When Chuck Engelking, Sodexho delivery man for District 95, lost his mother in January, his friend Lisa LePage, teacher at Sarah Adams, sought support from District employees to raise money for Engelking to rescue a dog to keep him company.

            Engelking was the caretaker for his mother, and after her death, told LePage he wanted to adopt a dog.  She emailed District 95 staff members asking for their help in her quest to raise money for Engelking.

            The response from staff members was all incredibly positive, according to LePage.  Teachers and administrations from all District 95 schools donated, including LZHS staff members like principal Kim Kolze.   

            Throughout the entire collection process, LePage kept the collection a secret from Engelking. After the month-long donation period, LePage surprised Engelking and presented him with the money.   

            “At first I didn’t believe her. I was like, ‘what did you do?’” Engelking said.  “She showed me the email and I read that.  I was very flattered that she’s that good of a friend of mine to do something like that; I was very impressed.”

            After the initial surprise wore off, Engelking finalized his plan to rescue a Yorkshire terrier over the summer, which he will name Hossa after Blackhawks player Marian Hossa, and any extra money will be donated to Every Dog Rescue Counts.

            “I’m getting a Yorkie because I used to have one.  They’re little bundles of fun and attitude, and that’s what I like,” Engelking said.

            Engelking says he is thankful for everyone’s support, and that this experience helped him realize how many friends he has in the District.  He has lived in LZ all of his life and is an LZHS graduate.

“I was very surprised at all the people I actually knew or were friends with, people that I just waved to in the hall,” Engelking said. “I was like whoa, I do know a lot of people.”

Not only did he realize just how many people he knows, he says the experience reminded him of how special of a place Lake Zurich is because of its supportive community.

“I’ve always said that this is the best town, the best school district,” Engelking said. “[The residents of Lake Zurich] are just a classy group of people.”

 Sidebar: Where to rescue dogs in the LZ area

Engelking will rescue a dog instead of purchasing one from a pet store because his niece is involved with pet rescue organizations.  Rescuing a dog can save the animal’s life, according to the Humane Society’s website.  Here is one place where you can rescue a dog in the area.