you learn to talk, you learn to swim, because unfortunately, the drowning rates in the US are astronomical.”
this lesson.
The statement “it happens to the best of us” couldn’t be any more true for Cullen Jones.
The four-time Olympic medalist and first African-American to hold a swimming world record, nearly drowned at a water park when he was five.
Now, after an accomplished career, he’s using his platform to promote water safety around the USA, and Goldfish Swim School was his most recent stop.
Jones visited the school’s Plainfield and Naperville locations on Sept. 23 to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of their program. There are currently 125 locations across the US and Canada, and with their work, a total of more than 11 thousand children have been taught to swim.
“The mission statement of [Goldfish] is what drew me to it,” Jones said. “They understand that swimming is a life skill. You learn to walk,
Jones cited that drowning is the leading cause of death for children aging 1-4, and that this Labor Day weekend was one of the deadliest in history on the beaches of Chicago.
His works to promote safety and awareness include being an ambassador for Goldfish Swim School, as well as the USA Swimming Foundation’s “Make A Splash” program.
Jones also recently received an award from the International Swimming Hall of Fame for his work.
“Cullen’s top priority has always been water safety, and that really aligns with what we do at the school,” marketing director Kristina Young said. “Our main and highest priority is to teach kids how to be safe in and around water.”
Jones and the teachers at Goldfish will always say the biggest thing to remember when learning to swim is to relax and have fun. As soon as he walked into the school, Jones noticed how its program stays true to
“One of the first things that I liked about Goldfish is that Bubbles [the goldfish mascot] is on the ceiling, so when kids turn on their backs to float, they’re distracted by Bubbles instead of worrying about the water,” Jones said. “The idea is genius.”
Now, with an impressive resume both in and out of the water, Jones can only look back on his goals coming to fruition. However, he isn’t satisfied with his current results, and continues to push for water safety and awareness daily.
“For my development, it took a village,” Jones said. “It wasn’t just me swimming and staring at a black line the whole time. I had my mom’s carrot sticks, my dad making sure I got up on time, and my church that I leaned on. I understand that for true change to happen, it takes more than one person or a few people. For me teaching kids to swim, it feels like my life has come full circle. This is my life’s work, and it’s something that I’m extremely proud of, but there’s still work to be done.”
Fortune/PINC AI (Premier, Inc. AI) has announced its 100 Top Hospitals for 2023. Edward Hospital in Naperville is #14 in the 20 Top Large Community Hospitals category. Edward was previously recognized as a 100 Top Hospital in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021. The 100 Top Hospitals are broken down into 60 Top Community Hospitals (Large, Medium and Small categories – 20 hospitals each) and 40 Top Teaching Hospitals (15 Top Major Teaching Hospitals, 25 Top Teaching Hospitals).
Edward Hospital is part of NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health
(NS-EEH), a fully integrated healthcare delivery system that serves more than 4.2 million residents across six northeast Illinois counties. Elmhurst Hospital, also part of NS-EEH, was previously honored as a 100 Top Hospital in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Fortune/PINC AI will announce its 15 Top Health Systems for 2023 in December.
Edward-Elmhurst Health has made the Top Health System list the last four years (2019-2022) in the Medium Health Systems category.
Plainfield, Illinois – The 71st Annual Plainfield Community Homecoming Parade is Saturday, September 30th, 2023. Safety is the community’s top priority and the Village of Plainfield, Plainfield Fire Protection District, and Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 have worked together to ensure this year’s Homecoming Parade is a safe and enjoyable event for everyone.
Over the last several years, our country has witnessed numerous acts of violence at public events, including parades. We take these events seriously and have been preparing to put on a safe and successful Homecoming Parade, which has been one of the largest in Illinois for many years. There will be a marked increase in police presence at this year’s parade. We urge all community members that plan to participate and attend to have age-appropriate discussions at home related to personal safety in large crowds.
As with every Homecoming Parade, the event will cause traffic congestion and delays in and around Downtown Plainfield and Plainfield High School – Central Campus (PHSCC). Traffic lanes on Route 59 or Route 126 will not be closed, however, motorists should be advised that traffic congestion and delays are expected. All roads are expected to reopen by 11:30 a.m. Unless participating in or viewing the parade, motorists are asked to avoid the downtown area on Saturday morning.
Beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, September 30:
• Police will begin closing James Street between Commercial Street and Fort Beggs Drive. PHSCC and Fort Beggs Drive will be restricted to parade entries only.
• At approximately 8:30 a.m., the police department will close the following roadways:
• Lockport Street from Route 59 to James Street.
• James Street from Lockport Street to Fort Beggs Drive.
• Ottawa Street from James Street to Route 59.
• Fox River Street from Lockport Street to Commercial Street.
• Des Plaines Street from the alley north of Lockport Street to Commercial Street.
• Illinois Street from Lockport Street to Commercial Street.
• Commercial Street from James Street to Route 59.
• Fort Beggs Drive from James Street to Pratt Lane.
Parade staging and lineup has been SEE PaRaDE PaGE 6
Local Edward Jones Financial
Advisor Daniette Y. Williams and her branch team will once again form a team, the Edward Jones Shorewood (Team ID: 797885) team, to participate in the local Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Additionally, on a national level, Edward Jones continues to serve as a National Presenting sponsor of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, with over 600 Walks across the U.S.,
the world’s largest event to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Association care, support and research.
“Supporting the Alzheimer’s Association to find a cure for this terrible disease is something we are passionate about at Edward Jones,” said Financial Advisor Daniette Y. Williams.. “In our work and our personal lives, we have witnessed not only the physical toll this takes on families but also
the financial drain. That’s why we partner with the Alzheimer’s Association, both at a national level and here in Shorewood.”
“I’ve seen the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s firsthand. This year, I walk for my grandfather Martin Aguilar and the friends and family of community who have also felt the impact,” Daniette Williams said.
Alzheimer’s is one of the most
expensive diseases, with a lifetime cost of care of more than $392,000, according to the Alzheimer’s Association Disease Facts and Figures. Additionally, more than 6 million Americans live with the disease today, and more than 11 million family members and friends serve as Alzheimer’s caregivers.
Since launching an alliance with the Alzheimer’s Association in 2016, Edward Jones has committed to contributing $50 million over a 10-year period. This is the largest ever pledged by a corporate partner to the Alzheimer’s Association. The funds will help enhance access to care and support programs, expand education
materials for Edward Jones clients and associates, and advance critical Alzheimer’s research. To learn more about the Alzheimer’s disease, the work of the Alzheimer’s Association and resources for families living with Alzheimer’s, visit www.alz.org.
To keep this momentum going, Edward Jones invites community members to join the 2023 Edward Jones Team Shorewood (Team ID: 797885) team. Contact Daniette Williams 815-744-8150..
Masks are not required, unless there are requirements by the non-profit organization, venue or are required by local or state order or requirement.
• Plainfield Central High School, northeast lot. Enter from eastbound Fort Beggs Drive via River Road.
Youth Sports Clubs
• Staging will be on James Street. Participants should plan to meet at a designated location and walk to their assigned location on James Street. A limited number of pedestrians can be dropped off in front of PHSCC via Fort Beggs Drive. All traffic MUST come from River Road northbound to eastbound Fort Beggs Drive.
• Overflow parking, if applicable, will be assigned to the north parking lot of PHSCC.
Homecoming Court, Escort Vehicles, Designated VIPs
• Staging in the parking lot north of the football field
All other parade entries
• Access James Street via northbound River Road. You will receive your assignment at the corner of Fort Beggs Drive and James Street.
The Parade will step off from Plainfield Central High School at 9:00 a.m. It will travel north on James Street to Commercial Street; east on Commercial Street to Illinois Street;
north on Illinois Street to Ottawa Street; west on Ottawa Street to Fox River Street; north on Fox River Street to Chicago Street; east on Chicago Street to Illinois Street; north on Illinois Street to Lockport Street; west on Lockport Street to James Street; and south on James Street, ending at James Street and Commercial Street.
At the conclusion of the parade, band/bus pickup will be in the northeast parking lot of PHSCC. Parade float entries can either exit the area via southbound River Road or eastbound Fort Beggs Drive, or end in the south parking lot along Fort Beggs Drive. All walkers from the parade should be picked up at Greg Bott Park (formerly Renwick Community Park), located at 24550 West Renwick Road in Plainfield.
A limited amount of Handicapped Parking will be available in the Illinois Street Municipal Parking Lot, the Des Plaines Street municipal parking lot, and on the west side of Des Plaines Street between Route 126 and Oak Street.
No parking will be permitted along the parade route beginning at 1:00 am on September 30th, until the conclusion of the parade.
This year’s Oakton College Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program Art Exhibit features a record number of artists that address various topics across 15 mediums. The exhibit — entitled “Don’t ‘Drag’ Me Down: Today’s Battle for Liberation” — is free and open to the public and runs from Oct. 5 to Nov. 3 at Oakton’s Koehnline Museum of Art, 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines, Ill. A public reception for the artists will be held at the Museum on Thursday, Oct. 5, 5-8 p.m. The reception will feature a performance by Glenna Sprague, Oakton Six Piano Ensemble conductor and Oakton professor and coordinator of music.
“This year, we not only received over 100 submissions, a record number for this exhibit, but we heard from artists as far as Germany, Italy, Poland and Puerto Rico,” said Lindsey Hewitt, distinguished professor of Anthropology and Humanities and coordinator of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. “The artists we invited represent different backgrounds and different perspectives, but all address the ‘Don’t “Drag” Me Down: Today’s Battle for Liberation’ theme.”
Artists provided social commentary and inspiration about how marginalized communities create courageous spaces, empower each other and change the world. Over 100 artists responded, and works by 74 artists were selected for the exhibition. These works address various topics from the attacks on bodily autonomy, sexuality, gender identity, and the rights of transgender youth, to book bans and censorship, racialized violence, colonialism, the war in Ukraine and many more. Below are five artists whose work will be featured at the exhibit.
Ali Beyer, a visual artist and adjunct instructor in the Cinema & Television Arts Department at Columbia College Chicago, utilizes their own non-binary appearance in the self-portrait “King Queen (Can’t Beat Me Down with this Golden Crown).” In their piece, Beyer alludes to the transient nature of gender and hits upon ideas of who has historically been deemed worthy of portraiture — and who has been excluded — while raising questions such as who may be a king and/or a queen in this society.
Granite Palombo-Amit’s “The Overturning of Roe v. Wade” is composed of statistical data that is intentionally presented upside down. The piece forces the audience to bend in an uncomfortable position to read the text. Palombo-Amit is an interdisciplinary artist who integrates the different facets of her life as a therapist, progressive rabbi and activist. She has exhibited nationally and internationally.
A Ukraine-born and Evanston-based artist, Olena M. Marshall studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Evanston Art Center and the Art Center Highland Park. Her “The Pilgrimage: Russia’s Imperialist Death Cult Marches on” draws attention to the “unfreedoms” of the colonial and imperialist ideologies exemplified by Russia. The viewer is invited to consider the agency, victimhood and culpability of those in the processional — and how this illiberal movement will be stopped.
Exhibit visitors can take a closer look at “Inkwell of Change: Women’s Journeys to Liberation” by Berlin-based Aziza Magsudlu. Magsudlu empowers women through her art, giving voice to those stifled by silence and inequality. Through the vivid language of color and symbolism, she aims to ignite conversations, provoke introspection and mold a future where the resounding voices of women can never be ignored. Berlin’s vibrant energy intertwines with Magsudlu’s Azerbaijani heritage, infusing her work with a diverse array of influences.
Nora Moore Lloyd, a Chicago-based artist and enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Nation in Wisconsin, has had her work exhibited at the Chicago History Museum, Field Museum, Illinois State Museum and internationally. Moore Lloyd will show a portrait of her friend Susan Power, who, after leaving the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation at a young age, became a founding member of the American Indian Center and other important Native American institutions in Chicago and nationally.
The Museum is open Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information, please visit Oakton’s website.
