CWC, Mother Butter’s, Park Schwinn, United Homeowners Name Christmas Bike Winners

EVERGREEN PARK, IL -- An Evergreen Park girl and Oak Lawn boy were able to guess how many popcorn kernels were in a jar an annual contest hosted by Christmas Without Cancer and its sponsors.

Jillian Curran, 9, and Jacob Hannan, 7, both came within a hundred of the total 13,000 kernels in a glass jar at Mother Butter’s Popcorn and Confectionary in Evergreen Park. The two were greeted by Mother Butter’s owner Mike Tetuan and Gerri Neylon, founder of Christmas Without Cancer.

The youngsters won themselves brand new Schwinn bicycles from Evergreen Park’s Park Schwinn Cyclery for “guesstimating” the kernel count with accuracy. The annual contest is hosted by CWC, Mother Butter, EP United Homeowners Association and Park Schwinn Cyclery.

Mother Butter’s gave away free popcorn at Evergreen Park’s annual Dickens Christmas earlier this month. An estimated 400 area kids of all ages queued up to eyeball the glass jar and venture a guess for a chance to win a new boy’s or girl’s bike. The bikes and jar went back on display at the popcorn and candy store where another 300 guesses were entered.

Christmas Without Cancer, an organization started by Neylon, an oncology nurse at Advocate Christ Medical Center, comes to the rescue of those impacted by cancer so families can focus on Christmas. CEC helped dozens of families this holiday season.

“The bike contest is our way of saying thanks to the surrounding communities because they are so generous,” said Neylon. “Our mission includes assessing need and responding, but we can’t do that if we don’t have the resources that come directly from the generosity of people in Evergreen Park, Morgan Park, Beverly, Mt. Greenwood and Oak Lawn.”

This month Neylon was joined by her core group of volunteers, Chicago Fire Engine 92 from Mount Greenwood and the Moraine Valley Community College Fire Science cadet graduates, who wrapped presents and attached gift cards to candy canes.

Last Sunday, Dec. 18, in subzero weather, the Chicago Fire Department escorted Christmas Without Cancer to family homes to deliver gifts to cancer patients and their families, that included toys, clothing, books, music and gift cards for groceries and gas.