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AT Group Helps Off The Street Club Provide Outdoor Experiences of a Lifetime for Inner City Chicago Kids
This past summer was unforgettable for hundreds of Chicago children who traded the dangers of their city neighborhood for the joys of outdoor adventure at a special retreat called Camp Mathieu. The rock bands of AbelsonTaylor Group and other Chicago ad agencies helped make the experience possible, raising funds while raising the roof at the ninth “Battle for Hope,” an annual event supporting Off the Street Club (OTSC), the city’s oldest club for boys and girls. The club is located in West Garfield Park, which regularly tops the lists of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Residents there currently face a one-in-20 chance of being the victim of a violent crime.
Every year’s Battle for Hope is a lively affair, with agency supporters jamming the venue and whipping themselves into a frenzy when the bands, well-rehearsed and ready to dazzle, take the stage and perform. But everybody wins no matter who takes home the trophy, because we always have a great time and raise a good amount of money. This year’s Battle contributed $46,000 to OTSC’s camp fund. Over the years, the total has been approximately $500,000.
Being a one-night rock star is a thrill, but it pales in comparison to the all-summer thrill of helping send a new group of OTSC members every week to Camp Mathieu, the club’s 30-acre rural retreat in Wheaton, Ill.
There, the children escape neighborhood dangers and play outside without worry, trading pavement for long days of water activities, bike riding, outdoor sports, crafts, nature study, and campfire gatherings. Plentiful food, comfortable dorms and a caring staff round out the brief “vacation” these kids would never experience without the unflagging commitment of OTSC’s staff, board, auxiliary and volunteers, aided by the support of numerous area businesses and organizations.
Some of that outside support takes the form of sweat equity, with hundreds of volunteers descending on the camp every spring to make necessary repairs and prepare the buildings, pool, and grounds for the summer. The other vital support comes from fundraisers, both large and small, that generate the money to cover all transportation, food, lodging and activity expenses of sending 600 to 900 club members to camp. It costs about $500 per child for a week at Camp Mathieu, with members attending “day camp” at the OTSC clubhouse the rest of the summer.
For those unfamiliar with OTSC and Camp Mathieu, here are some images tracing the history of this worthy organization. A big salute to the club and its executive director, Arnett Morris, for providing another summer of camping fun for the children of West Garfield Park.
OTSC was founded in 1900 by a Pennsylvanian named John McMurry who spent his entire life’s savings – eight dollars – to lease a storefront space where unsupervised immigrant children could escape the dangerous streets of Chicago’s overcrowded Near West Side. By 1925, the date of this photo, the club had relocated twice for larger space. It moved to its present home in West Garfield Park in 1955.
Photo courtesy of Seven Settlement Houses Database of Photos, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, Special Collections and University Archives
Buying parcels of farmland one acre at a time, Auguste “The Colonel” Mathieu, an early leader of OTSC, established the 30-acre camp in Wheaton, Ill. that has given OTSC members the chance to enjoy outdoor summer fun since 1945. Originally called Mark Twain Adventure Camp, it was later renamed in Mathieu’s honor.
Photo courtesy of Off the Street Club
In 1947, most OTSC campers traveled the 30 miles from Chicago to Wheaton in the open back of a large truck. Other members made the trip by bicycle and some even walked to the camp.
Photo courtesy of Seven Settlement Houses Database of Photos, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, Special Collections and University Archives
OTSC’s summer program has always included activities intended to build community among campers and cultivate a sense of confidence, purpose and service within each child.
Image courtesy of Seven Settlement Houses Database of Photos, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, Special Collections and University Archives
All campers love the Camp Mathieu pool, whether for swimming, diving, the water slides, or just splashing around with friends.
Photo courtesy of Off the Street Club
Going to Camp Mathieu is a much-anticipated highlight of every summer for OTSC members. The club strives to send every child to camp who wants to go.
Photo courtesy of Off the Street Club
In 1906, John McMurry convinced the recently formed Advertising Club of Chicago to adopt OTSC as a charity. His successful pitch began a relationship between OTSC and Chicago’s advertising, marketing and media community that’s still going strong 123 years later.
Image courtesy of Seven Settlement Houses Database of Photos, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, Special Collections and University Archives
Appearing under multiple names and with a varied lineup of musicians and singers, AbelsonTaylor’s rock band has competed in nine Battle for Hope fundraisers. The band’s 2023 lineup: Kati Ballentine, sax; Julian Berke, keyboards and vocals; Theo Hild, guitar; Pete Hlavach, guitar; Skylar Jameson, vocals; Kathy Kraft, vocals; Brian Nudera, vocals; Eric Patterson, bass; Matt Slaughter, guitar; Amy Wenrich, vocals; Robert Williams, drums and vocals.
Photo courtesy of Sam Baker
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