(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Ellen Rontal had an epiphany.
"I was walking down the street and a gentleman said, 'Can you give me some money?'" she recalled.
"And I was brusque, and I said no. And he said, 'Could you give me a smile?'
"And it literally stopped me in my tracks and I turned around and said, 'Of course I can give you a smile.'"
Rontal became a volunteer with the Chicago Help Initiative. One of the things they do is feed the homeless.
She wanted to do more to acknowledge the homeless. Rontal asked people who showed up for dinner if she could draw their portrait.
Rontal has had one exhibit so far of her 31 drawings.
"Some of my friends who saw the show and I talked to said, 'You know what? I've started acknowledging and saying hello to people on the street.'
"And they say, 'It's so nice. They really appreciate it.' And they do. All you have to say is, 'Hello. How are you?' And they say, 'Thank you, I'm fine. God bless you. Have a blessed day.'"
