Sunny Hill staffer displaced by Aroma Park disaster; facility reports community fundraising

Maggie McDonald of Sunny Hill told the Will County Public Health and Safety Committee that one of the facility’s long‑time nurses, Christy Rover, lost her home in the Aroma Park disaster and was temporarily staying in a hotel.

"We collected almost $5,000 that went to, Christy," McDonald said, thanking staff and community members who donated sick time, uniform vouchers and cash. She said the outpouring of support reduced immediate financial stress for the employee and her family.

McDonald summarized other May activities at Sunny Hill, including volunteer‑week events, a large Mother's Day musical event scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday and National Nursing Home Week programming (May 10–16) focused on engagement for residents, families, staff and volunteers. She said volunteers run the facility’s sweet shop and provide daily life‑engagement support.

On court‑ordered community service, McDonald said the courts have moved toward better scheduling and earlier notification, allowing Sunny Hill to complete background checks and safely host assigned individuals for service hours. She told the committee the change "should be taking effect this month," which will make placements more practical for both the facility and participants.

The chair and committee members asked follow‑up questions about a recent state survey; McDonald said the health, life‑safety and emergency‑preparedness surveys "went extremely well" and that the facility is back in substantial standing. She also said the facility's financial report was submitted by its accountant on April 30 and forwarded to the county board chief of staff (Chuck Knight) for distribution to the committee.

The committee offered thanks to Sunny Hill for the report. The committee approved the minutes from its April 2, 2026 meeting earlier in the session and adjourned with the next meeting scheduled for June 4.