Lake County Gazette

Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) is following the lead of one of the young residents of his 25th District in making a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

After recently winning a bike at an Oberweis Dairy raffle, Wauconda resident Gracie Fladhammer, who suffers from a non-curable illness known as Primary Immune Deficiency, pledged to donate the bike to Make-A-Wish and encouraged Oberweis to match her contribution.

It proved to be a proposal the veteran state lawmaker couldn’t refuse.

“We got a call from Dayna and Brian, Gracie’s parents, and they explained how Gracie wanted to donate the bike and how she wanted to know if the Oberweis Foundation would also make a donation,” Oberweis said in a press release. “Here you have this girl with an incurable disease, and her first thought when she won a bike, and really before she even entered the contest, was to think about other kids. I was honored to be a part of her generous donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.”

Oberweis said Gracie has participated in a Make-A-Wish Foundation trip before and knows first-hand about the valuable work the organization does.  

Oberweis recently launched his campaign against U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) in the 14th Congressional District on a platform of sustained economic strength and job growth. The crowded Republican primary field also includes state Illinois state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris), former Kendall County GOP Chairman James Marter and businessman Ted Grandel.