Chatham Southeast Citizen 12-4-2019

Study Highlights Impact Of Medicaid Expansion On Pregnant Women — Page 3

Citizen Week of Dec. 4, 2019, 2019

| Vol. 55 | No. 36 | www.citizennewspapergroup.com

CHATHAM SOUTHEAST

CVS Pharmacy, 7858 S. Halsted St., will be closing on Jan. 10, 2020 making it the third major retailer located on west 79th Street in Auburn Gresham to close within a year. Photo credit: By Wendell Hutson

CVS IS LATEST AUBURN GRESHAM RETAILER TO SHUT DOWN A longtime retail tenant in Auburn Gresham will shut down come January 2020 making it the third major business to do so in the past year. PAGE 3

BUSINESS

NEWS

Ross University School of Medicine and Oakwood University partner to increase physician diversity in the US

NEWS

Get Inspired to Give Back this Holiday Season

EmpowerYouth!

Igniting Creativity through the Arts begins its third year

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NEWS briefly EDUCATION

CLASSDOJO LAUNCHES LATEST ‘BIG IDEAS’ SERIES TO HELP CHILDREN UNDERSTAND AND EXPRESS THEIR EMOTIONS IN AND BEYOND SCHOOL ClassDojo recently announced a new Big Ideas series to help children recognize, understand and express their emotions in and beyond school. In the latest Big Ideas series, ClassDojo has produced 12 animated video episodes and discussion guides to help children understand their emotions and build emotional intelligence. According to a press release, ClassDojo is the leading communication app for primary schools around the world, used in 95% of pre-K-8 schools in the United States and a further 180 countries. It helps teachers, families, and children build a close-knit classroom community by sharing pictures, videos, moments from school and home.

Each Big Ideas series consists of different learning experiences: some include short, animated stories that end in a question, others have hands-on exercises, and others create reflection and interactive discussions designed to bring overlooked and hardto-teach social and emotional learning concepts to life in the classroom and at home.

For more information on ClassDojo’s new Big Ideas series, please visit https://www.classdojo.com/ideasand https://www.classdojo. com/about.

HEALTH

SURVEY: MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE AVOIDED MEDICAL CARE DUE TO COST If there is one thing a majority of Americans can agree on, it’s that healthcare costs are too expensive and they want upfront pricing. HealthPocket, a free information source designed to help consumers find medical coverage recently released results of a pulse survey which found A recent pulse survey has found that that 85% of U.S. adults 85% of U.S. adults think that healththink that healthcare costs care costs in general are too high. in general are too high.

Underscoring that point, 51% of those surveyed have avoided medical care due to lack of ability to pay.

The survey found that prices are a priority, with 91% saying that costs for medical services should be as readily available as prices are on a restaurant menu. In fact, 78% have been afraid to go to the hospital because of cost, with an overwhelming majority (96%) saying that hospitals should be upfront about the cost before treatment. Given the option, 86% said they would compare prices before going to the hospital if prices were posted online.

Entire survey results are available at https://www.healthpocket. com/health-insurance-insights/medical-debt-in-us-2019

LAW & POLITICS

CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS EXPRESSES OUTRAGE OVER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SNAP PROPOSAL CUTTING FREE SCHOOL MEAL ELIGIBILITY FOR ONE MILLION SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) recently sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue regarding the Department’s proposed rule to eliminate broadbased categorical eligibility (BBCE) in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and its adverse impact on access to school meals for nearly 1 million school-age children.

According to USDA estimates, over 3 million people, including seniors, veterans, persons with disabilities, and working families with children, would be kicked off SNAP under the proposed rule.

Nearly 1 million children in affected SNAP households would lose automatic eligibility for free school meals.

The full text of the letter can be found here https://cbc.house.gov/ uploadedfiles/cbc_letter_to_usda_on_snap_cat-el_proposed_rule.pdf

Survey finds 1 in 3 patients needed more information on cancer treatment side effects One in three adults treated for cancer may experience side effects from treatment they wish they had known more about, according to a new survey published recently in the Journal of Oncology Practice. The national survey of more than 400 U.S. adults, which was sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), also found that nine in 10 patients felt they made the right treatment decision despite the desire for more information about treatment side effects.

“An unfortunate reality of cancer treatment is that therapy also has side effects that can impact a patient’s quality of life. Nearly all patients in the survey felt confident about their treatment decisions, but a sizable number also expressed a clear need for more information about potential side effects,” said Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, FASTRO, senior author of the study and the Newman Family Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan.

For each major type of cancer treatment (radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery), approximately of one-third of patients experienced treatment-related side effects that they wanted more information about (radiation therapy 37%, chemotherapy 36%, surgery 34%).

Information gaps were related to how severe patients considered their treatment-related side effects to be, with patients who reported severe side effects more likely to say they did not know enough about them. More than a third of patients (38%) who reported having severe side effects from cancer treatment also said they felt uninformed, compared to 4% of those who reported having minimal side effects.

The survey also looked specifically at patients’ experiences with radiation therapy side effects. Patients said these experiences generally were in line with their expectations, although notable numbers felt more tired (29%) or weak (28%) or experienced worse changes to their energy level (31%) than expected.

“More in-depth patient counseling on these side effects could help us better prepare our patients for changes to their quality of life,” said Narek Shaverdian, MD, first author of the study and a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Treatment-related side effects increased with the addition of systemic/ drug therapy and/or surgery to a www.citizennewspapergroup.com

patient’s treatment regimen. Fatigue, weakness and pain were significantly more likely to be worse than expected for patients treated with all three modalities, compared to those treated with radiation therapy alone.

“The pronounced impact of treatment side effects for patients receiving combination therapy also suggests a need to build better coordination between oncology disciplines about managing side effects and to improve informed consent processes across cancer therapies,” said Dr. Shaverdian.

Additional findings from the survey include: l The most common side effects patients wished they had known more about with radiation therapy included skin irritation, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and fatigue. With chemotherapy, patients wanted more information on nerve damage, GI symptoms and fatigue. With surgery, patients wanted more information on pain, nerve damage and numbness. l When rating their experience with treatment-related side effects on a scale from minimal (0) to severe (100), the average ratings were 45 for radiation therapy side effects, 47 for surgery side effects and 63 for chemotherapy side effects. l Roughly one in five patients felt they needed more information about possible side effects before they started cancer treatment (radiation therapy: 18%, surgery: 20%, chemotherapy: 26%). l The side effects that patients were concerned about most frequently before radiation therapy were feeling tired (56%), feeling weak (50%) and skin burning (46%). l A majority of patients (55%) consulted their primary care physi-

cian (PCP) about cancer treatment options, and 9 in 10 of these said the PCP’s advice was very (64%) or somewhat (29%) important in their decision making. l A fourth of all patients surveyed said their PCP was the only information source they consulted. When patients used additional information sources, they were most likely to seek out medical or cancer-related websites, family and friends, the experiences of other patients and cancer support groups. l More than two-thirds of patients (68%) perceived their radiation oncologist to have the same or more cancer knowledge as the other oncologists on their treatment team.

Survey Details An online survey was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of ASTRO from March to May 2018 using quota-based sampling to draw a nationwide sample of U.S. adults treated for cancer with radiation therapy within the past five years. A total of 403 respondents completed the survey.

Article Details “Nationwide survey of patients’ perspectives regarding their radiation and multidisciplinary treatment experiences,” published online November 20, 2019 in the Journal of Oncology Practice (https://doi. org/10.1200/JOP.19.00376). Authors include Narek Shaverdian, MD; Debra Yeboa, MD; Liz Gardner, PhD; Paul Harari, MD, FASTRO; Kaiping Liao, PhD; Susan McCloskey, MD, PhD; Richard Tuli, MD, PhD; Neha Vapiwala, MD; and Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, FASTRO.

CITIZEN | Chatham Southeast | Week of Dec. 4, 2019

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NEWS

CVS is Latest Auburn Gresham Retailer to Shut Down Continued from page 1

BY WENDELL HUTSON Contributing Writer

A longtime retail tenant in Auburn Gresham will shut down come January 2020 making it the third major business to do so in the past year.

BJ’s Market & Bakery at 1156 W. 79th St. closed nearly a year ago and Bank of America closed 16 Chicago branches in July including one at 7900 S. Halsted St. Now, CVS Pharmacy, 7858 S. Halsted St., will close on Jan. 10 along with another CVS store at 4777 N. Milwaukee Ave. due to poor, financial performance. After both closures, CVS will have 50 stores remaining in Chicago, according to Mike DeAngelis, a spokesman for CVS Health.

“We understand the disappointment of our closing stores (but) we remain committed to Chicago and we will continue to provide the community with outstanding pharmacy service at our other locations in the city,” said DeAngelis.

He added that customers should not worry about their prescriptions being lost because all prescriptions will be transferred to a nearby CVS. “To ensure that pharmacy customers will continue to have uninterrupted access to

service, we will seamlessly transfer all prescriptions from our South Halsted Street location to the CVS Pharmacy located two miles away at 7855 S. Western Ave.,” explained DeAngelis. “(And) the closure of the store is not a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our employees who work there. In fact, every effort will be made to help place them into comparable roles at other CVS locations in Chicago.”

Ald. David Moore (17th), whose ward includes CVS, Bank of America and BJ’s Market, said the latest closure comes at a time when so much is being planned to revitalize the area, such as a new Metra station at 79th Street and Lowe Avenue and a new initiative recently announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to jump start economic development in West and South Side neighborhoods.

INVEST South/West is a new program the mayor said would leverage resources from public, private and nonprofit sectors to revitalize commercial corridors in the Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Roseland, New City, Humboldt Park, Austin, North Lawndale, Quad Communities, South Shore, and South Chicago neighborhoods.

“INVEST South/West is bringing together government, businesses and community groups to make coordinated investments in 10 neigh-

borhoods, reversing decades of disinvestment on Chicago’s South and West Sides, and driving inclusive growth in commercial corridors throughout our city,” Lightfoot said at a Nov. 25 event announcing the new program. “We will create economically dynamic communities if we make these investments with residents, not for residents, which is why my administration wants to hear feedback from individuals who live in these neighborhoods.”

According to Moore, he learned about CVS’ pending store closure from residents.

“I am still waiting to officially be notified by CVS that they plan to close a store in my ward.

It would have been nice for CVS to let me know their intentions, but so far I have not heard from CVS despite reaching out to them several times,” Moore said.

He added that when Bank of America opened a branch at 250 W. 83rd St., he knew it was just a matter of time before changes were made.

“Both branches are close to one another and that usually means one of them has to go. I have a lot of seniors that used the Bank of America branch on 79th and Halsted and now that option is gone. Many of them do not have cars so while the 83rd Street branch is nearby if you are driving, it’s a hike for those without a car.”

Regardless of the closings, Moore said he

plans to help find replacement tenants to take over the empty spaces.

“There are plenty of banks around and I am going to see what I can do about getting one to open up where Bank of America left off,” said Moore. “Same goes go for the CVS store. There are other drugstores available and I will seek them out for that space.”

There’s a Walgreens located close by CVS at 1213 W. 79th St. so Moore said that’s one drugstore that won’t be occupying the empty space.

If another drugstore takes over CVS, it would be complimented by a health center planned by the nonprofit Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corp. The health center is located across the street from CVS at 839 W. 79th St. and is in between Bank of America and Leo Catholic High School.

“Investors aren’t clamoring to get into our communities even though ‘we’ spend a lot of money on consumer goods,” said Carlos Nelson, executive director of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corp. He added the four-story, 60,000 square-foot building his organization purchased and is redeveloping, will be anchored by a 15,000 square-foot health center. Once the $14 million redevelopment project has been completed, Nelson said 100 new jobs would be created.

Study Highlights Impact Of Medicaid Expansion On Pregnant Women Expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act prompted more low-income women of reproductive age to sign up for health insurance, seek medical care and report improvements in their health, a study led by a College of Human Medicine researcher found.

Those findings are important, because they could lead to better health not only for the women but for any future children they bear, said Claire Margerison, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.

Prenatal care, which begins after a woman becomes pregnant, “often comes too late,” Margerison said. It might not fully address risks such as smoking, alcohol use, obesity and chronic diseases that adversely affect the development of the fetus as early as the first few weeks of gestation.

Giving more women access to medical care before they become pregnant could improve

their health and that of their babies, the study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine concluded.

“These results suggest they might enter pregnancy in better health,” Margerison said. “That would improve the outcome of their pregnancy as well.”

Adverse pregnancy outcomes – including low birthweight, premature delivery and maternal and infant mortality – are higher in the United States than in most other industrialized countries.

The study, funded by a National Institutes of Health grant, was to evaluate the impact of government policies, including the expansion of Medicaid, on preconception health, pregnancy health, healthy behaviors and birth outcomes.

It gathered data from 58,365 low-income women between the ages 18 and 44. Thirty-three states expanded Medicaid coverage to more low-income residents under the Affordable Care Act

beginning in 2014.

Margerison’s study found that Medicaid expansion was associated with “increased healthcare coverage and utilization, better self-rated health, and decreases in avoidance of care due to cost, heavy drinking and binge drinking among low-income women of reproductive age.”

However, the study did not find any change in the diagnoses for chronic conditions, such as diabetes, smoking addiction and high body mass index.

Those outcomes could require a longer time to improve following expanded Medicaid, Margerison said.

“Those are very difficult things to change, regardless of health care coverage,” she said. “We may see a larger impact later.

We hope that over time we’ll see that getting health insurance will improve health for women of reproductive age.” That, in turn, she said, will lead to better birth outcomes.

Those findings are important, because they could lead to better health not only for the women but for any future children they bear, said Claire Margerison (pictured), the study’s lead author and an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.

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BUSINESS

This page is sponsored by

Ross University School of Medicine and Oakwood University partner to increase physician diversity in the US African Americans make up only six percent of U.S. physicians. With the goal of driving diversity among U.S. physicians, Oakwood University and Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) recently announced a new agreement to help more African Americans attend medical school.

The agreement was signed on October 24, at Oakwood’s campus by Leslie N. Pollard, Ph.D., D.Min., MBA., president of Oakwood University, and William F. Owen, M.D., FACP, dean and chancellor of RUSM. Oakwood and RUSM are establishing an educational pathway program, making it easier for Oakwood graduates to study medicine at RUSM. Qualified Oakwood students who earn full acceptance into the medical school will receive a scholarship covering full tuition for the first semester.

Oakwood University has consistently been a top producer of Blacks that are accepted and go on to attend medical school. Oakwood is currently the fifth ranking Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the U.S., according to the American Association of American Medical Colleges and as reported by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

Oakwood is coupling the longstanding excellence of its pre-med program with its UNCF grant-supported Career Pathways Initiative to grow its relationships with

With the goal of driving diversity among U.S. physicians, Oakwood University and Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) recently announced a new agreement to help more African Americans attend medical school.

institutions such as RUSM. Developing partnerships such as this will provide additional opportunities for continued student success and professional growth.

“We engage this hopeful relationship with Ross University School of Medicine on behalf of interested Oakwood students. Our students will join the generations that have been blessed through their work,” said Oakwood University President Leslie Pollard.

“African-American doctors are woefully

underrepresented in the physician workforce, leading fewer African Americans to see a doctor,” said RUSM Dean and Chancellor, William F. Owen, Jr., M.D., FACP. “This has significant negative healthcare outcomes in communities already prone to high rates of chronic diseases. Working with Oakwood and other HBCUs, using novel student engagements, validated support programs and senior-level commitments to success, we’re working to address that long overdue challenge to increase

the diversity of our nation’s physicians.”

As part of its continued commitment to addressing diversity, RUSM’s parent company, Adtalem Global Education (NYSE: ATGE), signed on to the HBCU Partnership Challenge created by the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, pledging to invest in creating strategic collaborations with HBCUs and working to increase diversity in key workforce sectors. Over the past year, RUSM has announced six similar agreements with minority serving institutions, including Charles R. Drew University, Dillard University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tuskegee University, Saint Peter’s University and California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Having recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, RUSM’s 14,000-plus diverse alumni practice medicine throughout North America and across all specialties, including a high percentage of graduates who enter the in-demand field of primary care. More than a quarter of RUSM students identify as black or Hispanic, with RUSM earning a 96 percent USMLE Step 1 first-time pass rate in 2018.

RUSM also achieved a 92 percent residency attainment rate for first-time-eligible 20182019 graduates, and of the 647 RUSM medical students who attained residency in March of 2019, 82 were black and 61 were Hispanic.

Academy Securities Announces Sponsorship of The Naval Academy’s First Annual Black Female Network Breakfast Academy Securities, a registered broker-dealer, certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), recently sponsored the First Annual Black Female Network Breakfast at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The firm supports the group of Naval Academy alumni while helping to provide pathways of success and networking opportunities.

At the breakfast event, notable guests and alumni gathered to celebrate the legacy that these females carry and their responsibility to pave the way for future generations. The order of events included a breakfast and a panel discussion with a Q&A session.

“As a Minority Business Enterprise, we understand how important diversity is to a company and our society,” said Chance Mims, Academy’s founder and CEO. “We are honored to support such a valuable event that helps nurture the careers of this group of Midshipmen.”

Academy Securities’ leadership consists of several Naval Academy graduates including CEO, Chance www.citizennewspapergroup.com

Mims, President, Phil McConkey, CFO and COO, Anthony Graham and CCO, Michael Boyd.

Additionally, Academy’s advisory board is represented by distinguished Naval Academy alumni including VADM (Ret.) Edward M. Straw, RADM (Ret.) Julius Caesar, LtGen (Ret.) Robert S. Walsh, RADM Mark Heinrich, and VADM (Ret.) Robert S. Harward.

Academy Securities is a disabled veteran owned investment bank with strengths in capital markets, public finance, fixed income and equity trading. Leadership and staff have had intensive military training prior to entering and gaining in depth financial services experience in global capital markets.

According to a press release, it is the nation’s first post-9/11 disabled veteran owned investment bank and is a certified as a DVBE, SDVOSB, and MBE. The firm has offices in New York, San Diego, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento, South Norwalk, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill. Information about Academy Securities is available at www. academysecurities.com.

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NEWS

If you’re committed to helping improve the lives of others in your community, donating to organizations working to help those in need may take long-term thinking.

Get Inspired to Give Back this Holiday Season Family Features - For many, the holiday season sparks the spirit of giving - not only among family and friends, but to those living in need and the organizations working to help them.

If you’re committed to helping improve the lives of others in your community, it may mean thinking long-term.

After the lights come down and the New Year’s ball drops, the programs and services provided by most nonprofits and cause-based organizations continue to run year-round. Their ability to help those they serve not only relies on meeting a single season’s fundraising goals but also on the ongoing commitments from donors who provide the financial stability they need to plan and grow. These five tips can help your gifts provide long-term benefits for the causes you support: Make a personal connection.

Hand-deliver your donation to a local chapter and introduce yourself as a supporter. Even consider bringing your kids to inspire generations of giving. Inquire about how you can make the greatest impact and learn about ongoing events and opportunities to get involved.

Spread your contribution over time. If a strict monthly budget has you concerned about breaking the bank, consider signing up for a recurring donation to benefit those served by an organization like The Salvation Army throughout the year. A $25 monthly gift can feed 126 people over the course of one year or provide 11

nights of shelter for those in need in your community.

Introduce co-workers to the cause. Many businesses support employees’ volunteer efforts and match contributions, which makes it easy for you to become a champion for cause-related work in your community. Gathering colleagues who share your passion for a cause is a team-building activity that allows you to build personal connections with people you might not have a chance to interact with regularly otherwise.

Sharing the load also means you can take turns volunteering, attending events or making contributions for a larger overall impact than you could make on your own.

Give the gift of giving. Rather than giving material goods, consider a meaningful contribution in your gift recipient’s honor. Or share an experience to benefit the cause: spend date night volunteering or gift someone tickets to a nonprofit organization’s performance or gala event.

Pay it forward with younger generations. Introducing kids to the joy of giving can pay dividends for decades to come. Teach the little ones in your life about the big impact they can make by letting them get hands-on. Kids delight in getting to donate loose change, by dropping it in an iconic red kettle, for example (this year, you can even donate through Apple Pay or Google Pay) and you can take advantage of their interest by explaining the impact of their donation. An average of 82 cents

of every $1 donated to The Salvation Army goes directly to help neighbors who need it most.

Donations to nonprofit organi-

zations are tax-exempt no matter when they are contributed during the year.

Learn more about giving oppor-

tunities all year long by joining the Fight for Good at SalvationArmyUSA.org.

SOURCE: The Salvation Army

Think

INSIDE THE BOX for unused drugs!

FIND A DRUG COLLECTION BOX NEAR YOU.

Safe drug disposal means safe water. Do your part by using one of our drug collection boxes!

Main Office Building 100 E. Erie St., Chicago (312) 751-6555 Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Calumet WRP

400 E. 130th St., Chicago (773) 256-3500 7 days/week 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

O’Brien WRP 3500 Howard St., Skokie (847) 568-8223 7 days/week 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Stickney WRP

6001 W. Pershing Rd., Cicero (708) 588-3000 7 days/week 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Visit mwrd.org and click the Unwanted Medicine banner for a listing of other medication disposal locations throughout Cook County.

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

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Find us at mwrd.org and on social media

6 | CITIZEN | Chatham Southeast | Week of Dec. 4, 2019

Holiday Instant Tickets from the Illinois Lottery Make Great Gifts for the Adults on Your List Did you know that it’s illegal to give an instant ticket to a minor?

The holidays are here! Have you made your list? Have you checked it twice? Holiday instant tickets from the Illinois Lottery are a fun and easy way to check off everyone on your list. Everyone except for minors, that is.

“At the Illinois Lottery, we always want to encourage responsible holiday gift-giving,” explained Harold Mays, Acting Director of the Illinois Lottery. “What players may not realize is that in Illinois it’s illegal to give an instant ticket to anyone under the age of 18.”

During the holidays, instant tickets can be given in a variety of ways to surprise and delight your loved ones, such as hiding them in a cookie tin, a new pair of comfy holiday pajamas or cozy slippers, or including them as an add-on to a hostess gift, such as candy or flowers. Keep in mind that instant tickets are not gifts for the children on your list.

The Illinois Lottery supports the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Holiday Lottery Responsible Gambling Campaign because early gambling experiences are a risk factor for gambling problems later in life. Many young people even report that their first gambling experiences occur around 9 to 11 years of age.

Be Smart, Play Smart™ This Holiday Season The Illinois Lottery reminds players to Be Smart, Play Smart™ and to gift smart when purchasing instant tickets during the holiday season. Throughout the year, encourage players to play for fun, not funds, and to set a budget and stick to it. For more information on how to gift and game responsibly, please go to https://www.illinoislottery.com/ and visit our Responsible Gaming Page.

THIS HOLIDAY

GIVE SURPRISES THEM MORE

with $1,500,000 in Second Chance Prizes

CITIZEN | Chatham Southeast | Week of Dec. 4, 2019

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NEWS

EmpowerYouth! Igniting Creativity through the Arts begins its third year In November, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Urban League kicked off the third year of their innovative youth program, EmpowerYouth! Igniting Creativity through the Arts. This collaborative program provides Chicago youth an opportunity to learn about the performing arts while creating an original production.

EmpowerYouth! is a year-long program engaging 30 African-American high school students from Chicago in a process that encourages them to tell their story in their own words. The 2019|20 admitted participants are part of an all-time high in program applicants, including 13 who are returning from last year.

Students will meet weekly with professional artists who specialize in acting, composition, vocal training, dance, and writing. Throughout the program, participants take part in a collaborative process that will result in an original stage production. This year’s work will be performed on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at Kennedy-King College. Kennedy-King is a part of the City Colleges of Chicago.

Guiding students as the program’s acting mentor and stage director is one of Chicago’s theater community leaders, Regina Victor (Breach:..., To Catch A Fish, A Persephone Pageant), who was recently named one of Windy City Times’ “30 Queer Leaders Under 30” and

New City Stage’s “Chicago Players 2019: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago.”

Tanji Harper, artistic director of the Chicago youth performance nonprofit The Happiness Club, will serve as the movement mentor and choreographer for the third year. Kedrick Armstrong, Project Inclusion Fellow in Conducting with Chicago Sinfonietta and assistant music director of Wheaton College Opera, will also return as music mentor and music supervisor.

Librettist/scriptwriter Kristiana Rae Colόn (good friday, florissant & canfield, Octagon, but i cd only whisper, Tilikum) and composer/ songwriter Adrian Dunn (Hopera: A Hip Hop Opera, Revelations: A collection of spirituals & gospel songs in seeking justice for Black lives) will work with participants to incorporate their stories and ideas into the original script and music.

Jacob Watson, an experienced program facilitator and recent graduate of Harvard University’s Masters in Arts Education program (Tellin’ Tales Theatre, Project Zero, FYI Performance Company, Redmoon, Center for Community Arts Partnerships at Columbia College Chicago), will serve as the facilitator for the program.

The intent of the EmpowerYouth! program is to support young people in telling their stories as young, Black Chicagoans. The final performance will be fully assembled by the students,

“I’M MORE CONFIDENT, I’M ABLE TO BRANCH OUT MORE [BECAUSE OF THIS PROGRAM]. ONCE YOU DO EMPOWERYOUTH!, THEY MAKE SURE THEY STAY CONNECTED TO WHAT YOU DO NEXT.” RESHAY THOMPSON 2018|19 EmpowerYouth! program student

with the guidance of the professional artistic staff, that will tell the story of their lives and how they deal with issues that are pertinent to them. Music — including singing, rap, acting, and dance — will all play a prominent role in the final performance.

EmpowerYouth! is a program jointly planned and administered by Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Urban League. This year’s production represents the continued commitment of Lyric and the Chicago Urban League to offer exposure to the performing arts for Chicago Black youth, as well as a deeper understanding of the value and impact of their collective voices.

In addition to the intensive weekly sessions, EmpowerYouth! students will also attend theater and music productions across the city, including

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attending The Barber of Seville on Lyric’s own main stage.

“The Chicago Urban League serves about 1,300 youth each year, and one of the things we often see is limited access to opportunity, including in the arts,” said Barbara Lumpkin, interim president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. “This partnership with Lyric provides an amazing opportunity for high school students in the neighborhoods we serve to be exposed to new experiences, meet and learn from leaders in Chicago’s theater community, and draw from their own experiences to showcase their talents.

We are deeply grateful to Lyric for this ongoing collaboration.”

“I’m more confident, I’m able to branch out more [because of this program],” said Reshay Thompson, a 2018|19 EmpowerYouth! program student. “Once you do EmpowerYouth!, they make sure they stay connected to what you do next.”

“It is exciting to see the third year unfold for this incredibly special program,” said Cayenne Harris, vice president of Lyric Unlimited. “EmpowerYouth! participants have exceeded all of our expectations these past two years, through the process of creating an original opera. We all look forward to see where our 2019/20 program students will take EmpowerYouth! this year.”

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CLASSIFIEDS HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

HOLIDAY SEASON Tips for Hosting Houseguests Over the Holidays (StatePoint) Hosting houseguests over the holidays? For happier guests and hosts alike, you’ll want to be sure you’re equipped to accommodate all your overnighters. Here are a few pointers: Special Considerations You’ll likely know of any special considerations you will need to make for individual guests, but if you aren’t sure, ask in advance. For older guests, be sure the floor is free of tripping hazards and that walkways are well-lit. For families, offer a room away from noise so small children can sleep undisturbed at their regular bedtimes. Anticipating and accommodating allergies, dietary restrictions and mobility issues can help keep guests healthy, happy and safe during their stay with you.

Better Bedding Whether you are hosting one guest or many, it’s important to ensure that everyone under your roof has a comfortable place to sleep. Thanks to the latest updates in air mattress technology, that’s easier than ever these days. Before the holidays, get equipped with compact, high-quality air mattresses -- which are a must-have for travelers who need to pack a car compactly, as well as hosts who want to store guest bedding between uses. One such option is the Intex PremAire ThermaLux airbed with Fiber-

Tech interior construction, which inflates in 4-5 minutes. Made from a Microcell contour top designed to insulate in cold weather and absorb moisture on warm nights, it even contains a USB port for charging and built-in storage for cords and small personal items. Other models from Intex -- which come in various sizes and supports -- offer such luxuries as headboards, raised bed heights and plush air pillowtop systems.

A Stocked Bathroom Not only will a well-stocked bathroom help avoid last-minute trips to the store, it will make guests feel comfortable and welcome upon arrival. You’ll always want to provide a set of linens for each guest, as well as shampoo, conditioner and soap in the shower. Having a few additional items on hand -- disposable razors, cotton swabs, combs, toothbrushes and toothpaste -- is a nice touch. For many reasons, guests often arrive without certain essentials. Maybe they forgot an item at home. Maybe TSA made them toss something in the trash. Whatever the reason, you’ll want to prepare for this common occurrence.

A full holiday house does not need to be overwhelming. With a few considerations, you can create a joyful holiday experience for you and your houseguests.

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(StatePoint) A merry holiday season starts at home. Here are some nice ways to add cheer to the rooms and spaces where people gather.

• Light a Fire: It may be the most primitive technology in existence but lighting a fire is still one of the best ways to create a rich holiday atmosphere.

Bonus: use aromatic firewood such as pine, fir or cedar.

• Project a Movie: Decorating for the holiday season can be as easy as setting up a projector and playing seasonal movies on a loop. From classics like “Miracle on 34th Street” to contemporary favorites like “Elf,” these films provide the perfect backdrop to the holiday season. With the ability to run all day, the LampFree Projectors in Casio’s Slim Series are ideal for this purpose.

• Bake Cookies: Make the whole house smell amazing (and become everyone’s favorite person) by popping cookies and other desserts in the oven that include spices evocative of the season, like nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla. For a lighter option, you can get the same effect

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HOME 5 Tips for a Merry Holiday Home

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by brewing tea with these same ingredients.

• Host a Sing-a-Long: Securing yourself a digital piano with an authentic concert grand sound may just be the best gift you give your family this holiday season. The Casio GP-500 reproduces the threedimensional sound field generated by an acoustic grand to fill a room with rich, complex sound, making it a great place to gather for holiday sing-a-longs.

The piano itself can also be a decoration destination -- think garlands and candles. Be sure to set out sheet music and other instruments like tambourines or bells so that guests can join in the fun.

• Add Flora: Spruce up your living spaces – literally. Holly, Christmas cactus, poinsettias and spruce add color and vibrancy to mantels, staircases, coffee tables and other nooks and crannies. What’s more, many of these plants will continue to thrive long after the lights and tinsel come down.

The holidays come but once a year.

Make the most of the season by turning your home into a winter wonderland.

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