Boy Scouts Dig Deep for Seniors

It was happenstance that Lori Brown, an engineer with the Village of Oak Park Public Works Department, heard seniors pleading for help on Feb. 2, the day after the blizzard hit.

“I live in town and was one of the few who made it to work. It was all hands on deck, so I was helping to answer phones and knew seniors were asking for help clearing snow,” said Brown.

Mary Margaret Calfa was one of those seniors.

“I was very upset. I live alone and was trapped in my house,” said Calfa, who has lived in Oak Park since 1964. “I do everything, but with two titanium hips and a pacemaker, I can’t shovel snow,” she said.

With an attached garage and a 30-foot driveway blocked at the alley by “snow up to my chest,” Calfa sent up flares to the Village of Oak Park Police Department and Public Works.

Public Works has a program to clear public right-of-ways for seniors who can’t afford to hire private contractors, said Karen Rozmus, the department’s waste reduction manager (call 358-5700 for details).  But it doesn’t extend to shoveling private driveways or walkways.  

Brown became aware that Boy Scout troops offering help had contacted the police. Her son, Ian Devitt, belongs to Boy Scout Troop 16 in Oak Park, so Brown sent out a call to one of his scout leaders.

Jim Bicak is the scoutmaster for Troop 16, headquartered at . After Brown’s appeal reached him, he sent text messages and e-mail to his troop members and leaders of Boy Scout Troop 66 in River Forest.

“We’ve just now been experimenting with texting, with good results. We got a handful of guys, gave them [Brown] as the contact, and away they went,” he said.

On the days after the blizzard, scouts and their families from Troop 16 and Troop 66 went to 10 residences in Oak Park.

The crowd at Calfa’s home—eight scouts and their siblings, two dads, three moms (including Brown) and one of Calfa’s next-door-neighbors—made short work of her dig-out.

Boy Scout Troop 66 project service coordinator Roy Phifer brought along his whole family.

“It feels good doing this, helping other people. I’d do it again,” said Jack Phifer, who has been a member of Troop 66 for two years.

Troop 16 member Ryan Chapman and mom Christy Chapman also joined the crew at Calfa’s house.

“It was a whole lot of snow but with a whole group together it takes a lot less time,” said Ryan, who hopes to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout one day. “It’s great to make people happy and spread positive energy to everyone.”

Calfa, who was a Girl Scout in the 1930s and whose late husband was a Boy Scout leader, was grateful to be able to get her car out and moving again.

“These parents and their Boy Scouts are wonderful people,” she said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what they did.”