After thirty years with the United Way of Eastern LaSalle County, Executive Director Shelli Ocepek and Program Manager Kathy Morrissey are retiring. Ocepek and her husband were instrumental in starting the Labor of Love Home Repair Program in 1992. 918 homes in eastern LaSalle County have been refurbished over the program’s thirty-year history. She was also a part of starting the Ottawa Community Food Basket. She organized the Community Food Pantry Advisory Board, which led to the creation of the local food pantry. She still leads the LaSalle County Emergency Food and Shelter Program and serves with the LaSalle County Early Childhood Collaboration. Morrissey organized the organization’s finances, helped organize events, and coordinated programs.
United Way of Eastern LaSalle County Executive Director Shelli Ocepek talks to the hundreds of volunteers in the St. Columba School cafeteria before they head to their work sites October 1, 2022.