To date, we have served over 700 families at our location in St. Mary’s Church in the heart of West Chicago, Illinois.
Here Are Some of Our Achievements
Why Shining Light?
St. Paul tells us that if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. You may know of someone, or maybe even yourself who has a crisis in their life at the present time; such as loss of income or job, , victim of domestic violence, or addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. It is an endless cycle. Most social service programs offer quick fixes to address immediate needs and do not diagnose and treat the underlying problems that produce chronic poverty. Shining Light breaks the cycle of poverty by taking a long term, holistic approach with personal mentoring.
Today, we offer workshops and support groups with a focus on: developing self-esteem, financial literacy, and job training. Also, we serve a large immigrant population in which we provide financial/education classes while assimilating them into the community.
What is Shining Light?
We are a Christian nonprofit organization, serving West Chicago and surrounding communities by providing the tools that are necessary for individuals to become self-reliant members of society.
At Shining Light, our clients are our priority and we ensure and promise to help them and/or their family with the benefits and support for a substantial life.After years of experience working with local community resources including food pantries and Christian crisis pregnancy centers, Debbie Barnes sought to address the root cause of the chronic poverty she observed within the West Chicago area. Thus, she formed Shining Light in September 2011 with the goal of developing self-reliant contributing members of society by providing educational and outreach services to individuals and families in the West Chicago surrounding area.
Shining Light breaks the cycle of poverty by taking a long-term holistic approach with professional counseling and personal mentoring. We offer Christian-centered workshops, classes, and support groups with a focus on: developing a positive self-esteem, financial literacy, legal Q&A, nutrition, and job-training.
We have speakers to address crisis situations that involve domestic violence, divorce, loss of job or income, bankruptcy, single parenting, etc. We collaborate with many other service organizations in the area in getting their clients to become self-sufficient.
Year 2022-2023 Dominant Focus
Shining Light, a non-profit based out of St Mary’s in West Chicago, is proud to announce that we will be focusing on education and support for women/families to make “educated” choices for themselves, their families, and children.
We are proud to announce that we have a Pediatric Nurse on board to oversee support groups encompassing breastfeeding, safety and health, warning signs and symptoms of early health concerns such as dermatitis, lactose intolerance, etc.
We are looking for your help by volunteering with our organization. We can use help in the following areas: mentoring,, fundraising efforts, donation drives, publicity, leading support groups, etc.
Please contact us for additional information.
Our Board Members and Staff
Debbie Barnes
Executive Board President
Debbie has a degree in math and computer science and experience in corporate management. She managed software development and computer support departments at AT&T Bell Labs, Honeywell, and General Motors. After leaving the corporate world, she was the Director of Resurrection Catholic Preschool. Most of her adult life, though, has centered on helping those less fortunate than herself. She was involved in starting and continues to volunteer at a local food pantry. She held many volunteer positions at a Crisis Pregnancy Center, and continues her work in several nursing homes.
Tom Burt
Board Member
Tom Burt, raised and born in Lansing, Michigan was a Catholic seminarian under the Priests of the Sacred (SCJ)m is 4 yrs. high school; 1 yr. novitiaite; 3 yrs. college. After learning the order in June, 1966, he returned to college to college graduation "cum laude" with a BS in physics and many credits in computer science. He was employed as a computer programmer at the Dept. of Physics, MSU. In the fall of 1983, he converted Compuview of Ann Arbor's microcomputer to display and print mathematical and Greek symbols on screen and for the Physics Department of MSU. He has been a volunteer with Shining Light and Children of Mary since about April of 2013.
Maryanne Fox
Board Member
Maryanne Fox has lived in West Chicago for 30 years. She and her husband Bob had a general contracting business for 36 years until retirement last year. They raised four children and have two grandchildren. Maryanne taught catechism at Corpus Christi Parish for 10 years and was a founding member of their Respect Life Committee. She also volunteered for Woman’s Choice Services, a crisis pregnancy center in Joliet and Lombard from January of 2006 until September of 2010 where she helped in the office and assisted in their fund-raising events. She is president of the Association of Wayne Center, a homeowners group for unincorporated Wayne Township.
Tom Barnes
Board Member
Tom Barnes has over 48 years professional work experience in the insurance and claims industry. Solid business background and experience in organizational design and human resource management, certified process improvement manager, budgets, contracts and vendor management, plus additional managerial certifications from the American Management Association. Over 35 years Catholic ministerial and community service including: former parish council president, worked in conjunction with DuPage County Health Dept. in providing furniture delivery to the poor, facilitated adult faith formation groups, and currently serves on pastoral care and nursing home ministries and is a member of the Respect Life ministry. Tom is also a 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Council # 10958, Corpus Christi.
Joanne Rempala
Board Member
Joanne has lived in the West Chicago area for over 32 years. She is currently a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church. Joanne has been in the order of the Catholic Daughters for over 20 years, and has extensively volunteered at nursing homes, assisting the poor, disabled and the elderly, and fondly loves animals. She is a member of the Humane Society, Chicago Zoological Society and the Morton Arboretum. Joanne previously owned her own business for 20 years.
Marie Snell
Board Member
Maria is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order, and is currently a member of Resurrection Parish in Wayne, IL.
Rosa Varco
Board Member
I am from Mexico and came to this country when I was 29 years old in search of the American dream. While I only spoke a few words in English, I managed to met my husband – who doesn’t speak Spanish. By now we have been married for over 20 years. Love doesn’t need languages! I attended English as a Second Language classes for about 2 years and worked as a baby sitter and waiter. After I got married, I worked as a Human Resources Representative for about five years until my only son was born, Joey. I wanted to spend every second with my him so I stopped working and enjoyed being a stay-home mom for about seven years. After Joey’s birth, I felt a rebirth in my Catholic faith. God has gifted me with this precious life and I wanted Joey to love and have a intimate relationship with God. I started to attend Sunday mass again and truly understood that God wanted me to use my Spanish to serve Him. I signed up to participate in Project Gabriel -helping mothers to understand that abortion is NOT and WILL NEVER be the solution. It was during that ministry I met Debbie Barnes. By then Debbie had the dream to start a ministry to serve the community of West Chicago. The majority of our clients are Spanish speakers so I fit right in! I have been with Debbie since the creation of Shining Light and planning to stay until God stops calling me to be part of His team!
Fr. David Lawrence
Spiritual Director
Fr. David received his Masters of Divinity degree in 1997 and was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Joliet on June 7, 1997. He first served at St. Scholastica Parish in Woodridge, and St. Petronille Parish in Glen Ellyn. In May 2004, He received the degree of Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the University of St. Mary of the Lake. In June 2005, Fr. David was the Pastor of St. Dominic Parish in Bolingbrook for 12 years and became more and more fluent in Spanish while serving the large Hispanic population there. memories. On June 21, 2017, and at St. Mary, he was assigned as a priest “in solidum” with Fr. John Balluff, and I was installed as pastor on August 8, 2018.
We are more than just a Band-Aid.
Here are some of our achievements
• Helped physically handicapped individual find worth in volunteering for our organization.
• Help individuals out of financial crisis by debt consolidation.
• Help women overcome depression and anxiety while living in a household of domestic violence.
• Help individuals decipher documents such as divorce papers, mortgage and financial statements due to language barrier.
• Gave scholarships to qualified individuals to enhance their education.
• Referrals to other agencies to pay outstanding bills.
• Reconciled with other agencies to make bill paying more affordable
• Successful referrals to AA for individuals to seek support for addictions.
• Provided needed counseling services through professional counselors working with us.
• Found shelter for homeless families and individuals.
• Held “Forgiveness” support group to allow individuals to find peace and reconciliation with themselves.
• Helped refugees find needed services.
• Got needed child support for individuals.
• Empowered people to become self-sufficient.
• Worked with other agencies to get individuals necessities, such as eyeglasses, cars, etc.
• Helped single mother of special needs son get educational and residential services.
• Got free music lessons for high school age individuals that could not afford it
• Helped high school students find appropriate colleges to meet their educational goals.
• Conducted faith-based classes to enhance individuals spiritually.
• Help individuals reach their dreams.
• Accepted donations from individuals and organizations to provide for needy families.
• Held educational classes-- such as immigration policies, financial literacy, and nutrition- to help people become more self-reliant.
• Provided needed gas cards as an incentive for staying in our educational and supportive groups.
Pre/Post Natel workshops, pregnancy education and parenting guidance
Provide assistance on immigration questions and have access to legal resources on immigration issues
Collaborate effort with Resurrection Catholic Church to assist 6 Columbian families.
Annual Christmas Giving Tree function with Resurrection Catholic Church to provide Christmas gifts for families.