Orland Park Approves Snow Angel Program To Help Those Who Cannot Shovel

Orland Park IL

17 February, 2021

5:44 PM

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By Jon DePaolis, the Richard Free Press: ORLAND PARK, Ill. — As Orland Park residents dig their way out from the most recent snowstorm this year, Village officials are hoping a new program will be a ray of sunshine. The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted 7-0 Monday, Feb. 15, to create the Snow Angels Volunteer Snow Shoveling Program to help local senior citizens and individuals who are unable to shovel snow. "This is a new program that allows volunteers in the Village — so these can be students or anybody willing to help a senior or an individual with a disability unable to shovel their driveway or walk — to partner together to remove that snow from that senior's or person's property," Director of Recreation and Parks Ray Piattoni said during the Feb. 15 meeting. "It's a great opportunity for students or those that are willing to help. It shows Orland's excellent volunteerism that we have. We have a lot of students that are always willing to help, and they are needing community service hours right now." He said that once the Village has a list of volunteers willing to help, staff will partner them with those in need of the service. "The volunteer and the senior will just work together to set up a day and time," Piattoni said. "The volunteer will take a picture of the pre and the post work and that way they will get their community service." Trustee Michael Milani said he thought it was a great idea. "Not only does it provide a great service for our vulnerable residents, but it gives people [an opportunity] to give back to their community," Milani said. "I think that's important, especially in these times." Mayor Keith Pekau also felt it was a "great program." "Since this is the first really big snow that I've experienced in my tenure, it kind of highlighted a serious problem," Pekau said. "A problem that we all face in the winter is that our plows are designed to push snow to the side. That's just the way they are designed. That's physics. That's the way it works. Our streets are 28 feet wide. When we receive 20 inches of snow, if you assume that the curbs get 3 feet of snow, that's 15 feet of snow that the curbs get. So, two curbs — that's 7.5 feet on each side of the road. Obviously, that's going to end up on your driveways. It ends up on everybody's driveways. We all deal with it. And I'm in pretty good shape, but still that heavy snow was a pretty big challenge. Combine that with [emails from residents about the snowfall], and I thought there should be a way that we can figure out how to help the people who can't do this and don't have neighbors that help or don't have family or friends that come and help them. "This program helps gives those people another option." To sign up for the service or to volunteer, a form found on the Village's website must be filled out and submitted by mail or by emailing it to [email protected]. Richard Free Press is a one-stop destination for the news that most affects you, the southwest suburban resident. Be an informed citizen of the town you live in and love.