Sertoma’s First Executive Director passes away at the age of 92

Richard “Al” Watterworth was the Executive Director from 1971 to 1993

Al served as the Executive Director when Sertoma opened its doors in 1971. Initially known as the Sertoma Job Training Center, he oversaw the agency through two decades of name changes, facility expansion, and program growth before retiring in 1993.

In the early seventies, three area Sertoma clubs saw the need for a resource that provided employment and training opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The founding clubs –Action Sertoma Club, Evergreen-Beverly Sertoma Club, and POW-R Sertoma Club– opened the facility at 4343 W. 123rd Street with the help of land donated by the Lombard family. Al was appointed Executive Director due to his expertise originating at the St. Coletta School (Lt. Joseph Kennedy School) in Palos Park, now in Tinley Park.

Much of Sertoma’s early progress was a direct result of the dedication of its Executive Director. As a tribute to his contributions, Al was a recipient of the esteemed Service to Mankind award in 1973. He was selected for this honor for his deep regard for those in need and for personifying Sertoma’s maxim “Service to Mankind.” He was lauded for working well past five o’clock, five days a week, and devoting extra days to accomplish the goals of the training center. His obituary justly describes his time at Sertoma. “His selfless, life-long devotion and commitment in helping and supporting people with disabilities resulted in placing hundreds of Sertoma clients in satisfying, self-sustaining jobs and careers offering hope, dignity, and self-worth. He was directly responsible for improving thousands of lives.”

Born and raised in Chicago, Al and his wife Louise relocated to North Carolina after his retirement. He served in the Army and attended the University of Illinois. After volunteering as a Big Brother for the Cook County Public Aid Department, he felt called to help those in need and began his time at The Kennedy School as Associate Director.

Sertoma is heralded as an outstanding center of its kind in the country, with much of that owed to Al’s leadership. Under his direction, Sertoma Centre grew over time, and the agency still offers many programs that started with his dedication and vision.

He was succeeded by Gus van den Brink, who has filled the position of Executive Director for over 30 years. There have only been two Executive Directors in the 50+ year history, Watterworth and van den Brink.

Special thanks to Ernest Wulff, Past President, POW-R Sertoma Club, for this story.

Jen Schmuhl is an integral member of the CMHC Staff and someone you should know

Jen is an Integrated Health Manager with Sertoma’s Community Mental Health and Counseling (CMHC). In this role, she leads Care Coordination efforts across CMHC, including coordinating and facilitating psychiatry services for Consumers. She also serves as Sertoma’s lead clinical liaison to managed care organizations (MCOs), Integrated Health Homes (IHH), and The Illinois Health Practice Alliance (IHPA).

While the position of Integrated Health Manager is new for Jen, she is not new to Sertoma. Jen has worn many hats and been in numerous roles in the ten years she has been with Sertoma, all in service to our Consumers. Her penchant is any position in which she can help advocate and assist people, especially those who might struggle if they were not provided with assistance and direction by our agency.

A people person by nature, the opportunity to get to know, work with, and help Consumers and Staff members is very fulfilling for Jen. She is most proud of the psychiatry services she helps link our Consumers too. She explained, “I am grateful for and inspired by the Consumers and Staff that are a part of our agency. I learn so much each and every day; I am truly grateful to be a part of such an amazing agency! Quality psychiatric services are very scarce, and I am happy that I am a part of the coordination and efforts that go into offering this service to our Consumers.”

Jen strives to help expand mental health services/outreach and to educate the community about mental health. “I could go on and on about the services that CMHC/Sertoma offers. However, it is truly the employees that drive the amazing programs/services we offer to the community.” She feels CMHC strengthens the communities it serves in so many ways through the comprehensive and quality programs offered to communities that need it the most. Adding, “Sertoma is one of the very few Community Mental Health Centers that offer quality and free programs and services to the community. And our community education program does an amazing job of providing education seminars that strengthen the community.”

“I wish people would be more open-minded about individuals with mental illness. There is still a huge stigma in our society about individuals with mental illness. Every day I try to break down this stigma by educating the community about all of the amazing services we offer and the Consumers that take part in these programs. Recovery really is possible, and people can change if given the chance!” said Jen.

Given how busy her time is at Sertoma, people are usually surprised to know Jen has also worked at Starbucks for over 16 years. She always jokes that she is a Mental Health Advocate by day and a Barista by night. But thanks to this connection to Starbucks through Jen, Sertoma’s CMHC was a recipient of a $1,000 Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grant.

“Train your mind to see the good in every situation”

believes Jen

Jen enjoys participating in Yoga and aspires to obtain her Yoga Teacher training certificate someday. And if she could have a superhero power? She would choose to heal the sick. That, and the ability to be in two places at once. Jokingly saying, “I am so busy and would love to be able to duplicate myself so that I can accomplish more.”

Her mantra is “Train your mind to see the good in every situation,” and she treasures the time spent with family. And although Wisconsin with her mom is a favorite place for Jen, you may have to look for her in a warmer climate when she leaves Sertoma. Hopefully, that will be decades from now, as her contributions to helping the Consumers at Sertoma is invaluable.

Sertoma Heroes Cook-off Chef’s Brush with Fame

Stickney firefighter Dominick Iovino appears on Food Network show

The Stickney Fire Department Lieutenant has been a cook at the firehouse for as long as he’s been there – almost 23 years. “My interest [in cooking] was immediate. We have a few really good cooks there, and I wanted to be in that club,” Dominick said. Laughingly adding, “My favorite dish to make is lasagna with its layers of ooey-gooey meaty goodness.”

Learning about the Food Network opportunity through a Facebook friend, Dominick decided to take a shot. “I would be lying if I said I never thought of becoming part of the food network family,” he admitted. Overall, he feels the audition was pretty easy, consisting of emails, pictures of his dishes, a video chat, and a few phone calls.

The premise of the Big Bad Budget Battle show is to transform everyday affordable ingredients into mouthwatering meals on a budget. Each episode features three home cooks in two rounds of judged challenges. Hosted by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, the cook with the best-tasting and cost-saving dishes is named the episode winner.

“It is very different from cooking at the firehouse and the [Heroes Cook-off] event. It is fast-paced, and you need to know what you want to do and do it asap. At the firehouse and the event, I already have a plan and know what I want to do. On the show? You need your head on straight,” he recalls.

Despite the 8-10 hours of filming, he is glad to have done it and says he would do it again in a heartbeat. “It was not hard per se but challenging. There are a million different things going through your mind,” he said.

“You want everything to be just right; you have to think on your feet. I learned I need to be more mindful of spending!”

“Now I REALLY know why my wife doesn’t let me shop!”

exclaimed Dominick

During the show, the cooks are tasked with shopping for the ingredients they need for their themed meals. In Dominick’s episode, the cooks had to make a day’s worth of meals on a $30 budget, including a brunch and enough leftovers to make dinner. Dominick ended up putting ingredients back to stay with the allowance, regretting the decision later during his meal prep, explaining, “I would only change one thing I did on the show…I would have kept the tortillas!”

He thanks the Food Network for giving him a chance to showcase his personality and cooking abilities, especially on camera. In the end, he was not selected as a winner on the Big Bad Budget Battle show, but he has won many times over at Sertoma’s Heroes Cook-off, and we are glad to welcome his talent back year after year.

Sertoma community celebrates Developmental Disability Awareness Night at Sox Game

On October 4, Sertoma Staff, Consumers, and family attended the 3rd Annual Developmental Disability Awareness Night with the Chicago White Sox Sertoma joined agencies from Intersect for Ability to raise awareness for individuals with disabilities. And our Consumers must have brought good luck to the Sox because they won 8 to 3 vs. the Minnesota Twins. There were smiles all around.