Hoekstra Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), a family-owned business in Homewood, installed a free furnace and air conditioning unit inside Homewood resident Jessica Gadomski’s house on Friday, Oct. 3, as part of Lennox’s nationwide Feel the Love campaign.
Lennox, a heating and air conditioning brand, started the Feel the Love initiative in 2009. Community members nominate friends and loved ones to receive a free air conditioning and/or furnace by filling out an application form on feelthelove.com. They tell the nominee’s story and why they believe they need a new HVAC unit.
Lennox vets the applications and Hoekstra HVAC selected the winner.
Lennox provided Gadomski with the furnace and air conditioner. Hoekstra supplied the labor, parts and a warranty promising they’d return to ensure the units were running correctly.
“Programs like this are an opportunity for everybody to be reminded that we can get a lot farther if we work together. We can get a lot farther if we don’t withhold from each other,” Hoekstra HVAC co-owner Spencer Hoekstra said. “There’s a sense of community that’s not just about HVAC.”
Gadomski was nominated by her mother, who heard about Feel the Love after reading in the Chronicle that Hoekstra HVAC was participating in the program for the first time.
Hoekstra’s Office Manager Sarah Meeks said Gadomski was selected because her resilience and generosity moved them, and they liked that she was hyperlocal. Meeks referenced Gadomski’s volunteer work for the South Suburban Humane Society, and that she reportedly allowed a teenager to stay at her home while they got back on their feet.
Gadomski, a single mother, said that she and her two 8-year-old daughters, who are students at Heather Hill Elementary School in Flossmoor, had to rely on open windows to keep cool this summer after her air conditioner broke. Gadomski’s furnace wasn’t entirely non-functional, but it was highly ineffective.
“I bought this house a little over a year ago,” Gadomski said. “We had a really old furnace. It had gone out a few times, and I YouTubed how to fix it. We’ve put it together with string and duct tape. […] Now that we have a new one, it’s a huge relief.”
Hoekstra HVAC Customer Service Representative Jarriesa Roberts said she’s not typically present when the technicians are installing furnaces and air conditioners, so she enjoyed seeing them work on Gadomski’s home.
“Replacing an HVAC system is a huge expense for anybody. It’s the third most expensive cost in your home,” said Jennifer Simko, Lennox’s territory manager in the South Suburbs. “Being able to give back to the community and offer that for free to people who need it the most is something that’s really incredible. And I’m glad that we offer that.”
