By Melissa Borgerding
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The holidays may be well over, but the spirit of the season is still going strong at Monarch Landing. Recently, the community’s pastoral ministries director and volunteer coordinator, Michael Bittel, heard the story of Mark Brant, a man from Naperville who took out a $6,000 home equity loan this season so that he could buy teddy bears for children spending the holidays in area hospitals. Bittel wanted to help out.

“I just couldn’t wait to get to work the next day so that we could talk about donating money to cover the loan this man had taken out,” Bittel explains.

The Monarch Landing philanthropy committee approved the donation.

Good work in the local community
Brant, who has been playing Santa in Chicagoarea hospitals for nine years, accepted the donation in a well-attended ceremony held at Monarch Landing. In an emotional presentation to community residents, Brant spoke passionately about his work in the pediatric wards and thanked the men and women who live at Monarch Landing for their care and support in the local community.

Becoming good neighbors
“People who live and work at Monarch Landing are committed to giving back to the greater community, and this was an ideal opportunity for us to reach out and make a difference locally,” says Patty Luessenhop, Monarch Landing executive director.