Verona Walk Residents Raise Awareness for a Good Cause

On February 24, 2024, Margaret Hackett and members of her family went to the Verona Walk Cafe for dinner. Margaret is always escorted by her service dog, Feivel.  Feivel was on a leash and wearing his service vest. He was under the table, as he is trained to do. According to Margaret, the Cafe Manager walked up to our table, pointed at Feivel, and stated abruptly, "He must go NOW." He was informed that Feivel is a licensed, trained service dog for Margaret. Margaret added, “The manager asked to see his papers (which legally he can't ask); he was shown his license and responded ‘So? I don't care, the dog must leave my restaurant NOW.’” 

Margaret submitted a Letter to the Editor to the Coastal Breeze News on 3/7/2024 and also posted a copy of that Letter on the Verona Walk Facebook page. Upon reading the letter, Verona Walk residents were outraged that someone was treated this way in their HOA’s Verona Walk Cafe. 

Wanting to change a negative to a positive, the Verona Walk residents suggested a fundraiser for Margaret's foundation. As word spread the residents contacted Patty Kokta, a resident of Verona Walk, offering to help make the event successful and received overwhelming support for Margaret and Feivel. 

There is a saying that “When life hands you a lemon, you make lemonade.” The expression “hands you a lemon,” is a term often associated with setbacks, or something unwanted or unpleasant. In this instance, the residents of Verona Walk “started a lemonade stand,” and met monthly starting in early April2024 to work on the details of the Fundraiser for February 2025. 

Nancy Rothbaum, a resident of Verona Walk, watched the board meeting in March 2024, where the incident at the restaurant was discussed. She was very upset and shared, “This was not representative of who we are, and it was a black mark on our community.”  

Frank Borowiec, also a Verona Walk resident and a former President of the HOA, spoke up during the board meeting and called the incident a travesty. And as a result of the outrage from the residents, the HOA canceled the restaurant’s lease and the Verona Walk Café will be opening later this month with new management. 

Frank Borowiec was a Marine Vietnam Veteran from 1970-73 and shared, “She has the strength of a Marine,” and presented Margaret with a symbolic Marine Semper Fi Coin of Courage. 

The fundraiser is scheduled for February 8, 2025, at the Verona Walk Town Center from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. It will feature live entertainment, a raffle, and various silent auction items. Margaret would welcome additional sponsors and donations for the live auction and added, “We could never have enough. This is our first year and we are hoping to make this an annual event.”  

The Fundraiser will benefit the Margaret Hackett Family Center (MHFC) established in 2017. Dr. Michael R. Zindrick, a board member at MHFC, shared that “MHFC aids families in navigating the medical system, connecting them with resources and therapies while fostering collaboration among experts in this specialized field.”  

Dr. Bakhtiar Yamini, Head of Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago Hospital, also sent this message in support of the February event, “Fundraisers like this one are critical in supporting the MHFC to achieve their goals and raise hope for patients and families with these devastating conditions. MHFC not only brings together leading academic institutes from around the country to study these diseases but also directly helps patients and their families navigate the many struggles that encompass having a loved one with such anomalies.” 

For more information on the event, or if you would like to be part of the sponsorship list or donate to the live auction, please call 262-271-6467 or 630-464-9297. According to Margaret, if you can’t join the fundraiser, please consider donating today atwww.MHFamilycenter.org.