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Building firm deepens school's tsunami-relief pockets

Naperville Sun
March 7, 2005
By Susan Frick Carlman

Linda DiLeo was gratified to hear of the offer. Any time an area business steps up with an interest in donating money to the school for a worthy cause, it's good news.

DiLeo, principal at Central Elementary School in Plainfield, expected the sum coming from Gladstone Builders would be a couple hundred dollars at most. She was floored when she learned the Naperville construction company intended to guarantee a five-figure donation on behalf of the school toward tsunami relief efforts in South Asia.

"Who knew? He said he wanted to make it a nice, even number," DiLeo said last week.

Gladstone extended the offer as a way to supplement a fund-raising drive spearheaded by fourth-grader Emilie Brazinski.

Emilie suggested the fund-raising project in a letter she submitted several weeks ago, DiLeo said.

Although the school has Mr. Wedo Care, a 5-gallon water jug adorned with a face that normally sits in the hall outside the main office as a receptacle for cash fund-raisers, it seemed like a good idea to try a different approach.

"We said, 'Why not?'" DiLeo said.

Adam Dontz, vice president of the company's real estate development department, said he wanted to find a way to help when he heard about the project.

"I was just really inspired and moved that somebody that age had taken the initiative to start a drive on her own," Dontz said.

He spoke to his boss, David Bolger, who owns the company with his brother, Greg, and the plan was made. Gladstone promised to make up the difference between the collection total and $10,000.

Emilie's project drew a total of $663.58 from the small neighborhood school's families and staff. David Bolger presented a check to fill in the gap at an informal ceremony at the school Feb. 23.

"Now that (the relief workers) are past the initial cleanup stages and have begun to rebuild over there, we thought it made sense," Dontz said. "Because we're in the construction industry, it seemed like a good thing for us to do."