Rascal's Restaurant Now Center for Developmentally Disabled Seniors

Betty Scheck, first lady of North Riverside, had an interest in the needs of senior citizens up to her death in 1997 of cancer.

Now the former Rascal's Restaurant in La Grange Park bears her name as Seguin Services' home for daytime services for senior citizens with developmental disabilities and special needs. And in the fall, other senior citizens in the area are expected to be able to use the building for additional services.

At the July 15 dedication of the Betty Scheck Senior Center, 1136 Maple Ave., John Voit, Seguin president, said the Cicero-based agency, which serves those of all ages with developmental disabilities, had many guardian angels, but he elevated the Scheck family to "patron saints."

Betty Scheck was married for 29 years to Richard, mayor of North Riverside for 20 years until 2009. For more than 16 years, he had been involved with Seguin, giving gifts such as hats and gloves to clients attending the annual Christmas party. He also created jobs for Seguin clients to remove snow from the sidewalks of seniors and the disabled in North Riverside, say agency officials.

Scheck's sons–Rick, Mike and Chris–had owned Rascal's for 11 years, but had been talking for a couple of years of selling it.

"The restaurant held its own," Rick said. "We looked at doing something else."

The three also are officials with their father's company, Scheck Industries, in Countryside.

Their father suggested last year that they donate the $1.62 million building to Seguin Services.

"We thought it would be a great idea,'' Rick said. Seguin officials say this was the biggest single donation in the agency's history.

 "They were very enthusiastic about the opportunity," Rick said about Seguin's response to the offer. "They came up with all the programs that could be offered there."

Seguin had offered daytime activities at its Cicero location, but space limited the number of participants, said Lori Opiela, vice president of Seguin Works, which oversees its businesses and day care. The new facility can accommodate up to 45 clients, she said.

"The seniors absolutely love this building," she said.

About the donation, Opiela added, "Mr. Scheck said it was the easiest decision they made. They're a very, very generous family. They wanted to give back to the community."

Mrs. Scheck had been active locally as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. Two years after she died, her family and friends created the Betty Scheck Walk for Cancer, renamed the Betty Scheck Shuffle, that has raised $1.5 million through an annual 5K-run and one-mile walk in North Riverside.     

But Mrs. Scheck also was interested in the needs of senior citizens, particularly those with Alzheimer's disease, Opiela said. Her mother-in-law and other family members had Alzheimer's and passed away, Opiela said.  

It was always Seguin's intent to name the center after Betty Scheck, Opiela said. "[Family members] were pleased it would appear."

Rick Scheck said, "Associating our mom's name with something that forever is linked with providing future quality of care and all the programs offered for seniors, really means a lot to us. We couldn't be happier as a family to be associated with something that gives back to seniors in the area."

Seguin took over the property in August and, after renovations, started programs there in May, Opiela said.

Nothing was changed on the outside of the building except for the new sign, she said. Seniors did plant flowers, said Jeanne Nowak, senior services coordinator.

The interior, "was brought back to its shell," Opiela said. The bar, kitchen area and pizza oven were removed; all the walls were painted; and the floor cleaned up. A kitchenette was added and a horticultural area was put into the former take-out area on the south side of the building. The building already was accessible to the handicapped through bathrooms and an elevator.

Benny Ritacco, who managed the restaurant, used his knowledge of the building's infrastructure to help with renovations. 

The agency's budget and a Coleman Foundation grant were used to fund the work, Opiela said.

Seguin offers bingo; arts and crafts; activities aimed at maintaining writing and math skills; Silver Sneakers exercise; pet therapy; Tai chi; classes on maintaining and planting plants; and music therapy.

Scheck said it is appropriate that the center offers horticulture and arts and crafts, since these are two things his mother loved.

Clients bring their own lunches and are brought to the location by families, from shared-family-homes or Seguin group homes.

Sometime in the fall, Seguin expects to serve seniors without disabilities, probably from areas that include La Grange Park, Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside.

"It is important to the Scheck family that it be open to everybody," Opiela said.

These services could be recreation, health assessment, tax preparation and day care, she said.

The center in La Grange Park is not the only Seguin building honoring the Scheck family. The Scheck House in North Riverside, named for the former mayor, houses five persons with disabilities who are served by Seguin. It is one of 60 such homes in the western suburbs.