Opening Doors for Hephzibah’s Kids

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Undeterred by the bug-eyed monster in the window, a Hephzibah child attempts to open the 14-foot-high door at Big Monster Toys, where Don Rosenwinkel and his team of toy designers dream up ways to make kids smile.

Fifteen wide-eyed children from Hephzibah Home are standing in front of what looks like a giant’s doorway — complete with an enormous doorknob fit for a mammoth fist and a furry, bug-eyed monster peering out of an oversized window.

The children are about the enter Big Monster Toys — the world’s largest independent toy design firm. For the next couple of hours, these young survivors of neglect and abuse will completely forget about the harsh realities that brought them to Hephzibah as they explore a magical realm that most children visit only in their dreams. According to one media source, the world of imagination and invention hidden away behind that 14-foot-high yellow door in the West Loop is “probably the closest thing in Chicago to Santa’s workshop.”

“The kids just have a ball when they’re down here,” says Big Monster President and CEO Don Rosenwinkel with a chuckle. “We give them a tour of the facility and introduce them to our toy inventors. They play test the toy designs and we run some of the machines so that they can make bits and pieces of toys themselves. At the end of the visit, they get to rummage through our toy bins and pick out a toy to take with them when they go.”

Karen and Don Rosenwinkel

Karen and Don Rosenwinkel are loyal and longtime supporters of Hephzibah’s mission.

But trips to Big Monster Toys are just one of the ways that this Oak Park resident and his wife, Karen, help Hephzibah’s kids. Don and Karen, who have three grown daughters in their twenties, have been loyal and longtime supporters of Hephzibah’s mission. Each year, they attend our holiday Bring-a-Gift Party at Doc Ryan’s Tavern in December and our Heart of Gold Ball in March. They have donated toys for both events and generously shared their financial resources throughout the year. In 2013 and 2014, Karen — an accomplished industrial and interior designer — decorated a Christmas tree to be auctioned off during the Oak Park-River Forest Rotary Club’s Festival of Trees, which raises funds for Hephzibah and other local nonprofits. For the past three years, Don has submitted grant applications to the Toy Industry Foundation to secure funding for Hephzibah’s Sibling Camp. In September 2014, his perseverance paid off when Hephzibah was awarded a $7,500 grant from the foundation. Next summer, scores of brothers and sisters living in different group, foster and adoptive homes will benefit from the grant at our 2015 Sibling Camp.

Karen and Don’s ongoing support for Hephzibah is fueled by a deep conviction that every child deserves to feel safe, happy, nurtured and loved.

“Karen and I had a great home life and a good education — and so did our daughters,” says Don. “The children at Hephzibah didn’t have any of these advantages. We support Hephzibah because we want these children to have some of the same advantages that our family did.”

“The children at Hephzibah have so many emotional and academic needs,” adds Karen. “It’s inspiring for us to see how hard the people at Hephzibah work to meet these needs. Don and I will continue to do as much as we can to give these children a chance at a better life.”

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