Woodridge community holds fundraiser to help residents recover from tornado damage
WOODRIDGE, Ill. - Friends and residents are coming together in west suburban Woodridge today to help neighbors still struggling to recover from a tornado two months ago.
It was June 20 when an EF-3 tornado struck in the night, damaging or destroying 400 homes in Woodridge and nearby Naperville.
Clean up and repairs are still very much underway at several properties and the community wants tornado victims to know they’re not forgotten.
The Woodridge Do Good BBQ and Friendraiser will be held at Seven Bridges Golf Club on Mulligan Drive Wednesday evening from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..
Tornado causes 'tree apocalypse' in Naperville and Woodridge; loss could have aftereffects for years
Geoffrey Donovan, a Portland, Oregon-based research forester for the USDA Forest Service, joins Good Day Chicago to talk about the "tree apocalypse" in Naperville and Woodridge caused by the tornado that can affect public health and crimes.
"It is a time to come together to celebrate to thank everyone but also really thank our neighbors for their resilience and their goodness and kindness," said Mayor Gina Cunningham. "I’ve lived in Woodridge since 1967 and it’s still hard every time I look at the neighbors, or drive by, you just can’t help but see how different it looks. But we are making progress every day. I’m so thankful for that."
Cunningham says she can’t recall a tornado ever striking this community.
"The outpouring of support has just been amazing," said Margaret Golden, whose roof was heavily damaged after large trees fell on her property on Woodridge Drive.
"A lot of people are under insured or have very high deductibles. These fundraisers help to offset that for some of the people whose cars and homes were damaged," said Golden.
"The Village has offset the water bills for all the residents in the affected area. After the tornado they provided tarps for roofs, food, cleaning supplies pretty much anything that we needed we could get."
Proceeds from Wednesday night’s fundraiser will go to the Woodridge Rotary Tornado Relief Fund.