were very lonely. Young families were struggling and overwhelmed because they were trying to manage working and having their children home instead of in school. They missed having ‘alone time.’ Most of the children were resilient. They loved being home. Many didn’t attend religious services because they simply couldn’t face getting on another Zoom.” – Christie Webb, St. Mark Lutheran Church

“The Wise Up North Shore Village Networking group held weekly Happy Hours; made birthday phone calls; sold Ruth Bader Ginsburg masks for $15 each; and helped each other over Zoom. The way we were able to function over Zoom showed how we can include people in the future who are afraid to drive at night or in bad weather. One guy told us that he had his best year of sales ever because he didn’t have to waste time driving from place to place. He ended up in the top ten percent of his company’s sales team.” – Marguerite O’Connor, Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist congregation

“I spent three months working from home and doing financial assessments for people who were seeking help to pay their rent. It was gut wrenching. I heard from people who are immune-compromised and couldn’t go to work, even though they were the family’s breadwinner. Not everyone saw that side of the pandemic. Every day I talked to people who had lost their jobs and were very emotional because they were afraid to go to work. They had never before been in this position and they felt that their whole world had closed down.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

A never-before-known virus called COVID-19 happened upon the scene in late 2019/early 2020 which would change the world’s population for years to come.

From March 13 through June of 2020 Prospect High School students learned and staff members taught remotely, via Zoom. Fortunately, students already had iPad technology, so they were able to learn remotely relatively easily. But all high school sports and activities, including prom, were canceled and graduation was done virtually. Yard signs congratulating graduates were seen all over town in an attempt to make up for the traditional activities they missed.

School resumed in August 2020 with remote learning once again. But many teachers once again taught from the school building.

All staff came back to the building in October 2020 and students had the option of learning in person from October 2020 through Thanksgiving. In January 2021, students once again had the option to return to the building for the remainder of the year, according to Greg Minter, principal.

“There were a few teachers who were reluctant to teach in person, at first, but that dramatically subsided,” Minter stated. “Teachers definitely prefer teaching students in person. Online teaching did work for both students and teachers, but it was not ideal.”

As for school attendance, COVID did cause issues. But Prospect High School had measures in place to address that problem, he said.

All sports had seasons during the 2020-21 school year, but many seasons were delayed or abbreviated. For instance, football was played in the spring. In addition, students in spring 2021 had both in-person prom and graduation. 

“The pandemic has been hard on everyone in one way or another,” Minter stated. “I think District 214 responded very well. Our students and staff already had a lot of experience with technology, so that made remote learning an easier adjustment. Educators will view this as the greatest challenge of their career.”

By Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison

The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for everybody. Waving at families from outside their homes or through the screen of a cell phone is not the same as hugging someone in person. And as part of an Italian-American family, I can assure you: not being able to hug was one of the things I missed the most during the pandemic.

Like many of you, my office had to make hard decisions once we were required to stay at home to help prevent the spread of the virus. I wanted to ensure my staff were keeping safe and healthy – and like many of you, we started working from home and doing everything virtually.

Being at home helped me re-connect with my passions for cooking and reading. I finally had time to perfect some of my favorite dishes, like chicken cacciatore, chimichurri, and chutney.

I love seeing people in person and meeting with constituents – in Mount Prospect and throughout the Northwest suburbs. Even though we couldn’t meet in person, it was critically important to me that we all stayed connected. That’s why I started meeting with constituents virtually to raise awareness about important issues and to share critical pandemic updates.

I started hosting virtual town halls that we streamed on my Facebook page. The town halls focused on COVID-19, the 2020 census, mental health, entrepreneurship, homelessness, health equity, the Forest Preserves District of Cook County, and more. You can find the videos of these town halls on my YouTube channel here.

We also faced another challenge: We had to complete the 2020 census in the middle of the pandemic. To help ensure a complete count in 2020, we started convening stakeholders from government, non-profits, and other trusted voices to share ideas, strategies, and resources. My office started doing an extensive social media campaign that involved filming videos with Brookfield Zoo animal ambassadors to help make the census fun and easy.

We also partnered with community leaders on a census PSA video series in some of the languages spoken in the Northwest suburbs, including Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Polish, and Korean. We didn’t want language barriers to prevent our family, friends, and neighbors from being counted in the census.

Due to COVID-19, our outreach efforts had to shift. Face masks and other supplies were distributed at popular businesses by U.S. Census Bureau staff who could assist people with filling out the census while out doing errands. My office was happy to help identify locations for these mobile events.

Four of those mobile events took place in Mount Prospect at Fiesta Market and La Rosita Fresh Market. We spread the message about the importance of the census to hundreds of nearby residents and helped them fill out the questionnaire.

I also quickly realized that small businesses desperately needed support and relief. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities – providing jobs for local residents, holding the community fundraiser, or sponsoring the Little League team.

My family started Dino’s Pizza in Chicago, and I grew up bussing tables in the restaurant. I know the challenges of running a small business. I saw firsthand the hard decisions my mom had to make during the pandemic to not only keep her staff safe, but to try to stay afloat.

Last year, I was proud that Cook County launched the Cook County COVID-19 Recovery Initiative, which included the Small Business Assistance Program, offering forgivable loans and grants for small businesses, independent contractors, and gig workers.

Additionally, we sought ways to support businesses navigating the complex web of federal COVID-19 resources by providing technical assistance to businesses applying for things like PPP and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. We have renewed that effort this year and are looking for more Business Support Organizations to help provide this technical assistance.

In the first months of the pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty. I commend our local mayors, like former Mayor Arlene Juracek, township supervisors, Cook County Health officials, and others for remaining united and available when a nursing home needed PPE or when the latest COVID-19 guidance needed to be shared quickly. We also cannot forget our essential workers, who are still on the frontlines keeping our communities safe, fed, and healthy.
I know this pandemic has been incredibly tough. I’ve seen and felt the challenges firsthand. I’ve lost friends to the virus, and I’ve seen the devastating impact the pandemic has had on small businesses and mom-and-pop shops. But I’m grateful that we’re emerging from this deadly and frustrating pandemic – and I believe we’ll all come out stronger.

As a registered nurse since 1977, I have held many different jobs and positions. Most of my experience is working in the area of Obstetrics, caring for mothers in labor, recovery, neonatal intensive care, and in the post-partum unit, which is called Mother-Baby. This is where new mothers and their partners recover for 2-3 days post -delivery, learning and experiencing, with guidance from their nurse, as much as possible about being new parents, taking full responsibility for the care and nurturing of their new baby. I have also taught Prepared Childbirth classes for 31 years maintaining and updating my certification as required. My career has been and continues to be very rewarding and fulfilling for all of these years.

In late 2019, however, things changed. Healthcare was no longer going to be known and practiced as it had been in the past due to the emergence of COVID 19 – a very aggressive virus that we really had no idea was going to take such control over our lives. I had left bedside nursing 5 years ago, continuing to teach my childbirth classes, and moving on to work in the area of Community Outreach, where I met personally with my patients, performing a variety of healthcare testing, discussing results with them, and advising lifestyle changes to improve personal health and to encourage more positive testing outcomes in the future. All of my work changed once COVID emerged. I was no longer able to teach my in-person childbirth classes. They came to an abrupt halt, resuming several months later on a ZOOM format. My job as a Community Outreach nurse also came to a halt because we could no longer see people in person, nor could we use the testing instruments we needed to use out in public. It was a time of uncertainty, fear, worry, and concern.

When the COVID virus emerged and appeared not to be going away any time soon, I wanted to help in any way I could. I applied to several organizations, without response. Growing more and more frustrated and seeing the need for people that could help out during this pandemic, I decided to make masks, as so many others had done as well. However, even that became difficult at times. Fabric could only be ordered and delivered, or ordered and picked up curb-side. Sometimes the fabric I would order would be out of stock! We used pipe cleaners and metal bands for nose pieces on the masks – they became unavailable over time as well. Even elastic and thread became scarce and unavailable. My neighbor wanted to help me out so she donated bed sheets that could be used for masks, along with items from her sewing box she thought might be useful. On a funny note, some of the items were purchased at Ben Franklin so long ago, that a card of elastic was priced at only 10 cents for 2 yards! Some of it no longer stretched! But….EVERYONE in our neighborhood wanted to help and that made me feel very comforted. I knew that if I really needed something, someone on the block would have that item to share with me or anyone else in need. The pandemic wasn’t all bad. Goodness shined everywhere, as did Kindhearted, Loving people. It was fascinating to see all the families outside – even in the colder months – walking together, walking with dogs, Mothers, fathers, grandparents, teens and younger children. For me, that sight created a comfort. The quiet in the air made life feel more peaceful and more simple than it had felt in a long time.

In January, 2021, I answered a call from Northwest Community Hospital to assist with vaccinating the employees and later, the general public. I had no idea as to what that was going to entail. At this point I was thrilled to be able to help out and to be an active part of this huge effort to keep our community healthy and safe. We started out in a large conference room on the first floor of the hospital. It was very organized and well planned for such a large scale event. Each morning, we would enter the vaccination area, masks and gloves on, receive our assignment, which could be screening, directing the line, scribing, vaccinating, observing patients for 15 – 30 minutes after they were vaccinated, or relieving staff for breaks. The lines never ended, sometimes winding throughout the first floor of the hospital. – Some days we worked for at least 12 hours, nonstop. It was tiring, but it was very exhilarating too. Often, I found myself explaining the purpose and need for the vaccine, attempting to ease peoples’ minds about their concerns over its’ rapid development. Some were terrified of having an injection – regardless of what was in it. Others were skeptical; some were fearful; some cried tears of joy at the prospect of having the opportunity to have this first vaccine! Throughout the day, a multitude of emotions were felt not only by staff, but by community members as well. A lot of comforting and sharing went on – amongst the community people as they stood in line, and amongst those of us who were working to administer the vaccine. Families and friends, neighbors and caretakers who accompanied people for the vaccine could be heard speaking about friends and family members who had already been seriously and sometimes devastatingly effected by the Covid Pandemic. Community members and organizations often generously provided lunches, snacks, and beverages for us as we worked. Those meals and snacks, and the love that was behind them kept us all “nourished” both physically and spiritually. Cards, notes of appreciation, and thank you notes would appear in our break room. We never felt abandoned or forgotten.
Vaccinations continued to be administered through the Spring, but now in a location at 3060 Salt Creek Lane. This venue was much larger than the hospital conference room we had used previously. We could accommodate larger numbers with better social distancing and continued to administer vaccines to all who were able and willing to receive them. Our numbers continued to grow. Sometimes those being vaccinated were angry about a long wait, or a long line, but we all tried to listen with sensitivity and concern as people expressed their concerns and worries about COVID. Over time, fewer and fewer were coming to be vaccinated. The vaccines were still not FDA approved. However, on August 23, 2021, the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the FDA for all over the age of 16, with approval pending for those 12 to 15 years of age.

In late June 2021, vaccines were moved to the NCH Immediate Care Centers. I was moved to the NCH Buffalo Grove Immediate Care Center in late June 2021. There, we have been very busy with vaccinations, and my job now includes swabbing people for the Covid virus as well. In recent weeks we have seen numbers increasing dramatically – especially for Covid testing. Many days, I find myself comforting those who are still fearful and doubtful about the vaccine, encouraging them to see the benefits not only for themselves but for those around them.

It worries me to think that so many people still have not been vaccinated when the vaccine is now fully approved and widely available to all 16 years of age and older. I hope those who are still questioning the vaccine will talk with reputable medical personnel and go to reputable sources for their information, not trusting in “word-of-mouth” and poorly informed sources. Likewise, masking has been proven to be effective in diminishing the likelihood of contracting the virus, so I am hoping more will see and believe this. We are not just protecting ourselves – we are protecting our parents, our elderly friends or neighbors, an immunocompromised person whom we may not even know, all of which adds up to OTHERS! It is not all about US. We need to think about those around us, too. During this COVID Pandemic, I think we have all seen that there are a lot of beautiful people in our community – people who truly want to help others. Each of us has a gift to share with someone, and that sharing, caring, and love has been evident in this very difficult time. We have learned that we need each other – we can’t do it alone! So, I hope we all continue to reach out to one another in support, comfort, and encouragement in the days ahead.

Never in my wildest dreams did I even think we might have to endure something like the Covid Pandemic! I think we take a lot for granted because we are such fortunate people. This has been a wake-up call for me. I hope we have learned to appreciate the simple things in life, the roof over our head, the food in our cupboards, the clothes on our backs, our strength in faith, the beautiful family, friends, and neighbors we have… and toilet paper in our bathrooms! We will continue to grow strong again, but we need to also be respectful of one another now. Let us try to talk and discuss openly and patiently with others about our worries, fears, concerns, and desires. We need to listen quietly – to hear what each person is trying to tell us. Sometimes, the message may be far different than the words we are hearing. Let us move cautiously and thoughtfully in these difficult times, reaching out to those who may be even more fearful than we, ourselves. Patience, faith, and hope will be our guide as we continue to move forward.