Palos Park Women's Club Mother's Day walk raises funds for outreach

Chicago Tribune

11-05-2025

Orland Park's Karen Sloane has four daughters and her mother is 83 years old.
Mount Greenwood's Barb Duffy does not have children, and her mother died in 2004.
Yet both women cherish Mother's Day equally,
Both were a part of the third Palos Park Woman's Club Mother's Day Walk Saturday at Lake Katherine in Palos Heights.
Officials said 300 walkers signed up for the event and said the woman's club hopes to make $20,000. The money will stay within the organization to support outreach efforts, scholarships and service initiatives.
But for Sloane and Duffy, it was a chance to be with friends and enjoy the day before Mother's Day.
'Mother's Day is a gift,' Sloane said. 'It's a gift to be a mother. It's the hardest job. It's a job that you cannot put in your resignation or retire.
'Sometimes it's tough but it's a joy. It's such a joy to be a mother and watch your children grow and see they are good people in the community.'
Unfortunately for Sloane, her job was made even harder than for most mothers. Her husband, Herman Sloane, died in 2015 and she raised her four daughters, twins and Francesca and Gabriella and twins Scarlett and Penelope, on her own.
The quartet, who all play violins in their own group, Sloane's on Strings, and were involved with sports, had a combination of home schooling and attendance at St. Ignatius.
Scarlett and Penelope will graduate high school this year and Scarlett will head to Purdue and Penelope to Illinois. Gabriella is a student at Michigan and Francesca is at Wisconsin.
'I went from zero to two to four and two and it will be zero again,' Karen said. 'But it is something I've prepared for. My husband and I wanted them to succeed and make something of themselves.
'It's a change, but it's a happy change.'
All four were around for Mother's Day, but Francesca missed the walk as she was flying in from Washington, where she is a legislative intern.
The past 10 years have not been an easy time without Herman, but Karen has been trying to stay positive.
'You don't get everything in life,' she said. 'You have to be grateful for what you have. Despite our loss, I still feel very blessed with four healthy girls who are educated and smart.'
Duffy, 58, planned to celebrate five years of being free of cervical cancer after the walk. She also had open-heart surgery in 2006 so she said she is happy to enjoy the moment.
For her, Mother's Day brings back fond memories when she and her late mother, also named Barbara, worked in the family business, Duffy Floral.
'My mom and I always worked together in the flower industry, and it was always a day to work,' she said of Mother's Day. 'And working with my mom was even more important.'
Duffy spent time at the walk helping to sell gifts with her friend Debbie Morley and soaked in all of the love that she saw among the walkers.
'This is a big celebration for all of the moms out there and it's fantastic,' she said. 'You love to see them out here celebrating life and family.'
Palos Park Woman's Club co-Presidents Ronette McCarthy and Ann Oliver started this event in 2023 and held it on Mother's Day.
They changed that last year and held it the day before.
'We wanted to free up those mothers who have other plans on Mother's Day,' McCarthy said. 'The Palos Park Woman's Club is made up of volunteers and many are mothers ourselves and we wanted to give ourselves Mother's Day.'
There are walks going on throughout the Southland during the spring, but the club wanted to host one closer to home.
'This is a way we can bring people together,' McCarthy said. 'We thought it would be great to have another walk to celebrate mothers. We just wanted to have one in this direction.'
There were different paths and distances for walkers to choose from and there were mothers, fathers, kids and a pet or two taking hikes.
'People love to walk along the lake because Lake Katherine is so beautiful,' McCarthy said. 'Others walk a path along the (Cal-Sag Channel). They walk at their own pace.
'We have a lot of families coming out. It's not just mom.'