Homer Township Highway Commissioner Brent Porfilio uses personal experience to launch special needs grant program
By Michelle Mullins
Daily Southtown
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Jul 14, 2022 at 5:30 am
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Homer Township Highway Commissioner Brent Porfilio said he has experienced firsthand the difficulties young adults with special needs face after they’ve aged out of the school system and lose access to some of the support and assistance that schools offer.
They often have a hard time finding and maintaining employment or accessing job training, and many young adults continue to live at home and are cared for by aging parents.
Porfilio was inspired by his son, Christian, who is 28 and has autism, when he decided to begin a grant program to benefit a young adult in the community who has special needs and may need a boost.
The township awarded its first Homer Township Highway Commissioner’s Special Needs Grant to Bridget Albert for $5,000. The grant was made possible by a $2,500 donation from Porfilio and a $2,500 contribution from the highway department. The township worked with the Homer Glen Ability Awareness Committee, which advocates for individuals with special needs, to help develop the application and advertise on social media.
Albert, 33, was pushed in her wheelchair into the Homer Township administrative center Monday night, where she complimented strangers and asked to pray for them.
She taught township officials and audience members sign language for “I love you” and “I love you the most,” and led the township invocation. And she was in shock when Porfilio tied balloons to her wheelchair and presented her with the grant.
“Wait, wait, what? Can you say that again,” Albert said. “Oh my gosh.”
Albert, of Homer Glen, was a 20-year-old honors student at DePaul University when a car accident changed her life. She was a pedestrian standing on a sidewalk waiting to cross the street when she was struck by a car. Her mother, Colleen Albert, said the driver was on his cellphone.
Bridget Albert suffered severe head trauma and was in a coma for a month. When she awoke, she had several surgeries and a long road of therapy. She lost knowledge of herself and her past and had to relearn basic activities such as swallowing, talking and walking, her mom said. Today she can walk a little but needs assistance. She has no long-term memory, but has been a fighter through it all.
“She doesn’t fully realize what a wonderful life she had,” Colleen Albert said.
Despite all Bridget lost, she still maintained her big, loving heart, her mom said.
“She is a real miracle,” Colleen Albert said. “She’s a wonderful servant of God. She has a heart as big as this world. God’s purpose for her is to open other people’s hearts.”
Bridget Albert, a graduate of Providence Catholic High School, is a good friend, outgoing and enjoys praying for others, her mom said.
She was nominated for the grant by a neighbor, Trisha Kot, who lost her son to a traumatic brain injury.
Colleen Albert said she is thankful for the money. One of the hardships the family faces is when their insurance denies claims, she said.
She said they hope to set up a special needs trust fund so that Bridget will be able to have lifelong help. They are also looking to renovate their shower to make bathing easier.
“It’s a wonderful thing they started,” she said.
Porfilio said many municipalities or government agencies offer grants or scholarships, but there seems to be a gap when it comes to individuals with special needs.
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“I’ve seen over the years, they get pushed aside by society,” Porfilio said.
To be nominated, individuals were required to be at least 18 and have a special needs diagnosis. Relatives of elected officials for Homer Township, the Homer Township Road District and the village of Homer Glen were not eligible.
Porfilio, who was elected in 2021, said he plans to continue the program while he is in office and hopes that it remains after his term is over.
“I wanted to set up a legacy for the Homer Township highway commissioner position, and even after I’m gone, I’m hoping they can pick up the ball and carry it on past my day,” Porfilio said.
“People with special needs have a lot of challenges in their life,” he said. “Once they’ve turned 22, all the support mechanisms they had during their younger years seem to disappear and they are not as prevalent. Financial support is something they all need and goes a long way with their recovery.
“It’s always nice to have a secret Santa Claus to help see them through.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
