Mainstreet HQ, Downers Grove – Mainstreet Good Neighbor Award winners demonstrate astonishing dedication to continually improving their communities though philanthropic efforts. Each winner receives a personalized charitable contribution to an organization they volunteer with. This year’s second place winner for the 2024 Good Neighbor Award is Lisa Hillman.
I am thankful to be chosen as the second-place winner of Mainstreet’s Good Neighbor Award. The $2,000 donated to our organization from this honor will make a significant difference for children and their families trying to navigate the difficulties of a cancer diagnosis, now and in their future. I would like to personally thank the nomination committee for choosing my application and the Bike Bald Group.
The organization I volunteer with, the Bike Bald Group, focuses on helping children diagnosed with cancer, other life-altering diagnoses and their families. This includes transportation to appointments, aligning care and therapy, installing chair lifts, finding wheelchairs or service dogs. They also send kids to specialized camps and help connect them to experiences like vacations or tickets to sports games, concerts, events, etc. The organization also runs a giant toy drive every Christmas that provides gifts for these families and other families struggling financially.
In 2019 I was 38, a mother of five kids and was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. I underwent chemotherapy, radiation therapy, a bilateral mastectomy and multiple secondary surgeries.
Bike Bald immediately swooped in. This was right around the holidays and they showed up in a Jeep with an elf to deliver special gifts for my kids. They brought brightness to a dark time in our lives. I decided that once I was better, this was a charity that needed my help and support. Before my treatments were even complete, I jumped in and helped with the annual gift drive at Christmas time, organizing toy drop-offs while overseeing thousands of gift donations from my local community.
As my love for the organization grew so did my support. I became the social media coordinator and currently serve on the Board as the Community Advisor. I have paid for and contributed to the Bike Bald Group’s membership in the Oswego and Plainfield Chambers of Commerce as well as a key organizer for a Christmas Tree Contest to raise funds for Bike Bald. This past year, I helped organize and run one of their biggest fundraisers of the year, the Jeep Midfest Wave. This included donating and securing donations for raffles and helping with the overall management of the event.
In 2023, I assisted with the Bike Bald Group’s annual St. Baldrick's Fundraiser. This is an amazing organization that does so much for these families and I am honored to help in any way I can. Cancer was hard for me as a 38-year-old mom; I can't imagine how hard it is for any child. If there's anything I can do to help, I am honored to do so.
To learn more about the Bike Bald Group, click here. This is where all upcoming events are listed as well as the history behind the formation of this organization.