Full-Circle Giving- Jason's Story
As the holiday season quickly approaches, Fox Valley United Way is partnering with local businesses, civic groups, and community members to support families facing financial burdens in our community. Fox Valley United Way is proud to announce we are assigning donors for our annual Holiday Assistance gift-giving program. To mark this beginning, we want to take a moment to appreciate one of the ways this program has helped our community. This is Jason's story.
15 years ago, community member Jason Fritz was a recipient of Holiday Assistance when he was faced with financial hardships and wanted to provide for his young son during the holidays. Last year, Jason embodied the perfect full-circle moment of giving. He was able to sponsor a family similarly in his previous position- and he was filled with gratitude.
Jason first learned about Fox Valley United Way when he reached out in a time of need. He felt as though he needed help providing his son with gifts for the holidays, so he gave us a call. When Jason called, our CEO, Deborah Rudel, was able to assist him in enrolling for the Holiday Assistance program. Rudel made sure to find out what clothes his son needed and in what sizes. Jason specifically remembered that he was asked not only what his son needed, but also what he wanted. Jason mentioned one toy they received that stuck out to his son in particular- his Batmobile. The family that sponsored him gave him and his son clothes, coats, toys, and gift cards to grocery stores. “They helped me out and I was blessed, and my son was blessed as well” said Jason.
Overwhelmed with gratitude for the assistance he received that year, Jason says he “learned a lot from the program” and thought to himself “how can I give back when I am financially stable myself”? December of 2023 was the time when he was able to return the favor that altered his life. When he arrived to drop off his donations for Holiday Assistance, he was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face- Deborah Rudel. “To walk in the door and see people that I was acquainted with before was a blessing”, said Jason. He went on to explain his excitement to be able to help a family that needed it the way he did back in the day.
Recently, we interviewed CEO Deborah Rudel and asked her about her experience meeting Jason. Rudel remembered how humble and grateful he was to be receiving assistance during his time of need. She recalled that he seemed uncomfortable asking for help, but he did it anyways because he was thinking about the wonderful experience it would provide his son. “When he walked in the door many years later, he was holding two large bags. He said ‘Deborah, I remember you, you helped me when I needed help with my son” recalled Rudel. “It wasn’t me who helped him; it was the program. It was the generous community member whose sponsorship was able to help him years ago when he needed help and now here he was, paying it forward”. While holding back tears, Rudel told us about how “he walked in the door with so much pride. He wanted to say thank you and he wanted to do for someone else, what someone did for him. Just a small act of kindness, reaching out to help someone who might be struggling and just might need that little bit of extra help”, she said. Out of her 16 years with Fox Valley United Way, Rudel says that watching Jason walk through that door to give back was her most rewarding experience.
When describing what Fox Valley United Way means to him, Jason said that Fox Valley United Way is about being community oriented. He noted that Fox Valley United Way has been in the Aurora community for as long as he could remember. He recognized that United Way means to “live united” and help those in need- no matter what kind of assistance they may require. “In my time of need United Way was there for me, so I wanted to return the favor and be there for another family in the community”, concluded Jason.
If you want to make a difference in the lives of those in your community, visit https://www.foxvalleyunitedway.org/holiday-assistance or email J.D. Ostergaard at jdostergaard@foxvalleyunitedway.org to learn about how you can provide for our enrolled children and families.