Shorewood Rich With Charities: Patch Picks

There are so many great charities in Shorewood and the surrounding area that it is difficult to select or rank the top five. Here are some that are worthy of our attention.

• The Will County Humane Society: Located right here in Shorewood at 24109 W. Seil Road. This is Will County's oldest no-kill shelter. They receive no assistance from the government. Please view their wish list, which includes Purina dog and cat food (wet and dry), KMR kitten food, cat litter, stamps, 30 and 50 gallon trash bags, HE liquid laundry soap, and bleach, as well as many other less-critical items. www.willcountyhumane.com
• Mark Staehely Pediatric Cancer Foundation: A Troy student, Mark Staehely died at a young age of cancer. Before he did, he wanted to be sure that every child in the hospital had a Christmas gift. He organized the largest individual toy drive in Children's Memorial Hospital history. That was in 2005. The foundation's goal is to raise money for pediatric cancer research as well as help families of children with caner in their greatest time of need. Today, Troy students are still contributing toward this worthy cause every year. www.makeyourmark7.org
• Shorewood H.U.G.S.: This organization's primary goal is to grant wishes to people who could use a little help. For example, they supplied chairs to a young man who suffers from daily seizures and needed extra head and neck support, and for another woman who suffered a stroke. They helped make over a bedroom for a five year old with Leukemia where he could go to escape to his new "jungle."www.shorewoodhugs.org/index.html
• American Cancer Society Relay for Life: The Joliet Oncology and Hematology Associates, located at 2614 W. Jefferson St in Shorewood, is gathering groups to join. Last year, they had one of the top 15 teams in the state of Illinois and raised over $25,000. www.relayforlifejoliet.com
• United Way of Will County: This organization serves dozens of worthy charities including JolietArea Community Hospice, Guardian Angel Community Services, Will County Habitat for Humanity, Easter Seals, Trinity Services and Corner Stone. There are many, many more organizations that partner with United Way. www.uwwill.org