UCP Joliet’s Great Chefs event to benefit respite care

Tickets are going fast for the 28th Great Chefs Tasting and Auction on March 2, and proceeds will provide in-home respite care for families of clients receiving services from the UCP-Center for Disability Services in Joliet.

The 28th Great Chefs Tasting and Auction will be from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive, Bolingbrook.

Joliet Junior College chef Fred Ferrara helped create the tasting event and grow it through the years.

Great Chefs netted $85,000 in 2024, said Brian Patel, executive director of the UCP-Center for Disability Services. The goal for 2025 is $130,000, he said.

As of Friday, the event had raised $75,000 in ticket sales and sponsorships, and Patel said he hopes additional ticket sales and auctions during the event will raise the rest.

Respite care provides temporary relief to caregivers so they can address other needs, such as grocery shopping or taking themselves or their other children to doctor’s appointments, Patel said.

So funds raised from Great Chefs will go toward paying trained respite caregivers, not the electric bill or any other overhead, making the event “a true fundraiser in the spirit of fundraising,” he said.

Last year, the event raised money for a new gym floor.

Patel said he’d planned to apply for a state grant to help fund the in-home respite care until he learned that the grant is not accepting new applications this year.

“So that program is operating at a deficit until we can apply for that grant next year,” Patel said.

Patel said that means the UCP-Center for Disability Services must work harder to raise additional funds.

“We’ll operate at a loss if we have to,” he said. “We just want to make sure people receive those services.”

The centerpiece auction item is a quilt that UCP-Center for Disability Services clients created to help raise the funds.

“For me, the abilities of the individuals we serve should be showcased.”

—  Brian Patel, executive director of the UCP-Center for Disability Services in Joliet

Patel said the quilt is a tangible demonstration of the services clients receive and a “culmination of all the hard working they’ve been doing.” The clients who do attend the fundraiser will be “super proud of the work they’ve been doing,” he said.

“It will be really exciting for us to see what’s on their faces while this is going on,” Patel said. “I want that to be highlighted. I don’t want that to be hidden. For me, the abilities of the individuals we serve should be showcased.”

A tightly stitched community

The clients created the quilt as part of the Sew What?! program, created a year ago by Kim Tillotson of Channahon, a UCP-Center for Disability Services board member and volunteer.

Adult clients alternated between working on the 85-inch by 62-inch quilt and smaller projects, such as slippers, pillows, zippered pouches and tote bags.

“It’s a pretty big quilt, with different solid colors in it,” Tillotson said. “There was no pattern or design; they designed it. It’s very eclectic and very colorful. It’s fun and bright, and they had very clear opinions on how to put it together. But every piecing was done by them.”

Some clients worked very independently, and some needed more guidance. But they all had fun, and they all take pride in their work, Tillotson said.

“But to me, the bigger story here is that they were so supportive of each other,” Tillotson said. “I’ve never seen so much patience. If we have to rip something out, that’s OK. Because they knew they were going to have a positive experience every day. If the machine got stuck, they didn’t ‘lose it’ like you or I might. They just waited for me to fix the bobbin.”

Tillotson said the program is filled with clients’ spontaneous “Good job!” and “Thank you” and “Watch your fingers,” which she attributed to the overall culture at the UCP-Center for Disability Services.

“I wish I could bottle up the experiences and auction that off,” she said. “As much as I love the quilt, I’m so proud of them, and they’re so proud of themselves. You can see that in their smiles.”

For tickets to the 28th Great Chefs Tasting and Auction on March 2 or for information about the UCP-Center for Disability Services in Joliet, call 815-744-3500 or visit ucp-cds.org.