MOKENA, Ill. — When asked to help, Rod Petrick, president and owner of Ridgeworth Roofing in Frankfort, makes himself available no matter what time of day.

When the Cancer Support Center, a nonprofit with locations in Mokena and Homewood that provides critical supportive care programming to anyone living with a cancer diagnosis, needed sponsors for its inaugural Rise-Up Virtual Telethon, Petrick didn’t hesitate to help a client in need.

Additionally, the center’s mission spoke to Petrick, who lost his brother and team member, Brian, as well as a very close family friend to cancer. Brian died in 2017.

“I met the center’s key personnel when I visited the organization prior to our roof replacement project on its Homewood facility,” Petrick said. “It was there that the staff explained all the services they offer to cancer patients and their families. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, what a fantastic thing that they do with their outreach and they’re helping people who have a difficult illness during a difficult time in their lives.’ I’m glad there’s people like that in the world.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the center closed for in-person appointments. However, the staff is now providing virtual and online support, networking and programming for its clients. With those services, demand has increased and the center created the telethon to fundraise. In its sponsorship, Ridgeworth Roofing donated $500 to the cause.

Jen Linares, the Cancer Support Center’s development manager, said Ridgeworth Roofing’s Stand Up Sponsorship helped the nonprofit keep its virtual doors open to provide critical services to clients.

“With the current pandemic going on, we had to postpone two of our major fundraising events leaving us in a dire financial situation,” Linares said. “With the help of our community members, including Ridgeworth Roofing, rising up and sponsoring our first ever Rise Up Virtual Telethon we are now able to continue providing our critical services to our community members in need. The Rise Up Virtual Telethon was a huge success, raising over $70,000. We could not have done it without our amazing sponsors, donors, and community.”

Helping charities has been a way of life for Petrick. He remembered how his late father, Robert, who began Ridgeworth Roofing in 1974, would talk about how he volunteered for various projects. Petrick hopes that his children will continue that same spirit of helping those in need.

“You make a living in the roofing industry and you are able to also give back,” Petrick said. “You leave the world a much better place than when you started.”

For more information about Ridgeworth Roofing, visit ridgeworthroofing.com.