Saving a House, Making a Home

Maribeth Roberti bought a house and she is furnishing it with love and quiet places. The house, a large, old, three-flat in a distressed neighborhood in Waukegan, was in foreclosure. It was in total disrepair, suffering from graffiti, mold and gouged-out walls, but contractors called in to evaluate it, pronounced it worth saving. There were still good bones in the old structure, a strong foundation. After a complete rehab, the Roberti Community House, opened last October.

Equipped with two large educational kitchens, rooms for prayer and quiet reflection and space for artists and photography and yoga lessons, it is becoming an oasis for neighbors in an area that has seen its share of violence. Partnering with the Chicago Botanic Garden, they have built 12 raised beds in the backyard, which will soon be planted with flowers and vegetables. Already women are learning about nutrition, how to shop for the right foods and how to cook them. At Thanksgiving, Hispanic women learned how to cook a turkey because they said, "We want to know how you guys do it."

"We want to listen to people and find out their needs and ideas," Roberti said, "and we don't want to duplicate what others are doing."

The house is located across the street from Most Blessed Trinity Parish's community outreach program. In the former St. Bartholomew Church and School, there is a food pantry, soup kitchen and PADS shelter. Roberti, a social worker, has been a volunteer in the pantry for many years and she knows how crowded and busy it always is. "There is no space to address issues," she said, "to sort out problems and feelings. Here, we can talk with people and get their ideas. We can hold parenting classes, have a sewing group and spiritual development. The community will dictate what programs we start."

Mary Jane Dybas of Libertyville is a volunteer at the food pantry, and a year ago, she started an informal "moms' group" of about nine women for camaraderie, sewing, cooking and nutrition lessons. They met in the basement of the former school with its commercial kitchen used to prepare food for the parish soup kitchen. "Now, we're in the house and the kitchen is equipped like their kitchens at home and it's so much nicer. And afterward, we can just sit around the table and have coffee and talk. This is a fabulous house and the women just love it."

Carla Martinez, who lives in the neighborhood, is one of the "moms." "I enjoy coming," she said. "We want to learn the culture of our new country so we asked how to do a turkey and what is a pumpkin pie. Today, we cooked oatmeal because we are learning how to make healthy meals for our kids. It is good just to get together with these other women. We enjoy each other's company."

Some women bring their young children, Dybas said, and a retired teacher plays with them while their mothers are learning.

One of the things Roberti learned about neighbors is that they have very few if any family photos. "Think about how important those pictures are to family remembrance and identity," she said. "We will take pictures of them and also teach them how to do photography and then we'll print their pictures."

Children who participate in the food pantry summer lunch program will tend the garden beds and the produce will be used by the pantry and the neighbors. Men as well women will use the art room.

Everyone who works at the house is a volunteer. Furniture has been donated and Roberti is working on grants to fund programs.

The Roberti Foundation, established in 1989, was set up to help families and Maribeth has dedicated the house in Waukegan to the memory of her late parents, Mary and Vincent Roberti who lived in Northbrook. Mary Roberti was a community volunteer and Vincent owned an aerospace engineering company. "I miss them," Maribeth said. "I get a lot of divine intervention, so I know my parents are helping me with this project."

Maribeth Roberti lives in Lake Forest and is a member of St. Patrick Parish. She is the mother of two teenage daughters, who help out at the house. Roberti is a graduate of the University of Chicago, and she worked for many years in foster care in Chicago.

Barbara Karacic, Most Blessed Trinity Food Services director, said, "Maribeth wants to make this community a desirable place to live where people will be happy. People tell us that there is so much hubbub in their lives from television and just the number of people living together. The quiet areas and places for prayer that Maribeth is creating in Roberti House is very welcome."

Martinez said, when neighbors saw the rehab work going on at the house, they began to clean up their own property and do needed repairs. "It has been good for the whole neighborhood," she said.

To contact the Roberti House, send email to: mbroberti16@gmail.com.

Virginia Mullery is a freelance writer living in Gurnee, IL.