Hickory Hills Siblings Sell Lemonade And Toys To Help Migrant Kids

HICKORY HILLS, IL — Four Hickory Hills children will be selling their toys and lemonade to raise money for migrant children who have been sleeping on the floors of police stations and churches with their parents since arriving in the United States.

The Pettus kids – Levi, 8, Noah, 5, Lucy, 3, and their 5-year-old friend Amanda Farynias, will be in front of their house, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 28. There will also be baked goods prepared by their mom, Lena Pettus, and a donation box,

“I hope they can know they aren’t alone and there are people who care about them,” Levi said.

The children attend Hope Church in LaGrange, which, along with Hope’s four other campuses in Pilsen, Midway and Frankfort, are supporting 20 migrants that have been shipped to Chicago from Texas. Most of the group are women with young children under 11 years old, who are currently being housed on the Pilsen campus at 1809 S. Racine. More families are expected to arrive.

“The families with fathers got to work right away, working in kitchens and cleaning buildings,” Lena Pettus said. “It’s incredibly sad. ‘We expect there to be families coming. “

Ninety percent of the guests are from Venezuela, the others are from Ecuador. The majority made the trek on foot through jungles to Mexico, jumping trains to carry them to the U.S.-Mexican border. They were bussed from Texas and dropped off at the 12th District Chicago police station.

“One of our guests was thrown from the top of a train and suffered a concussion and broken arm which has yet to be dealt with,” Pettus said. “Her vision was blurry and she was robbed of her cell phone.”

Another woman is six months pregnant and has yet to see a doctor. “They have so many big medical needs,” Pettus said.

By selling their toys and lemonade, the goal is get each child summer clothing, shoes and other supplies.

“They need to know God loves them and we can get what they need so they can be more cozy at church,” said Noah.

There are other churches in the Pilsen neighborhood where families are crammed into basements while volunteers and church members are working to connect the migrant families to social services and doctors. Getting back on the grid, however, can take months.

“Everybody needs help sometimes so it's our time to help them,” Amanda said.