A free meal offered by One Love Global Wellness Foundation on April 8 will feature something new: live dancing lessons with champion professional dancers for attendees.
Husband and wife Silviu Turcan and Yulia Nam are World DanceSport Federation American Rhythm champions and two-time silver medalists at the National Dance Council of America Rising Star. They teach at My Dance Hub in Oak Brook and Naperville.
They will teach a few line dances as part of the evening, which will feature open seating from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on April 8 at the Community Center at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Mokena. The last meal, catered by EggCetera Café, will be served at 6 p.m., and Mission Meals will give out grocery bags and gift cards.
“I’m assuming there is going to be some sort of group class, about 15 to 45 minutes, depending on what they need and how many dance,” said Stefan Ciubotaru, one of the owners of My Dance Hub. “In this scenario, if you only teach a line dance, it’s relatively easy. We ask everyone to come out and, as we go, we show them a line dance. They have three or four steps. They learn them in order and we dance.”
One Love Global Wellness Foundation serves nutritious meals to families and individuals in need, and offers community resources and encouragement. Attendees must be registered with Mission Meals and can make a reservation by calling 708-497-6613.
Although the dinner is free, sometimes people are moved to make a donation, said Tammy Leonard, who founded One Love Global Wellness Foundation in 2010 with her father.
“Every so often someone will leave $1 or $2,” Leonard said. “We did have an 85-year-old couple come because they were lonely, and they paid us $20, but every single person that comes typically uses the food pantry, which asks for proof of income.”
The main instructor at the event will be Turcan, assisted by Nam.
“He is currently the US champion in US dance for rhythm,” Ciubotaru said. “He’s one of the most advance dancers in Illinois right now. That is going to be something that is fun.”
Turcan is well-versed in the dancing taught at the studios, including ballroom dancing, Latin dancing (including smooth, Argentine tangos, nightclub), he said.
Ciubotaru became involved when Leonard created an event similar to “Dancing With the Stars” with the DuPage Senior Citizens Council in partnership with Meals on Wheels.
“I was one of the (dance) professionals and she was one of the stars,” Ciubotaru said. “We are doing very well, so I asked Tammy if we could participate and help out the community a little bit. … We decided to do this thing, and hopefully we can do many more and bring out the joy of dancing for people.”
Ciubotaru said line dancing is easier for a big group because it doesn’t require a balance of male and female dancers. It will be a “cha cha slide or a shuffle. It’s kind of like that. We can make line dances out of almost every dance.”
Leonard said the dancers are a perfect fit for the event.
“I dance at My Dance Hub, and Stefan and Silvu are very civic minded and want to give back to the community,” she said.
She said 90% of the dinner is run by volunteers and her employees at Grant Staff in Orland Park do most of the clerical work.
“Volunteers put up the tables and other volunteers make 500 homemade cookies for dessert, and others serve and clean up. It is a lot of work,” she said.
Leonard said she feels deeply connected to Mission Meals, which began during the housing crisis in 2011.
“My dad, who owned Golden Oak Restaurant in Mokena, would have individuals come in and ask for a hamburger in exchange for doing dishes,” she said.
“At first they came in once a week, and then it was daily. So I said to him ‘Why don’t we ask your vendors for extra turkeys, etc., and host a free meal on Thursday nights for those in need? We could get other social services agencies to come and help the families in crisis.’”
That project lasted for about a year, but a rent rate hike of $12,000 led to her father losing the restaurant and he died not long afterward.
Dino Bastas from Eggcetera Café now caters the food.
“We can only offer the dinners when we raise enough funds to cover the food, additional groceries and gift cards,” Leonard said. “We are so grateful for our partnership with Eggcetera. They put on the dinner after hours and all their employees stay after to help with this.”
Mission Meals moved to St. John’s because Eggcetera no longer had enough space.
“Dino brings his cooks and now cooks there for us,” Leonard said.
One Love Global Wellness Foundation, the nonprofit that oversees Mission Meals, is “dedicated to promoting wellness in mind, body and spirit,” she said.
“Our Mission Meals initiative offers nourishing meals in a welcoming setting, allowing individuals and families to unwind, enjoy a meal, get assistance from other community resources, and bring hom additional food and supplies,” she said.
It provides food, toiletries, warm clothing and other necessities to unhoused individuals. Its Family in Crisis program provides assistance with groceries, medical supplies, clothing and other necessities.
Mission Meals differs from a food pantry, so it doesn’t provide food for a whole month.
“Our event is for a night out to forget your problems and just enjoy your family,” Leonard explained. “The yummy dinner and take-home grocery and gift cards let them know they’re cared about. The other social service agencies that come can provide lasting change; our goal is to introduce them.”
The dinners are paid for via corporate sponsors, grants and donations. Gift cards are provided by stores including Berkots, Meijer and Walmart.
Leonard said she is looking forward to the event, which she’s only missed once during COVID-19.
“My children have participated since they were 3 years old. The volunteers are given a chance to make a difference. Sometimes, when a family gets back on their feet, they come back and volunteer,” she said. “We are a family. We hear about new babies. We see people move from homelessness to an apartment.”
Since it began, One Love Global Wellness Foundation has supported more than 15,000 people and given out more than 22,303 pounds of food, according to a news release. It was established to address food insecurity in Will County, where more than 47,000 people, about 10% of whom are children, struggle with reliable access to nutritious food.
“We are a small foundation that has an incredible impact,” Leonard said.
