Chicago Tribune Heidi Stevens column

May 24--The Rev. Harriette Cross wants people to know Englewood for its people, not the headlines it generates.

"One of my goals is to make sure impressions of Englewood don't come from television," Cross told me, "but from relationships."

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Pastor Kristen Larsen wants her Glen Ellyn congregation to help foster those relationships.

So their two churches -- Englewood-Rust United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church of Glen Ellyn -- are launching a partnership that will, they hope, turn their members into friends and allies.

"It's part of a larger conversation we're having about how churches relate to one another," Larsen said. "My hope is we both gain from the experience by creating a mutual relationship that enriches all of us."

Their first project is a book and toy collection.

First United Methodist member Dianne Batzkall contacted Englewood-Rust to ask what it most need in the coming months. Cross told her that kids need books and activities to keep them busy and stimulated over the summer, when school is out and violence is at its highest.

With a median household income around $24,000 and violent and nonviolent crime rates that are well above the national average, Englewood is plagued with challenges that seem, at times, intractable.

But statistics only tell part of any neighborhood's story. It is also, of course, a community of individuals, many of whom are working tirelessly to improve it from within. Cross, who grew up in Lake County's North Chicago, is one such individual.

And outside help, she said, is greatly appreciated.

"They heard about the violence and wanted to do something to keep kids inside and safe," Cross said. "On our side, we wanted to give kids an opportunity to read and do something positive."

First United Methodist, at 424 Forest Ave. in Glen Ellyn, is collecting new and gently used reading and activity books, puzzles and board games for kids ages 3 through 18. Donations can be dropped off Monday through Thursday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and June 4 from 10 a.m. to noon. The church is also collecting fabric tote bags to help kids carry their books home.

"Anything that kids like in Glen Ellyn," Cross said, "kids will like in Englewood."

Larsen and her crew will deliver the donations to Englewood-Rust, and Cross will distribute them during church services and weekly food pantry hours.

"We're a very small church," Cross said. "Attendance is maybe 40-45 in a week. But we have a heart for the community, and we want to be a positive influence and give our youth positive images to follow. And hope."

hstevens@tribpub.com