Getting ready to begin their volunteer shift at Azzarelli Clinic are Judy Snead, RN (l.); Alice Sparks, receptionist; Brooke Futterer, executive director; and Cathy Wade, office manager.
by Michelle London
At Azzarelli Clinic in Kankakee, Ill., patients fill the waiting room—many of them with chronic conditions and speaking limited English.
Without the clinic, most would not have access to medical care.
With the belief that quality healthcare is a human right, Azzarelli Clinic provides services at no cost.
“Thank God we’re here,” says Brooke Futterer, the clinic’s director and nurse practitioner. “Our patients would have nowhere to go.”
A former nursing faculty member at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., Brooke brings a teacher’s heart to her work. With a 90 percent Hispanic patient population, she communicates by drawing diagrams and using volunteer translators to help break down complex concepts.
“My goal is that every patient leaves knowing how to manage their health,” she says.
As a Ministry Partner of the Sisters of Charity, BVM, Azzarelli Clinic embodies what happens when faith, community, and generosity come together.
Azzarelli Clinic, an outreach of St. John Paul II Parish, has served the community for more than 40 years.
A Mission Built on Heart
Helen Chigaras, RN, a nurse for St. Theresa Parish (now St. John Paul II Parish), began doing blood pressure checks in a closet at the parish outreach center in the mid-1980s.
“She is the clinic,” says Fr. Tony Taschetta, pastor at St. Theresa Catholic Church from 1990 to 2002. “She was the heart, the pulse, the motivating force, the genius.”
Helen built a volunteer medical team. Eventually, the clinic expanded to the annex of the former St. Theresa Catholic School.
“We were in the poorest section of Kankakee, but our parishioners supported the clinic,” Father Tony says. “There was a saying: ‘If you have to get sick, get sick at St. Theresa’s on a Sunday morning.’”
Judy Callahan, BVM, who sponsored the Ministry Partnership Grant, says, “The clinic was an outgrowth of the needs of the community. Black, Hispanic, and Anglo families all worked together to help it grow.”
Fr. Tony credits Judy and other BVMs who served in the area with inspiring the diverse community to get out and make a difference.
Nathan Howard, a senior nursing student at Illinois State University, has been a volunteer at the clinic since May 2024.
“They were incredible,” he says. “They were knocking on doors and getting women to get out of their homes and into groups where they were learning English and getting involved in projects within the parish, including the clinic.”
A Patient Who Became a Volunteer
Few people understand the clinic’s impact as deeply as Sofia.*
“I was very sick,” she recalls. “I’m an asthmatic and I didn’t have my inhaler. The medication is very expensive.”
Sofia came to the clinic in 2015. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she had no insurance.
“It was a relief not to have to worry about how to pay,” she says.
Sitting in the waiting room, she watched other patients struggle to communicate.
“It took me back to my childhood,” says Sofia, who came to the United States from Mexico at age three. “We learned English and we translated for our parents.”
Volunteering at the clinic felt natural.
“In return for them treating me and helping me get my medication, I give my time,” she says. “They saved my life. I’m very grateful.”
Translating isn’t easy—patients speak different dialects, and medical terminology is tricky.
“Google helps,” Sofia says.
Funding the Mission Today
Keeping the clinic open remains a daily challenge. Grants and volunteers are essential to help treat between 800 and 1,200 patients annually.
“We’re always exploring ways to expand funding,” Brooke says. “Without the sisters and private donors, we couldn’t continue this work.”
After Helen’s death in 2017, the clinic carried on its mission of free care.
“The clinic stays open because people care,” Judy says. “Every person who comes through the door is treated with dignity.”
Father Tony offers moral support, even after retiring.
“This clinic is an expression of the Gospel,” he says. “They care for people not because they belong to our parish or our country, but because they belong to God.”
*Sofia is a pseudonym.
This story was featured in:
Winter Salt 2026: A Life Commended to God
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