CHANGING OF THE GUARD

SAYING GOODBYE TO LISA TODD
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It was standing room only as the community gathered on Thursday, May 16 to share memories of working with Lisa Todd, Connections’ Volunteer Coordinator, and to wish her well as she begins a new adventure in Minneapolis. For 9 years, Lisa developed and led Connections’ volunteer program – growing it to more than 1,300 individuals annually.

“Lisa has changed Connections… and all the ways that Connections seeks to support and prevent homelessness” shared Jason Okrzynski, pastor at First Congregational Church of Wilmette and a regular volunteer at Connections’ Drop In.
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We are grateful for Lisa’s relentless commitment to ending homelessness, one person at a time. To honor Lisa’s legacy, the Connections Milestone award for volunteers is now named in her honor – the Lisa Todd Award for Volunteer Service.


WELCOMING HAIL KHALAF

Hail (pronounced Hile) comes to Connections with depth of experience. Born and raised in Syria, Hail graduated from Damascus University and then went to work for the United Nations, managing emergency response and logistics for refugee camps in Yemen and South Sudan.
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“When I moved to Chicago to be with my wife, it was the heart of winter. I remember seeing a man sleeping on Lower Wacker Drive; I was shocked. I knew at that point, I wanted to get involved with helping those facing homelessness,” Hail remarked.

Hail and Lisa overlapped for a week, during which he started getting to know and working with Connections’ dedicated volunteers. We are excited to have Hail join our team and hope you will join us in welcoming him to Connections. You can contact him about volunteering or in-kind donations at hkhalaf@connect2home.org.