The GECRC Summer Program ran four days per week, for six weeks between June 23rd and July 30th, and was open to all elementary and junior high students in D41 and D89 who meet eligibility requirements. This year saw a record registration of 218 students from both districts! Students from grades 1 through 8 worked on problem-based learning (PBL) projects on a variety of age-appropriate topics. Pictured here are some of our rising second and third graders during their final presentation of their "twisted fairytale" project.

A tremendous thank you to our entire 2025 summer program staff and interns, many of whom are pictured below the list of names:

Cameron Johnson -classroom aide intern

Charlie Voswinkel -classroom aide intern

Colbie Schmidt -classroom aide intern

Daniela Talaga -classroom aide intern

Isabella Barrios -classroom aide intern

Julia Morgan -classroom aide intern

Michael Hutchens -classroom aide intern

River Manov -classroom aide intern

Rosalindh Renkes -classroom aide intern

Xumi Lopez -classroom aide intern

Will Pope -classroom aide intern

Will Rowe -classroom aide intern

Christina Lundh -social work intern

Hamna Khan -program aide

Emma Pekkarinen -summer instructor

Gillian Wang -summer instructor

Isabelle Hornig -summer instructor

Jaclyn Dougherty -summer instructor

Maryam Ghouse -summer instructor

Nathan Janninck -summer instructor

Lizzy Doty -summer program coordinator

Karla Kampen -curriculum coach

New Leadership for GECRC

GECRC was thrilled to welcome Sarah O’Donnell (pictured at left in photo) as its new Executive Director effective August 1. Ms. O’Donnell, who has most recently served as CEO of Tri-Town YMCA in Villa Park for the past 6.5 years, brings a high-level of enthusiasm to the GECRC community, carrying a strong track record of leadership and community engagement coupled with her prior professional experience advocating for children and their care circles.

“I’m honored to be joining the brilliant team at GECRC and working together side-by-side with neighbors across the community to ensure all children in Glen Ellyn are able to reach their fullest potential,” O’Donnell says.

O’Donnell is an active member of a number of community-based and professional networks and currently holds roles as a board member for Milton Township 708 Board, President of the West Suburban Philanthropic Network, and co-chair of DuPage County Early Childhood Collaborative/All Our Kids Network.

She follows in the footsteps of GECRC’s incredible outgoing Executive Director Leah Harding (pictured at right in photo), whose tremendous leadership over the past six years has significantly expanded GECRC’s reach and impact.

“We're immensely grateful for six incredible years of Leah's dedication and leadership,” says GECRC Board President Alan Taylor. “Glen Ellyn is a healthier and more vibrant community because of her work bridging the opportunity gap for under-resourced students.”

Harding says she is “continually impressed and inspired by our students' educational journeys,” and says she feels proud that GECRC has been there to help them along the way for more than 20 years. “What an honor it has been to be a part of so many wonderful students' lives and to live and work in such a generous and impactful community,” Harding says. “We’ve done so much good together!”

GECRC cannot thank Leah Harding enough for all of her contributions to grow and elevate this organization and wishes her nothing but the best in all of her future endeavors! The board and staff will miss her daily presence but look forward to her support as a dedicated volunteer and community member. GECRC staff and Board of Directors are excited to embark on this new chapter under Sarah O'Donnell’s leadership and vision, building on the GECRC legacy of positive impact within the community. 

Thank You to Outgoing Executive Director Leah Harding!

GECRC is so immensely grateful for six incredible years of Leah Harding’s dedication and leadership as Executive Director. During Leah’s tenure, GECRC's after-school program grew by 74%, while our summer program increased by 80%—providing hundreds more children with the educational and developmental opportunities essential for their success.

“When I was asked to join the Churchill expansion committee nearly 10 years ago, I had no idea I was beginning such a meaningful chapter in my personal and professional life,” Leah said.

“Living and working in Glen Ellyn has given me the chance to witness and support so many amazing students as they’ve grown with the help of GECRC. Nothing makes me smile more than a wave or hello from a student at the grocery store or at a school event. What a joy to be able to be a part of this community!”

As Executive Director, Leah oversaw the following accomplishments:

1. Expanded afterschool programs to CCSD89 and opened GECRC Summer Program to all 10 GE K-8 schools

2. Launched Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming and support for GECRC students

3. Led the organization through COVID, continuing to support children and their families

4. Implemented new evaluation tools (the Character Effect, Essential Skills Assessments)

5. Kicked off GECRC Alumni and Tutor Scholarship Program

6. Strengthened and expanded many community partnerships

7. Obtained organization’s first six-figure grants



THANK YOU, Leah, for all of your contributions to grow and elevate this organization!

“There are far too many stories of success, resilience, trust, and community to share here, but anyone close to GECRC knows just how special GECRC is; if something is best for the students, we’ve always found a way,” Leah says. “I’m incredibly proud of this organization and look forward to continuing to be a part of it in new and impactful ways. See you around Glen Ellyn!”

Welcome to New Executive Director Sarah O'Donnell!

New Executive Director Sarah O'Donnell hit the ground running, attending the final project presentations for the Summer Program students before her start date (pictured above).

Sarah is a George Williams College alumnus and has demonstrated a successful pathway in nonprofit management and leadership. Over the past six years, she has been the CEO of Tri-Town YMCA. Prior to that she held leadership roles with The Cradle, People’s Resource Center, Wheaton Park District, The Morton Arboretum, and the Village of Algonquin.

Sarah and her husband Brian have been Glen Ellyn residents for over 15 years, and are parents to Olivia, a Hadley Junior High student. Welcome, Sarah!! We are so thrilled you are part of our team!

Thank you so much to Glen Ellyn residents Jane and David Rowe, including their son, GECRC classroom aide Will Rowe, for sharing your time and golf talents with our students each Monday during Summer Program.

Many of the students were picking up a golf club for the first time! Special thanks to volunteer tutors Eli Witcher and Jasper Reeves for helping out with this effort!

Thank you so much to our wonderful new friends from Serving Up Hope for sharing their tennis expertise with our summer program students! They enjoyed their weekly visits tremendously and learned so much!

Coach Ginger was back at Summer Program this year, once again bringing competitive and fun soccer instruction to our students! A huge thank you to Coach Ginger for her generous time and expertise! Soccer days are always a hit!

Thank you so much to the incredible members of the Glenbard West Boys Volleyball team who taught our Summer Program students some basic volleyball skills during recess! The students had a great time! Perhaps some future volleyball stars were inspired that day??

Former D41 teacher Mr. John Bower visited our summer instructors the first week of Summer Program to coach them on his PBL (problem-based learning) tips!

One of his examples was a mystery box where the instructors had to guess what was inside. He picked a coyote pelt, which called to the theme of one of our projects, "Species Survival" (Miss Emma's class).

Thank you, Mr. Bower, for taking the time to share your tips with our instructors!

Thank you so much to the Glenbard West Theatre students who visited our Summer Program students during recess! The students really enjoyed playing games and having fun with the high school volunteers.

Volunteer Spotlight

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers we had at Summer Program this year. Our volunteers read to students in the classroom, helped them complete their final project presentations, played sports with them at recess, and chaperoned them on field trips to the Morton Arboretum and to the Hokusai exhibit at the Cleave Carney Museum of Art at the McAninch Arts Center. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our students!

We would especially like to recognize our classroom aide interns for their dedicated volunteer service this summer! Their daily attendance at Summer Program made a huge impact on our students!

Thank you to:

Cameron Johnsen, River Manov, Michael Hutchens, Will Rowe, William Pope, Rosalindh Renkes, Xumi Lopez, Colbie Schmidt, Daniela Talaga, Isabella Barrios, Charlie Voswinkle and Julia Morgan!

We are grateful to The Morton Arboretum for hosting our students for two wonderful days of field trips during Summer Program! Our students had an incredible time learning, growing and having fun at the Arboretum!

Tremendous thanks to the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage and their "secret" donor for so generously providing our middle school age Summer Program students with tickets to see the incredible Hokusai & Ukiyo-e | The Floating World exhibit! The students admired all of the beautiful works of art, and they especially enjoyed the "Manga and Anime" section of the exhibition (pictured).

GECRC Mahjong Fundraiser was a Huge Success!

Our first ever Mahjong fundraising event at the Glen Oak Paddle Hut checked all of the boxes!

• Learned something new and challenging(!)
• Connected with friends & made new ones
• Supported a great cause, raising $5,000 for GECRC!

A tremendous thank you to Missy Mahjong for donating her time and expertise to teaching two SOLD-OUT sessions of beginner Mahjong lessons to our friends and supporters! It's safe to say that an incredible time was had by all! A special thank you to board member Jen Dietzler for introducing us to her awesome sister-in-law and getting the ball rolling on this super fun and successful fundraiser! Thank you to Griffin Harvey Group - Compass Real Estate and GECRC leadership for sponsoring the wine raffle, and thank you to the wonderful staff at the Glen Oak Paddle Hut for the excellent hospitality and service! We had such a long waitlist for this event that perhaps we could do it again sometime?? Make sure to follow GECRC for potential future Mahjong opportunities!

Save the Date: Rock the Block!

Save the Date! Saturday, Sept. 6 for Rock the Block 2025! Exact time TBD, but likely late afternoon to early evening. Various blocks around Glen Ellyn will be hosting local musicians for a late summer gathering designed not only to provide an evening of fun, but also an opportunity to learn more about and support GECRC. If you are interested in hosting a block party (and it can be on a later date than September 6, as well; we have a group interested in hosting one in October!), donating your musical talents to perform at one, or simply learning more, please contact GECRC Development Manager Laura Ulepic at lulepic@gecrc.com.

Thank you to the following organizations who recently donated to support our five after school programs, either financially through grants or donations, or through in-kind donations. We are very appreciative of your support of GECRC!

Grants:

Glen Ellyn Infant Welfare 

Northwestern Medicine

Ronald L. McDaniel Foundation

In-Kind Donations:

Griffin Harvey Group - Compass Real Estate

Carrie Bills

Tiffany Moscicki

Kim Stortz

All community members who donated fresh fruit to Summer Program

Special Thanks for Ongoing Partnership and Support this Year

Ball Foundation

Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust