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November 24, 2021 Vol. 42, No. 17 ONE DOLLAR

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Inflation makes direct food donations critical to Beyond Hunger

GUID E TO

A BE TTER W ORLD See IN SIDE

BLAZE BILLOWS OVER LAKE

Costly turkeys and expensive boxes add to food pantry’s expenses By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Ricardo Garcia has been managing Beyond Hunger’s food pantry, 848 Lake St., Oak Park, for seven years. He exudes the sort of unflappability that comes with years of experience, but rising food costs and supply chain issues have forced the veteran manager to shift his approach to stocking the pantry. “My goal is to keep the promises we have made to the families that use the pantry and maintain the services we have been offering for so many years,” said Garcia, senior pantry programs manager. Inflation has caused a surge in prices at the same time some food items are being rationed. Beyond Hunger provides a turkey for every client visiting the pantry in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and now those birds cost big bucks. “Last year we were able to purchase turkeys for as low as $1.25 pound and this year some of the turkeys cost us as much as $1.85 per pound,” said Sarah Abboreno Corbin, Beyond Hunger communications manager. Garcia noted the 60-cent swing may not seem like a “big deal,” but the price increase on turkeys alone accounted for a $12,000 increase in Beyond Hunger’s November budget. And the challenges don’t end there. The Greater Chicago Food Depository used to be a place where Garcia could “log in and order anything he needed” See BEYOND HUNGER on page 17

Fire broke out Tuesday morning in the building that houses Delia’s Kitchen, next door to the Lake Theatre. Heavy smoke filled the area and caused the closure of Lake Street. See story on page 9 BOB UPHUES/Editor

Protest reveals tangled web of issues

Trader Joe’s landlord wants to build apartments on Chicago hospital parking lot By MICHAEL ROMAIN Equity Editor

As shoppers at Trader Joe’s, 483 N. Harlem Ave. in Oak Park, inspected vegetables and produce and meat, fill-

ing their shopping carts on the last Sunday before Thanksgiving, a group of roughly a dozen activists held up signs and shouted slogans that varied on a single theme: Save Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago’s Uptown

community. Weiss is owned by Pipeline Health, a California private equity company that earlier this year agreed to sell one See PROTEST on page 18

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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Puny response as Oak Park asks citizens advice on COVID spending

Only about 200 people responded on how to spend federal relief funds By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s village board is no closer to understanding the community’s wishes for expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding after a survey meant to gauge public opinion yielded an insufficient response. With $38.9 million on the table and a strong desire for citizen input from the board, only about 200 people participated in the online survey. The board discussed the results of the survey during its Nov. 15 meeting, although the survey remains open on the village’s website. Early results indicate that respondents ranked supporting populations’ access to public health services and expansion of mental health services as top priorities for federal COVID relief spending. However, the board

believed the number of respondents too few to adequately measure community appetite. “This is not even statistically significant in my mind,” Trustee Ravi Parakkat said. “This is a huge sum of money that we’re trying to make a decision around.” The results of the survey were validated by those who opted to send comments and suggestions regarding ARPA funding to the village email address created specifically for that purpose. Only 15 to 20 people sent emails. When asked how these survey results compare to those of previous surveys, Interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley said survey outreach is typically done online, with the exception of the Oak Park citizens survey. The village pays for that survey to be conducted due to it being much larger and takes much longer than other outreach initiatives. The cost of conducting the Oak Park citizen survey comes in at about $10,000, according to Shelley, who offered to have staff look into the potential cost and impacts of conducting the COVID relief funding survey similarly.

The $10,000 price was a worthy investment, Parakkat believed, if that amount resulted in a higher rate of responses from members of the community, considering the huge sum of ARPA funds at stake. “Two hundred [respondents] does not cut it for me,” he said. The village is only able to use its $38.9 million toward four areas specified under the act: supporting urgent COVID-19 response efforts, replacing lost governmental revenues, supporting economic stabilization, and addressing systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the pandemic’s inequal impact on citizens. Whether a paid survey could generate a markedly higher citizen participation was not made clear. Village President Vicki Scaman, who had the results of the 2017 citizens survey on hand, told the board that it had fewer than 500 respondents, despite it being paid. Still, the population sample of 200 was viewed with skepticism from the board. Trustee Jim Taglia felt the federal relief funding survey results offered a potentially skewed assessment of the wider community’s

views. A small group of people could have “piled on” comments, he said, which would make the results appear as though they indicated the inclinations of the entire community. He cautioned the board to behave carefully. Trustee Susan Buchanan was also among those who found 200 respondents insufficient. She believed the results of the survey should not be viewed as a reflection of the desires of the entire community as a whole. “We’re going to have to use it as more of an idea generator,” said Buchanan. “We can’t allocate money based on the will of 200 people.” While Scaman suggested cultivating input through focus groups and the village’s citizen commissions as possible methods to gather more information on which to base relief fund allocation, the board made no motion to direct staff. As the end of the year nears, the window of opportunity to gain public input for ARPA spending narrows. The village must have its entire $38.9 million share of ARPA funds committed for spending by Dec. 31, 2024 and spent in full by Dec. 31, 2026.

River Forest trustees OK addition for public library Relocating HVAC unit will open space for a new meeting room

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

A proposed project that would add muchneeded program and meeting space to the River Forest Public Library cleared another hurdle when the village board voted unanimously to grant a planned development permit Nov. 22. Granting the permit was recommended by members of the Development Review Board at their meeting Nov. 18. Library officials plan to construct a 15by 25-foot masonry enclosure on the north side of the building at 735 Lathrop Ave. to house a new heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit, then convert the 396-square-foot mechanical room inside the building occupied by the current HVAC unit into a meeting room. The space, located next to the children’s room, would be utilized for programs, community meetings and as a gathering space for children and their families. Library Director Emily Compton-Dzak said in May that the library’s only meeting room is typically in near constant use and the library anticipates high demand once COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings are lifted. When library officials first presented the plan to the village board in May, they said they were hoping to complete the project

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

River Forest Public Library in the fall. But the planned development process, which Compton-Dzak admitted involved “a lot of steps,” pushed back that timeline. The process included a public hearing. In addition, supply chain issues are affecting the bid process and officials are now targeting January to solicit bids. Construction,

expected to take 10 weeks, would take place in either the spring or fall, avoiding the school construction season in the summer. Compton-Dzak, who was appointed director in January, said the library’s HVAC firm has indicated the aging unit that needs replacing should hold up for another winter. Library officials have already secured

authorization from officials of the River Forest Park District, which owns the property, to proceed with the project, including negotiating a new lease that will include the additional space for the enclosure. With the current lease set to expire in July, the timing of negotiating a new lease “worked out well,” Compton-Dzak noted. Plans call for the 8-by 13-foot air handler unit to be installed on a concrete pad and surrounded by the masonry enclosure that would be placed on a 1-foot wide, 42-inch deep concrete footer. One tree on the property will have to be removed. Officials expect that any noise from the air handler unit will be mitigated by the masonry enclosure. The project will include a gate latch system on the outdoor handler enclosure that will prevent a person from being trapped inside. The library opened its doors in 1905 in a small store front property on Park Avenue. The current building, designed by Prairie School architect William Eugene Drummond, was completed in 1929. An addition to the building was added in 1989.

MICHAEL ROMAIN’S COLUMN WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

Law at the Library Tuesday, Nov. 30, from 6 to 7 p.m., virtually through the Oak Park Public Library “Law at the Library: Changes in Tax Law” is part of a series of Law at the Library programs featuring a presentation on Zoom by an experienced attorney, followed by a brief question-and-answer session. This program is presented in partnership with the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Public Library, and Evanston Public Library. Register now at oppl.org/ calendar.

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

BIG WEEK November 24-December 1

Holiday Concert at Pleasant Home Friday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m., 217 Home Ave., Oak Park Pleasant Home for the Holidays, sponsored by the Pleasant Home Foundation, is a two-day celebration of the sights and sounds of the holiday season in the beautiful surroundings of Pleasant Home. On Friday, Nov. 26, a holiday concert features Fr. Connor Danstrom. On Saturday, Nov. 27, take a Holiday Candlelight Tour of Pleasant Home. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres available for purchase both nights. Learn more and buy tickets at PleasantHome.org.

Pajama Storytime Tuesday, Nov. 30, from 6:30 to 7 p.m., virtually through the Oak Park Public Library A special cozy storytime via Zoom. Wear your favorite pajamas and bring your favorite cuddly stuffie for some cozy stories and fun songs. Best for kids up through age 6. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

District 97 Family University

Adult Improv Tuesdays, Nov. 30 and Dec. 28, from 7 to 8:15 p.m., virtually through the Oak Park Public Library Looking to let your inner comedian run free? Want to improve your quick-thinking skills? Attend a night of spontaneous comedy. All skill levels welcome. Warning: hilarity will ensue. Register at oppl.org/calendar.

BackStory Project View anytime with Open Door Repertory Last of the of BackStory Project series features an interview with Growing Community Media’s Michael Romain, equity editor and editor of the Austin Weekly News and Maywood’s Village Free Press. His MICHAEL ROMAIN weekly column in Wednesday Journal has earned a growing following. The interview will be available Tuesday, Nov. 16 online at www.opendoortheater.net/backstory-project.

Wright Home for the Holidays

Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 6 to 7 p.m., virtually via Zoom District 97 will host a virtual Family University session on Dec. 1 focusing on elementary literacy instruction. Families will receive a link once they register. Learn more about D97’s approach to literacy instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade. Staff from the Teaching and Learning Department will discuss the district’s resources and the student experience, and will answer the most common questions submitted by families.

Saturday, Nov. 27, from 9 to 11 a.m., Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio Family and friends are welcome to take a free tour of Wright’s Oak Park home, decked for the holidays with a holiday tree, decorated with traditional German glass ornaments, poinsettias, fresh flowers, evergreens, and wreaths, in keeping with the Wright family tradition. Registration required. 951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park.

Forensic Drug Testing Monday, Nov. 29 at 1:15 p.m., 19th Century Club The 19th Century Charitable Association hosts the Monday Enrichment Series, presenting “Forensic Drug Testing: How Science Gives a Voice to the Voiceless.” Drug use is a major medical, legal, and socioeconomic problem worldwide. Donna Coy, PhD, gives an overview of applications for forensic drug testing, such as child endangerment, child custody, professional licensure, and driving under the influence (DUI). Presented in the second-floor ballroom. Proof of vaccination and masks required. Seating will be socially distanced. Free for members. A $15 donation at the door is requested for non-members. 178 Forest Ave. Visit www.nineteenthcentury.org/ourpublic-programs or call the office at 708-386-2729.

Stove Toucher Premiere Friday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m., Playhouse Theatre, McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn Stove Toucher, written and performed by Kurt Naebig, based on his real life story, is a comic coming-of-age story set in Cicero and Oak Park. It follows Naebig during the 1970s skateboard boom when he began competing in skateboard events around the Midwest, winning several of them. He and a friend opened their own skateboard shop, Wheels of Progress, in Oak Park, when Naebig was 13 years old. Produced by Buffalo Theatre Ensemble. Directed by Connie Canaday Howard.

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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OPRF star Iman Shumpert wins ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Oak Parker snags the Mirrorball trophy

Without any dance experience prior to becoming a contestant, Shumpert managed to stay in the game over competitors with known histories of being able to cut a rug, including former Spice Girl Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm. Shumpert and By STACEY SHERIDAN Karagach wowed audiences of the reality dance Staff Reporter competition with their impressive lifts and creFormer Oak Park and River Forest High School ative choreography over the course of the compeand NBA basketball star Iman Shumpert won tition’s 10 weeks. Voters apparently couldn’t get ABC-TV’s Dancing with the Stars Monenough of Shumpert and Karagach’s day night, proving he has moves on stage charisma. The dancing duo surthe dance floor as well as on the court. vived a double elimination to make it Shumpert was the first NBA player to the finals — a feat that three-time to become a finalist and now the first Olympic gymnastics medalist Suni Lee NBA player to win the championship did not accomplish. Lee and her partin the show’s 30-season history. ner Sasha Farber said goodbye to the The final came down to Shumpert, competition in the semifinal round, dewith professional partner Daniella spite the pair having earned their best Karagach, and JoJo Siwa, with Jenna scores of the competition that night. Johnson, the professional to Siwa’s IMAN SHUMPERT Two other couples competed in the star. Both couples received perfect final: Cody Rigsby with professional scores from judges Monday night. But Shumpert and Karagach reigned supreme in Cheryl Burke and Amanda Kloots with professionthe voters’ eyes, despite Siwa and Johnson being al Alan Bersten. Those pairings came in third and heavy favorites. Siwa has a well-documented his- fourth, respectively. Shumpert won an NBA championship in 2016 tory with competitive dance and her time on the reality series, Dance Moms, helped establish her as with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but now his ring will a household name. She and Johnson also made his- share pride of place with his Dancing with the Stars Mirrorball trophy. tory as the show’s first same-sex pairing.

Brooks student hit by vehicle Child refused medical treatment By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

A Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School student appears to be in good condition after being struck by a moving vehicle Monday morning while walking to school, according to Oak Park spokesman David Powers. Powers told Wednesday Journal that Oak Park police responded to a call at 8:57 a.m., Monday morning reporting that a

child had been struck by a vehicle near Washington Boulevard and Home Avenue. The school is at 325 S. Kenilworth Ave. “The child and its parent refused medical treatment and the child went on off to school,” Powers said. This is the second occasion this month of an Oak Park child being struck by a vehicle during school commuting hours. A vehicle hit a Longfellow Elementary School student at 3:10 p.m., Nov. 8 as the child was crossing the street with family at the intersection of Jackson Boulevard and Cuyler Avenue following dismissal. That child received non-life-threatening injuries, according to Powers. Longfellow School is at 715 Highland Ave. This is a developing story.

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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New Rush Oak Park garage paused indefinitely CEO looking for parking solution closer to hospital, further from neighbors

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The planned 64-foot-high Wenonah Avenue parking garage felt like a sure thing for Rush Oak Park Hospital last February when the project secured Oak Park village board approval – just weeks before the state began its battle with COVID-19. The future of that garage is now uncertain. In this midpandemic world, the project has been put on hold for the foreseeable future. “The reality is, there’s no money,” said Rush Oak Park CEO Dino Rumoro, who took the top office in July following the retirement of Bruce Elegant. As parking remains an issue, the hospital currently faces two options: either filing for an extension on construction with the village of Oak Park or rethinking the project completely. Right now, the hospital is the process of weighing those options. “We know we need parking, but is that the right place for parking? Is that the right size of parking? There’s a lot to consider,” he said. In the meantime, Rumoro has met with representatives of a neighborhood organization which has long opposed the massing of the proposed garage on Wenonah Ave. That meeting took place in late September. David Osta, leader of Center West Oak Park Neighborhood Association, said his group “is pleased the garage has been put on DINO RUMORO pause, and we hope that becomes permanent.” Osta, who lives on the 600 block of Wenonah, said the meeting with Rumoro was “very open and forthright and we really hope to continue this new way of interacting with the hospital.” He said the neighbors offered a number of suggestions to Rumoro for alternatives to adding parking “and he seemed open to exploring options. With its considerable height and 713 parking spaces, the garage was estimated to cost roughly $27 million in 2019, back when the project was making its rounds through the Oak Park Plan Commission. Whatever funds the hospital had earmarked for the project were diverted into operations when COVID-19 hit, according to Rumoro, also a trained emergency medicine physician. While a global pandemic could look like a prime money-making opportunity for healthcare institutions, the only departments up and running during the first year

PROVIDED

Rendering of proposed new garage at Rush Oak Park Hospital. of COVID-19 were the emergency department, the intensive care unit and inpatient unit, where medical personnel were taking care of incredibly sick patients. And the state-imposed suspension of all elective surgeries served as a powerful blow to Rush Oak Park’s revenue. “Those types of procedures are really what generate your bottom line in a hospital,” Rumoro said. Rush Oak Park surgeons and office doctors were temporarily out of work. People with medical conditions stopped going to the hospital for appointments as they were afraid to leave their homes for fear of catching the highly contagious virus, said the CEO. “You had to really tap into your days cash on hand to keep things running,” he said. Without the inclusion of federal stimulus money, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush University Medical Center lost a combined $80 million in revenue during the fiscal years of 2020 and 2021 as a result of COVID-19, according to hospital spokesman Bradley Spencer. The hospital did receive some recovery funding from the government through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which served to keep

the hospital operating. However, the funding was not enough to recoup the entirety of its revenue losses – nor enough to build the garage. He believes the hospital has until February to apply for an extension on the garage. The Journal has reached out to the village of Oak Park for confirmation. Nixing the project, should that come to pass, would likely delight those who live nearby. Residents routinely expressed fears during the planning process that the garage would encroach upon their neighborhoods. Upon becoming CEO, Rumoro expressed a desire to patch up the hospital’s at-times rocky relationship with neighbors while working alongside them to find solutions that benefit both parties. “They’d like to be involved in any future plans,” Rumoro said. “I don’t think that’s unreasonable.” Rumoro himself would prefer to have parking closer to the hospital. He plans to work with engineers to identify opportunities to make that possible. The section of Wenonah set for the garage is currently a hospital-owned surface parking lot, which makes for a nice walk to the hospital on a beautiful day – something that is not always a guarantee in the Chicago area.

“It’s not the distance that’s an issue, but in the elements, it becomes an issue,” he said. “To me, it doesn’t feel like the right place to put our staff and our patients.” The hospital is in the middle of a staff assessment to determine if certain people can work from home, carpool with each other or take public transportation. Over 40 percent of the hospital’s staff lives within five miles of campus, according to Rumoro. A shuttle service is also being considered for staff, at the suggestion of a member of the Central West Oak Park Neighborhood Association. In the meantime, parking need remains high and Rush Oak Park is looking for novel ways to meet it, including the recently launched patient valet service. The valet service utilizes the hospital’s new surface lot on Maple Street, a less residential area. “My team worked closely with the neighbors on making sure we met their needs in terms of landscaping, hardscape and plantings,” said Rumoro. The Maple Street surface lot has 80 parking spots, which provides some relief to the hospital’s parking situation – just not enough. The hospital still needs campus parking, and it expects the need to increase. But for now, the garage project is in limbo.

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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River Forest will welcome new administrator Dec. 6

Veteran municipal manager Brian Murphy served in similar role in Plainfield for 12 years By ROBERT J. LIFKA

Murphy’s contract as village administrator in Plainfield was not renewed in April Contributing Reporter following the election of a new mayor. He had Former Plainfield Village Administrator served in that position since 2009, coming to Plainfield from his home state Brian Murphy is expected to be of Michigan. Since June he has named village administrator of served as acting community deRiver Forest at a special meetvelopment director for Fox Lake. ing of the village board on MonFollowing a nationwide search, day Dec. 6. officials interviewed six candi“Brian is great,” village Presidates in a series of special meetdent Cathy Adduci said. “He’s a ings in October and November perfect fit for River Forest. He’s before narrowing their choices going to hit the ground runto two finalists. Adduci said both ning.” finalists were “really good candiMurphy will replace Eric dates” but Murphy’s experience Palm, who resigned in February BRIAN MURPHY stood out. after 10 years as River Forest vilShe also cited his “deep underlage administrator, leaving to accept a similar position in Hoffman Estates. standing” of economic development as one of Lisa Scheiner, assistant village manager, his strengths. In July, officials hired GovHR of Northhas served as acting village administrator.

brook, a public management consulting firm, to conduct the search. The firm, which serves local government clients and other publicsector entities across the country, had been used by River Forest previously, most recently to fill the village finance director position. Murphy earned his bachelor’s degree from Oakland University in Michigan and his master of public administrator degree from the University of Michigan. His previous experience in municipal government includes two years as city manager of Belding, three years as village manager of Beverly Hills and five years as assistant city manager of Troy, all in Michigan. Officials still have to hire a new fire chief following the retirement of Kurt Bohlmann in September. GovHR also is conducting that search. Robert Nortier, a former deputy chief in River Forest, is serving as his temporary replacement.

Order fries and lunch is free at OPRF It’s a vegetable, says USDA. Eighty percent of students choose the fries

By F. AMANDA TUGADE

vices at OPRF, offered an explanation as to why the high school’s lunch menu is strucStaff Reporter tured that way. Under the U.S. Department When Steve Berggren first learned that of Agriculture (USDA), school cafeterias combo meals — an entree that includes nationwide must provide five types of food: fruits or vegetables — are free at Oak protein, bread, vegetable, fruit and milk, Park and River Forest High School, he was she said. In response to the pandemic, a new waiver from the USDA allows shocked. And, when he found schools to continue serving free out the menu classified French breakfast and lunch – the combo fries on the list of veggie options meals – to students regardless of next to fresh celery, chickpeas their families’ income, Piekarksi and tossed salads he became said. Before the COVID-19 panconcerned. demic, combo meals typically “‘You have that backwards. cost about $4. Federal guidelines The combo meal is always more state that meals are free when expensive,’” said Berggren, a father of two OPRF students, students pair an entree like a recalling a conversation with hamburger or chicken patty on STEVE BERGGREN one of his teenage daughters. a whole grain bun with fruits OAK PARK “She said, ‘Not at Oak Park.’ I or vegetables. And, French fries said, ‘Are you serious?’ She said, are considered a vegetable, ac‘Yeah, it’s free as long as you get cording to the USDA, Piekarski the fries.’” said. Berggren said one of his children recently “I’d say 80% of our children take the fries noticed she has become more prone to gain- as their vegetables, and they can still have ing weight. Berggren said his family often fruit,” she said. “They can have broccoli in encourages one another to try and make the bag, and they can have an apple. They healthy food choices, and at home do “pretty can even take more. I’ve never held back well.” And through his daughters, Berggren on how many fruits and vegetables they’ve quickly learned what kind of food they and taken. They can have as much as they want, many other students are provided at school. but they have to have at least a fruit or veg“I don’t know if people know about this or etable.” not, but I cannot believe it,” he said. Aside from Berggren, other students at Micheline Piekarski, director of food ser- OPRF are calling for more variety of hot

“I don’t know if people know about this or not, but I cannot believe it.”

meals. Through student council, high school junior Grace Koch said the upperclassmen are requesting the return of the stir fry and Asian-style orange chicken. Pre-pandemic, some older students even remembered when the cafeteria would serve sushi, she said. Nowadays, options are limited to Bosco mozzarella sticks, pizza or nachos, “which are not very healthy, not very filling and are not really a great alternative,” Koch said. “I can’t eat that five days a week,” said Koch, who noted more and more of her peers are bringing their own lunch to school. The cafeteria does also sell bistro boxes, packed with items like hard boiled eggs, yogurt, string cheese, hummus and flatbreads and come with a side of fruits and fresh vegetables, she said. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Piekarksi said it’s tougher to expand the school menu and bring back certain items. For example, Piekarksi cited a slow supply chain from allowing her to offer any Asian-style orange chicken. Ongoing construction to the school’s north cafeteria and Covid safety mitigations are currently posing an issue for Piekarski and her staff, preventing them from creating more hot food options. But Piekarski remains hopeful and focused. “I hope to bring back, in January, the ‘stir fry line’ and ‘make your own sandwich line,’” said Piekarski, as construction is slated to wrap up by early 2022.

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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With passion, team pushes to add middle-school wrestling A life-changer for youth, say proponents

backed Powell’s proposal to launch a wrestling program for Gwendolyn Brooks and Percy Julian middle schoolers next year. Beye School is at 230 N. Cuyler Ave. They highlighted how much the sport has By F. AMANDA TUGADE changed over the years, including a conStaff Reporter tinued rise in girls wrestling. Illinois and For Mike Powell wrestling isn’t just a 31 other states sanctioned state championsport. It’s a way of life — myriad stepping- ships for girls wrestling programs, accordstones that give people, especially children, ing to the national nonprofit Wrestle Like a a chance to build self-confidence, find inner Girl. Arkin, who is also on the school board at the high school said one of strength and learn through adOPRF’s most diverse sports versity. It’s an experience, said teams is the wrestling team, Powell, that he hopes to soon which often pulls in many bring to Oak Park’s District 97 girls of color every year. middle schools. “We try to be a home for all,” “There is an intimacy, a vulArkin told Wednesday Journal nerability and a humility that in a separate interview. come with wrestling, not to At the Nov. 16 meeting, Comention discipline and hard lucci shared with the board work, that are very unique to that he, Powell and Arkin are the social-emotional learning MIKE POWELL committed to creating a proand development world,” Powgram at D97 focused on incluell, an Oak Park resident and former head and assistant wrestling coach sivity. The wrestling team — which would at Oak Park and River Forest High School, likely debut in the 2022-23 school year and told the D97 school board at its Nov. 16 meet- include Brooks and Julian students — is “no-cut” and would not have any tryouts, ing. In a presentation over Zoom, Beye School Colucci said. “We include everyone, regardless of their special education teacher Michael Colucci and OPRF wrestling coach Fred Arkin gender identities, size, ability and body

type,” he said. Colucci also told the board he recently polled about 300 students from Brooks and Julian middle schools and learned that about 24% of them were interested in participating in a wrestling program. During the presentation, Colucci also outlined other details, spotlighting the program’s needs. Finding a space to practice, to obtain and store wrestling mats and ways to cover the costs for transportation, Illinois Elementary School Association fees and maintenance are a few things to consider and discuss, Colucci said. The plan to create a wrestling team at District 97 was not up for vote or an official board discussion, wrote district communications director Amanda Siegfried in an email to the Journal. The presentation was meant to provide the board with information and an opportunity to ask questions or give feedback, Siegfried said. “We expect that there may be some adjustments as a result,” she wrote. “We do not have a timeline for when the proposal will go back before the board, but it likely won’t be until early next year.” At the meeting, board member Venus Hurd Johnson showed some favor for the proposed wrestling program but inquired more about its logistics. Since the team

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would be open to Brooks and Julian students, they would need a common space to practice, but the “where” and “how” were among Johnson’s biggest concerns. “How are the Brooks kids supposed to get to Julian, or the Julian kids get to Brooks, or either of those kids get to a third location for practices?” she asked. Powell told Johnson those parts of the program still need to be ironed out and his goal at the Nov. 16 meeting was to get the board “excited to start the program.” He also noted that Oak Park’s wrestling community, the Huskie Wrestling Family, and his own youth organization, Beat the Streets Chicago, would be willing to step up and come together to lend a helping hand. For now, Powell wanted the board to know that the sport of wrestling can make a huge impact on young children’s lives – and District 97 could be next. “When you train as hard as a wrestler does and you walk out on a wrestling mat and you’ve built a relationship with the coach in your corner … and you lose a wrestling match that you give your all [to], that you’ve prepared for, it’s devastating,” Powell said. “You come off [the mat] and you’re forced to grow, and reflect, and deal with your emotions in a way that’s truly unique to the sporting world.”

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Fire tears through Delia’s Kitchen building on Lake Street No injuries reported, Lake Theatre reopening being evaluated By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

All Oak Park Fire Department personnel were called to Lake Street on the morning of Nov. 23 to battle a fire that is believed to have started in the building housing Delia’s Kitchen, 1034 Lake St. The fire department was alerted to the fire at 9:39 a.m. No injuries were reported, according to Oak Park spokesman David Powers, but people have been evacuated from the restaurant and neighboring businesses, including Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre and Chase Bank. Residents of the two apartments above Delia’s Kitchen were also evacuated. Several blocks of the busy downtown street were blocked off to traffic as smoke consumed the area. It is unclear if the fire started in the restaurant or in the building’s upper floors. Television news helicopters could be seen circling over Lake Street. Fire fighters knocked the windows out of the top floor of the Delia’s Kitchen building, which was drenched in water, but smoke continued to billow throughout the morning. “The amount of smoke is outrageous. It’s even billowing into our building at 1010 [Lake St.],” said Shanon Williams, Downtown Oak Park (DTOP) executive director. The flames and smoke were also visible from the Book Table, 1045 Lake St, according to the bookstore’s co-owner Jason Smith. “This has not stopped at all,” Smith said mid-morning. While Williams did not know the details of how the fire started or the extent of its damage, she contacted DTOP board members and was working to make sure everyone was al-

LOURDES NICHOLLS/Staff

Smoke billows out of the building at 1034 Lake St. in downtown Oak Park on the morning of Nov. 23 as firefighters try to douse flames via a hose atop a ladder truck. The cause and origin of the fire had not been reported prior to Wednesday Journal’s press time. The building was evacuated and no injuries were reported. right. “I’m worried about the neighboring businesses with the smoke,” Williams said. Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson told Wednesday Journal it was too early to determine if the Lake Theatre had sustained any damage. One of the movie theater’s rooftop heating and cooling units may have caught fire and the roof appears to have been dam-

aged as a result of the fire next door, said Johnson. “It looks like we’re structurally sound, but we’ll wait for the people who know what they’re doing to verify that,” he said. Johnson added that the fire department had cut power to the area and that it looked as if the fire had been contained by late morning. Classic Cinemas was not planning to open

on Tuesday and it is unclear if the theater will resume operations this week. Thanksgiving week is famous for huge box office sales and the Lake Theatre is no different. “Tuesdays are our big day for $5 Tuesdays and the kids are off school tomorrow, plus new movies are coming out,” said Johnson. “It’s kind of a bummer, but I’m just glad nobody’s hurt.”

PHOTOS BY BOB UPHUES/Editor

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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First a student, Fenwick’s Finnell retiring after 59 years

Math chair, theater director, collector of things By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Inside Roger Finnell’s classroom, the walls are lined with award plaques, documenting decades of students’ dedication, hard work and victories at various regional and state math competitions. Faded life-sized posters taped to the chalkboards and trophies atop cabinets and shelves often break the pattern of the custom plaques. For any passerby or visitor who enters Finnell’s classroom for the first time, it’s clear there’s a story – or two or three – here behind every display. But for Finnell, who has spent the last 59 years teaching math at Fenwick High School, this place is his second home. And to him, his classroom looks rather “lived in.” “That’s why I have to retire,” said Finnell, 79, with a smile, as he sat at a student desk, eying any vacant spots left on his walls. “I said they should knock down this wall and go onto the next room.” Jokes aside, Finnell, who plans to close his teaching career at the end of this school year, said he knew it was just time. “I couldn’t picture myself still teaching here when I was 95. I was thinking about it for a year or so, and I came close last year, but I really like this year’s senior class,” he said. “... I think I went to the principal’s door last October a couple times, and he wasn’t in his office. I think that was God’s way of telling me to think about it, and then maybe stick around another year.” As Finnell reflected more on his years as an educator, he opened up about what Fenwick meant to him and his own history with the

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

CURTAIN CALL: Retiring Fenwick teacher Roger Finnell has directed over 80 shows in Fenwick’s auditorium. nearly century-old Catholic high school long before he joined as a faculty member. “I was a 13-year-old freshman here [at Fenwick] when Eisenhower was president,” he said. “I was thinking, this is the 93rd year of the school, and the 63rd year that I’ve been here as a student and 59 as a teacher.” Finnell remembered being a good student and playing the saxophone in the Fenwick band. That alto sax “is still in my closet some-

where,” he said. And while Finnell still wishes he participated in more activities in high school, he made up for that lost time after he returned to Fenwick as a teacher. At Fenwick, Finnell chaired the math department; coached the math team for 42 years, nabbing a state championship in 2002; led school-sponsored trips to London for hundreds of students for the last 33 years and directed over 80 shows, including his favorite musical, Les

Misérables. Finnell, who was 21 when he was first hired to teach at Fenwick, said the decision to stay at his alma mater was simple. “I just like the atmosphere. I thought a lot of good was being accomplished, not just by me but by the whole school, by the teachers and the administration and the students who were working hard. It’s a great place to be,” he said. Beyond that, Finnell’s continued journey at Fenwick could’ve been fate – a calling. As a college senior, Finnell said he heard St. Ignatius College Prep, Fenwick’s archrival, was hiring a new teacher. He applied for the job but also thought to “see if Fenwick had an opening.” “I got an interview here [at Fenwick] before there [St. Ignatius] and [Fenwick] hired me, and I cancelled the interview there, otherwise things might have turned out differently,” said Finnell, who graduated from Loyola University Chicago. Finnell can’t help but think of the many changes Fenwick had undergone. He recalled when the high school opened its enrollment to girls in 1992 and how technology in education has evolved over the years (Finnell prefers to use the chalkboard over a whiteboard). And, though Finnell doesn’t consider himself a “technology wiz,” he has rounded up at least 1,000 friends on Facebook. On the topic of retiring, Finnell admitted he has mixed feelings. He is, however, excited to catch up on some sleep and tidy up his condo – “get rid of some of the clutter.” He does plan to return to Fenwick next year as a substitute teacher and to help direct more plays. When asked what he will miss most, he kept his answer short: “Just the day-to-day interaction with students.” “If I had to do it all over again, I’d repeat 92% of it all, and in my class 92% is an ‘A.’” And that 8%? “We won’t talk about that,” Finnell said, smiling.

ART BEAT

Listen up: OPRF theater needs donations to buy new mics Masked singers and actors need mics to be heard By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on live theater, Oak Park and River Forest High School performing arts teacher Michelle Bayer and her students have worked tirelessly to keep the shows going. They produced plays and musicals, pulling in dozens of staff and students to lend a hand, all while abiding by the school’s safety measures. While live theater has made a comeback in recent months, Bayer knows the pandemic is far from over. And, as she and students

return to the stage, they continue to face one major challenge – a short supply of microphones – and are now looking to the community for some support. The Huskie Booster Club, a volunteer parent organization that raises money for various activities and programs at OPRF, has launched the ‘Can You Hear Them Now?’ campaign to buy mics for the theater department and is asking area residents to donate. The club aims to raise $13,000 for a new 12-microphone sound system and will roll out the campaign Nov. 30 in time for Giving Tuesday. Held every Tuesday after Thanksgiving since 2012, Giving Tuesday is part of a movement that encourages people to give and collaborate with various nonprofits and organizations across the world. Because students must be masked during

their performances, they must be mic’d or else “they can’t be heard” even inside the Little Theater, which before the pandemic welcomed over 300 guests, said Bayer, who also serves as chair of the performing arts department. One problem is that the existing mics are a decade-old and don’t work properly anymore, Bayer said. Another issue is that there’s just not enough mics to go around. In order to prevent the spread of Covid, microphones must be sanitized and disinfected and sit unused for a week, and “that also limits the number of mics for how many kids we have,” she said. “There’s a bigger demand for microphones, not only for theater, but for everything else that would use the Little Theater space,” Bayer said. “You just can’t hear people without them.”

Here’s how to donate To make a donation, visit the Huskie Booster Club at www.huskieboosterclub.org/donate and find the tab ‘Can You Hear Them Now?’ Fundraiser to Mic Up OPRFHS. For more information on OPRF’s theater program, visit https://www.oprfhs.org/theatre.

In the past, the theater department relied on ticket sales to fund many aspects of its productions, including set design, lighting, costume rentals and hair and makeup. But limiting audiences to allow social distancing has put a cap on those ticket sales, ultimately creating a dip in funding. As a result,

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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Barnard’s Schwinn rebounds after driver hits building Owners hope village solves speeding problem

On Nov. 11 at 10:20 p.m., a man allegedly driving under the influence crashed into Barnard’s Schwinn, 6109 W. North Ave. The damage was extensive, effectively taking out half the storefront and destroying merchandise. Co-owner Jeff Hajduk was shocked when he saw the severity of the accident, but he was not particularly surprised at the initial call from Oak Park Police telling him he had “a car in the window.” According to Hajduk, there has been a significant increase in speeding related incidents on North Avenue since the street was repaved last summer. “It’s like a Hot Wheels track from Ridgeland to Austin, ‘’ Hajduk said. “It’s not just two lanes, they’re taking three on each side.” Even Hajduk’s cleanup efforts were hampered by speeding traffic. “Friday morning, I put a dumpster out there to clear up the debris. Friday night, an Acura nails the dumpster, and jumps it up on the sidewalk,” he said. Hajduk has suggestions to mitigate the traf-

fic situation. He proposes the village install a stoplight between Ridgeland and Austin or begin using speed cameras that ticket drivers exceeding the speed limit. The good news is that Barnard’s reopened on Nov. 15, still boarded up but with a plan to restore the façade tough that work may be delayed until spring. The bicycle shop was founded by Robert Edward Barnard in 1911 and claims to be the oldest family-owned business in Oak Park. It was first located at 1148 Lake St. in Oak Park, eventually settling at 6109 W. North Ave. in 1984. Hajduk and his brother Greg co-own and operate the business and are the great nephews of Barnard. The two plan to make repairs to the building starting in the spring. Currently, they are undecided about what materials and aesthetic they will choose for the restored storefront. Despite the devastation, Jeff Hajduk is thankful he has been able to reopen the store so soon after the accident. “We’re happy so far that everybody has signed off on what has been done by code and has been understanding. There would probably be riots if they didn’t let us open because the neighborhood wants us. We are an anchor.” Barnard’s Schwinn current hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Bayer and her students have leaned on local organizations, including the school’s alumni club, to piece the shows together. Bayer said she hopes people would consider giving to the booster club’s fundraiser. For Bayer, OPRF’s performing arts program is founded on the power of storytelling and often paves the way for students to use their voice. “For many of our kids, what they do in their co-curricular activities is what makes them do well in school,” she said. “A vibrant

theater department, a vibrant music department, a vibrant robotics department, a vibrant athletic department – all of those things enhance a student’s performance inside the classroom. “By donating here, you’re not just donating to the theater department. These mics are going to be utilized by multiple departments, and you’re re-engaging kids back to live, in-person theater, but live in-person education, which they so needed by being gone for the last year.”

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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EMPTY PEWS: Parkview Church, at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Jackson Boulevard, is closing due to lack of members.

After 161 years, Parkview Presbyterian closes doors

Church at Oak Park and Jackson had shrunk to 28 members By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

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The signboard outside Parkview Presbyterian Church has no affirmations, no exhortations, no welcoming message. After 161 years of ministry the congregation held its last service at Oak Park Avenue and Jackson Blvd. at the end of October and is now closed. That faith community leaves a legacy which goes back to 1860 when a predecessor congregation was founded in a Chicago storefront at the corner of Van Buren and Third Avenue. According to an “historical sketch” written in 1925 for the dedication of the newly constructed Oak Park building, in 1924 the congregation in Chicago known as the First United Presbyterian Church of Chicago moved west to Oak Park and “formed a union” with the Oak Park United Presbyterian Church. The legacy they leave is one of serving the needs of the community. In 1871 their church building served as a “benevolence distribution center” in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire. The “historical sketch” by an anonymous author in 1925 recalled, “The church was one of the few to open its doors for the relief of the destitute, the first floor of the building being turned into a storeroom, and sleeping quarters fitted up for those made homeless by the great fire.” Up until their final worship service last

month, members were involved in outreach to the community. Ken Hockenberry, interim business manager at the Presbytery of Chicago, said the congregation’s legacy will reach into the future as well as the past, because some of the proceeds from the eventual sale of the building will go into what they call the Salary Supplement Fund which uses “70% of the net sales from closed/dissolved church properties to support other churches in their effort to keep a full time pastor and to support community mission groups and projects.” Another part of the legacy the congregation leaves behind is architectural. Whatever ministry or developer that purchases the building, the sale of which is being handled by the Presbytery of Chicago, will become stewards of an Oak Park landmark. The building completed in 1925 was designed by E.E. Roberts and his son Elmer. According to Prairiestyles.com, one or both of them designed an addition to the high school and over 200 homes in Oak Park. A financial statement for the new building reports that the fees for the architect and general contractor were $93,758 and that the furnishings including a pipe organ were purchased for $16,000. The congregation’s membership had shrunk to just 28 members according to statistics released by the Presbytery of Chicago.

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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Trustees reinstate public health director’s powers

Plenty of discussion and confusion, then a split vote

Though the village’s order has since ended, Shelley and Stephanides told trustees ChappleMcGruder still holds the same authority over any decisions regarding COVID-19. Like many other local public health directors, ChappleBy F. AMANDA TUGADE McGruder’s regulatory power remains intact Staff Reporter under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 executive In a 4-3 vote, Oak Park village trustees rein- order, which continues to “declare an emerstated Public Health Director Theresa Chap- gency” in Illinois, Stephanides explained. The governor’s order is reissued on a monthly baple-McGruder’s emergency regulatory powsis as the pandemic persists and is ers, allowing her to continue to up for renewal on Dec. 11. make “reasonable” rules and regu“I just want to make it clear that lations while the pandemic connothing was removed from the autinues. The decision came after a thority of the public health direclengthy discussion during the Nov. tor,” Shelley reiterated. 22 meeting as some trustees called But Chapple-McGruder and sevfor clarity on the language of an eral other board members, includexpired order that had previously ing Lucia Robinson, Ravi Parakgranted and extended Chapplekat and Arti Walker-Peddakotla McGruder’s powers throughout disagreed and questioned whether the COVID-19 pandemic. the village’s order clearly reflected THERESA CHAPPLE- the public health director’s emerInterim Village Manager Lisa Shelley and Village Attorney MCGRUDER gency power, especially to the comPaul Stephanides led the discusmunity. sion Monday night and combed “I’ve heard three different interpretations through the details of the order that had of what the ‘authority’ means,” said Chappleallowed Chapple-McGruder and her prede- McGruder, who joined the Oak Park Departcessor, Michael Charley, to enforce various ment of Public Health in late April. “The clearCOVID safety measures across Oak Park. est interpretation that I have is that with the The board first adopted the order early in the emergency proclamation, with the emergency pandemic and extended it twice, its last vote authority written into the code, then I’m able taking place in June, but with a Nov. 15 expi- to make clear decisions in a timely fashion.” ration date. Without the village order, Chapple-McGrud-

er said she is unclear about the guidelines or rules she can impose to help keep Oak Parkers safe from the novel coronavirus. “What happens in my daily job is that I’m questioned every day about what authority I have in order to make a certain decision,” she told the board while putting in a request to restore the order. “In order for me to clearly respond to that, I need to be confident in my response, and as of this week, I am not as confident as I was.” While Robinson called the village ordinance “hollow legislation,” she voted against the measure and said reinstating the ordinance as is and without any amendment “doesn’t provide any clarity and doesn’t give a concise level of support for our public health department.” “The confusion around this provision has been really unfortunate. Even hearing from Dr. Chapple and the emails we’ve received over the last week [from residents], what’s clear to me is that there’s just a lot of confusion,” Robinson said. “I think it’s now leading to growing frustration, and there’s just a real information gap. “Given the confusion that comes as a result of this,” she continued, “I just don’t think, at the end of the day, that it’s helpful.” Parakkat, who also cast a dissenting vote, said the debate on whether Chapple-McGruder’s emergency powers should be re-established also highlights whether Oak Park is in a state of emergency. He, like Robinson, believed

bringing the order back does not resolve the larger issues at hand. “Because of the lack of clarity, the community has wasted so much time,” he said. “We, as a board, have wasted so much time discussing it to unpack this misunderstanding. Let’s just provide the clarity and move on from here.” But Walker-Peddakotla said voting to reinstate the order would help alleviate the ambiguity. “I don’t think emergency powers should be extended in perpetuity,” said Walker-Peddakotla, who was among four trustees who voted “Yes.” “Let’s extend the order until we get past the winter months, until we get past COVID peak season, and then we can figure out what the heck we want to do — to really clarify the public health director’s powers long term. Because here’s the thing: COVID is a long-term thing, and we don’t know when it’s going to go from being pandemic to endemic.” Village President Vicki Scaman, who cast the last “Yes” vote and broke the tie, sought to bring the order back to create a “sense of security” but urged Chapple-McGruder to continue her work, as she already has through the pandemic, and work with the schools, businesses, Shelley and Stephanides. “It’s been a very difficult time for you, and I’m sorry,” Scaman said. “And it’s been a very difficult time for all staff who work here at village hall and for our families, but the last thing I want is for this meeting to end, and for there to still be that confusion.”

State treasurer looks to return Purple Heart Medal found in an Oak Park bank vault

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs has set out on a mission to return 11 Purple Heart medals, one of which was found in Oak Park, to their rightful owners. Each medal was found inside safe deposit

boxes in various banks which had been untouched for years, according to the state treasurer. The Purple Heart discovered in Oak Park was inside a bank safe deposit box carrying the name “Smith” and was recorded with the state treasurer’s office over 20 years ago -- Nov. 18, 2002. Those with information regarding the Purple Heart found

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in Oak Park should contact the Frerich’s office. The Purple Heart is an exceedingly rare military decoration awarded in the name of the president of the United States to those wounded or killed during military service. It is also the country’s oldest military decoration, first created by Gen. George Wash-

ington in 1782 and awarded to Continental Army soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War. “These medals personify honor, sacrifice, and duty,” Frerichs wrote in a news release. “They belong in the loving care of families rather than hidden inside our cold basement vault.”

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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Community fridges boost turkey dinners

Carnival Grocery and Suburban Unity Alliance host Thanksgiving meal drive By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

A brainstorming session between Arthur Paris, owner of Carnival Grocery, and Anthony Clark, founder of Suburban Unity Alliance, hatched a plan to stock three community “unity fridges” with full turkey dinners in advance of the holiday. “Anthony was in here shopping a couple of weeks ago and we started discussing what we could do to support the community during the holidays,” said Paris. “He came back with the idea of stocking the fridges for Thanksgiving.” Suburban Unity Alliance and Carnival Grocery partnered with Best of Proviso Township and Engaged Berwyn to collect goods and assemble meal boxes containing stuffing mix, canned cranberries, rice, macaroni and cheese, corn, yams, green beans, and holiday pie. Each box also included access to a fresh turkey to be picked up at Carnival. The drive, promoted on social media and held on Nov. 21 at Carnival Grocery, yielded enough items to fill 30 boxes to distribute equally between the three refrigerators. “This is so powerful because food insecurity is a person-

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

GIVING MORE THAN THANKS: Vida Galenas drops off a turkey to add to the boxes packed at Carnival Grocery on Nov. 20.

Carnival turkeys make a difference at Austin food drive, too

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

Anthony Clark and Ninia Linero packing Thanksgiving dinners at Carnival.

PROVIDEDALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Carnival turkeys make their way to Austin via personal delivery as part of the Thanksgiving food drive hosted by Michelle Clark High School.

made problem and this is a person made solution,” said Clark. “The community provided everything we needed to fill 30 boxes for the three fridges, and we expect it all to be gone tomorrow.” Oak Park’s first Community Fridge arrived in Oak Park last May at Carnival Grocery, 824 S. Oak Park Ave., the second arrived at Euclid Methodist Church, 405 S. Euclid Ave., and third in the front yard of the apartment building at 804 S. 17th Ave, Maywood. The refrigerators, started by Clark, are stocked by the community and offer 24/7 access to free food including canned goods and perishables. Differing from a charity, the “unity fridges” operate as mutual aid systems where members of the community work together to support the needs of people living in the community. “I feel like it is a responsibility of businesses in the community to show support to people in the community,” said Paris. “In our society we work to be successful and sharing what you have with someone who has less just makes sense.” Paris and Clark are already having discussions about host-

As part of the Nov. 17 holiday food drive held at Michelle Clark High School, 5101 W. Harrison St., supported by Fathers Who Care and Austin Parent University, Carnival Foods quietly donated 10 fresh turkeys to the effort. Cate Readling, Oak Park resident and political organizer, learned about the Austin food drive and connected Arthur Paris to the effort, but his turkeys were delayed and would not be available during the distribution window. Thankfully, with the help of representatives from Kina Collins’ congressional campaign, Carnival was able to connect with an Austin community block captain who collected the turkeys in the evening and personally distributed them to residents in need. “Arthur is a leader in the community and our team was honored to partner with him to distribute turkeys to families in need ahead of the holidays,” said Kina Collins, congressional candidate in Illinois’ 7th district. “Food insecurity is a reality for so many in our community, and it’s critical for us to be able to do this type of deep engagement work on our campaign.”

ing another holiday meal drive in December. Paris has also intensified Carnival’s commitment to working with community philanthropies. Paris is open to partnerships and encourages residents to bring their suggestions to Carnival saying he is more interested in encouraging people to shop at the Oak Park Avenue market to support a worthwhile cause than sending out advertising flyers. “Acts like this separate a small community grocer from a larger corporate run entity,” said Clark. “Arthur is invested in the people in this community and the surrounding areas.” Ninia Linero who volunteered to pack boxes full of stuffing and potatoes during the drive noted that food insecurity is difficult to experience, but it is especially difficult during the holidays saying, “this is a time for everyone to show generosity.”

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

BEYOND HUNGER Meeting the need from page 1 in whatever quantity the pantry demanded. The pandemic, however, has made that process more complicated. “We used to pay a discounted rate for food purchased through the Greater Chicago Food Depository, but now, thanks to funding the food we get from them is free,” said Garcia. “That is good news in some ways, but the bad news is many popular food items are being rationed.” For example, in the past Garcia could order 20 cases of garbanzo beans to stock the pantry, but today he is limited to seven cases. As a result, Garcia must leverage relationships with other vendors to make up the difference. In April and May, when the pantry traffic is lighter, quantity restrictions were less impactful, but need jumps drastically in winter. While Garcia cannot know who is who is going to visit the pantry until the moment they show up, he uses past data to help predict pantry traffic patterns. He anticipates Beyond Hunger will welcome 300 clients on Saturdays in November and December. Each client receives eight days’ worth of food when they visit the pantry at a savings of approximately $200 per month in out-of-pocket grocery expenditures. “We have to piece things together to make sure everyone has access to everything they need,” said Garcia. “We are still focused on providing well-balanced and nutritious food, but we can’t go to one vendor to get everything we need.” The changing dynamics have impacted Garcia’s decision making. While he has been focused on strengthening partnerships with Sysco and grocery chains involved in Beyond Hunger’s food rescue program, he has also shifted the percentages of donated versus purchased food used to

10 things Beyond Hunger needs right now Shelf stable food donations can be dropped off at Beyond Hunger during open hours on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. A window marked for donations is located in the parking lot behind First United Church, 848 Lake St. Here’s what Beyond Hunger really needs: ■ Peanut butter ■ Jelly ■ Boxed cereal ■ Canned chicken soup ■ Canned corn ■ Spaghetti/pasta ■ Bagged white rice ■ Dry black beans ■ Dry pinto beans

Happy Thanksgiving, neighbors. I’m thankful to be part of such a wonderful community. I wish all my neighbors a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Like a good neighbor State Farm is there.®®

COURTESY BEYOND HUNGER

Colin Fane, Agent

POULTRY PATROL: Volunteers on distribution day.

212 S Marion Street Fl G Oak Park, IL 60302

stock the pantry. Beyond Hunger formerly kept a ratio of 60 percent purchased food to 40 percent donated goods; with rising food costs Beyond Hunger is now stocking the pantry with 70 percent donated items to 30 percent purchased foods. “I had to switch my mentality to focus to procure what we need,” said Garcia. “That 30 percent is used to purchase produce and other loose ends and the rest of our stock comes from donations made by engaged community members and partners.” The pantry offers a modified client choice model in their indoor pedestrian pantry and continues to offer the drive-thru model started during the pandemic. Garcia is quick to point out that 80 percent of clients still opt to use the drive-thru model to receive a fixed menu of items. The food items are packed in cardboard boxes that also have increasing costs tied to inflation. “Each family receives two boxes of food in the drive through model, so we order 1,000 boxes every couple of weeks and the boxes are getting more expensive,” said Garcia. “Our vendor has honored the original price for now, but if this trend continues, we know those costs will go up, too.” To help make up for inventory shortages, Beyond Hunger is looking to “harness the power of the community” by requesting donations of 10 specific shelf-stable food items that are in particularly high demand and difficult to source in ample quantities. “I have a short-term memory when it comes to any stress around doing this job because it is so gratifying,” said Garcia. “It all disappears during the distribution process. There is a satisfaction that comes with seeing the gratitude for the services we provide. We are so grateful because none of this would be possible without our Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park community.”

www.colinfane.com Monday & Friday 9am-5pm Tues/Wed/ Thurs 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-12pm

Bus: 708-383-3163

State Farm Bloomington, IL

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includes fries or baked potato, coleslaw and garlic bread

525 N Harlem Ave, Oak Park (708) 848-3333 11am - 9pm Daily

3 Vienna Hot Dogs w/ Fries $ .49

Italian Beef Sandwich w/ Fries $ .49

Wednesday

Gyros Plate Dinner 1 lb meat, 2 pita breads, fries & 3 cups sauce $10.99

Every day Special!

Gyros with fries $7.99

1/4 Lb Double Cheeseburger

Big Mickey! $ .99

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

PROTEST

City issue comes to Oak Park from page 1 of Weiss Hospital’s parking lots to Lincoln Property Company, which hopes to develop an apartment complex in Uptown. The protesting residents and organizers — some of whom were affiliated with the community organization Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside, or ONE Northside — said their gripe isn’t with Trader Joe’s or the shoppers. Over the last several weeks, however, they’ve been on a mission to bring their message to retail areas located within buildings owned by Lincoln Property, of which Oak Park Place (the formal name of the Trader Joe’s building) is one. The protesters said they believe that Lincoln Property’s parking lot acquisition is indicative of Pipeline’s gradual attempts to close Weiss and sell off its parts. They also believe the proposed 12-story, 314-unit apartment complex will only exacerbate the affordable housing shortage in Uptown. Block Club Chicago reported earlier this year that eight of those units will be designated affordable. Between 2012 and 2019, affordable housing units in Uptown declined by nearly 9 percent, according to a pair of University of Illinois Chicago professors who discussed the data with WTTW last month. Once one of Chicago’s most ethnically and racially diverse community areas, the white population in Uptown has gone from around 42 percent in 2000 to 54 percent in 2020. Meanwhile, the community’s median income has more than doubled, from around $20,000 three decades ago to about $55,000 in 2020, according to census data. In an email statement, a Pipeline spokesperson defended the sale of the parking lot, explaining that it will help bring in revenue necessary to fund improvements and enhancements at Weiss Memorial. “Weiss Memorial Hospital has served this community for more than 65 years. Our unwavering commitment to caring for our community is evidenced by the recent expansion of various clinical service lines and significant investment in high-tech equipment, facilities renovations and infrastructure,” the statement read. “For example, our beautiful state-of-the-art orthopedic floor is scheduled to open in January, and patients will benefit from the minimally-invasive surgery made possible by two surgical robots. The flat parking lot adjacent to our hospital is a dormant asset for which we have no purpose. In contrast, the sale of that lot allows for additional investment in our current facilities and continued

PAUL GOYETTE/Contributor

Protesters gathered inside and outside a Lincoln Properties building in Oak Park on Nov. 21. The group objects to the sale of a parking lot at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Uptown to Lincoln Properties. Like Weiss, Oak Park’s West Suburban Hospital is owned by Pipeline Health. growth of our clinical programs. Our staff and physicians look forward to serving our community for many years to come.” Attempts earlier this week to reach a spokesperson with Lincoln Property Company were unsuccessful. Marc Kaplan, a longtime Uptown resident who protested at Trader Joe’s in Oak Park on Sunday, said Pipeline’s past actions don’t give him any optimism about the company’s intentions. Kaplan pointed to Pipeline’s decision in 2019 to close Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, a few months after the firm purchased the hospital, along with Weiss and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, from Tenet Healthcare for $70 million. Pipeline closed the hospital despite telling state regulators that they would keep it open for some years. Last year, Pipeline settled a lawsuit brought by the village of Melrose Park for $1.5 million. “For Pipeline, that’s chump change, that’s an investment,” Kaplan said. “We feel that [the parking lot sale] is a big piece for dismantling the hospital.” Kim Jeffries said she’s lived in Uptown since 1993. Since then, she said, the neighborhood has changed. “It’s gentrifying,” Jeffries said not long before she

PAUL GOYETTE/Contributor

walked into Trader Joe’s on Sunday to make Oak Parkers aware of her experience. “They’re trying to keep us people out,” she said, “I mean Black and Brown people, so they’re looking for any excuse to do so.” Jeffries, a diabetic who relies on Weiss Memorial for medical services, said she once tried touring one of the many new luxury apartment buildings going up within Uptown — to no avail. “I was just being nosey, but they wouldn’t even show me anything,” she said. “You have to show ID to get into one of the showings, but they rejected my ID. That made absolutely no sense.” Angela Clay, a lifelong Uptown resident who ran unsuccessfully for 46th Ward alderman in her community, said that while Uptown is about a half-hour from Oak Park, the two communities are strikingly similar. “Oak Park is kind of like a reflection of Uptown in a lot of ways,” Clay said. “We have a wide variety of income and nationalities. We have a variety of pretty exclusive properties, but we also have people with no income whatsoever. We’re coming to Oak Park to tell our neighbors that we’re really not that different.”

PAUL GOYETTE/Contributor

C R I M E

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

Juvenile reports sexual assault in Austin Gardens

A female juvenile from Maywood was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man in his 50s at Austin Gardens in the 100 block of Forest Avenue at 8:15 p.m., Nov. 14. The victim said the offender arranged to meet after conversing through a phone app. When the man arrived, he allegedly began trying to remove the victim’s clothes. When she resisted, he told her not to scream, then sexually assaulted her. The victim was later taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital. Police reports describe the offender as a Black male in his 50s, about 5-feet-8. He was last seen wearing a blue puffy coat and blue jeans.

Aggravated vehicular hijacking Two Chicago residents were carjacked at 8:20 p.m., Nov. 21, in the 900 block of Home Avenue. The victim driving the vehicle exited to make a delivery, leaving the second victim in the passenger’s seat of the gray 2017 Lincoln MKC, when a light-colored sedan pulled up next to their vehicle and a man exited the sedan from the passenger’s side, pointed a black gun and ordered the seated victim out of the vehicle. When the driver returned, the offender took her keys then fled in her vehicle, followed by the sedan. The Lincoln MKC was recovered at 1:19 a.m., Nov. 22, in the 4500 block of South Ellis Avenue in Chicago. Police reports describe

the offender as a Black male, about 5-feet-8 with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a yellow knit cap, a dark surgical mask and a black hoodie.

Recovered stolen automobile The white Acura, reported stolen Nov. 11 from the 200 block of South Maple Street, was recovered by Chicago police in the Chicago Auto Pound, 701 N. Sacramento Ave. at 3:49 p.m., Nov. 19.

Motor vehicle theft ■ Someone removed an unlocked Toyota Camry using the spare key hidden under the driver’s seat between 4 p.m., Nov. 14 and 6 a.m., Nov. 15 in the 400 block of South Kenilworth Avenue. The estimated loss is $17,000. ■ A Honda Pilot was removed using a spare key found inside the vehicle between 6 p.m., Nov. 18, and 7 a.m., Nov. 19, in the 800 block of North Austin Boulevard. The estimated loss is $32,500. ■ Chicago police recovered the vehicle in the 5100 block of Madison Street in Chicago at 9 a.m., Nov. 21.

Theft ■ The

catalytic converter was taken from

a 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Nov. 15, while the vehicle was parked in the north lot of West Suburban Hospital, 3 Erie Ct. ■ The catalytic converter was cut from a 2006 green Toyota parked in the 200 block of South Lombard Avenue between noon and 2 p.m., Nov. 15. ■ Several items of audiovisual equipment were removed from the balcony in the sanctuary of Greater Chicago Church, 705 Jackson Blvd. between 12:30 p.m., Nov. 7, and 9 a.m., Nov. 11. The estimated loss is $2,848. ■ The catalytic converter was cut from a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander between 6:30 p.m., Nov. 17, and 7:45 a.m., Nov. 18, in the 1000 block of South Humphrey Avenue. ■ The catalytic converter was removed from a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander between midnight and 11 a.m., Nov. 18, in the first

block of Augusta Boulevard. ■ Someone took a package containing a black jumpsuit from the front porch of a residence in the 600 block of South Oak Park Avenue between 11:25 a.m. and 4:27 p.m., Nov. 18. ■ The catalytic converter was removed from a black 2002 Acura, parked in the 600 block of South Boulevard between 12:30 p.m., Nov. 18, and 9 a.m., Nov. 19. ■ The catalytic converter was taken from a silver 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander parked in the 400 block of South Cuyler Avenue between 5 p.m., Nov. 18, and 7:15 a.m., Nov. 19. ■ Someone cut the catalytic converter out of a gray 2005 Honda Accord, parked in the 100 block of South East Avenue between 8 p.m., Nov. 16, and 5 p.m., Nov. 19.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports Nov. 15-22 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest. Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Beyond Properties, The Erica Cuneen Team, and Team Cynthia ant to thank our family, friends, and clients for your continued support in 2021 and for helping our teams become ranked #1 and #2 in ak Park! We couldn't do it ithout you and e are so ery grateful for you ! We ish you a ery happy Thanksgi ing!

Visit us at BeyondPropertiesRealty.com

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

WE’RE BY YOUR SIDE 901 N Oak Park Ave Oak Park | $750,000 Keller Group Chicago

1634 N Humboldt Blvd Chicago | $750,000 Bill Geldes

310 N Cuyler Ave Oak Park | $649,900 Patricia McGowan

428 S Grove Ave Oak Park | $599,000 Hannah Gillespie

4341 N Meade Ave Chicago | $535,000 Vanessa Willey

631 Marengo Ave Forest Park | $530,000 Cathy Yanda

1405 N La Grange Rd La Grange Park | $500,000 Kevin Kirby

421 S Ridgeland Ave Unit 3S Oak Park | $498,000 Steve Green

738 Woodbine Ave Oak Park | $479,000 Hannah Gillespie

235 S Marion St Unit K Oak Park | $465,000 Bobbi Eastman

3030 N Parkside Ave Chicago | $429,000 Margarita Lopez

1116 Clinton Ave Oak Park | $425,000 Swati Saxena

2536 Clinton Ave Berwyn | $415,000 The Dita Group

7829 S Coles Ave Chicago | $400,000 Porchia Cooper

812 Lathrop Ave Forest Park | $375,000 Swati Saxena

909 Marengo Ave Forest Park | $350,000 Roman Lewis

5305 N Austin Ave Chicago | $350,000 Cathy Yanda

3428 Harvey Ave Berwyn | $320,000 James Salazar

1022 Troost Ave Forest Park | $285,000 Carla Taylor

1176 S Harvey Ave Oak Park | $240,000 Amy Harris

Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest | 1037 Chicago Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 | 708.697.5900 | oakpark.bairdwarner.com Source: BrokerMetrics® LLC, 1/1/2019 - 12/ 31/2019Detached and Attached only. Chicagoland PMSA

Wednesday Journal, October 24, 2021

Homes

NEED TO REACH US?

oakpark.com/real-estate email: buphues@wjinc.com

REDFIN.COM

$998,000: 344 N. Kenilworth Ave., Oak Park

$607,500: 508 Thomas Ave., Forest Park

REDFIN.COM

What you get for the money: Fall colors edition From yellow to red, here’s what’s on offer at the moment By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

t’s been a spectacular fall for foliage in the western suburbs. Long after the leaves have fallen and the raking has begun, local homes represent the fall colors year-round in their brightly colored paint jobs. Not surprisingly, orange houses are rare, but yellow paint jobs and red accents are readily available in houses that recently hit the market.

$599,900: 424 Pleasant St., Oak Park

In a 2018 paint analysis, the online real estate firm Zillow found that painting the exterior of your home yellow could result in a net loss of over $3,400 on the sale of the home. That memo doesn’t seem to hold for historic homes. “This Old House” notes that yellow tones are quite popular in many older styles such as Victorian and craftsman. A number of area homes painted this sunshine hue have recently been listed.

REDFIN.COM

See FALL COLORS on page 22

$315,000: 5035 W. Huron St., Chicago

$299,900: 1516 Elmwood Ave., Berwyn

REDFIN.COM

$599,738: 738 S. Elmwood Ave., Oak Park

REDFIN.COM

Wednesday Journal, October 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

REDFIN.COM

$299,900: 1516 Elmwood Ave., Berwyn

FALL COLORS Colorful choices from page 21 In Austin, 5035 W. Huron St. recently listed for $315,000. The five-bedroom, threebathroom home was built in 1904 and has pops of yellow on its third-floor siding and the railings of the front porch. In Oak Park at least eight homes currently on the market are painted yellow, including 804 N. Taylor Ave., a bungalow painted a tempered shade of the color. The 990-square-foot home offers three bedrooms and one bathroom and was built in 1912. The listing price was recently dropped to $294,900. The home at 159 N. Ridgeland Ave. recently went under contract with an asking price of $475,000. The three-bedroom 1.5-bath-

$475,000: 159 N. Ridgeland Ave., Oak Park

room home was built in 1883. The recently painted house has clapboard siding in a pale shade of yellow which complements the wooden door and Victorian accents. A Gunderson-built home 738 S. Elmwood Ave. is also painted in yellow tones. Listed at $599,738, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom house has more than 3,100 square feet of living space and was built in 1903. Also in Oak Park, the painted lady 344 N. Kenilworth Ave. is on the market for $998,000. In the heart of the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, this 3,823-square-foot home has five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The mustard-colored home has red and green accents. In River Forest, 931 Forest Ave. recently went under contract. The three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home is a center-entrance colonial with window boxes dotting its yellow exterior. Built in 1925, the listing price was $646,400. In Forest Park, 508 Thomas Ave. is also

REDFIN.COM

$646,400: 931 Forest Ave., River Forest under contract and had an asking price of $607,500. Painted in shades of mustard, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house spans roughly 2,100 square feet and was built in 1906.

Warmer tones According to online interior design service Modsy, orange is one of the least popular color choices when it comes to painting a home. While orange leaves may be beautiful on a tree, it turns out people associate the hue with construction cones and traffic signs, which may be too stimulating for a house. Not surprisingly, no local homes currently on the market feature a completely orange exterior. But some come close. The home at 3613 East Ave. in Berwyn is a brick home that ran with a mid-century vibe with its rusty orange accent on the exterior. Currently listed for $290,000, the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home was

$290,000: 3613 East Ave., Berwyn

REDFIN.COM

built in 1961 and has over 1,600 square feet of living space, including an in-law apartment. Red exteriors are more popular. According to online home décor source Houzz, the color red has roots as varied as Frank Lloyd Wright icons to old barns, and it’s a more popular choice for older homes. In Oak Park, 424 Pleasant St. marries red brick with red stucco. Listed at $599,900 the six-bedroom 3.5-bathroom home spans 3,600 square feet. The house was built in 1902. In Berwyn, 1516 Elmwood Ave. is under contract with an asking price of $299,900. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home features red siding and was built in 1906. It has over 1,800 square feet of living space. Also in Berwyn, 1815 Harvey Ave. has pops of red in its upper siding and front-facing awning. The $288,999 asking price will get you a bungalow built in 1922 with 1,300 square feet, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

$294,900: 804 N. Taylor Ave., Oak Park

REDFIN.COM

Wednesday Journal, October 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM ANNUAL STATEMENT OF AFFAIRS SUMMARY FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2021

Copies of the detailed Annual Statement of Affairs for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2020 will be available for public inspection in the school district/joint agreement administrative office by December 1, annually. Individuals wanting to review this Annual Statement of Affairs should contact: Oak Park Elementary School District 97 School District/Joint Agreement Name

260 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302 Address

708.524.3000 Telephone

8:00 - 4:30 Office Hours

Also by January 15, annually the detailed Annual Statement of Affairs for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2020, will be posted on the Illinois State Board of Education’s website@ www.isbe.net. SUMMARY: The following is the Annual Statement of Affairs Summary that is required to be published by the school district/joint agreement for the past fiscal year. Statement of Operations as of June 31, 2021 Operations & Maintenance

Educational Local Sources

1000

Flow-Through Receipts/Revenues from One District to Another District

2000

State Sources

3000

11,136,588

Federal Sources

4000

Capital Projects

1,419,685

872,656

2,000,000

1,640,280

3,260,687

Total Direct Receipts/Revenues

87,596,820

10,434,222

4,361,842

Total Direct Disbursements/Expenditures

79,207,211

8,918,998

Other Sources/Uses of Funds

(1,702,265)

8,371,695

3,010,591

5,322,956

Other Changes in Fund Balances Ending Fund Balances June 30, 2021

8,434,222

Municipal Retirement/ Social Security

Transportation

4,361,842

Beginning Fund Balances - July 1, 2020

73,199,545

Debt Services

Working Cash

Fire Prevention & Safety

Tort

19,265

749,782

509,017

325

3,059,965

872,656

19,265

749,782

509,017

325

5,924,183

1,813,489

2,650,734

12,930,201

850,538

1,702,265

2,587,235

6,246,184

19,062,589

4,707,083

4,182,544

119,830

15,059,039

4,525,815

5,462,880

3,833,711

4,468,106

6,151,653

5,456,865

3,841,023

120,155

SALARY SCHEDULE OF GROSS PAYMENTS FOR CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL AND NON-CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL GROSS PAYMENT FOR CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL Salary Range: Less Than $25,000 Alheim, Mary E; Johnson, Sarah; Kiolbasa, Sarah E; Nieto, Anna; O’Keefe, Kathleen M; Rodriguez Bazzi, Natalia; Stringham, Nefret H. Salary Range: $25,000 - $39,999 Callan, James; Schirmer, Zoe B Salary Range: $40,000 - $59,999 Adelman, Jonathan B; Awe, Elena; Bagley, John M; Banks, Tyler ; Beck, John ;Blackman, Francis ;Bowman, Taylor; Brown, Dana ;Brown, Rachel; Campo, Fiona; Colucci, Michael P;Conley, Denise; Connell, Hannah C; Corrigan, Betsy; Daniel, Matthew N; Deaton, Patrick; Gallup, Hannah; Giorango, Lauren; Goulding, Stephanie; Graber, Mary C; Green, Amy; Hoak, Rosa; Holich, Jennifer; Hoskins, Steven; Joyce, Kelly A; Kiefer, Elizabeth; Mullins, Margaret; Park, Hallie; Pass, John; Pastuovic, Jacqueline; Planek, Anne M; Radogno, Nancy; Ranney, Shabaaz R; Rodriguez, Juan; Roh, Andrew; Russ, Jennifer; Schwabenbauer, Briana; Scott, Dominique; Stenger, Julia; Stott, Gary; Thomas, Gretchen; Tipton, Grace; Tsaganos, Georgia; Villalobos, Cecilia; Wawzenek, David C; Wilhite, Jill; Williams, Nina; Zand, Noah Salary Range: 60,000 - $89,999 Ablan, Megan; Adduci, Sarah N; Advani, Shilpa P; Aguirre, Lidys Y; Alberttis, Estefania; Alejos, Katy J; Andersen, Mark; Anderson, Amy; Anderson, Elisa B; Anderson, Julie; Anderson, Michelle; Apostol, Emmanuel; Armstrong, Rhapsody A; Bachmann, Eric; Bagri, Juliana; Baldassarre, Jennifer R; Banks, Renita; Barker, Ruth; Bates, Bess A; Bautista, Adam P; Beader, Kimberly; Belmont, Kathleen E; Berger, Colleen M; Berkeley, Rachel-Lee K; Berman, Abigayle B; Bermudez, Kimberly M; Bigeck, Ryan R; Blecha, Joel; Bolden, Aaron; Borah, Cynthia; Boudreau, Hannah C; Boyle, Malachy J; Brazen, Donna J; Breit, Robert C; Bringley, Maria S; Brinson, Shehara; Brooks, Clare; Brown, Lauren S; Browning, Jennifer; Brummell, Lee; Bruno, Molly; Buckley, Jennifer A; Bultas, Christina A; Burries, Catina; Byrnes, Julie; Cahill, Mary M; Cairns, Katherine; Campbell, Natalie; Carbray, Caroline; Carr, Anna; Carter, Sheila; Casselle, Rahwa; Childress, Marvin; Chinski, Nicole; Choi, Petra Kim; Chu, Elizabeth Kim; Clark, Johanna; Clark, Natalie K; Coglianese, Steven; Colella, Jessica A; Colucci, John P; Conley, Laurie Ann;Conroy, Shannon; Contraveos, Aaron J; Contraveos, Agnese; Conway, Elizabeth A; Cooper, Deborah L;Corcoran, Ellen; Cordero, Alina E; Cortez, Xelina; Costanzo, Danielle N; Coughlin, Shea; Court, Adrienne Lynn; Cousin, Johanna; Dabney, Veronica; Dajani, Ruby; Daniels, Dion; Datz, Madison A; Davis, Andrew; DeBruyne, Nicole; Decancq, Nicole M; Degman, Kiera; Degman, Sean T; Delia, Caroline; DeSanto, Jordan; Dolan, Emilie C; Dolan, Michael James; Dombek, Jill; Domecq, Juan; Donovan, Georgia; Downs, Matthew; Ebert, Quinn Nicole; Egan-Pater, Kelly A; Eggert, Laura; Egner, Katherine K; Eichstaedt, Douglas; Fenske, Jessie; Ferguson, Kelly; Fishman - Strait, Samuel; Fleming, Kasey; Flynn, Nora Katherine; Fogg, Karen E; Foleno, Karen; Fourman, Grace; Fowlkes, Krystal M; Fox, Kaitlyn E; Frame, Carolyn; Freeman, Megan A; Friel, Juliette; Friesen, Judy; Furlong, Taylor K; Gaffney, Pam A; Garcia, Felicia; Gates, Ryan;Gawne, Heidi C; Gearhart, Michelle; Gehrke, Jeffrey; Gibson, Shantorria; Golemes, Lindsay K; Gonzalez, Christina; Goodman, Megan C; Grant, Nicole E; Green, Jerome; Grogan, Marjorie; Guarino, Nancy; Guerrier, Anne Marie; Hanna, Lisa; Haro, Sari; Harrington, Christiana; Harris, Faith M; Harris, Gina; Hart, Deanna; Harvey, Lawrence; Hauser, Carmen R; Hausfeld, Mark; Heide, Lindsay; Heide, Nora; Heidloff, Savannah L; Helm, Keisha M; Henrichs, Brianne M; Herron, Katie; Hiatt, Clare; Hill, Elizabeth Mae; Hill, Laura; Hill, Stacey; Hoerner, Riley; Howe, Erin; Hussey, Colleen M; Hwang, Jordan; Jacobo, Julia C; Jacobson, Erin E; Jacobson, Evan; Jaramillo, Aaron; Jaros, Jennifer A; Jarosch, Elizabeth A;Jenkins, Alicia; Jirka, Heidi Marie;Johnson, Tyeshiea; Jones, Kimberly G;Kadlec, Christian R;Kaunelis, Lauren; KearleyPruitt, Carina; Kearns, Colleen; Kelly, Kathleen H; Kelly, Mary E; Kemper, Susan; Kessler, Lindsey R; Keuler, Kathryn R; Kibblesmith, Rachel E; Kiferbaum, Rachel S; Kinnaman, Anna P; Kleespies, Lauren; Klemp, Casey Lynn; Kline, James R; Knox, Catherine M; Kontos, Elena; Koransky, Tamara; Kosari, Hasti; Kula, McKenzie E; Kula, Taylor; Lagioia, Vito A; Lahucik, Ann M; Lamb, Allison; Landfair, Gina R; Leban, Todd; Lee, Miles C; Lenzo, Sheri C; Logan, Ciarra; Logan, Jennifer; Lopez, Brent; Louthan, Sarah; Lukehart, Jason; Mack, Amanda; Maggio, Sabrina K; Maher, Jacqueline P; Manetta, Claire E; Mariani, Amy D; Marinelarena, Liza; Martin, Alice; Masters, Molly J; McAndrew, Patrick; McCauley, John; McDowell, John W; McGill, Raven; McKinney, Carin C; McKinney, Wesley; Meglan, Laura;

Meier, Samuel A; Meierhoff, Molly Anne;Meilinger, Rebecca J; Meisinger, Rebecca; Meredith, Catherine G; Merriweather, George T; Milburn, Jessica; Miller, Karolyn; Milliern, Jennifer; Missman, Anna; Mohammad, Marta; Moody, Kiera C; Morgan, Catherine M; Moroney, Myles C; Morrell, Jason; Mucha, Katrina E; Mucha, Patrick J; Munoz, Karla L; Murawski, Nathan; Murphy, Megan; Naples, Molly Kathleen; Narvaez, Delfidio J; Neubert, Ulrike; Niewald, Elizabeth A; Nikolakakis, Caroline A; Ninan, Jincy; Nowaczyk, Steven R; O’Brien, John P; Olsen, Jennifer J; Olson, Lauren E; Olson, Steven; Omenazu, Aimee; Pabellon, Meaghan E; Park, Shirley; Parr, Noelle J; Patino, Margaret; Pecora, Kathryn; Pelling, Lori E; Pepp, Rebecca; Perkins, Steven D; Perros, Sarah; Peterson, Jamie A; Pettenuzzo, Marissa Grace; Pines, Nicole L; Pletsch, John J; Plumley, Sada J; Podlasek, Eric; Polega, Shannon E; Pros, Christopher R; Pryor, Ayhesha J; Pryor, Nicole L; Raad, Jason; Reeves, Laura A; Reising, Thomas; Rhoades, Jennifer S; Richards, Jennifer H; Ricker, George; Rigali, Megan B; Righeimer, Andrew; Robinet, Linda; Robinzine, Lauren M; Rodrigues, Nathon; Rodriguez, Tasia; Rogers, Elizabeth; Rojas, Lauren Kate; Rollo, Richard H; Romine, Corynne; Rosales, Kimberly; Roskos, Meagan K; Rote, Emily; Rudin, Lisa; Ruff, Michaela; Ryan, Alyssa R; Ryan, Sean; Ryan, Sideeka; Sakamoto, Molly; Sakellaris, Kara; Saliny, Lauren; Saliny, Shannon; Scanlon, Luke; Schmidt, Joshua; Schrag, Allison; Schulte, Patrick E; Shannon, Ericka; Simatic, Charles M;Small, Stephanie D; Smith, Elizabeth Chambless; Smith, Esther; Smith, Stephanie S; Sorensen, Michael; Spillane, Karri L; Stewart, Megan; Stigger, Nichelle; Suedbeck, Michele M; Suerth, Stephanie; Sundquist, Kristen E; Swistowicz, Phillip; Tabar, Aurore M; Tague, Emily; Tangorra, Michael; Tatro, Hannah; Tencate, Therese; Thomas, Stephanie G; Tisch, Caitlin; Torres, Rebecca; Touchette, Melanie; Trathen, Kathryn S; Trout, Lauren B; Tucker, Miranda; Tyler, Courtney M; Tysse, Kate M; Utter, Rory K;Valle, Kelly M;Vega, Lauren K;Vella, Megan; Vietzen, Elizabeth; Villa, John; Vincenti, Lawrence; Voigts, Amanda; Von Bokern, Mandra; Walker, Kenya; Walsh, Susan; Walsh-Kallay, Jean; Weber, Rachel; Weck, Madonna N; Wehman, Christine S; Weiss, Leslie E; Welchko, Christina R; Wetzel, Christine E; Wheatley, Rachel A; Whitley, Katherine B; Williams, David; Williams, Emile; Williams, Jillian; Williams, Mohogany Q; Williams, Rasheedah; Williams, Sarah C; Wilson, Cynthia; Wilson, Megan; Winchell, Jamie L; Winchell, Ryan; Winfield, Porsche; Winkelhake, Hilary Ann; Withers, Richard; Witz, Jeanne; Wiza, Noah P; Woods, Emily J; Woodson, Erin P; Yigzaw, Salome; Yocius, Mary E; Youman, Lisa M; Youngberg, Michael; Zaragoza, Silvia; Zarosl, Jennifer L Salary Range: $90,000 and over Ali, Hussain; Andries, Paula; Arensdorff, Michael; Asgharzadeh, Parisa; Ashford, Kristine; Baker, Amy;Baker, Caroline; Baker, Seth; Barnard, James; Bauman, Natalie; Bell-Bey, Kila; Berger, Kevin E;Bland, Antoine M;Bronner, Donna; Brown, Kina L;Brown, Valerie A;Budde, Leslie; Bulger, Mark J;Capuder, April; Cardelli, Roxane Marie;Carr, Chemaine L;Carrillo, Fernando; Casanovas, Joseph; Chase Vivas, Elizabeth; Childress, Erica; Chinn, Amy; Christian, Jeremy; Chrystall, Linda; Ciosek, Anne; Circo, Carla J;Collins, Monica; Colmenero, Maria Elvira; Cruz, Michael Christian;Cuculich, Melissa; Darley, Anne E;Dean, Katherine; Dinatale, Jacqueline; Dorka, Meghan J;Doyle, Carolyn; Dunn, Julieann; Durham, Candace Kaye;Featherstone, Jeffrey R;Feierberg, Patricia; Fenske, Emily F;Germanier, Janette M;Gillespie, Michael; Glover-Rogers, Donna; Gonsur, Steve R;Gordon, Ryan T;Grimaldi, Hilary K;Groben, Patricia L;Gulley, Canika; Gunnell, Sharon L;Hamm, Tracy J;Hancock, Joshua; Haus, Darren; Hayward, James M;Herrmann, Gina L;Hodge, John; Hoehne, Nancy R;Hoover, Stephanie; Hoskins, Monique; Hughes, Paula R;Ivey, Marion; Jacoby, Rocio R;Jamrosz, Christine M;Janu-Chossek, Lori; Jaskiewicz-Garcia, Margaret; Jefferson, Amy R;Jerkatis, Aaron; Johnson Thompson, Arnetta; Johnson, Evette F;Kamm, Carrie; Kannan, Ashley A;Kanwischer, Thomas; Karia, Anjali Asokan;Kelley, Carol Lynetta;Keto, Erica; King, Julianne; King, Patrick D;Klein, Stacie; Kraft, Darren; Lacey, Beth; Lawrence, Tawanda; Lee, William; L’heureux, Jean M;Lofton, Eboney L;Love, Angelica; Lyles, Sherita; Mabry, Amber Dawn;Maciak, Matthew; Madsen, Susan M;Manuel, Melissa; Manus, Paul; Martin, Angela B;Martinez, Blanca Noemi;McComb-Williams, Chasity; McDaniels, Danielle; McDonald, Timothy; McGlynn, William J;McKeand, Lauren M;Mendez, Sarah D;Middleton, Donna; Missman, Jeffrey; Moloney, Erin; Moore, Sarah D;Mulsoff, Beth; Mura, Susan M;Murray, Kristiana C;Naber, Scott; Nagano, Virginia; Nelson, Allison; Nelson, Jennifer; Nelson, Sondra; Nickels, Julie T;Noonan, Katie M;Otten, Deanna; Packer, Paul E;Pacyna, Jill; Parkinson, Betsy; Patterson, Elisabeth; Pearce, Sharon; Pearson, Lisa; Perez, Becky; Peronto, Aniela; Poleski, Margaret; Polley,

Martha B;Quickery, Katherine K;Raia, Jennifer; Rajashekar, Veena; Rapoport, Carolyn; Rehfield, Marianne E;Robertson, Stacey; Robey, Seth; Robinson, Patrick C;Rocco, Thomas; Roman, Edgar; Rosenblum, Gabrielle; Rossi, Andrea; RuizHaneberg, Maria; Sakellaris, Nicholas J;Santos, Bessie; Scahill, Rebecca Marie;Scaro, Leanne; Schemidt, Jennifer; Schrems, Sheila Vietzen;Seymour, Andrew; Sheth, Jane Sabatino;Shinners, Brian K;Sigunick, Julie; Smith, Elyse; Smith, Lindsay; SmithCole, Faith; Stamp, Laura K;Starks, Felicia; Sullivan, Cheryl C;Swanson, Mary; Tokarz, Karen Maureen;Tresselt, Susan; Turek, John; Turi, Stella; Villasin, Katherine; Vogt, Amy; Walsh, Timothy; White, Veronica; Williams, Lisa; Youngberg, Rachel D;Zander, James; Zelaya, Christine GROSS PAYMENT FOR NON-CERTIFIED PERSONNEL Salary Range: Less Than $25,000 Aguirre, Vanessa; Alejos, Darren; Ali, Rehana; Ames, Darron; Andrade, Pedro; Arends, Joshua; Arzate, Yaritza; Ates, Shadeane; Bade, Debra; Baker-Mills, Shetrice; Bandara, Buddhini; Bell, Alexandria; Bellmar, Mary; Benion, Joy; Benjamin, Terese; Berg, Carolyn; Bishop, Marc; Blackney, Sabrina; Bochner, Michael; Booker, Willona; Bopp, Karen; Boyd, Lakesha; Braun, Kristina; Breen, Beverly; Bridge, Kathryn; Brooks, Kathleen; Brown, Mitzi;Brown, Teresa; Buerger III, Carl; Buhler, Karen; Builes, Maryann; Bullock, Glenda; Burger, Jacqueline; Burns, Maria; Cafi, Edita; Calloway, Lawrence; Campbell, Betty; Carizey, Jennifer; Casillas, Rocio; Cataldo, Angela; Chaidez, Consuelo; Christian, Ruby; Chu, Elizabeth; Clark, Alfreda; Clarke, Catherine; Coaker, Lloyd; Coleman, Evelyn; Conner, Sharon; Connor, Erin; Cooley, Tenea S; Cordoba Casas, Azahara; Culbertson, Emily; Daniels, LaDonna; Daun, Gina; Davis, Tracy; Dembski, Debra; Dennis, Laura; Donald, Brenda; Duffy, Conal; Dunn, Jeanette; Eble, Julie; Evans, Sanna Lee; Faire, Michelle; Fields, Adriene; Fields, Jade; Fountain, Erin; Fox, Madeline; Frost, Joanna; Fuenmayor, Elizabeth; Gaither, Gregory; Galindo, Bianca; Gallagher, Emily; Godek, Diane; Gornik, Nathan; Gray, Julia; Gray, Robert; Griffith, Rachel; Guider, Veronica; Guyton, Charles; Haigh, Tania; Hall, Marcus; Hampton, Candice; Harper, Angela P; Harris, Dejon; Hartman, Edward; Hawk, Amy; Hayes, Taurus; Herkal, Jennifer; Hermann, Tara; Hicks Jr., Terrance; Higgs, Larry; Hobbs, Mildred; Howard, Synica; Husbands, Addie; Husbands, Jennifer; Irons, Jonetta; Jackson, Annette; Jennings, Regina; Johnson, Cathrecea; Johnson, Laneta; Jones, Brittany; Jones, Esther; Jones, Venus; Jones; Thomas, Gloria; Keefe, Saosophy; Kihoi, Scott; Kissoon, Sarah; Klein, Anja; Klette, Katharine; Kojak, Allison; Kowalczyk, Patricia; Krause, Layla; Lannan, Kaitlyn; LeBreck, Rochelle; Lewis, Shelly; Lewis, Yolanda; Libbey, Paul; Lige, Anita; Lindsey, Ashley; Lococo, Frank; Lofton, Alverdis; Lofton, Katherine; Loud, Janice; Lyon, Vanesa; Maas, Mara; Mack, Cornelia; Maddox, Rachel; Magura, Loriann; Martin, Paul; Maughn, Andene; Maxfield, Sarah; McCarthy, Mary; McClellan, Brittney; McCollough, Laura; McConville, Terri; McDermott, Jennifer; McFeely, Teegan; McGee, Anitra; McGrone, Alyssa; McGrone, Ashley; McKinney, Debra; Melby, Ashley; Meza, Cristina; Michels, Lisa; Miller, Olivia;Minaghan, John;Minter, Shantana; Moczarney, Cynthia;Monarrez, Manuel; Moore, Coretta; Moore, Michael; Moore, Michelle;Morrison, Robert;Morton, Elizabeth; Moss, Charlee; Murphy, Kristine; Nash, Otis; Niederman, Tobias;Nirenberg, Kelly;Nolen, Liam;Nwoko, Mercy; O’Dea, Amy;Ortega-Bramlett, Brianna; Oxley-Hase, Sloane;Palmore, Kaelyn;Pedraza, Arlene; Peery, Frederick; Peete, Ashley; Perez, Dora; Perez, Martha; Perkins, Arionne; Poplett, James;Posey, Jemise; Powell, Otis; Powers, Ivone;Province, Linda; Puntillo, Megan; Quick, Kelli; Quinones, Nelida; Raad, Mary;Raub, Daniel; Redmond, Bridget; Reed, Chataka;Reed, Laura;Reed, Lauren;Richardson, Jessica; Riordan, Maeve; Robinson, Jamie; Robinson, Tiffany;Rodriguez, Emily;Roman, Erika;Rosito, Amanda;Rowe, Ruth;Russell, Betty;Saez, Iris;Saez, Iris; Saia, Bonnie;Salinas, Alejandra; Sanchez, Angelica;Sbarboro, Francesca;Schreiner, Olivia;Schultz, Maya;Scianna, Julie;Singh, Harjinder;Sisk, Donna;Smith, John; Smith, Mary;Snydacker, Cynthia; Sordilla, Linda; Space, Phyllis;Spelman, Sarah;Spilotros, Santino;Spurlock, Holly;Stainback, Jerome; Sterrett, Emily; Stevens, Leslie;Strahler, Haley;Svehla, Teri;Svehla, Teri;Taruc, Kristen;Thomas, Darryl;Thurman, Dorothy;Timms, Marwin;Topps, Lorraine;Tsagaris, Maria; Tucker, Lashonda;Turner, Katelyn; Turner, Nicole;Turner, Saronda; Umunna, Ben-Paul;Van Zant, Gabrielle A;VanDerhei, Diane; Villamil, Oscar;Vincent, Cristen;Ward, Aaliyah;Washington, Patricia; Watkins, Tanesha R;Watt, Alexia; White, Richard; Wilberg, Matthew;Wilkerson, Raven;Williams, Philip;Williamson, Kisha; Wilson, Edwin;Woods, Pamela;Yeshwant, Eranthie;Young-Alia, Melody;Yu, Sara

Salary Range: $25,000 - $39,999 Aguirre, Victor; Alejos, Desi; Allen, Veronica D;Azuma, Suzanne; Bacalzo, Derek; Bailey, Desiree B;Banks, Tyra; Banks-Holmes, Angela R;Bannon, Eleanor; Barney, Kristen M;Bassett-Dilley, Mariannell E;Battles, Youvette; Bell, April; Berry, Korea; Boone, Howard; Bowman, Larrissa; Brewer, Gwashauna A;Brooker, Sarah; Brown, Kristina; Carmack, Brenda; Carter, Vashti; Cecil, Melissa; Chamblis, Jeanette; Charles, Marcus; Colbert, Minerva; Cribbs, Keisha N;Doss-Kuk, Lauren K;Duhem, Meribeth M; Durham, Alexandra; Egeberg, Nenita; Eraci-Sullivan, Mary Pat; Eubeler, Meghan; Fantetti, Diane; Fleischman, Nina; Flemming, Ashley R;Frazier, Nicole; Freeman, Florine; Friley, Jeanette; Galvan, Isaac; Garcia Jr., Rodolfo; Gillard, Conar J; Hansen, Bruce; Harris, Yolanda; Hasso, Crystal; Heflin, Margaret J; Herlehy, Mary; Hernandez, Noreen; Holmes, Joanne; Howard, Robert W; Husband, Kywanni; Husbands, Nakia; Iversen, Michael; Jackson, Stacey; Johnson, Alayna M; Jones, Marie; Kiska, Lindsey M; Krzak, Steven; Landfair, Julie L; Latimer, Autesha; Lemus, Emilio; Locke, Lakesha; Macino, Julie; Madison, Micha; Mandeville, William K;Marshall, Cory A; McDonald, Maureen; Miller, Venus; Mobley, Bronwyn L;Moczarney, Natalie Murray, Bernard; Myles, Shawntale; Newman, Taylor; Nichols, Yulonda; Plummer, Samara M; Pohlman, Lenora K; Pride, Neelam; Primak, Sherri L; Puckett, Paris; Rasmussen, Claire; Rice, Luchina; Riordan, Tyler; Roberson, Sonjee; Rodriguez, Erika; Ryniewicz, Jennifer; Sappington, Anise; Scott, Juanita; Shea, Lisa R;Sikora Richardson, Nickoll; Skocen, Vera; Smith, Monica; Smith, Tywone; Sotelo, Magdalena; Spiller, Deion; Stackhouse, Valencia; Stanton, Barbara; Stebbing, Kottie; Stewart, Marcus; Thigpen, Tanya; Thompson, Thomas; Turner, Carla A; Vercnocke, Kayleigh; Walker, Lakeitha; Wallner, Jacqueline; Webster, Carol; Weible, Raymond; Wells, Amriss; Williams, Russell; Woods, Tamel; Word, Felicia Salary Range: $40,000 - $59,999 Aguirre, Arselia; Aviles, Dana; Barrientos, Randy; Billups, Swanson L Burch, Brandon S; Butler, Earl; Champ, LaToya; Clago, Jacob; Cooper, Linda; Cooper, Maya R; Curington, Dwayne C; Davis, Olga; Deloera, Salvador; Duda, Paul; Eubanks, Darryl A; Ferguson, John; Garcia, Rodolfo; Hairston, Bruce J; Harlan, Anna; Hernandez, Angel; Hernandez, Bryan; Hernandez, Eduardo; Hernandez, Felix; Hernandez, Mateo; Howard, Bernard; Johannesson, Lucille; Johnson, Etta; Kasper, Anthony; Keller, Edward; King, Janet; King, Marshall D; Kostoff, Christopher Warren; Krikau, Lori; Kvam, Karen; Larocca, Daniel T; Liddell, Chante J; Lottie, Michelle N; Lowry, Joanne; Marcinowski, Karol S; Martinez, Eduardo; McGrew, Jamarius; McKay, Samuel G; Murry, Samonica; O’Malley, Margaret M; Orlin, Randi M; Paolinelli, Gina; Perkins, Jamari; Plaza, David; Reardon, Keith; Reckamp, Matthew; Reed, Tiphany N; Richardson, Keren Michelle; Richardson, Lavondrya; Roskopf, Lee Ann C; Simon, Kathryn; Stewart, Curtis J; Taylor, Debra; Tillman, James E; Tran, Jason; Vercnocke, Susanne; Wilberg, Matthew; Woods, Marcus Salary Range: $60,000 and over Battaglia, Elizabeth; Boose, Lonya; Brackett, William; Calvin, Anne E;Chaidez, Clemente; Claire, Michael T;Crocilla Jr, James Joseph Davis, John; Dipaolo, Frank C; Dortch, Gilbert; Dove, Marjory; Duran, Daniel; Edwards, Tulicia L; Ellis, Carla Denise; Francis, Christopher; Guerino, Tasha; Hackett, James J; Hill, David L; Imberger, Kristin; Jackson, Echelon L; Johnson, Michael ; Kane, Charles; Keane, Jeanne; Lampley, Mable; Marinier, Sheryl; Murphy, Matthew; Obidi, Siania; Reardon, John H; Reynolds, Tina; Schwab, Susan; Siegfried, Amanda; Taylor, Rodney; Tomczynski, Adam L; White, David G; Woods, Deanna PAYMENTS OVER $2,500, EXCLUDING WAGES AND SALARIES A GREATER GOOD FOUNDATION 6,595; LEONARDO AND COMPANY 10,470; A T & T 6,968; LINCOLN INVESTMENT PLANNING 536,409; AA RENTAL CENTER 8,875; LINCOLN INVESTMENT PLANNING RETIREMENT S 5,400; ACCESS CREDIT UNION 317,311; LISA WESTMAN CONSULTING, INC. 11,700; ACCOUNTABLE HEALTHCARE STAFFING 6,240; LUHRS MEAGAN 4,320; ACCURATE OFFICE SUPPLY 11,446; M2 COMMUNICATIONS 9,500; ACORN GARAGE INC 8,959; MACKIN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 3,988; ACTION FENCE CONTRACTORS, INC. 6,555; MAHONEY’S GRADUATION SERVICES 4,420; ADVANCED MEDICAL PERSONNEL SERVICE 10,463; MAKEMUSIC, INC. 6,300; AFFILIATED CUSTOMER SERVICE, INC. 72,055; MARILYN O. MARSHALL CHAPTER 13 TRUSTEE 4,800; AFRIWARE BOOKS, CO 26,633; MASON MELISSA 57,060; AH TECHNOLOGY, INC. 42,402; MAXIM STAFFING SOLUTIONS 7,474; AIR CLEANING SPECIALISTS 17,910 MBS IDENTIFICATION,

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Wednesday Journal, October 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

continued from page 23 PAYMENTS OVER $2,500, EXCLUDING WAGES AND SALARIES ASSOCIATION 382,869; CANDOR HEALTH EDUCATION 5,885; INC. 3,605; ALARM DETECTION SYSTEMS INC. 30,799; OAKBROOK MECHANICAL SERVICES 77,332; CANON MC MASTER-CARR 11,897; ALMA ADVISORY GROUP, LLC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC. 88,050; O’DONNELL ALLYSSA 20,500; MECHANICAL CONCEPTS OF ILLINOIS, INC 83,005; ALPHA CARD SYSTEMS 6,815; MEGHAN M. HARGRAVE, 5,765; CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. 147,307; OFFICE DEPOT 8,945; CANTU CARLOS 4,320; OLSSON ROOFING CO., LLC 10,000; AMALGAMATED BANK OF CHICAGO 5,603,945; MENARDS 10,485; AMAZON.COM SERVICES, INC 66,053, INC. 4,409; CARDINAL COLOR GROUP 3,451; OPRF HIGH SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE 192,906; CASIE 3,600; ORMISTON MENDOZA ASSOCIATES, LTD 5,720; AMPLIFIED IT, LLC; MEGHAN dba TECH TEACHERS 53,300; CASSITY JESSICA 8,640; METROPOLITAN PREPATORY SCHOOLS 74,831; 2,506; ORTON GILLINGHAM ONLINE ACADEMY LLC 2,975; ANDERSON PEST CONTROL 10,680; MICHAELS UNIFORM COMPANY 11,192; ANTARCTIC MECHAINCAL SERVICES, INC. CAST, INC. 16,400; PALOS SPORTS INC 3,465; CDW CORPORATION 274,312; PARK DISTRICT OF OAK PARK 98,479; MICRO MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC 8,019; 252,968; CENGAGE LEARNING, INC. 11,288; PARKLAND APPLE COMPUTER INC 662,657; MID AMERICAN ENERGY PREPARATORY ACADEMY 122,558; CENTER FOR TALENT 806,777; APPLIED COMMUNICATIONS GROUP 547,701; DEVELOPMENT 3,795; PAULA KLUTH CONSULTING 7,000; MIDWAY CONTRACTING GROUP, LLC 4,704; ARIZONA CENTER FOR TEACHING QUALITY,INC 39,300; PEAR DECK, STATE UNIVERSITY 4,100; MIDWEST COMPUTER PRODUCTS, INC. 5,344; CHANDLER DECISION SERVICES, LLC 3,000; INC.5,248; ARLINGTON GLASS & MIRROR 5,320; MIDWEST PBIS NETWORK 4,580; ARTHUR J. 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SWEENEY ELECTRICAL DAIRY SERVICE 37,434; NOLAND SALES CORP. 11,042; CONTRACTING, INC 64,295; RAYMOND JAMES & ASSOCIATES, BOOKS DELSUR 2,718; NOONAN NATALIE 8,100, BRAINPOP, INC. 3,000; DAUGHERTY SALES, INC 36,375; READING LLC 8,850; NORTHWEST EVALUATION ASSOC. 56,813; WRITING PROJECT NETWORK 16,000; DE LAGE LANDEN BRANCHING MINDS, INC. 33,218; NOTEFLIGHT LLC 3,720; PUBLIC FINANCE 42,140; REAL PROPERTY CONSULTANTS BREEZIN THRU, INC. 9,656; NSBA 4,165; BRITTEN SCHOOL 4,000; DEFINED LEARNING, LLC 7,500; REALLY GOOD STUFF 127,093; NSN EMPLOYER SERVICES, INC. 4,451; BROOKES 3,552; DEMCO, INC. 4,860; RED WING BUSINESS ADVANTAGE PUBLISHING 3,796; OAK PARK & RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP ACCOUNT 5,759; DESANTO JORDAN 2,929; RELIANCE 30,502; BRUNO MIKE 2,800; OAK PARK EDUC SUPPORT PROF STANDARD LIFE INSURANCE CO. 58,676; DH PACE COMPANY, IEA/NEA 16,048; BULLEY & ANDREWS 12,433,832; OAK PARK INC 4,500; RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING 2,863; DIDAX, EDUCATION FOUNDATION 11,200; BUREAU OF EDUCATION INC. 3,847; RESONANT EDUCATION, LLC 4,500 DISCOUNT AND RESEARCH; 4,943; OAK PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCHOOL SUPPLY 2,963; RGW CONSULTING 19,636; DIST 97 DISTRICT 97 42,071; BUSINESSSOLVER.COM, INC. 8,578; OAK BENEFLEX 184,920; RHR INTERNATIONAL LLP 3,450; DISTRICT PARK PIANO 3,200; BY DISCOVERY 3,900; OAK PARK RIVER 97 ECC 513,090; RIVAL5 TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION FOREST COMMUNITY 5,000; BYTESPEED, LLC 5,886; OAK 3,279; DLAJ CONSULTING LLC 3,600; RIVERSIDE PARK TCHR ASSISTANTS ASSOC 44,784; CAMELOT ASSESSMENTS, LLC 5,974; DON JOHNSTON INC. 17,612; RIVS. THERAPUTIC SCHOOLS LLC 36,493; OAK PARK TEACHERS COM INC. 8,270; DONOVAN SCANE CLARE 3,000; ROBBINS

SCHWARTZ, NICHOLAS LIFTON & TA 671,617; DR. YVETTE JACKSON, LLC 25,726; ROYAL PIPE & SUPPLY COMPANY 25,325; DREAMBOX LEARNING 5,292; RUSH DAY SCHOOL 217,599; DREISILKER ELECTRIC MOTORS INC 3,722; RUSH NEUROBEHAVIORAL CENTER 4,000; DUDE SOLUTIONS 16,368; RUSSO’S POWER EQUIPMENT, INC. 17,768; DULANY CONSULTING, INC 3,150; S A S E D 96,622; DURALINE SYSTEMS, INC 11,900; S E I U LOCAL #73 33,590; EARTHWISE ENVIRONMENTAL, INC. 5,885; SAFE AND CIVIL SCHOOLS 8,000; EASTER SEALS 56,710; SAX ARTS AND CRAFTS 3,041; ECS MIDWEST, LLC 10,559; SAYERS ALEKZANDER 4,910; ED-RED 3,500; SCHINDLER ELEVATOR CORP. 16,007; EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT COOPERATIVE 10,042,019; SCHOLASTIC, INC. 19,960; EDUCATIONAL BROADBAND SERVICE AGENCY LLC 17,100; SCHOOL HEALTH SUPPLY CO 24,826; EMPOWER HEALTH SERVICES 2,640; SCHOOL SPECIALTY 22,407; ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, INC. 3,075; SCHOOLBINDER, INC. (TEACHBOOST) 40,560; ENOME, INC. 2,975; SCREENCASTIFY, LLC. 6,000; EQUITY TEAM, INC 11,550; SEAL OF ILLINOIS 176,312; ESGI 21,210; SECURITY BENEFIT LIFE INS CO 19,403; F.R.E.E., INC. 5,201; SECURLY, INC 15,544; FAIRCHILD COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS 10,188; SEESAW LEARNING, INC 49,500; FE MORAN, INC. 355,834; SELF 193,032; FIDELITY INVESTMENTS 792,057; SENTINEL TECHNOLOGIES, INC 7,280; FIDELITY INVESTMENTS 33,039; SETON 5,696; FOLLETT SCHOOL SOLUTIONS, INC. 19,002; SHAMBLISS SECURITY LLC 132,634; FOLLETT SCHOOL SOLUTIONS, INC. 14,589; SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY 6,157 FOLLETT SCHOOL SOLUTIONS, INC. 12,537; SHI INTERNATIONAL CORP. 51,660; FORECAST 5 ANALYTICS, INC. 32,844; SIGN EXPRESS 4,750; FOXHIRE, LLC 69,675; SKETCH FOR SCHOOLS PUBLISHING, INC 5,340; FRANK COONEY CO. INC 273,873; SLOSSON EDUC. PUBLICATIONS, INC. 4,478; FRANKLIN COVEY 5,000; SM-K PRODUCTS 10,710; FREDRIKSEN FIRE EQUIPMENT 10,930; SOLIANT HEALTH, LLC 32,996; FRONTLINE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC 65,779; SONIA SHANKMAN ORTHOGENIC SCHOOL 179,500; FULCRUM MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, INC. 20,000; SOUTH SIDE CONTROL SUPPLY CO. 30,798; GARVEY’S OFFICE SUPPLY 15,987; SPANISH HORIZONS, INC. 3,420; GEOCON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LLC 6,583; SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES 92,734; GIANT STEPS 68,028; SPECIAL EDUCATION SYSTEMS, INC 12,420; Glenn Stearns Chapter 13 Trustee 10,500; SPOTTER 102,425; GOPHER 6,256; ST BENEDICT TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIUM 8,132; GRAINGER 35,622; STANDARD EQUIPMENT COMPANY 11,480; GREAT MINDS 33,424; STAPLES BUSINESS ADVANTAGE 3,755; GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA 8,318; STATE DISBURSEMENT UNIT 65,928; GUIDING LIGHT ACADEMY 59,028; STR PARTNERS, INC. 963,067; HAMMOND ZARETTA 25,000; STREAMWOOD BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM 2,590; HANOVER RESEARCH COUNCIL 58,800; SUMMIT INFORMATION RESOURCES, INC 3,990; HAPARA, INC. 14,079; SUNBELT RENTALS 29,096; HARDING CHERYL 29,070; T.ROWE PRICE TRUST CO RETAIL RETIREMENT 115,714; HARTGE JACOB4,850; TATUM ALFRED 12,000; HEALTHPRO HERITAGE 47,101; TAYLOE GLASS COMPANY 4,219; HEINEMANN 48,579; TAYLOR PUBLISHING CO.DBA BALFOUR

18,356; HELPING HAND CENTER 23,478; TCG ADMINISTRATORS 36,796; HEPHZIBAH 311,141; TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM 69,396; HERFF JONES, LLC 10,048; THE ART OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY 6,490; HODGES, LOIZZI, EISENHAMMER, RODICK & 12,551; THE BOOK TABLE 14,879; HOME DEPOT CREDIT SERVICES 24,344; THE CLM GROUP, INC. 11,496; HOUGHTON MIFFLIN CO 6,973; THE HANOVER RESEARCH COUNCIL, LLC 60,821; HYDE PARK DAY SCHOOL 39,540; THE HEPH FOUNDATION 9,525; I A S B 36,221; THE MATH LEARNING CENTER 9,503; IASA 2,506; THE NORA PROJECT 3,788; IDEAL HEATING COMPANY 176,688; THERMOSYSTEMS, INC. 10,596; IDES 58,674; THINKING CORE 2,949; ILLINOIS BRICK COMPANY 6,405 ; THOMPSON ELEVATOR INSPECTION SERVICE 3,100; ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT FUND 6,456; THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS 26,430; ILLINOIS STATE POLICE BUREAU OF IDENTIFI 35,150; TK ELEVATOR 66,451; IMMEDIA, LLC 37,910; TOBII DYNAVOX, LLC 11,940; INDECOR CONTRACT WINDOW TREATMENTS 23,375; TOM VAUGHN, STANDING TRUSTEE 3,780; INFINITE CONNECTIONS, INC. 5,800; TRAMCO PUMP CO 6,125; INNERSYNC STUDIO, LTD. 11,068; TRANE 25,421; INSTITUTE FOR THERAPY 3,675; TRIMARK MARLINN, LLC 13,153; INSTRUCTURE, INC. 43,132; TROUT LAUREN 4,000; INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE ORGANIZATION 24,412; TSA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 7,442; INTL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK 5,354; TYLER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 253,717; J W PEPPER & SON, INC. 6,458; UNIQUE PRODUCTS 51,979; J.T. KATRAKIS & ASSOCIATES, INC 34,800; UNITED RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 21,056; JACOB & HEFNER ASSOCIATES 103,771; UNITED STAND COUNSELING CENTER 7,195; JAGER ANDREW 7,475; UNIVERSAL TAXI DISPATCH, INC. 3,209; JAMF SOFTWARE, LLC 50,869; UNIVERSITY OF OREGON EDUCATIONAL & COMMU 5,600; JCFS CHICAGO 114,075; UNUM LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA 83,096; JOSEPH ACADEMY MELROSE PARK 95,615; UW MADISON ACCOUNTING SERVICES 10,500; JOSTENS 2,647; VALIC 174,561; K12 INSIGHT LLC 9,860; VERIZON WIRELESS 9,182; KAGAN & GAINES MUSIC COMPANY 17,183; VEX ROBOTICS 4,044; KENDALL HUNT PUBLISHING 18,515; VILLAGE OF OAK PARK 77,220; KEYSTONE EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE 7,434; VILLAGE OF OAK PARK 67,832; KINSALE CONTRACTING GROUP, INC 12,204; VSP OF ILLINOIS, NFP 72,772; KLEESPIES LAUREN 4,000; WAREHOUSE DIRECT 267,179; KNOWBE4, INC. 34,915; WASTE MANAGEMENT 43,273; KQ COMMUNICATIONS 39,780; WEIDENHAMMER SYSTEMS CORP 27,497; KRISTEN L. CLEGG 16,750; WEST MUSIC COMPANY 4,712; LAGRANGE CRANE SERVICE, INC. 3,136; WEST SUBURBAN MONTESSORI SCHOOL 3,773; LAKESHORE CURRICULUM MATERIALS 15,604; WILSON LANGUAGE TRAINING CORP. 42,812; LAKEVIEW BUS LINE 1,470,287; WOLOWITZ SUSAN 5,000; LAUREATE DAY SCHOOL 135,712; W-T LAND SURVEYING, INC. 9,400; LEADING PARTNERSHIPS, LLC 8,211; Y.E.M.B.A., INC 44,219; LEARN 8,064; ZEARN, INC. 20,000; LEARNER CENTERED INITIATIVES, LTD. 3,400; ZIEGLER FORD OF NORTH RIVERSIDE 6,243; LEARNING A-Z 55,478; ZOOM VIDEO COMMUNICATION, INC 73,017; LEARNING WITHOUT TEARS 25,190; ZUM SERVICES, INC. 14,883

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

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SPORTS Combined effort earns Friars first-ever trip to state finals Defense holds Sycamore to 6 points, while offense racks up 386 yards By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

All season, the Fenwick High School football team’s offense has received the hype and publicity, thanks to its’ talented playmakers. But the Friars have also been consistently solid on defense, which clamped down as Fenwick defeated Sycamore 17-6 on Nov. 20 in the IHSA Class 5A state semifinals at Triton College. It is the first time in program history that the team has advanced to an IHSA state championship game in football. “Our defense [led by coordinator Titcus Pettigrew] has been way underrated all year, and they’re finally starting to get some recognition,” said Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia. “It feels good, but it also feels like we’re supposed to be [in the finals].” “We never second guess our defense. They do their job when they need to,” added Fenwick quarterback Kaden Cobb. “If they hold a team to six points like today, we’ll win as long as we do our job [offensively].” After a scoreless first quarter, it took only two plays into the second for Fenwick (11-2) to get on the board as Cobb’s 51-yard pass to Max Reese set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Danny Kent (23 carries, 70 yards). Then after the defense stopped Sycamore, Cobb connected with Bryan Hunt Jr. on three consecutive passes, the last being a 38-yard touchdown that gave the Friars a 14-0 lead at the 7:47 mark. “Honestly, I was a little bit gassed after catching a couple of balls,” Hunt said. “So I thought I’d just run down the field. Then I looked up and the ball was right there. It was a big play for us.” Sycamore (9-4) appeared to have changed the momentum in the third quarter. After holding Fenwick on downs, the Spartans went on a seven-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Sam Carlson. However, the two-point conversion failed, leaving the score 14-6 Fenwick at the 4:06 mark. On Fenwick’s next possession, Sycamore defensive back Dawson Alexander recovered a Hunt fumble on the Spartans’ 40. But the Friars’ defense came up with a huge three-and-out, keyed by Mirko Jaksic’s breakup of an Eli Meier pass. Fenwick then went on a lengthy march, running 18 plays in almost 10 minutes. Jacque Walls’ 27-yard run set up Iain Ramage’s 31-yard field goal to give the Friars a 17-6 lead with

CAROL DUNNING/Contributor

Fenwick quarterback Kaden Cobb looks for a receiver downfield during the Friars’ 17-6 win over Sycamore on Nov. 20. Cobb completed 17 of 24 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown. 3:45 remaining in the game. Sycamore would quickly reach the Fenwick 20 on the next drive, but Conor Paris came up with a 10-yard sack of Meier on second down. The Friars then sealed the deal by forcing Meier into consecutive incompletions, resulting in a turnover on downs. Cobb completed his first 10 passes of the game and went 17-of-24 for 244 yards and a touchdown. “Kaden’s our leader,” Battaglia said. “He understands the game of football, which makes my job way easier than it should be.” Wide receivers Hunt (6 receptions, 85 yards), Eian Pugh (5 receptions, 66 yards) and Reese (5 receptions, 73 yards; 2 rushes, 16 yards) had stellar games for Fenwick. The Friars added 142 yards rushing to amass 386 total yards for the day. Defensively, they sacked Meier six times, including four by Suleiman Abuaqel and another by Jaksic, while limiting Sycamore’s powerful running attack. “Our defensive line really played good football,” Paris

added. “[Sycamore] couldn’t find many holes. Suleiman has meant a lot. He’s coming through for us at the end.” As time expired, the Fenwick fans were jubilant. Among them were several former Friar players, including Pat Hart, Jacob Keller, Conner Lillig and Michael O’Laughlin. Fenwick will meet Kankakee (13-0), a 41-14 winner over downstate Morton in the other semifinal, for the Class 5A title Nov. 27. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, a place very familiar to Battaglia. He played there as an offensive lineman from 2010-13 and was part of the 2012 team that went to the Orange Bowl. “It’s my home,” he said. “The stage is not going to be too big for me.” While the players are thrilled to advance downstate, they know the job is not yet done. “It feels great. We’re ready to bring the state championship home,” Paris said. “It’s a big achievement,” added Cobb. “We wanted to practice on Thanksgiving Day, and we earned it.”

After lost pandemic season, OPRF boys look to make noise Huskies ranked in the Chicago Sun-Times’ preseason top 25

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The jury is still out on the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys basketball team, which finished a pandemic-abbreviated 2021 spring season at 3-3.

But coach Phil Gary, who starts his first full season at the helm, said he’s impressed with how the Huskies have prepared for this campaign “Our guys have been coming every single day with good energy,” said Gary, a former OPRF player. “We can’t wait for the season

to get started. They’re tired of practicing against each other.” Ranked No. 16 in the Chicago Sun-Times preseason top 25 poll, OPRF has plenty of reasons to be optimistic this year. Senior 6-foot-5 forward Justin Mullins, a Denver University signee, and 6-6 junior guard Sam

Lewis are rated among the Chicago area’s top 50 players according to the Sun-Times. But there’s more talent on hand for the Huskies. Other important contributors include 6-9 senior center John Vincent, has See OPRF BASKETBALL on page 26

S P O R T S

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

@ @OakPark

Fenwick downs Taft to notch Power’s 1,000th win Balloon drop after victory ‘felt like New Year’s Eve on Times Square’ By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Fenwick High School girls basketball coach Dave Power got his 1,000th career victory last week as the Friars (3-1) routed visiting Taft 50-19 on Nov. 19 before a large and enthusiastic crowd that included many of his former players at the fieldhouse gym. “It is a relief,” said Power of achieving the milestone. “It was surreal, like a dream, because I had so many thoughts and emotions that evening. And when the game ended and all the balloons dropped, it felt like New Year’s Eve on Times Square. It was a great night, and I was overwhelmed because I had no idea it’d be like that.” Power thanked those who brought him to Fenwick in 1992 -- former Principal Dr. James Quaid, former Athletic Director Michael Curtin and the late Richard Borsch. He also thanked the current administration, Principal Peter Groom and Athletic Director Scott Thies, for their support. He didn’t forget to give credit to those re-

sponsible for churning out those wins -- the players. Power said he was touched by those who came in from all over the country to witness his special achievement. “I’ve been so blessed with have girls that are gifted and talented,” Power said. “You can see it in their professional lives. We’ve had McDonald’s All-Americans, world champions and first-round WNBA draft picks. But when their playing days are over, they become great women doing wonderful things. It’s great they showed up in force, and it’s a night I’ll never forget.” Fenwick senior forward Audrey Hinrichs, who finished the game against Taft with eight points and nine rebounds against Taft, said she was thrilled to be part of a team that made history. “It feels amazing,” she said. “I’ve played with him from travel ball to now and it’s amazing to bring him to this point. He’s most deserving.” With the 1,000-win achievement behind him, Power said it’s time to concentrate on the season, one that he feels can be special. “Early on, the season has been like a rollercoaster ride as far as emotions,” he said. “But now that it’s over, we can really focus towards our goals, which are win a conference championship and get back downstate.”

SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor

Senior forward Audrey Hinrichs looks to score in the paint during the Friars’ win over Taft at Fenwick High School on Nov. 19. The victory was the 1,000th of Dave Power’s coaching career.

Young Friars face grueling hoops schedule Underclassmen will play important role for Fenwick in 2021-22 By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

New Fenwick High School boys basketball coach Tony Young is excited about the upcoming season, but he’ll have a largely young and inexperienced roster. There are -- for now -- just three returning players from a team that finished 13-3 in the pandemic-abbreviated 2020-21 season who have played significant varsity minutes: senior forward Gabe Madej and senior guards Denium Juette and T.J. Stephenson. Moreover, Juette’s debut will be delayed as he is a starting cornerback on the football team, which plays in the IHSA Class 5A title game Nov. 27. “We’ll be young,” Young said. “But we’re also talented. I’m excited about where we are and where we’re going.” With seven underclassmen on the roster having no varsity experience, along with missing several players due to football, the Friars could very well get off to a slow start. “Hopefully, we get a few of those [football)] guys back,” said Young, who was Marmion Academy’s coach the past four seasons. “We’re waiting to see what happens.” Yet, it’s the play of the underclassmen that has Young enthusiastic about the season. For instance, he describes D.J. Porter as “a big-time freshman.” There are also five sophomores, four of whom played on the sophomore team as freshmen last year, who provide cause for optimism:

Germaine Benson, Graham Lathan, Landon Rivers, Brandale Steward, and Reggie Taylor. In what has become an annual expectation for the program, Fenwick has a grueling schedule. The Chicago Catholic League always presents difficulty for the Friars, and this season is no different with teams such as St. Ignatius (ranked No. 4 in the Chicago Sun-Times preseason poll), St. Rita (No. 8), Brother Rice (No. 11), DePaul Prep (No. 14), and Mount Carmel (No. 17) on the slate. “I’m excited about the opportunity with our schedule,” Young said. “It allows us to challenge ourselves to be prepared for the end of the season. We want to be in a position come February and March where we can have success.” Other season highlights include the Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27-30, the Martin Luther King Day Shootout at Fenwick on Jan. 17 (the Friars face top-ranked Glenbard West), a non-conference game versus national power Chaminade Catholic in St. Louis on Jan. 29, and the annual crosstown game with rival Oak Park and River Forest High School, which will be held Dec.3 at Credit One Arena (formerly UIC Pavilion) as part of the Chicago Elite Classic. “Everybody’s excited about the OPRF game,” said Young. “It’s a community thing, and being in that environment is good. We just want good competition.” The Friars open the season Nov. 24 at home against Orr, followed by another home game with Morgan Park on Nov. 29.

OPRF BASKETBALL from page 25 committed to Grinnell College, along with sophomore guard Oscar “Max” Johnson and senior guards Douglas “Max” Murray and Rai’Mon Yarbrough. “Our strengths are our speed and athleticism,” said Gary. “We’re pretty long, especially up front.” OPRF will navigate through a rigorous schedule this season. The Huskies open Nov. 23 at the Bill VandeMerkt Thanksgiving Classic at Riverside-Brookfield High School against Chicago University High in pool play. Games with Thornwood (Nov. 24) and the tournament host Bulldogs (Nov. 26) follow. On Dec. 3, OPRF resumes its crosstown rivalry with Fenwick High School at the Chicago Elite Classic at Credit One Arena (formerly the UIC Pavilion). The Huskies will again participate in the Pontiac Holiday Tournament after Christmas, which Gary calls “the best tournament in the state.” OPRF hopes to compete for the West Suburban Silver title, but has one big obstacle to overcome -- Glenbard West, Illinois’ top-ranked team. “They’re the number one team for a reason,” said Gary of the Hilltoppers. “We have to compete and try to knock them off.” Regardless, the program goals remain the same -- a top-five finish at Pontiac, a 20-win season, a conference championship and a regional title. “Everyone’s goal is to play the last game of the season in March,” Gary said. “For the kids’ sake, it feels good to be getting closer to normal. Playing in front of fans will be great not only for us, but the entire state.”

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

VIEWPOINTS

LemonAid says thanks p. 32

Finding the time to listen

y first favorite song as a grade-school kid, “Surf City,” opened with the line, “Two girls for every boy!” After that heady declaration, the vocalists, Jan and Dean, crooned on about their cool ’34 wagon: “We call it a Woody … Surf City, here we come!” The surfer tune celebrated sun, fun, flirting and roaring engines powering along an ocean harbor, its piers and the beach. But my next favorite song became the one that has remained number one for me throughout my life. In “The Sounds of Silence,” Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sang, “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again.” On the roof of our Berwyn bungalow at night, above the halos of our alley lamps, I’d sit as a kid in this quietest of spaces, gazing at the grey, black or dark blue sky, watching clouds drift, observing the moonlight’s occasional penetration of them, sensing that in this silence there moved a voice that could only be heard up here. During the cacophony of the day, my friends would have teased, boasted or argued about who was the toughest kid, or which car was the hottest. Dutiful nuns, priests and parents would have told me what to do, what not to do, and what to think. Frenzied commercials on the TV would have peddled stuff I was supposed to want. But on the roof at night, it would be just me, the stars, and the quiet. During a performance in 1966 in Harlem, just before they sang the acoustic version of “The Sounds of Silence,” Garfunkel spoke to the audience, boiling down the song’s meaning to “the inability of people to communicate with each other … so that what you see around you are people unable to love each other.” For me, silence can cut different ways: There is the silence embedded within the noise of bustling life, in which the things people really feel and believe don’t get said or heard; and there is the silence on the roof, or in a walk at night, that allows truths in the self, or inspirational qualities of the setting, to be revealed without the clamor of the bustling day interfering. Throughout my life, I’ve valued the latter kind of silence. Before moving back to Oak Park from the city in 2020, I’d walk at night from my South Loop apartment to the lakefront, on the way passing bridges, train yards, Soldier Field and Burnham Harbor. The silence mingled with the colors, the shadows and stunning architecture to reveal a beauty discernable only in the stillness. But Paul Simon’s song is more about people talking at, rather than speaking with, one another. It’s about people “hearing without listening.” It refers to the silence that follows when someone writes a song that no one ever sings, or a poem that no one ever reads. It’s about not knowing who the other really is because one has not cared to listen. How can I love the other when I don’t know who he or she really is?

RICH

KORDESH One View

See KORDESH on page 29

RENDERING PROVIDED BY OAK PARK RESIDENCE CORPORATION

AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Proposed new development at 7 Van Buren St. at Austin Boulevard.

The Austin-Van Buren project fits our ideals

e support the Austin-Van Buren project proposed by the Oak Park Residence Corp. From the years Oak Park passed its Open Housing Ordinance (1968), through the years it has reaffirmed its Diversity Statement, the village has sought (hoped for) residential development that seeks to achieve racial and economic diversity. This is the outcome the village wants. For-profit developers have generally been reluctant to include affordable housing units in their projects. They resist giving the village the outcome it wants. Usually, rather than include the required number of affordable units in the project, they opt to make a cash contribution to the village. This “buy out” leaves it up to the village itself to take actions to meet its stated need/desire for affordable housing. The Oak Park Residence Corp. is a not-for-profit corporation governed by a board made up of Oak Park residents who have for years been at the forefront of the effort to provide affordable housing in the village. Its Austin-Van Buren project is the embodiment of a simple idea we and others have long espoused: The best way to achieve the outcome you want is to do it yourself. On Oak Park’s wish list, this project checks box after box: ■ It will provide affordable units — within a multifamily building designed to attract an economicallydiverse tenancy. ■ It will be handicapped-accessible, being the only elevator building in the entire Southeast Quadrant of Oak Park. ■ It will generate more revenue via greater real estate taxes. ■ It will demonstrate that a building reliant on renewable energy sources can be economically viable. ■ It will be a transit-oriented development — fewer cars!

■ It will demonstrate that residential development is attractive along the Austin Boulevard corridor, an area where there has been almost no significant development for more than 50 years. ■ It will not require outlandish zoning variances. ■ It will be unique and attractive, adding to Oak Park’s reputation for architecturallysignificant buildings. Just compare it to the sidewalkto-sidewalk blockhouse private developers plan for the Drechsler-Brown site. Most importantly, it will be under the management and control of a local organization run by Oak Park residents with a long history of promoting fair and affordable housing in the village. We are, of course, aware that some neighbors predict disastrous consequences if this project is approved and built. However, we want to point out, from many years of direct experience in development disputes in the village, that objections such as these are almost always raised whenever a major project is before any board or commission. And after the construction is finished and the building is occupied, the dire predictions virtually never come true. While the objectors deserve to be heard, we suggest that this historic truth should not be lost on the decision-makers. The Residence Corp. proposal gives the village what it wants. Do not be afraid to say “Yes” to this project. To say “Yes” is to live into the ideals the village stands for. It has talked the talk. It’s time to continue to walk the talk. Gene and Ann Armstrong have been actively involved in Oak Park public affairs for four decades. As an attorney, Gene has represented applicants and advisories before the Plan Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Board of Trustees in respect to numerous contested development projects.

GENE & ANN ARMSTRONG One View

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

O U R

V I E W S

Rush engages with neighbors

‘T

hey’d like to be involved in any future plans. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.” That’s what Dino Rumoro, the new CEO of Rush Oak Park Hospital, said this week about residential neighbors of the hospital. We’ve been waiting 20 years for a local hospital chief to make such a simple, straightforward statement acknowledging the inevitable tension between the needs of a hospital to grow, the encroachment concerns of immediate neighbors, and the benefits of ongoing and respectful dialogue. Rumoro was talking to our Stacey Sheridan about parking, a knotty problem in our landlocked village. The hospital last week opened a new 80-car surface lot between Maple and Harlem. Good, said Rumoro, but not enough. He also talked candidly about the hospital’s village-approved plan to construct a 713-space parking garage on Wenonah Avenue and how that project, now on hold due to COVID, created financial challenges for the hospital. But he also said the hospital has been talking to neighbors about their concerns and he shared his own worry that the new garage is too far from the main hospital. David Osta, head of the Center West Oak Park Neighborhood Association, said the conversation between neighbors and Rumoro was “a new way of interacting” and that neighbors look forward to “rebalancing the relationship” between Rush and its neighbors. Now the hospital is taking a pause, looking for other parking options elsewhere on its cramped campus, and continuing to talk with neighbors. Rumoro said Rush Oak Park may apply for an extension on its current approval from the village just to keep that plan on the table. This would also be a good moment for Oak Park’s village government to take its thumb off the scales and to insist that all future development at either of Oak Park’s hospitals have active engagement with neighbors at its core. There is no simple solution. But certainly active, early discussions beat a cold shoulder.

Things we like With Thanksgiving upon us here are a handful of items in the news that we give thanks for. Wrestling passion: We’re not sure we fully understand it, but there is a core group in Oak Park, River Forest and the West Side who believe wrestling can be a transformative sport for young people — both boys and girls. Mike Powell, Fred Arkin, and Michael Colucci are now leading the effort to bring wrestling to Oak Park’s public middle schools. They see the sport as a testing ground for a young person to both compete and to grow both in success and in setbacks. We look forward to watching them solve logistical issues to make wrestling part of our middle schools. The Chamber’s new prez: We’ve been fans of Darien Marion Burton for several years. We first met him as a high school-aged staff member at the Buzz Café. Now he owns a local marketing company and recently was elected president of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce. Self-described as the “youngest, gayest, Blackest” Chamber leader ever, we are looking forward to what his vast energy will bring to this organization as it continues to lead in the small business space. Iman Shumpert wins it all: Monday night, live on national television, Oak Park’s own Iman Shumpert won the Dancing with the Stars Mirror Ball. That’s the top prize in the celebrity dance competition. We think this is outstanding for both Shumpert and his professional dance partner. A basketball star at OPRF and then a standout NBA player, we have to say, though, that we most admire Iman Shumpert for his concerted effort over the years to stay connected to OPRF through his summer basketball camps.

V I E W P O I N T S

Joe Mendrick’s responsive police reform

somebody to say hi. It’s not too hard to lishere has been a lot of talk lately ten. It’s not too hard to be empathetic. And about police reform in Oak Park, it’s not that difficult to change. You’ve got but this isn’t the first time. to be willing to understand that people will In the 1980s, the department went question. You’ve got to accept that, and if through two very public, highyou don’t, you’re not going to go anyplace.” profile probes amidst charges of brutality (covered extensively by this newspaper Mendrick was willing to change and the in its early days). In both cases, the police department did go someplace. It became a chiefs at the time departed and Deputy model. How did Mendrick change things? Chief Joe Mendrick stepped in as acting Transparency. chief. In 1990, he was named permanent “We opened the doors,” he said. “Come chief of police, serving until he retired and see what we do. We were a closed enviin 2001. ronment before that. We opened up, not only Mendrick turned the Oak Park Police to the newspaper but to the public. … When Department around. Police are now rewe have problems, we’re open about them. spected in this village and enjoy widespread When officers have trouble, they go before support. But that doesn’t mean the departthe board [of Police and Fire Commissionment isn’t in need of reform. Police departments are ers]. … We’re held to a higher standard, and I believe in always in need of reform. In the wake of George Floyd’s that. An organization is based on ethics, period. Do the murder by a Minneapolis cop in 2020, and myriad other right thing. We’re not in an occupation that is conducive killings of unarmed people of color by police around the to forgiveness. If there’s something in the organization country, many are calling for changes in policing. or atmosphere that’s not up to the standards of the way That’s not just the opinion of radicals. Joe Mendrick law enforcement has to operate in today’s society, then died in 2016, but if he were alive today, he would agree. you leave.” In fact, he said so when I interviewed him back in 2000. I can’t help wondering how many police chiefs What he said was remarkable — and is even more in other communities, even today, would so freely timely 21 years later. His comments should be required espouse that. reading by police departments in every American “We opened our arms to the community and said, municipality. ‘What’s important to you? Where do you want us to “If you look at the problems they’re havput our resources and for what? We’re willing in L.A., Chicago and other major cities,” ing to discuss it with you. We don’t know Mendrick said back then, “they’re putting all the answers.’” the finger on bringing in too many people Mendrick put the “servant” back in too quickly and not training them. That was public servant. a problem in this organization.” “You realize that you’re just a commuThe Oak Park Police Department, he nity service organization,” he said, “even noted, doubled in size in the mid-’70s. Many though you are responsible.” of those new recruits (60-plus in a single And that has been the model in Oak Park year) were recent Vietnam vets, he recalled. ever since. It was carried on by Mendrick’s Some had issues. They weren’t screened and successors, Rick Tanksley, Tony Ambrose they weren’t adequately trained. and now LaDon Reynolds. Do the Oak Park JOE MENDRICK Not surprisingly, there were problems. police need reminding occasionally and When Mendrick became permanent chief does the model need updating? Of course, in 1990, this newspaper was skeptical at first, thinking and that requires community input. But the core prinhe was too “inside” to turn things around. Turns out he ciples are intact, as articulated by a remarkable police was exactly the right person at precisely the right time. chief named Joe Mendrick: “The main thing you’ve got to remember,” Mendrick “We are accountable to the public.” said, looking back on his 11-year tenure as chief, “is that “We don’t know all the answers.” we are accountable to the public. Police, in general, are “It’s not that difficult to change.” not trusted. That’s why you have the Constitution. They “Do the right thing.” put reins on us.” Can that model be used everywhere? Some will say, It’s amazing how many police officers in other cities “Oh no, it’s too dangerous in the inner cities.” What’s apparently still don’t understand this. Their attitude really dangerous, we now know all too well, is conseems to be, as Mendrick put it, “We’re the police. We ducting law enforcement in an adversarial way, based can do what we want.” on mutual mistrust. Under Mendrick, that attitude changed. Oak Park was Mendrick aspired to create a police department one of the first departments nationwide to institute a that is open, responsive, and above all, listening. Last Field Training Officer (FTO) program to work with new week in Viewpoints, Village Trustee Ravi Parakkat recruits. called for taking a “supportive” approach to police “We really screened our people,” he said. “They’re reform, while a group of concerned citizens called for trained. Turning ’em loose on the street to run and gun, specific reforms. that’s out.” Chief Reynolds is expected to move into federal Oak Park was also one of the first towns to embrace law enforcement next year. If his successor follows community policing, which Mendrick said was a real the Mendrick “blue” print of responsive, responsible turning point in the 1990s. He remembered the lessons change, we’ll be OK. he learned when he was a young cop in the late-’60s, “You’re as good as the people around you,” Menearly-’70s, working the streets of Oak Park. Lessons drick said in 2000. “What I try to do is find people I about building trust. have faith in — their values. That’s what I look for in “It’s not too hard to tell somebody why you stopped people — values, period. You can teach anybody to be them,” he said. “It’s not too hard when you walk by a policeman. What you need to be is a good person.”

KEN

TRAINOR

V I E W P O I N T S

Lotus root salad: simple, delicious, kinda exotic

aiwanese food is always attractive to me because this regional cuisine is so rare in the United States. Taiwan, which the U.S. recognizes as one of two places called China (the other being the People’s Republic of China), has a cuisine similar to that of mainland China, and it’s challenging to distinguish one cuisine from the other. Lotus root salad, one of the best things I ate in 2021, is identified with both the island of Taiwan and mainland China. Either way, it’s kinda exotic. This past September, we were visiting our daughter Lydia, and she took us to Joy, a Taiwanese restaurant in Los Angeles. At Joy, we had a lotus root salad, and it blew my mind: it was so crisp and refreshing, dressed only with a hot chili sauce, Local Dining a beautiful balance of cool vegetable and moderately & Food Blogger hot chilies. The lotus holds a place of importance in Asian spiritual practices. If you’ve done yoga, you’re familiar with the lotus position, and Buddha is often portrayed seated below or upon a lotus flower. Buddha even compared himself to a lotus flower saying, “Just like a red, blue, or white lotus — born in the water, grown in the water, rising up above the water — stands unsmeared by the water, in the same way I — born in the world, grown in the world, having overcome the world — live unsmeared by the world.” Exotic, right? The background of the lotus, fascinating as it may be, is for many of us secondary to its taste. So what does lotus root taste like? Much like jicama, the crunchy white tuber popular in Mexican cuisine, lotus root is also crunchy and white, with a slight sweetness that helps it pair well with spicy condiments. Before our trip to Joy in L.A., we’d had lotus root primarily in Asian soups, usually limp and grey, not bad but just … meh. Having the fresh lotus root parboiled and chilled was a revelation, with textures and tastes that you don’t detect in the cooked versions of the root. Here’s how Carolyn made lotus root salad at home:

DAVID

HAMMOND

KORDESH

It’s time to listen from page 27 As I walk about in Oak Park, along Lake Street, up and down Oak Park Avenue, or back and forth across Roosevelt and the border with Berwyn, I see people waiting to cross, some coming out of shops, others ambling along in pairs, some talking, some not. I say “hi” to a few with whom there is eye contact, nod to others, and some I just walk past. I note the graffiti and public art along the el tracks,

PHOTO DAVID HAMMOND

Lotus Root Salad

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Equity Editor/Ombudsman Michael Romain Digital Publishing and Technology Manager Briana Higgins Staff Reporters Stacey Sheridan, F. Amanda Tugade Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Arts Editor Michelle Dybal Columnists Marc Blesoff, Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Business Manager Joyce Minich Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Development & Sales Coordinator Stacy Coleman Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

■ Skin two or three lotus root bulbs

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

■ Cut each bulb into one-quarter-inch thin slices ■ Blanch lotus root slices in boiling water for one

minute or so, just to soften them a little, being careful not to overcook, and then plunge them into ice water to chill ■ Pat dry each slice of lotus root and sprinkle with a mixture of one-third salt and two-thirds sugar, and allow to rest for 30 minutes or so ■ Drain and toss the lotus root slices with spicy crisp chili sauce, shredded ginger, a splash of roasted sesame oil and rice vinegar ■ Chill in the refrigerator for as little as 30 minutes or as long as several hours, and serve. We like to add the spicy crisp chili sauce because it complements the lightly sweet roots, but you can add other condiments if you like. We had the lotus root salad with a shrimp stir fry. A flavor as delicate as that of the lotus root seems to do best with milder flavors, like seafood, chicken, and vegetable. Lotus root is not expensive, and it’s sold in segmented strands that look a little like sausage. We bought ours at Joong Boo Market, with three locations in Chicago, and it’s also readily available in grocery stores all over Chinatown. where “the words of the prophets are written,” as Paul Simon wrote. These are scenes filled with sound: traffic moving, a plane flying overhead, possibly an emergency vehicle’s siren, a dog barking, and human voices. Often when I share a sidewalk with a passing stranger, I wonder who she or he really is. To whom is she really known? With our minds structured by the frames and categories that we use to understand others before we know them, to what extent are we able to love each other? In the commotion of daily life, how do we find the time to listen? Rich Kordesh grew up in Berwyn and now lives in Oak Park.

About Viewpoints Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, fire you to action. In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for filing. Please understand our verification process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that verification, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot confirm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay. If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

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ADDRESS 141 S Oak Park Ave., Oak ParkIL 60302 ■ PHONE 708-5248300 EMAIL Dan@OakPark.com ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com Wednesday Journal is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00. A one-year subscription costs $43 within Cook County and $53 outside of Cook County. Advertising rates may be obtained by calling our office. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 10138). Postmaster, send address corrections to Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Il 60302. © 2021 Growing Community Media, NFP.

V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

Don’t stop with leaf blowers

Great to read that the spirit of civic involvement is still alive and well in Oak Park [Give us a break: Ban leaf blowers, Ken Trainor, Viewpoints, Nov. 3]. But we shouldn’t stop there, let’s put an ordinance on books banning gas lawn mowers and gas-powered snow blowers as they also make a heck of a racket. Maybe while the village is at it, they should ban all gas-powered automobiles. Now that we’re doing away with using fossil fuels, we need to help in the generation of renewable power as we still need some source for the added electricity that we’ll be using. My suggestion, as Oak Park is landlocked, is to cover the Ike Expressway and put in wind turbines and a solar farm from Harlem to Austin.

Bill Masterson

Former longtime resident of Oak Park

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Why I pay lawn crews to use leaf blowers Every autumn the letters come in. “The racket in the courtyard of my building is deafening. Leaf blowers should be banned in Oak Park.” They also say fresh air and exercise are good for you and you should use a rake. I have lived here for almost 40 years and have most common Oak Park attitudes. I am very concerned about climate change and have had an electric vehicle (EV) for almost three years. Before that I drove a hybrid car for 12 years. I stay and pay the high taxes even with no kids in school because I like the services provided by the village and the township and the park district and the library and the schools and the Water Reclamation District. I don’t live in a courtyard building. I live in a single-family corner house. Around my house are acres of land called “the parkway.” I don’t own the parkway, the village of Oak Park owns the parkway. But by tradition (and probably by law) it is my responsibility to maintain those acres of land. That means putting on water I buy from the village. That means planting and fertilizing and weeding and aerating and dethatching and cutting and edging. And that means moving the leaves off the grass and out into neat piles in the street — but a few inches away from the curb. Long ago I did all that work. But I am in my mid-80s. I am not up to the task, so I hire a

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lawn service to do that work. And they use leaf blowers. I know there are battery-operated leaf blowers. And there are battery-operated lawn mowers. But the technology has not reached the point where they would work for a professional crew. Just like hybrid technology works for passenger cars but is not ready for big over-the-road trucks yet. So for now we are stuck with noisy, pollut-

ing gas-operated leaf blowers. But I have a special offer to make to anyone looking for healthy fresh air and exercise. If you will come to my house and do a good job of raking leaves, I promise my lawn service will not use any leaf blowers here. I will even lend you a rake to use on the job.

Allen Matthews Oak Park

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

Pledging our allegiance to gratitude When I stepped outside last Friday, I was rewarded for braving the cold (goodbye, 50 degrees!) by hearing and seeing a group of sandhill cranes high overhead and heading (more or less) south. A short while later, I heard (but did not see because they were further west, and seemingly behind clouds) a group that sounded even larger (louder). I had just wondered the other day whether I might have missed the cranes this November. I think they’re a little later this year than most years. Are you familiar with the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer? My book group is reading it — we meet Sunday, and I’m in my usual last-minute rush to try to finish it on time — and I just read a chapter I particularly liked, which is well-suited to this season of Thanksgiving and to how I feel when the cranes pass overhead. The chapter is called “Allegiance to Grati-

tude,” and it contrasts the children at the nearby public schools (Kimmerer was living in upstate New York, the Adirondacks), who recite (as, of course, do schoolkids all over the U.S.) the stilted, parochial, outdated “Pledge of Allegiance,” with the daily recitation by schoolkids at the nearby school of the Onondaga Nation, of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address: https://americanindian.si.edu/environment/pdf/01_02_Thanksgiving_Address. pdf (Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address - Greetings to the Natural World - Smithsonian Institution) I feel gratitude for (and toward) the cranes passing overhead. And for Kimmerer and the Thanksgiving Address, for reminding me to be grateful for the gifts of this Earth. Happy Thanksgiving!

Jack Bizot

Oak Park

Contradiction is not (necessarily) persecution Regrettably, we live in an ever more polarized society. Politics, whether at a national, state or local level, are all about winning elections and maintaining power, and not getting any real work done. Politicians at every level are too busy attacking one another. Additionally, it is nigh on impossible to disagree with the opinions of anyone who is a member of an oppressed, maligned, or ill-treated group of people, no matter how well thought out and/or backed up in fact your opinion may be. Nowadays, any form of disagreement is often construed as persecution. I grant you there is a lot of ugly rhetoric going on out there which absolutely should not be tolerated. Social media platforms need to be much quicker to delete posts and cancel accounts of hate-mongers and spreaders of blatantly false narratives. There must be zero tolerance for such behavior. It must be called out. It must be stamped out whenever its ugly head pops up. However, I can disagree with your ideas without attacking you personally. I can respect

your ideas, even if I disagree with them. We can have a lively, loud debate and still shake hands when it’s over. Our legal system in this country is actually called an adversarial system, where opposing sides get to defend their clients, ideally without attacking one another personally. Heck, opposing counsel have been known to go out to lunch together after a case is over. When we try to guilt-trip good people who happen to disagree with us into silence we become no better than the haters, the oppressors themselves. A healthy society thrives upon diversity and that includes diversity of ideas, even some with which you may disagree. On Nov. 8, 1838, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his journal a very sage observation that definitely applies today: “Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.” Amen.

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Louise Mezzatesta River Forest

Lobby IDOT for sound barriers we can see through

One of the things being considered in the Eisenhower Expressway expansion are those godawful sound barriers that wall out everything. Let’s rethink this. What is being used now by IDOT would definitely divide Oak Park. Around Dayton, Ohio, these sound barriers are masonry part of the way up and plexiglass the rest. In Holland and Italy, they are masonry and tough glass. Why deviate from the current standards? Well, for one thing, seeing through them

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gives an image of spaciousness and grace. As much as we in Oak Park champion aesthetics, let’s do better than the present IDOT sound barriers. Let’s begin now working with IDOT to accomplish this. If we don’t, we are going to have those miles of walls that are just awful on I-90 through Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates. And that’s totally unacceptable in Oak Park.

Charles Wells Oak Park

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V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

A G I N G

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D I S G R A C E F U L L Y

An unsettling week to say the least

hat a week! A boy from Illinois goes to Kenosha, toting a killing machine and intent on being a hero. He’s heading for a demonstration about the previous shooting (in the back) of a black man nine times for resisting arrest by an officer, at the time surrounded by other officers. In this demonstration Kyle Rittenhouse runs through the streets and kills two unarmed people with the combat rifle and wounds a third. He sits through the trial like the Pillsbury dough boy, is found “not guilty,” and gets internship offers from three Republican congressmen. This same week U.S. Congressman Richard Gosar posts a self-designed picture of Congresswoman Alexandria

MARY KAY O’GRADY

Ocasio Cortez being killed by Gosar (note to Gosar: Boris Karloff is dead). He is censured by the House of Representatives, but only two Republicans (yeah, those two) vote for censure. Surprisingly, the judge does not pat him on the head and shake his hand. Meanwhile a trial in Georgia proceeds in which three white men are accused of murder for shooting and killing a black man out for a jog through their neighbor-

hood. And then some nutjob drives through a parade in Wisconsin and slaughters people. Poor Wisconsin. Poor us. Ban guns? Not a chance. I feel like I’m watching my country drift toward fascism like a tumbleweed in a western film. It’s really scary.

Making murder legal

I would like to ask Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorney, Mark Richards, to clarify his view of what constitutes legal murder in the United States. For argument, let’s say that I feel the urge to kill someone, an annoying neighbor, a politician, or perhaps someone who cut me off in traffic. Mr. Richards, what approach should I take so I can kill this person without any penalty? According to the verdict that Richards gloated over Thursday, there is no penalty for an underage boy to buy an assault weapon, travel to a nearby state, and kill two people without provocation. This act was OK because he claimed he was afraid that he might be harmed by the unarmed men he shot? If my victim (sorry, Judge Bruce Schroeder ruled that people who are shot to death are not “victims”) is confined to a wheelchair, can I still claim I was fearful for my life? Do I have to use an assault rifle, or can I stab them to death? Do I need to travel 100 miles from my home? Obviously, if I wanted to kill anyone who is not white, this in itself is all the defense I need (there are hundreds of precedents). If I am not underage, but an adult, can I still kill anyone I want without penalty? Before I actually kill anyone, I would like Mark Richards to explain clearly what I need to do to get away with murder. This discussion may appear frivolous, but it is not. I think we all know why Cryin’ Kyle got off scot-free. He used an

assault rifle, the weapon of choice of cowards. With a gun, you do not need to get close to your victim. You do not have to see their eyes as you extinguish their life. It is much harder to kill with a knife — you have to get in close, and you will likely get bloody. Americans love guns because they can commit mayhem at a distance while keeping their hands clean. Since 2001, America has become a Nation of Cowards. The Bush-Cheney regime stoked fear of terrorism to take away the rights and dignity of Americans. The absurdity of our cowardice is evident by the fact that we still are willing to take off our shoes at airports because of one comically-failed “shoe-bomber.” The Republican Party’s target for fear-mongering skips over domestic terrorists, who are the main cause of terrorist attacks, because they include a number of Republicans in Congress. The GOP now simply declares anyone who opposes them or anything they stand for (guns and tax-breaks for the rich, mainly) to be the enemy. To protect your right to have a gun, you are free to take that gun, wander around and shoot anyone you suspect might be a Democrat, immigrant, scientist, nonChristian, or non-white. You then claim you feared for your life, and bingo, your murder becomes legal.

Tom DeCoursey Oak Park

PROVIDED

LemonAid raises over $104K!

On behalf of the families of the 700 block of Bonnie Brae in River Forest, thank you so much for your continued support of LemonAid these past 20 years. It continues to impress us that even through COVID, you still generously supported this year’s recipients: The Children’s Clinic of the OP-RF Infant Welfare Society and Friends of the Children, Chicago. With your kindness, and matching

grants for each organization, we were able to raise $104,400, the highest amount raised in LemonAid history. We are grateful for your continued support and look forward to seeing all of you at next year’s LemonAid. Thanks,

Amelia Hunkele and Emory Chien

2021 LemonAid co-chairs

What is the solution to snow piles on curb cuts?

Recently the curbing on the southwest corner of Harlem and Central was cut and a rubber ramp was installed, a very good thing. I’m guessing it was the Village of River Forest that did this, since similar work was done almost at the same time on the northwest corner. However, for years I’ve wondered which agency is responsible for clearing snow from the sidewalk there. The plows come by, shove a pile onto that corner, and over the following days a little mountain develops with a path up, over and down on it. It’s always a pretty bad hazard, especially on the downslope onto Central, since pedestrians are walking out into possible traffic, they cannot see coming

from the left (west) on Central. This is even more dangerous because far too many drivers ignore the “No Turn on Red” sign there and turn anyway. Whose responsibility is it to clear that walkway and curbing of snow? River Forest? Oak Park? Forest Park? Union Pacific? Metra? CTA? Do they all point at the other guy and say, “Not my job”? Because nobody does it. Ever. It’s time for someone to take this on. Yes, it’s nice having a ramp. But pretty soon it’ll be a snow slope. Again.

Ed McDevitt

River Forest

About the Rittenhouse ruling

Only Amendment 2b, about the “right to bear arms,” came into play in this case, as in so many others. Amendment 2a, which established the purpose for bearing arms, authorizing a “well-regulated militia,” has been completely ignored, even in the highest court of the land. “Well-regulated” implies well-trained, under the authority of a command-and-control structure, sworn to duty by governmental action. Not any

of that describes the presence, much less the twice-fatal actions of an out-of-state teenager bearing a military-style weapon he obtained illegally. At the very least, he should have been found guilty under the least onerous of the charges, reckless endangerment. Or else others will feel authorized to do as he did. A terrible thought.

Fred Reklau Oak Park

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Dear Readers, We continue to be humbled by the outpouring of support our communities are providing to sustain our local nonprofit journalism. One of the things we have consistently celebrated, in both our for profit and nonprofit ownership models, is the richness, innovation and positivity of local nonprofit organizations Growing Community Media was proud to join in 2019. This week we publish our 20th -- give or take a year -- Season of Giving section. Again this year we are partnering with the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation and are joined by Byline Bank to highlight local nonprofits doing such good work across the Greater West Side and making each of our communities a better place to live. We highlight the work of our fellow local nonprofits to encourage and focus your support for their efforts. Season of Giving exemplifies the contribution our extremely local journalism makes to the fabric of our communities. You won’t find coverage like it anywhere else. And it makes our communities stronger, better places to live. So this Season of Giving, please give local. And please consider supporting the journalism that highlights and supports the important work of our local nonprofit organizations. With thanks for your ongoing support, Dan Haley Editor and Publisher Growing Community Media

www.oakpark.com/donate or make your check payable to Growing Community Media at 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

O B I T U A R I E S

V I E W P O I N T S

The wisdom of curiosity

ike some of you, I find laughs and wisdom in watching episodes of Ted Lasso. I also identify with Ted’s character. He’s a clueless soccer coach and I used to be a clueless coach for the Forest Park Youth Soccer Association. Ted doesn’t know much about soccer strategy, but he is wise when it comes to how to treat people. In one episode, he quoted poet Walt Whitman: “Be curious, not judgmental.” Ted lives up to this motto. He is curious about everyone he meets. He engages people regardless of their social standing. He befriends the lowly equipment man, Nate, and entrusts him with increasing responsibility. Ted doesn’t judge people, not even the fans who mock him to his face. I was really struck by the Whitman quote because it reminded me of my late Forest Park friend, Mark Rogovin. Mark was curious about everyone and everything. He engaged everyone he met in conversation, whether they were busboys or CEOs. No matter how much he disagreed with someone, he didn’t judge them. I miss Mark and his curious, nonjudgmental ways because our society has become increasingly judgmental. Our new national pastime is criticizing each other. The pandemic has made it worse. We get judged for wearing a mask, or not wearing a mask. We get judged for getting vaccinated, and not getting vaccinated. We are judged for attending large gatherings, or not attending large gatherings. Last Thanksgiving, I agonized about attending the family feast. I didn’t want to catch COVID or participate in a super-spreader. At the last second, I decided to go. No one got sick at the party but plenty of people judged me for attending it. This past year, I’ve been judged for what I say and what I write. I’ve been censored, corrected and lectured. It’s ironic that it’s the free speech and social justice advocates who tell me what I can, or cannot, say. I learned that people are judgmental because they are insecure, fearful, or lack self-esteem. Maybe they were raised in a critical environment? Besides telling me what I can’t say, they warn me what I cannot write. They tell me how a topic is going to offend certain individuals or groups. I’ve written columns that have offended readers, and I regret writing them. But now I have to be so careful what I joke about. Humor that was acceptable 10 years ago is now out of bounds. I have had my own judgmental moments. A few years ago, I was collecting money for Kiwanis on “Peanut Day.” I was shaking my white can at Circle and Madison. For some reason, I was pre-judging people I was certain wouldn’t donate. Each time I came up with a prejudice, some generous soul disproved it. As for being curious, my worst Thanksgiving was when I was determined to tell my fascinating stories. I became bored by my stories and the listeners didn’t find them fascinating. I felt so empty on the way home because I hadn’t learned a single thing about the other guests. So my advice this holiday season is to be curious, not judgmental. Questions make the conversation flow. Don’t judge the other guests, even if you don’t agree with their views. This approach reminds me of a quote from another fictional character, Elwood P. Dowd (of Harvey fame). “In this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” By the way, I researched Ted Lasso’s quote. A website said that Walt Whitman never said it. OK, but I bet he wished he had. John Rice grew up in Oak Park, lives in Forest Park, and writes a weekly column for our sister publication, the Forest Park Review.

JOHN RICE

Irving Newman, 87 Artist and architect

Longtime Oak Park resident Irving Newman — a man known for his dry wit and love of art — died peacefully at home on Oct. 21, 2021. Born on Feb. 2, 1934, in the Bronx he was educated there, first in yeshiva and then at James Monroe High School. After two years serving in the U.S. Army, he attended Brooklyn Community College and developed an interest in architecture and art, which he honed studying at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He began painting, his style gravitating toward geometric abstraction, inspired by artist Josef Albers. Throughout the 1960s, he would come home from work, put on music — Brahms and Beethoven were his favorites — and paint and draw. He presented his work in exhibits at noted galleries, such as New York’s A.M. Sachs Gallery, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo. He left New York to travel the world, studying architecture and art in the 1970s, working for long stretches in Israel and London, where he met his future wife, Erusha Joseph, in 1976. They married on April 8, 1984, and this brought Irving from London to Oak Park, where Erusha was already residing. He continued his work in architecture and was on the team that designed O’Hare Airport’s Terminal 5, but largely put his art away. His work was rediscovered in 2019 when he had his last exhibit — at Studio 8 in Forest Park. Upon retirement, Irving and Erusha traveled frequently — to India and Israel, Australia and Europe — and entertained a wide circle of friends in Oak Park. Irving Newman is survived by his wife, Erusha, and extended family members. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any Parkinson’s foundation or organization.

David Haennicke, 29

David Haennicke, 29 years old, son, brother, and friend, died suddenly on Nov. 16, 2021 after a long battle with the disease of addiction. A fiery Leo who roared through life, he was born on Aug. 17, 1992, to Bob and Sheila (Black) Haennicke in Chicago. He had a fierce love for learning and conquered his first Harry Potter book as a 7-year-old. He loved movement and found joy in skateboarding with friends. His family moved to Oak Park in 1996 where David attended Lincoln Elementary School and Brooks Middle School. A 2010 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School, he ran cross-country and played lacrosse, then attended Triton College where he studied business, and was a gifted salesperson of Cutco knives, earning a special “President’s” commendation for sales volume. He loved people and is remembered by family, friends and neighbors as a kind and caring person who enjoyed deep conversations on a wide range of topics. Faith was important to him. He grew up in St. Edmund Catholic Parish and joined Good Shepherd Lutheran Church as an adult. He was

deeply loved by his parents and his sister Angelica, as well as his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. David’s nickname, “Day-Day,” speaks to the light he carried within him, and that is now shining perpetually in the arms of a loving God. Donations may be made to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Metro Suburban (namimetsub.org).

Clarke Devereux, 90 Character actor in 10 films

William Clarke Devereux, 90, died on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, succumbing to the cancer he had so valiantly battled. Clarke, as he was known to his friends, was born in Chicago on May 18, 1931, to William Patrick Devereux and Margaret McCormick Devereux. He attended Resurrection Grammar School and was a proud 1949 graduate of St. Ignatius. At Ignatius, he played football and ran track and continued with football and track at Loras College, until interrupted by the draft. He served in the army during the Korean War as a first sergeant. In 1995, at the dedication of the Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C., he was proud to find that his photo was one of those chosen to be etched in the wall of the memorial. After the war, he returned to graduate from Loras. In 1956, he married Patsy McGowan, his senior prom date and the love of his life. They raised their family in Oak Park and River Forest where enjoyed supporting his children’s teams, scouting, and activities while at St. Edmund School. As the father of daughters, he helped found the grade school girls’ basketball team and tournament. The father of five Trinity graduates, he always held a special place in his heart for Trinity. He founded the Devco Foil Stamping and Embossing Company, now run by his son, Doyle, and thoroughly enjoyed his career as a character actor appearing in over 10 films, including Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Mrs. Doubtfire, Stepmom, Adventures in Babysitting, and Only the Lonely. A constant as an usher at the 10:30 Mass at St. Luke, in over 30 years he only missed 10:30 Mass when he was traveling the world with Patsy. He loved encouraging his grandchildren to swim, read, and travel the world. Clarke, or Pa, as he was known to those who loved him most, made an indelible impression on everyone he met. Clarke is survived by his wife, Patricia, and his seven children, Mary Pat, Monica (Chris Columbus), Clare (James) Roche, Clarke (Kathleen), Aimee, Doyle (Meredith), and Elizabeth, and his 18 grandchildren, Robert Ayres, Patrick Ebzery, Mary Monica Ebzery, Eleanor Columbus, Brendan Columbus, Violet Columbus, and Isabella Columbus, Mary Clare Roche, Michael Roche, Clarke Roche, Rose Roche, and Daniel Roche, Maeve Devereux, McCormick Devereux, and Quinn Devereux, Desta Clare Devereux and Mimi Elizabeth Devereux, and Dominic Devereux. He is also survived by Sr. Margaret Devereux, BVM, Marilyn (the late Joseph) Lawlor, Joseph (Joan) Devereux, Maureen (the late Martin) McGowan, James (the late Maria) McGowan, and John (Judith) McGowan; and many nieces and nephews. Clarke was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Angela Devereux Ebzery. Visitation will be held on Friday, Nov. 25, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Peterson-Bassi Chapels 6938 W. North Ave. Friends are asked to meet Saturday, Nov. 26, at St. Luke Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m., followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

Growing Community Media

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED • NETWORK SPECIALIST Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job. DEFINITION To perform various network/system administration, computer support, and operational activities for the Village including computer system setup, configuration, and testing. SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director. EXAMPLE OF DUTIES: Essential and other important duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following: Essential duties and responsibilities 1. Ensure that best in class customer service is provided to both internal and external customers and also embrace, support, and promote the Village’s core values, beliefs and culture. 2. Configure, test, and deploy network systems, such as, firewalls, routers, switches, wireless equipment, network servers and storage arrays. 3. Configure, test, and deploy system servers, such as, file, print, Internet, e-mail, database, and application servers. 4. Configure, test, and monitor server and end-user systems for security, such as, user accounts, login scripts, file access privileges, and group policy management. 5. Configure, test, and deploy end-user systems, such as, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, printers, and software. 6. Test, configure, deploy, and support security systems, such as, facility access system, video & audio system. 7. Monitor and auditing of networks, systems, and user activities to ensure security and efficiency of systems. Create scripts and reports of detail activities for regular review. 8. Perform and participate in disaster recovery activities, such as, backup procedures, data recovery, and system recovery planning. 9. Assist end-users with computer problems or queries. Troubleshoot systems as needed and meet with users to analyze specific system needs. 10. Ensure the uniformity, reliability and security of system resources including network, hardware,

software and other forms of systems and data. 11. Prepare, create and update user/technical procedure documentations and provide computer training. 12. Assemble, test, and install network, telecommunication and data equipment and cabling. 13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions. Other important responsibilities and duties 1. Train users in the area of existing, new or modified computer systems and procedures. 2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports. 3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies. 4. Operate, administer and manage the Village and Public Safety computer systems, including E-911 center, in-vehicle computer systems. 5. Prepare clear and logical reports and program documentation of procedures, processes, and configurations. 6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner. 7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing. 8. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work. 9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required. QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of: Principals and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis. Hardware and software configuration of. computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environment of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, iOS/Android. Network protocols, security, configuration and administration, including firewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology. Cabling and wiring, including CAT5/6, fiber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down. Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, analog, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant. Principles and methods of computer programming, coding and testing, including power shell, command scripting, macros, and

VB scripts. Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment. Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages. Ability to: Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities, which may include the following: - Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time - Operating assigned equipment - Lift 50 pounds of equipment, supplies, and materials without assistance - Working in and around computer equipped vehicles Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for: - Making observations - Communicating with others - Reading and writing - Operating assigned equipment and vehicles Maintain mental capacity allowing for effective interaction and communication with others. Maintain reasonable and predictable attendance. Work overtime as operations require. Experience and Training Guidelines Experience: Three years of network/system administration in the public or private sector, maintaining a minimum of 75 Client Workstation computers. AND Training: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in computer science or a related field. Certifications in Microsoft Server Administration, Networking, Applications and Cisco Networking. Possession of a valid Illinois Driver License is required at the time of appointment. Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred. WORKING CONDITIONS Work in a computer environment; sustained posture in a seated position for prolonged periods of time; continuous exposure to computer screens; work in and around computerized vehicles outdoor and garage facility; lifting heavy equipment, communication cabling and wiring into walls and ceilings.

Seasonal Farmers’ Market Manager The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmers’ Market Manager in the Health Department. This position manages the Oak Park Farmer’s Market including the vendors that sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This is a part-time seasonal position with work from January-mid November and work required on Saturday’s from May through October. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking to hire a School Psychologist for a part-time position for grades PreK-4th starting in December 2021. To qualify, candidates must have a valid Illinois Professional Education License with endorsement in School Psychology (PreK-4). A Master’s Degree is preferred as well as 5 years of successful educational experience in both general and special education; and at least five years of successful experience in evaluating students, collaborating, and problem-solving with school and District teams. The right candidate will facilitate MTSS meetings, including individual and grade-level planning meetings. Integrate D90 practices around equity and inclusivity into daily work and relationships with students, families and colleagues. Duties include: Completing appropriate psychoeducational assessments for children who have or are suspected of having a disability. Identifying and assessing the learning, development, and adjustment characteristics and needs of individuals and groups, as well as, the environmental factors that affect learning and adjustment. Using assessment data about the student and his/ her environment(s) in developing appropriate interventions and programs. Responding to parent and teacher requests for evaluations in accordance with Illinois law and maintaining compliance in accordance with Illinois special education law. Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application available at district90.org

PART TIME DRIVER ASAP

Local company looking for part time driver/warehouse. Must be drug free & have valid IL DL. Must be able to lift 75lb. $13/hr Email resume to HR@sievertelectric.com

Village of Brookfield

Attention Police Records Specialists! This role must:

• Perform specialized/complex administrative duties

• Be the subject matter expert for Police records management • Complete requests for information

• Support all Police Department staff

• Comply with laws, rules, policies, and procedures • Visit the careers page for a full description!

• Police Records Supervisor ($51,287 to $66,673 per year) Review the full description and apply on the Village of Brookfield careers page.

Village of Brookfield

Be a role model to children in the community! If you are at your best when interacting with people, are safety minded and you aim to make a difference in the lives of kids; please take the next step and apply to this part-time role in the Police Department: • Crossing Guard ($18 per hour) Review the full description and apply on the Village of Brookfield careers page.

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal-opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.

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Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

CLASSIFIED

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG MARKETPLACE

RENTALS & REAL ESTATE

WANTED TO BUY

SUBURBAN RENTALS

CARS WANTED

CLASSICS WANTED CLASSICS Restored or Restored or Unrestored Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles Cars & Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Import Cars: Cars:

Mercedes, Corvette, Mercedes,Porsche, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, MuscleCars, Cars, Ferrari’s,Jaguars, Jaguars, Muscle Mustang && Mopars Mopars Mustang Top $$ Etc. $$$$Top $$allallmakes, makes, Etc.

Collector James Collector James 630-201-8122 630-201-8122

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR

WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, ﬂags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys. Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

Best Selection & Service

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com

ITEMS FOR SALE

APARTMENT FOR RENT:

PIANO FOR SALE

1BR, 7444 Franklin Ave/ Forest Park

Chickering 1938 grand piano, 5’4”. Good condition. Refurbished and restrung in the past. Buyer must move. Reasonable at $1000.

Call 312-339-2370

· Apt 1SW in architecturally significant 8-unit building; · Heated garage parking & storage on ground level included

CEMETARY PLOTS

· Distinctive feature: 22’x8’ balcony w/ SW exposure for soft afternoon sunlite overlooking pkway & mature trees

FOUR PLOTS AT FOREST HOME CEMETERY IN FOREST PARK Located in Garden of the Chapel section. Lot 120-B, section 61, spaces 1,2,3,4. Bronze ﬂush type markers only, per the contract. $600.00 or best offer. DMCK2740@ATT.NET

· In-Kitchen breakfast area · Radiant flr heat & thermostat; AC unit; laundry same flr · 10 min walk to CTA Green Line, River Forest Metra, Jewel/ Starbucks, Whole Fds, Walgreens, Oak Pk & Forest Pk downtown shops & dining

CLASSICS WANTED

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles HOME SERVICES Domestic / Import Cars: HAULING ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, A&A ELECTRIC Ceiling Fans Let an American Veteran do your work Mustang & Mopars Installed We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

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Collector James

630-201-8122

708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area

FIREWOOD

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847-888-9999 Order online:

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Credit Cards Accepted

FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.

New hardwood ﬂooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-ﬁnishing, staining. Low prices, insured. Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

HANDYMAN Mike’s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

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CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

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HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

773-637-0692 Ask for John

BASEMENT CLEANING

Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery. 708-848-9404

LANDSCAPING BRUCE LAWN SERVICE Fall Yard Clean-Up Slit Seeding Bush Trimming Fall Leaf Clean-Up Senior Discount Snow Removal

brucelawns.com

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OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

$1,200/mo; $1,200 deposit; $50 credit chk; gas/elec: tentant no smoking; available: immediate; pets: cat

Email: 7444franklin@gmail.com for details & photos.

PAINTING & DECORATING CLASSIC PAINTING Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/ Plaster Repair Low Cost 708.749.0011

PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

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PLUMBING Supreme Plumbing & Sewer Services Installation: kitchens, baths, showers •Sewer Systems Piping Clogged drains •Water heaters

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SUBURBAN RENTALS DOWNTOWN OAK PARK 2BR APT

2BR, 1BTH apartment for rent. Hardwood floors. Renovated and freshly painted. Small, vintage building. No smoking. No pets. Parking included.

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johnlavin530@gmail.com

CICERO 3724 S 53RD CT

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WOODWORK Terry's

Woodwork Restoration On-site refinishing of wood

and fiberglass since 1977. Includes doors, woodwork, windows, staircases and new woodwork etc. All work done by hand. NO sanders. Your unfinished project my specialty! References available. Contact Terry Seamans at 630-379-7148 or terryseamans@yahoo.com

Reach the people making the decisions. Place an ad in GCM Classified! Call 773/626-6332

A beautiful 2 ﬂat in South Cicero off 35th st. Features include 3 bedrooms, central air, garage parking. Modern appliances include dishwasher. Utilities separate. $1,700 per month plus security. Lease with option to buy possible. 708-383-8223 or 773-676-6805

1BDR FOREST PARK APT

Forest Pk Apt- 2nd ﬂr, 1bdr, 1ba, lg eat-in kitchen, lg livingroom, parking, coin laundry in basement, includes heat, cooking gas and water. close to I290/Blue Line, shops, Loyola Med and Rush- Oak Park Hospital. no smoking-no pets $1100/ mo. 708-262-2444 or 708-598-8898. View by appt only.

ROOMS FOR RENT

Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt. 312-212-1212

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft. OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

CITY RENTALS AUSTIN RENAISSANCE APARTMENTS

A HUD subsidized affordable Apartment property announces the opening of its waiting list for both One and Two Bedroom Apartments! Resident rent is approximately 30% of gross household income, some restrictions apply. Our property is located on Washington Blvd in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Apartments offered with an occupancy of one to four persons. Properties feature modern kitchens, include appliances, and offer onsite maintenance. Austin Renaissance will accept requests for application packages by U.S. Mail postmarked no later than , September 15, 2021. Send or email a written request for an application package that includes your name, mailing address. Daytime telephone number, Email address, and the number of persons in your household to: Town Center Realty Group LLC, PO Box 64, Huntley IL 60142-0064 or Email requests to mrpaul.tcrg@gmail.com Application packages available by mail or email delivery only. No walk-ins accepted.

Town Center Realty Group LLC

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: YY2100806 on November 1, 2021. Under the Assumed Business Name of CFC SERVICES with the business located at: 424 MARENGO AVENUE APT. 1W, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: CELESTE ADRENA FRAZIER 424 MARENGO AVENUE, APT. 1W FOREST PARK, IL 60130, USA. Published in Forest Park Review November 10,17, 24 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21008136 on November 9, 2021. Under the Assumed Business Name of SUTTON PROPERTIES with the business located at: 1140 S DUNLOP AVE, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: SUTTON FAMILY PROTECTION TRUST NO. 2 5585 ADA DR SE, ADA, MI 49301, USA Published in Forest Park Review November 17, 24, December 1, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Riverside School District 96 will properly dispose of all temporary student ﬁles from 2015 on January 15, 2022. Permanent student records are retained for 60 years. A parent/guardian has the right to copy any student record prior to destruction. To request a copy of your student record, email Nancy Schuenemann at the District 96 Administrative Ofﬁces at schuenemann@district96.org no later than December 29, 2021. A nominal copying fee may be charged. Published in RB Landmark November 24, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF A SPECIAL MEETING Riverside Township hereby gives notice of a Special Meeting to determine the Levy and set dates for hearing, if needed, and adoption on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 27 Riverside Road, Room #4 Riverside, IL, 60546 at 6:30 p.m. Vera A. Wilt Supervisor Published in RB Landmark November 24, 2021

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, 2021 for the following: Village of Oak Park Stone & Sand Materials Bid Number: 22-103 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours. Published in Wednesday Journal November 24, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21008160 on November 12, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of JNO ENTERPRISES with the business located at: 136 S. CUYLER AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: JONATHAN L. DARNALL 136 S. CUYLER AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal November 24, December 1, 8 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21008171 on November 12, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of HALL’S HANDYMAN SERVICE with the business located at: 409 S. 7TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153 The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: CLYDE HALL 409 S. 7TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153, USA Published in Wednesday Journal November 24, December 1, 8 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Public Notice is hereby given to all persons concerned that on the 16th day of November, 2021, the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners of the Village of River Forest, Illinois, voted to amend its Rules and Regulations. Printed copies of the Rules and Regulations, as amended,may be obtained from the Ofﬁce of the Village Clerk, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois. The Rules shall be effective as of December 4, 2021, or 10 days from the date of publication of this notice, whichever date is later. Published in Wednesday Journal November 24, 2021

Illinois Classiﬁed Advertising Network WANTED TO BUY FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312-291-9169 or visit www.RefrigerantFinders.com

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST; Plaintiff, vs. LORNA J. RANKER; CHARLES K. RANKER; CITIZENS BANK NA; Defendants, 18 CH 2459 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-17-327-034-0000. Commonly known as 1185 S. LOMBARD AVE., OAK PARK, IL 60304. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 18-04613 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3180215

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR FFMLT TRUST 2005-FF11, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005FF11 Plaintiff, -v.BRIAN HOLLOWAY Defendants 19 CH 00561 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 23, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 9, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-302-0150000 The real estate is improved with a yellow vinyl siding, one story single family home, detached two car garage. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 2005452IL_615522 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 19 CH 00561 TJSC#: 41-2313 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 19 CH 00561 I3180795

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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year • OakPark.com • RBLandmark.com • ForestParkReview.com • AustinWeeklyNews.com PublicNoticeIllinois.com

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

2021

In Person & Online Shopping!

Holiday Holiday items • Pet Items Gift Baskets

bazaar

Friday 12/3 3-9pm • Saturday 12/4 9am-4pm Sunday 12/5 11-3pm We’ve made adjustments to keep everyone safe while still bringing you all the joy of the holiday season In Person AND Online Bake Sale & Raffle

Pictures with cardboard Santaby appointment, December 1 & 2 only!

All proceeds beneﬁt our shelter and are needed this year more than ever! Please note that in person shopping capacity will be limited to ensure proper social distancing. Shoppers should be prepared to wait in line. All shoppers will be required to wear a mask.

New location!

1529 S. Harlem, Berwyn

Inside the North Berwyn Park Distric building • Parking available!

Thanks to our sponsors North Berwyn Park District & VS Printing

Visit animalcareleague.org for full event details!

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Wednesday Journal, November 24, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

SHOW YOUR KIDS THAT

SAVING MONEY CAN BE FUN! Our new branch is now open, and we’re committed to helping everyone in your family reach their financial goals, even the youngest members! It’s never too early to help your child develop smart money habits that will carry them into adulthood. Setting up even a small savings account for your child can provide them with a strong foundation for college and beyond. To learn more about how we support Oak Park families, visit bankoakpark.com/celebrate.

HELP YOUR KIDS START SAVING WITH OUR

JUNIOR SAVERS ACCOUNT! 1

GET $10

Earn interest on EVERY dollar in your account!

NO minimum deposit to open!2

when you open a new Junior Savers account by 12/31/21 and bring this in or mention this offer.4

To open an account for the child in your life today, visit the branch or go to bankoakpark.com/juniorsavers10 and enter Junior10 to redeem this offer.

After you open an account, join our exclusive Junior Savers Club.5 ✓ FREE events

✓ FREE giveaways

✓ FUN take-home activities

SCAN THE QR CODE TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT TODAY!

Talk to a banker for more details!

YOU CAN COUNT ON SERVICE FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOW OAK PARK:

Melissa Cleveland Vice President and Director of Retail Banking

Chris Griffith Director of Commercial Development

OAK PARK’S COMMUNITY BANK 151 N. Oak Park Ave. | Oak Park, IL 60301 708-948-0405 | www.bankoakpark.com

Get to know us better at oakparkbank.com/meetus. FREE PARKING! First 90 minutes at the Avenue Garage across from the branch. Oak Park Bank is a branch of Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company, N.A. 1. Junior Savers Account. At account opening, child(ren) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and present a valid Social Security number(s). 2. Fees. A maintenance fee of $5.00 will be imposed every calendar month if the balance in the account falls below $200.00 any day of the calendar month once the Junior Saver has reached the age of 22. Transaction limitations will apply. Fees may reduce earnings. 3. Junior Savers Bonus Information. This Junior Savers account bonus offer is valid for new accounts opened January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. This Junior Savers account bonus offer is not available to active employees of Wintrust Financial Corporation (‘WTFC’) and its subsidiaries. Multiple Junior Savers accounts opened and titled in the same name, will only qualify for 1 bonus payment. Your new account must be open, in the same product, and have a balance greater than zero to receive the bonus payment. Balance is determined as of the end of each Business Day as the funds currently in your account including deposits and withdrawals made in the Business Day. The $10.00 bonus payment is subject to IRS 1099-INT reporting and may be considered income for tax purposes for the tax year in which the bonus was paid. Banker instructions: Enter offer code WFC00EVJS010 during account opening. 4. Junior Savers Bonus Qualifications. (i) Open a new Junior Savers account; (ii) tell us you are aware of this bonus offer at account opening; and (iii) you must be under the age of 22 when you open your new Junior Savers account. After you have completed all the above bonus offer qualifications, we will deposit this bonus payment into your new account within 60 calendar days after account opening. 5. Junior Savers Club. Membership is for those under the age of 22 with a customer relationship. See a personal banker for more details. A listing of WTFC locations can be found here: wintrust.com/locations.

A Special Advertising Section

OAK PARK-RIVER FOREST

Community Foundation present

Season of

Giving Your Local Guide to a Better World

November 24, 2021

Season of Giving presented by

Special Advertising Section

OA K PAR K-R I V ER F OR E ST

Community Foundation We envision a racially just and equitable society as the full inclusion of all people into a society in which everyone can participate, thrive and prosper. In an equitable society, everyone, regardless of the circumstance of birth or upbringing, is treated justly and fairly by its institutions and systems. We ask for your support to make this vision a reality.

Visit oprfcf.org to learn more.

Season of Giving presented by

Special Advertising Section

November 24, 2021

Celebrating the Greater West Side

t has been a wonderful thing over these past few years to watch as Black Friday now has to compete for mindshare and, even a slice of the family dollar, with Giving Tuesday. A day singled out for each one of us to take stock of the needs of neighbors as they are addressed through the generous work of so many local agencies and nonprofits. It has added the “giving” back into Thanksgiving, as we recognize this autumn into winter season as the moment to widen the lens from the hearth and home to the shared community. Again this year, Growing Community Media returns with our annual Season of Giving campaign. We work with nonprofits across the Greater West Side – from Garfield Park to Oak Park, from Maywood to Riverside – to gather up listings for each agency making plain their mission and their need. And most of them also tell a more personal story of how that work meets the real lives of those they help. The goal is simple. Offer our readers in all these neighborhoods a single place to turn as the generosity of the holidays, and, maybe, the end of the year tax season, opens wallets and hearts. This year we also tell several stories, thanks

to our reporter Lacey Sikora, about how nonprofits have pivoted during COVID to meet needs that changed in an instant as this pandemic settled over us. About the tentative joy as theaters and symphonies, kids’ play museums and kids’ performance venues have reopened, precautions and joys blending. We also make the case in interviews with leaders from Austin to Bellwood about why we are truly one community, the Greater West Side. Celebrating our diversity, honoring our histories but uniting as a vibrant and challenged community of interest and concern. Our thanks to our longtime partners on this project at the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. Their work inspires us. Increasingly inspires us. And thanks also to Byline Bank, at our side on this project as they were recently on our Eats guide. Much appreciated.

DAN HALEY

Inside ■

Regathering: The pandemic isn’t over, but organizations relish face-to-face page B5 ■

Two local groups bring climate action home page B9 ■

Bursting the Bubble: Being a part of the Greater West Side page B11 ■

The Covid moments that remade local nonprofits page B14 ■

Dan Haley

The Joyful Giving Catalog page B29

Editor and Publisher Growing Community Media

Editor Lacey Sikora Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Digital Publishing and Technology Manager Briana Higgins Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Development & Sales Coordinator Stacy Coleman Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

Sponsored Content

Supporting the Human/Animal Bond

n response to COVID-19, the Animal Care League formed its Pets & People Support Program to ensure that pets and people can stay together despite financial and physical hardships. The Program provides a range of support and safety net services including pet food and supplies and assistance with vaccinations and other veterinary care. The Pets & People Support Program has been a great help to local seniors like Vaughn from Bellwood, who is a proud cat dad of three. Vaughn loves to play chess and boasts about how instead of knocking the pieces off of the board (as most cats would do) his cats sit and watch as if they are learning the game. Vaughn’s cats found him. Two kittens appeared in his yard and he took them in and cared for them. About a year later, a cat who he believed may have been the mother of his two cats also showed up in his yard. Vaughn of course took her in as well. That was eight years ago, and today all three cats are happy and healthy and valued as a part of the family.

Unleash Generosity November 30, 2021 The Pets & People Support Program is happy to be able to support bonds like these. To date, the Pets & People Support program has supplied over 400 pet food and supply packages containing 6,000 lbs. of pet food to seniors or those with financial hardship. The program has also helped over 20 families with veterinary care, training resources and/or assistance with monthly pet fees. ACL will continue to grow this important program in order to ensure that pets and people can stay together.

Animal Care League • 708-848-8155 • animalcareleague.org

Scan to donate now!

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Do your little bit of good wherever you are, it's those little bits put together that overwhelm the world.

Join the global generosity movement. Support Animal Care League this GivingTuesday! Learn more at tinyurl.com/ACL-GT21

November 24, 2021

Season of Giving presented by

Special Advertising Section

Season of Giving presented by

November 24, 2021

Regathering: The pandemic isn’t over, but organizations relish face-to-face

From arts to kids play, non-profits have found a way

in the theater with live events. The pace has really accelerated.” He says the last weeks of October they hosted three By LACEY SIKORA events, including a school Contributing Reporter orchestra partnership beIt’s safe to say that no not-for-profit made it tween its Catalyst Circle through the Covid-19 pandemic unscathed. Rock School and Ravinia. He Months of closures, testing, quarantining notes, “The stage was full of and masking took their toll on everyone. kids, some of them performing on stage for the For organizations which rely first time. Parents, on face-to-face interactions, the community members pandemic was more than chaland people from Ravinlenging. While the pandemic is ia were there.” not over, vaccines and changes in It feels good to be back. practices are allowing many loHe sums up, “Despite all the cal groups to bring back some elvirtual events, there’s nothing ement of in-person interactions like being back in person. It’s as 2021 closes. like a warm hug.” Ed Siderewicz of Austin’s KehHe acknowledges that not evrein Center for the Arts says the erybody is ready to attend inpandemic forced the center to LOIS BAUMANN person events yet, and says Kehmake some quick changes. Faced Maywood Fine Arts rein honors and respects that and with the potential of no in-perexecutive director makes options available for those son events, they quickly moved patrons as well. Events and schedto upgrade their theater to allow for live streaming of events. Having that ca- ules can be seen at www.kehreincenter.com. Like Kehrein, Maywood Fine Arts pivoted pability for the past year allowed Kehrein to to virtual performances during 2020 and into continue to reach its audience. Today, Siderewicz says, “The gas pedal 2021. Executive Director Lois Baumann says just hit the floor about two or three months of that period, “We became great at filmmakago. October was an incredibly busy month ing. This was our second year turning our

Diamon Jones (above) on the cello, and Brian Ray (left) on the violin from Catalyst Circle Rock playing for the Sistema Ravinia Orchestra at the Kehrein Center for the Arts.

PHOTO BY LYNNE PETERS

Pumpkin Patch performance into a movie. of the board of directors, says “We had to shut down and lay everyone off. It was a reThis year, it showed at the Lake Theater.” In spite of the success of virtual shows, ally hard thing to do.” By the end of summer 2020, it was apparshe says, ‘We’re really glad that theaters have ent that the children’s museum opened up. As long as protocols would have to remain closed allow, we’ll be performing Sleepfor the immediate future. Nery ing Beauty in April at Trinity says, “We had to pivot and figure (High School) in person.” out how to protect our finances Whether in person or virso that we could reopen.” tual, says Baumann, “We work The not-for-profit made immagic at Maywood Fine Arts. provements such as redoing an We make sure that every day is outdoor garden space and reenchanting.” paving parking pads and walkShe adds that experienced ways. They also upgraded techstudents are excited to get back nology and reorganized their on stage, and new students are leadership structure. thrilled to be on the stage for the Nery and board Vice Presifirst time. dent Sara Yount, said that finanJULIANNE NERY Another perk that didn’t stop? cial donations and the support Wonder Works president of the The preparations. Baumann of community stakeholders board of directors says, “Our children are happy to were invaluable in helping Wonbe in costumes and makeup. We der Works reopen in June 2021. didn’t stop any of that. We’re Operations are still influjust scrambling to get masks to enced by the pandemic. Staffing match the costumes.” is a challenge, and keeping up with reduced Like Maywood Fine Arts, Oak Park’s Won- capacity, safety measures, and reduced hours der Works has a young clientele, and the means that the building is only open five pandemic was particularly hard on the playSee REGATHERING on page B7 based organization. Julianne Nery, president

“They’ve never played with anyone before. It’s so wonderful to provide that opportunity for kids to start socializing.”

Season of Giving presented by

November 24, 2021

Special Advertising Section

Sponsored Content

Sports are back, bringing Saint Angela Pride with them

aint Angela school has brought sports back to their scholars! Due to Covid restrictions, most social activities were put on pause in school and community environments. Social development in children and young teens is a crucial building block, and sports allow for scholars to become active citizens in their community. Saint Angela is proud to have initiated sports once again to assist in this development. Saint Angela athletes started playing in the fall with a soccer program, coached by an alumni and current board member. Currently, their scholars are enjoying basketball and cheerleading. These sports teach their scholars the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship. Reinstating sports has also allowed for parents to become more involved within the school. From cheering in the stands, to helping with carpooling, or assisting with coaching, they show scholars the importance of the community within their school. These interactions are crucial to the social development of the scholars at Saint Angela, and have inspired school pride and community among them.

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OakPark.com | AustinWeeklyNews.com ForestParkReview.com | RBLandmark.com

St. Angela School • www.saintangela.org

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE! 773-626-2655 WWW.SAINTANGELA.ORG 1332 N Massasoit Ave, Chicago

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REGATHERING

Zoom has its virtues from page B5 days a week for two sessions per day and for rentals for groups. Still, Nery notes that the new nature play space and the outdoor area for STEAM activities are big draws, and it is all worth it to see children in the space again. She says, “It is such a thrill to be there and see the kids’ faces. Some of these kids are young enough that they hadn’t really been out in a setting with other kids like this. They’ve never played with anyone before. It’s so wonderful to provide that opportunity for kids to start socializing.” For Berwyn’s 16th Street Theater, the past year has been one of transition. Founder Ann Filmer stepped down this fall, and Interim Artistic Director Jean Gottlieb says the theater is still operating in a virtual format. While the theater is hoping to be able to present live events later in 2022, she says that they are keeping open the idea of continuing to do digital shows as some people prefer that option. She thinks the ability to have this option is a bright spot that came out of the pandemic, saying, “I like the virtual theater, it is one thing good that came out of the pandemic. It opens up our little theater to people everywhere.” The Symphony of Oak Park’s Music Di-

“I like the virtual theater, it is one thing good that came out of the pandemic. It opens up our little theater to people everywhere.” JEAN GOTTLIEB

Berwyn’s 16th Street Theater interim artistic director

rector Jay Friedman says the group recently hosted its first in-person concert since the pandemic began. In fact, he says, “We have our normal five concert series coming up.”

November 24, 2021

Returning to in-person is imment is back in-person. Payton portant he says, noting that “A lot says, “The first live audience of orchestras went out of busimusic program was held on Oct. ness in the pandemic. There’s 4 and you could feel the excitenot enough culture in the world ment in the ballroom.” as it is. It’s more important now The Nineteenth Century Club than ever.” is taking precautions such as After providing virtual chamlimiting capacity, masks and distancing, but Payton says, “It ber concerts to keep their audihas been amazing to see memence engaged last year, Friedman bers come face-to-face, or masknotes that it is good to be back to ERIN PAYTON normal, almost. Concert attend- Oak Park’s Nineteenth Century to-mask, for the first time in months. The community aspect ees are masked, and socially disCharitable Association of our organization is what has executive director tanced. They almost must prokept us going for 130 years, and vide proof of vaccination. He says the musicians are so happy to you can see it best when members are gathbe back in person for rehearsals and per- ered together.” formances, and he adds, “Eighteen months is a long time not to pursue your creative hobby.” Like other organizations Oak Park’s Nineteenth Century Charitable Association was forced to cancel months of events, as well as events that community partners such as Future Philanthropists and the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust hold in the club. The entire 2020-21 season went online, including the gala. Executive Director Erin Payton notes that Zoom had some pluses and reports the group, “Started getting attendees not only from the Oak Park and River Forest area, but from as far away as California, Florida, New Zealand and Ireland.” PROVIDED The group’s regular Monday lunch transiJay Friedman, music director of the tioned to at-home events with catered meals to-go. This fall, Monday lunch and enrich- Symphony of Oak Park

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Free Black History Bicycle Tour: Stories of Triumphs & Tragedies

t is a truism that history is all around us. So Oak Park River Forest Museum created a free Black History Bike Tour this year so everyone can learn about the stories of African American life in Oak Park, from 1905 to 2020. Located at 129 Lake St., OPRF Museum has some of these stories currently on display through 2022 in its exhibit “Open House: The Legacy of Fair Housing” and many others in Suburban Promised Land: The Emerging Black Community in Oak Park, Illinois, 1880-1980, an illustrated, 170-page book published by The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest and available in local libraries and at OPRF Museum. While museum exhibits and books are fantastic places to learn history, experiencing history where it happens, right in front of homes, schools, and other sites, makes the stories come alive. For instance, the powerful story of suffering and triumph of the Jefferson family, whose home on Cuyler across from Longfellow Park was firebombed in 1914. They resisted this hate crime and daughter Faith Jefferson grad-

uated from OPRF High School in 1923. “There is a powerful connection with the past when you stand right where history happened,” said Frank Lipo, Executive Director of OPRF Museum. “Our exhibits, programs, and other activities shed light on important stories and the people who walked the streets before us. And bike tours and walking tours put us right into the story and are a key part of our story-telling.” The free tour booklet is always available as a pdf at oprfmuseum.org so that bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians can access it from their computer, phone or other device. The bike tour was unveiled during the first official Oak Park Juneteenth celebration on June 19, 2021. But this important history should not be experienced just once a year. Now it is available 24/7.

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Visit us today!

Oak Park’s Newest Museum Oak Park Located at River Forest 129 Lake Street Museum 708-848-6755 | oprfmuseum.org

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Hephzibah to their core

A Gift of Cookies & Helping Kids

former Hephzibah resident once said, “Once a Hephzibah kid, always a Hephzibah kid.” No one exemplifies that more than Peter Murphy and Melissa Smith, who started their journey with Hephzibah as children and just celebrated their 25th anniversary as staff. Peter was a member of Hephzibah’s first forever family when Oak Parkers Dennis and Bunny Murphy adopted him and his three siblings. Now he invests in the lives of children living at Hephzibah Home, a therapeutic home for severely abused and neglected children. Peter is thought of warmly by Hephzibah Home residents. One former resident reminisced, “He always played basketball with my brother and me. We tried to do pull-ups on his arms.” “…And that is why I love my job,” Peter responded. Peter is well regarded by his colleagues. “Peter is the heart and soul of Hephzibah. He really understands what kids need at any given moment,” says Assistant Director of Group Homes Debbie Pontrelli. “His sense of humor is one of his greatest attributes.”

Melissa Smith--once a child in their after school and summer camp programs is now the programs’ assistant director--is also appreciated by her colleagues. “Melissa has a great spirit and a kind heart,” says Day Care Office Manager Annette Anderson. “She doesn’t mind rolling up her sleeves. She’s such a good person.” Melissa loves her job. “I like the creative part of working with the kids and staff. They are rejuvenating,” she says. “I enjoy watching the staff grow.” Peter and Melissa are just a couple examples of home-grown Oak Park staff who invest in the lives of Hephzibah children and families. For more stories about Hephzibah, check out their blog at www.hephzibahhome.org/blog.

Hephzibah • www.hephzibahhome.org

THROUGH DECEMBER MBER 7

DONATE A TEM WISH LIST ITEM

We are currently collecting gifts for children living at Hephzibah Home, in our foster homes, and for families receiving our services. You can find our wish list at hephzibahhome.org.

ary DiSomma—mother of four, committed philanthropist and cookbook author—is passionate about baking cookies. Last year she shared 130 of her favorite cookie recipes with the publication of A Gift of Cookies: Recipes to Share with Family and Friends. Because she’s as passionate about helping children as she is about baking, DiSomma is donating 100% of the proceeds from sales of the book to charity – including Hephzibah. DiSomma loves cookies because they bring back fond memories of the warmth and comfort of childhood. “Unfortunately, not every child gets to experience that,” says the Hephzibah benefactor and friend. “I was adopted at birth and raised by a loving family, but I know how important it is for children to have a place where they can feel safe, loved and cared for.” Not satisfied with merely donating funds, Mary is an ambassador for Hephzibah, speaking honestly and openly about her care for their work and the children and families they serve. Her advocacy has brought national media attention to Hephzibah and its mission.

Heartfelt philanthropists and caring community members, Mary with her husband Bill were recognized with Hephzibah’s Heart of Gold Award last year. The award is presented each year to honor those who have enhanced the wellbeing of disadvantaged children. “We are grateful for her passion and partnership, and the children at Hephzibah Home are very grateful for her delicious cookie recipes.”

Hephzibah • www.hephzibahhome.org

THROUGH DECEMBER 31

MATCH MATCHED GIVING Give online by December 31 and your gift will be matched by generous benefactors through our annual Hephzibah Holiday Challenge. Double your gift today at hephzibahhome.org. hephzibahhome.org

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Two local groups bring climate action home One Earth Collective and Seven Generations Ahead By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

ith climate change making headlines, two local organizations are working to bring climate action to the neighborhoods we live in. Seven Generations Ahead and One Earth Collective are active in Oak Park, River Forest, Austin, Chicago and beyond. Gary Cuneen founded Seven Generations Ahead 20 years ago and says the organization’s mission has always been to address global environmental issues on a local level. He says, “The climate crisis is our first and foremost concern.” Fresh off a trip to climate summit COP26 in Glasgow with local high school students, Cuneen says one arm of bringing climate action into communities is to work with students to engage them in the mission. While Cuneen says the climate crisis needs to become more of a priority for decision-makers, he emphasizes that change is needed on all levels of society from the individual, to the municipal, to state government to national government and beyond. On the individual level, sustainable local food, clean water conditions, plant-based food movements and composting are small steps that can add up to make a difference. SGA works on sustainability measures with many Chicago-area municipalities and organizations. In Oak Park and River Forest, SGA collaborates with school districts and the Park District of Oak Park. In addressing energy use, Cuneen says it’s important for institutions like these to look for cleaner energy and explore solar energy and procurement. SGA is currently working

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One Earth Collective, Young Filmmakers Workshops: Live action, grades 3-5, River Forest

with the village of Broadview to support its efforts to create a solar corridor in an industrial area and has a project in Waukegan to provide solar energy to low- and moderateincome communities. Cuneen says it’s important to realize that sustainability doesn’t have geographic boundaries. As climate change threats make headlines and more people are in agreement that action is needed, Cuneen says the next step is to facilitate mainstream institutions to do more. Ana Garcia Doyle, founding member of One Earth Collective, started the organization as a film festival in 2012 to bring attention to the climate crisis, and says the group now focuses on generating awareness of climate issues and getting people excited enough to take action to combat the climate crisis. While the film festival continues to be a way to educate and create interest in the movement, she says community partnerships bring the fight to the local level year-round. A partnership with BUILD Chicago in Austin is one example. Garcia Doyle says combining BUILD’s focus on antiviolence and gang prevention with a farm on the West Side where kids can feed chickens and participate in programming featuring locally grown food is a way to bring sustainable practices to a new generation. OEC also works with local high schools and colleges, as well as museums like the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium. Garcia Doyle says, “We’ll work with anybody.” She says, “Our film festival and youth projects are all tools to help us educate and give people concrete things to do. We want people to act. After our films, we have discussions, and PROVIDED then we always end with an action It’s Our Future youth delegates from Seven Generation Ahead met with Uili Lousi component -- something people can do (3rd from left), a representative from the Kingdom of Tonga, to discuss the impact of to take their interest another step.” the climate crisis on Pacific Island nations, at the climate summit COP26 in Glasgow. The One Earth Young Filmmak-

BUILD Chicago in Austin

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ers Contest has evolved into a national competition with local roots. Young people can send important environmental messages through short videos that inspire change or action. With workshops in River Forest and Chicago in December and a Young Filmmakers Online Academy, OEC aims to reach a new generation of activists. Garcia Doyle says, “We use film and youth programming because it’s a version of storytelling. If you connect with a story, you can feel the connections to your own life. We already have so much data on climate change. If people feel emotion, that’s what makes them take action. We need to get heads, hearts and hands engaged.”

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Bursting the Bubble: Being a part of the Greater West Side From Garfield Park to Proviso, a shared community

By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

ocal not-for-profits may have their offices or headquarters in one town, but typically serve people from a greater geographic area. The communities of Oak Park, Austin, Maywood, Berwyn, Forest Park, Garfield Park and River Forest collectively form the Greater West Side, and work done by one organization based in one community can have wide-reaching impact throughout the area. While working in his previous role as the executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, Rob Breymaier says he coined the term Greater West Side. He points out that OPRHC was uniquely situated to make connections between communities because it had programs in all of the communities. He says, “In Austin we were supporting block clubs and community development efforts and building the Austin Ascending program. In Oak Park we had our longstanding programs to sustain diversity, integration, inclusion, and equity in the community. In Proviso Township we were working to save folks from foreclosure and provide folks with new homes and down payment assistance.” He says, “We could see that the communities had a lot in common and that the people across the Greater West Side had much to offer one another. We could also see that none of the communities could succeed on its own. That the com-

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Tierra Collins, left, makes a cookie with Mia Richardson during a holiday party at New Moms in 2019.

“What we do within each of our communities impacts what happens and what is felt in every other community. It is what Dr. King referred to as the interrelated structure of reality.” REESHEDA GRAHAM WASHINGTON Sweet Rest

munities are interconnected. At that time, faith leaders connected, it is also made up of individual communities, each were also working to bridge the communities and we allied of which has a unique set of needs. In order to meet those ourselves with them in the hopes of amplifying what each needs in the best way possible, she says Beyond Hunger increasingly relies on its client advisory council. group was working toward.” The client advisory council is made up of program particiReesheda Graham Washington says the Greater West Side has been an important part of her developing enterprise pants who have experienced hunger or food insecurity. Rather Sweet Rest, which provides education to white women re- than volunteers or staff members dictating what needs to be done, Beyond Hunger is able to use a client pergarding the negative impact of white supremacy spective to determine how to best meet the needs and uses funds from subscriptions to a monthly newsletter to provide sabbaticals to Black women. in a particular community. While the organization serves women across the Traditionally, a large percentage of clients country, she says that through funding from the hailed from Austin, and Beyond Hunger recently Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation began sharing space with New Moms in Austin Sweet Rest has been able to provide sabbaticals to to better serve the needs of clients in the neighsix women from the Greater West Side. borhood. Zurakowski says that in Austin, there is Graham Washington notes the Greater West a significant aging population that is in need of Side connects all within its boundaries because, home delivery. our communities, our lives, our issues and our Beyond Hunger has also seen a recent increase passions are interconnected. She says, “What we MICHELE ZURAKOWSKI in need from Berwyn, with many immigrants Beyond Hunger do within each of our communities impacts what there unable to qualify for federal relief during chief executive officer happens and what is felt in every other communiCovid. Zurakowski says that work in Berwyn has ty. It is what Dr. King referred to as the interrelated to be more targeted to meet clients where they are. structure of reality.” If they are afraid to give out personal information or come to Beyond Hunger is another example of the connected nature a regular location to pick up food, Beyond Hunger can work of the Greater West Side, says Chief Executive Officer Mi- on privately funded, targeted ways to get people food so that chele Zurakowski. While the main office and food bank are they don’t feel jeopardized. located in Oak Park, and many volunteers reside in Oak Park New Moms has been serving young mothers who experior River Forest, Beyond Hunger provides food and nutrition ence poverty and homelessness from its Greater West Side education to residents of the Greater West Side. See GREATER WEST SIDE on page B12 Zurakowski says that while the Greater West Side is inter-

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y advocate was an angel delivered to me in my most dire, darkest hours. I have experienced abuse for many years and haven’t felt alive until now. Thank you!” Isabel, a mother of 2 children, was referred to Sarah’s Inn by her local police department. When a Sarah’s Inn Advocate first met the family, they were in crisis. Isabel’s partner had been physically abusing her for several months and had begun abusing her son. This Sarah’s Inn’s Advocate called local shelters and was able to get Isabel and her children to a safe place. As Isabel started to get settled into a safe environment, Sarah’s Inn supported her with individual and group counseling, and helped Isabel find more permanent, safe housing. With financial assistance for rent and other basic needs through Sarah’s Inn, Isabel and her children now live in their own apartment. Sarah’s Inn also provided a Thanksgiving meal basket, holiday gifts for Isabel’s children, and other support needed throughout their journey of starting a life that’s free of

abuse. Even during these unprecedented times, Isabel was determined to continue living a productive, safe and healthy life with her children. Isabel and her children are now stable and thriving. She has a full-time job at a school district, and is enrolled in further education. Isabel and her children are excelling in school and life.

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GREATER WEST SIDE District histories from page B11 headquarters in Austin and its newer Oak Park location. Bright Endeavors, the social enterprise for New Moms through which young moms 24 years old and under can find work experience, is located in Garfield Park. Jenna Hammond, its director of development & communications says, “We started our program in the West Side of Chicago because that is where we saw the greatest JENNA HAMMOND need, and our approach to expand to the New Moms director of development & communications Greater West Side has continued to follow this same logic. To the extent that we can re- portunity for the families they serve to thrive move barriers, like city boundaries, so that in the future. families can find consistent and high-qualBreymaier, says that there continues to ity support in their community, no matter be a lot of work to do, noting, “As I see it what side of the line they reside, now, the project is ongoing and the better.” requires a lot more effort. In Hammond stresses the concept particular, it requires couraof the Greater West Side includes geous conversations that examacknowledging the truth that it is ine both the disparities and the not just certain communities that commonalities that exist across experience poverty, pointing out the Greater West Side. But, that there are families in every most importantly, if we could community in the Greater West get more people to recognize Side who are experiencing the the Greater West Side as one stress of poverty. community. I think that She says that while the would be a positive first differences in neighborstep in building a coalihood culture can be sometion of residents that can thing to celebrate, the build equity together.” differences in access to opHe believes the concept portunity is something that of the Greater West Side needs to be addressed. is more important than To that point, she says, ever, saying, “It would “Each of these neighborbe a great framework for hoods has their own rocreating a broader comROB BREYMAIER bust history and culture. munity of opportunity Former Oak Park Regional We also know that in the and equity. That is ultiHousing Center executive director world we live in today, these mately up to the grassneighborhoods have not exroots leaders today. And perienced equitable investit needs to be done with ment, creating real disparan emphasis on listening from those who have been heard the least ity in infrastructure and opportunity.” She says that New Moms is committed to up to this point. I’d be elated to see others challenging this inequity and working to pro- build up the Greater West Side and succeed mote community investment and create op- in ways I never imagined.”

“It [concept of Greater West Side] would be a great framework for creating a broader community of opportunity and equity.”

New Moms location on Chicago Avenue in Oak Park.

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Thrive expands resources for community mental health

ope, Resilience, and Recovery form the heart of Thrive’s work – more now than ever before. Since the beginning of the pandemic, demand for accessible mental health services have skyrocketed. Thrive has strived to meet this increased need by expanding both our services and our staff. By implementing teletherapy options, access to services has significantly increased leading to fewer missed appointments. Additionally, we grew our clinical team this year by eight therapists. We are particularly proud of the growth within our Youth Program. Further, we grew our internship program, welcoming 10 emerging professionals to our team. With our larger staff, we have enrolled an average of 50 new clients per month in services this year. Altogether, more clinicians are seeing more clients than ever before. Looking to the future, we are excited to continue developing our programs to improve access to mental health services.

In the coming year we are implementing three new group therapy options. Additionally, our Suicide Awareness & Prevention Program expanded to Fenwick High School this fall. Finally, we are thrilled to continue building our Crisis Program as we work to respond to all mental health crises within Oak Park and River Forest. A client recently told us, “Thank you for all your help. Your support has helped keep me out of the hospital and has given me hope.” If you or a loved one are struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here for you.

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Julia and Anthony learn support is The Day Nursery Difference

nthony, a four-year-old with a curious mind and lots of energy, and his mom, Julia, recently moved to our community. Julia was busy balancing school, work, and motherhood. A neighbor recommended The Day Nursery. During the enrollment process, Julia shared that Anthony’s previous program reported that he engaged in disruptive and inappropriate behaviors in the classroom. She was concerned about how Anthony might react to a new school. The Day Nursery arranged for staff to connect with the family before Anthony’s first day of school. It did not take long for Anthony’s teachers to understand that his disruptive behaviors came from frustration when Anthony felt people did not understand what he was saying. Using a team approach, Day Nursery staff, Julia, and Anthony developed strategies that helped Anthony self-regulate his emotions in the classroom and at home. The Day Nursery supported Julia through a referral to Anthony’s pediatrician for further speech evaluation. As a result, Anthony was able

Two of Anthony’s classmates.

to receive speech therapy sessions while in the classroom during his school day. The Day Nursery provided additional support for Anthony’s mom by connecting Julia with other Day Nursery families who shared similar interests, which offered opportunities for socialization outside of school. A few short months later, they are thriving. Anthony is now successfully communicating his needs and is happy. Julia has built a network of support in her journey as a parent and advocate for her son. That’s The Day Nursery Difference.

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The Covid moments that remade local nonprofits Needs only grew. But how to deliver the care? By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

ike the rest of the world, local not-for-profits were hit hard by Covid. Unlike the rest of the world, these organizations couldn’t simply close up shop. Due to the essential nature of their work, they had to keep their doors open and find new and innovative ways to serve a population that was more in need than ever. Here a few leaders detail how the pandemic has affected their missions.

Merry Beth Sheets Executive Director of Hephzibah in Oak Park Sheets says that Covid’s impact has been profound on the organization and the children and families it serves. “It didn’t cause us to rethink our mission, we just dove deeper. When schools and daycares close, our families needed us more than ever before. We serve essential workers. We pivoted from being an after-school program to a full day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. program.” She notes that Hephzibah’s residential program also suffered. Children in the group home could no longer go to school, so the staff became responsible for supervising and instruction during school hours. For Sheets, the impact of Covid was immediate. “We realized that we couldn’t shut down. Our group home kids needed us more; our foster care children needed us more; our intact families needed us more.” Keeping children and families safe while giving them the supports they needed took on an urgent role. While Hephzibah weathered 2020 with federal PPE loans, Sheets emphasizes, “We serve kids 11 and under. In many, many ways, Covid is not over.”

Because of local quarantine protocols, children can’t attend school or after school programming on a regular basis. Daycare protocols mean the program has been cut from 60 children to 30. Revenue has been cut in half, but expenses have stayed the same. A lot of support that was there in 2020 is not there in 2021, and Sheets says that Covid has emphasized the importance of Hephzibah for the community, saying “We provided support for thousands of kids and hundreds of families. Covid just highlighted the need for that support.”

Malcolm Crawford Executive Director of the Austin African American Business Networking Association

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Beyond Hunger volunteers during a drive-thru distribution.

For Crawford the impact of Covid was personal and professional. During the pandemic’s first month, he lost his cousin to the disease. He says, “I’ve always known that when Americans get a cold, African Americans die. Time has shown that our community has been disproportionately affected by Covid-19.” From the perspective of the AAABNA, he says that Covid was immediately a life-changing phenomenon. He says, “Our organization prides itself on monthly person-to-per-

son, interactive meetings.” While Zoom offered an alternative, he says, “It completely derailed our energy and opportunities to connect.”

Athena Williams Executive Director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center Williams says that because the onset of the pandemic coincided with her taking the reins at OPRHC, the initial shut down allowed her time to evaluate the current state of OPRHC and where it was headed. She says, “I was allotted the time, a fraction of time, to begin to see the next chapter for OPRHC. I say fraction of time, because once the shroud of Covid had peeled back, and we were able to peek through, we began to see the daunting effects that were taking place in the housing industry. OPRHC was able to swiftly step up and be present for the renters we have served all of these years.” Williams says that because of the nature of the work at OPRHC, they kept working with clients, saying, “We never closed our doors. We did not lay off any employees.” See NONPROFITS on page B16

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OL SCHOLA

At Oak Park and River Forest High School, the 2021-2022 school year has been one of Moving Forward as students head back to in-person learning. Despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school year is one of promise – and as always, the OPRFHS Alumni Association and OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation are ready to help today’s students realize their goals and dreams, during their time as high school students and into college. Together our organizations are dedicated to the common goal of student success: helping students pursue their passions, attain new skills, and open themselves up to new experiences that support their aspirations for college attendance and career readiness. We turn to our community each year to help us fulfill our mission to increase both the number of awards and scholarships offered and to provide more four-year renewable scholarships that can assist our students beyond their first year of college. We ask you to consider donating and investing in the lives of our community’s students as they move forward this year, continuing to strive for "those things that are best" – in high school and beyond.

A LU M NI ASS OC IATION

S CH O L A R SH I P FO U N DAT I O N

The OPRFHS Alumni Association looks forward to helping dozens of our students expand their horizons in the summer of 2022, accessing once-in-a-lifetime cultural and academic programs through the annual Bobbie L. Raymond Summer Enrichment Grants. These grants allow students to explore and advance their interests and knowledge while preparing them for higher education and future career opportunities.

Since 1924, OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation scholarships continue to be a bright light for our graduating students, helping decrease the financial barriers to college. This past year, 268 graduating seniors applied for 67 available scholarships. We are currently finalizing the 2022 scholarships that will be offered to this year’s graduating seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence, initiative, and leadership.

Donate online: scholarships4oprfhs.org/scholarships Your contribution can be directed to the Scholarship Foundation, the Alumni Association, or split to be shared by both organizations.

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Mike Powell Beat the Street Chicago Mike Powell says the organization, which offers wrestling and enrichment programs to give Chicago youth the skills they need for success in life, says the organization was profoundly impacted by Covid, as were the kids they serve. “I think the moment that most stands out was when we realized that the kids we had grown to love, who we had watched develop as young women and men, had no hope of getting on a wrestling mat for the foreseeable future. The mat is our classroom, where life’s greatest lessons are taught and it’s most important values are learned. To think of our kids, many of whom were in apartments by themselves during the day for months on end, had lost meaningful contact with their role models and the sport that was their vehicle to a better life, was as heart wrenching as just about anything an organization like our can go through.” He says that throughout the pandemic knowing that the despair, loneliness, anxiety, and anger the kids felt was really the challenge.

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Michele Zurakowski Chief Executive Officer of Beyond Hunger Zurakowski says Covid was an immediate game changer for the food pantry’s operations. Instead of being a community hub, where clients could receive nutrition education and “shop” for foods, the food pantry became a drive-through. Clients were afraid to come out in person, and some stopped coming. Zurakowski says the organization’s use of client advisory councils made up of program participants allowed them to keep a finger on the pulse of the rapidly changing needs in the communities they serve. Circumstances surrounding Covid created a change in the typical client base. In fiscal year 2019, 75% of Beyond Hunger’s clients identified as Black; 12% as Latinx; 8% as white; 3.5% as other racial groups and 1.5% as multi-racial. In fiscal year 2021, 42% identify as Black, 40%; as Latinx, 13% as white; 3% as other racial groups and 2% as multi-racial. Zurakowski says that during the pandemic, Beyond Hunger had fewer clients from Austin, and outreach showed there were three reasons for that: people were afraid to go out because of Covid; SNAP benefits had increased so much, they didn’t need the food pantry anymore; and there was misinformation about what food pantries were still open. Beyond Hunger saw more clients from Berwyn during Covid. Zurakowski notes that Berwyn has a large immigrant population which was not eligible for federal benefits.

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David Bradley, Beyond Hunger’s distribution supervisor, loads a turkey into a car during drive-thru distribution. She says, “Covid showed all the disparities that exist. For us, it’s showing us that different communities have different needs.” At the end of the day, she says there is still great need noting “85% of households we serve have seniors, people with disabilities, children or veterans. These are always the vulnerable populations.” For Zurakowski, while Covid highlighted

the need, the federal relief programs also highlighted a solution. She says, “For me the big story is that the federal government can change people; it can take them out of poverty. A food pantry can’t do this -- we’re a Band-Aid, but the government can.” She says, “As a society, we can end hunger if we want to. There is a path forward, and we saw it.”

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Connor is one step closer

onnor is 18 years old. He first went to Youth Outreach Services when he was 14 and diagnosed with depression. Upon beginning his therapy, he said “I want to be a happier, more mentallystable person.” Connor recently took up a new hobby of skateboarding. He shared that his hobbies help to lighten his mood and give him a “natural high” instead of turning towards alcohol. When Connor feels down or is frustrated, he tries to talk to his stepdad or friends. He likes to vent, to cope with his issues. However, his Youth Outreach Services’ counselor has really helped him to look at a problem from different perspectives. It gives him strength and confidence to tackle tough times head on. “Everyone should have someone who they trust that they can vent to. For me, that is Youth Outreach Services.” After recently getting his high school diploma, he’s now interested in going into a career in IT. He enjoys making videos on YouTube and wants to use those skills to launch his next chapter. “I really

wanted to come to YOS to learn how to be a responsible young adult. You have to be brave and self-driven to achieve your goals.” With every step he takes, he is ONE STEP closer to achieving his goals. We can all be a part of his support system to help him get there. To learn more about how to help youth like Connor and others, head over to YOS.ORG or email info@yos.org.

Youth Outreach Services • 773-777-7112 • www.yos.org

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UCP Seguin paralympics athlete to represent USA in Brazil

occia is much more than a game to Natalie, it’s her passion. It has allowed her to make friends all over the world. Boccia has empowered Natalie to be her best and feel a sense of accomplishment. Boccia has allowed Natalie to live a life without limits. In October, Natalie competed with her teammates at USA Boccia’s National Tournament in Kansas. At this prestigious meet, Natalie won Silver with her pairs partner Joey. It was at this tournament that Natalie was chosen to represent Team USA at the BISFed America Regional Championships in Brazil. Natalie and Sabrina, her sports assistant and UCP Seguin Recreation Specialist, will head to Såo Paulo in December. This is not Natalie’s first experience with international competition, however. In 2018, Natalie competed for Team USA at the BISFed Regional Open in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As Natalie says, “It was a great opportunity to be part of Team USA. I learned a totally different game there and got lots of experience. I am excited to represent Team USA and travel to Brazil.”

Natalie joined UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago in 2015 and lives in Oak Park with her partner Bill and two other roommates. When Natalie is not at the UCP Seguin Oak Park CHOICE program, she comes to the Carr Center twice a week where she is employed as an artist, creating ceramic pieces sold at Seguin Gardens & Gifts. Together, you and UCP Seguin are providing life without limits for people with disabilities like Natalie.

UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago • 708-863-3803 • ucpseguin.org

MAKE 2021

DONATE ONLINE TO UCP SEGUIN ON

November 30 DONATIONS WILL BE DOUBLED BY CHALLENGE GIFTS G IVE ON GIVI NG TU E S DAY AND THR O UGHOUT THE HOL IDAY S E A S ON TO MAK E A D I F FE R E NCE IN YOUR COM M UNITY.

ucpseguin.org UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago 332 Harrison Street Oak Park, Illinois 60304

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Chevy finds growth and success with BUILD

heveris first came to BUILD in 2013, already fighting and skipping school in fifth grade. He started by joining a few activities after school, and over time BUILD mentors connected with him, surrounded him with encouragement and activities from art to sports, and his natural leadership qualities quickly bloomed. At 16 in high school, Chevy joined BUILD’s “My Brother’s Keeper” leadership program, learning from mentor Jeremy Mercado how to support others, and recruiting more of his own friends to BUILD programs. “I want to be a mentor so I can help others in my community,” said Chevy, “especially younger people.” 2021 marks Chevy’s eighth year with BUILD. In that time he has found strong role models, and stayed on his own positive path. He started working culinary jobs, and soon secured a job as an assistant kitchen manager in a busy restaurant, all while finishing high school. He graduated from Michele Clark High School this past spring, and with enough savings to buy a car and move into his own apartment. Chevy credits BUILD with “putting [him]

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Read and Support your community news source. Partner with us. Donate at GrowingCommunityMedia.org on a better life path and keeping [him] going, even through some dark times.” He wants to run his own restaurant someday, and so far, he’s shown he can do anything he puts his mind to. As one of his mentors Mark Thornton puts it, “Our passion for our youth growth and success works. Chevy is an excellent example and we are so proud of him.”

Growing Community Media NFP is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization

BUILD • 773-227-2880 • www.BuildChicago.org

Attitude of Gratitude Grateful we can make a difference together.

96% of youth reported stronger healthy conflict resolution skills. 82% of youth with prior court involvement did not recidivate. (Illinois average: 40%)

100% of youth were promoted to the next grade.

YOU can do something gun violence and gangs. YOU can help Chicago's must vulnerable youth survive and thrive. YOU can make a difference right next door in Austin and beyond.

Intervention staff helped 26 youth detach from gangs, and reconnected 7 to school.

BUILD gives youth the support and opportunity they need to build a future.

DONATE AT WWW.BUILDCHICAGO.ORG | 773-227-2880

97% of youth avoided gang involvement and addictive substances. 95% of youth who had been either suspended or expelled from schools reported a decrease in further disciplinary actions.

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Byline Bank Strives to be Engrained in Oak Park Community

n 2021 Byline Bank answered the call for support from nonprofit and community organizations, small businesses, and economic development associations in the Oak Park-River Forest area. The community bank, which is Illinois’ leading Small Business Administration lender, donated more than $50,000 in sponsorships to over 25 local nonprofit organizations, charitable groups and youth clubs in Oak Park and River Forest. Bolstering its monetary contributions, Byline employees also gave over 200 volunteer hours to local organizations. “We believe supporting our community means not only giving money, but being generous with our time and resources. Our employees are as rooted in the neighborhood as the local businesses and organizations we work with,” said Susie Goldschmidt, Byline Bank Oak Park River Forest Market President. “Byline Bank is honored to stand by organizations across diverse areas of service, all of which do vital work and make Oak Park a more connected, vibrant and equitable community.” Byline Bank supported local organizations include those working in the fields of food insecurity, educational resources, schools and learning centers, arts, animal welfare, at-risk children and infants, gender equality, health care, and communities in crisis. Some of the specific initiatives include: • Reducing food insecurity: Byline is actively involved with Beyond Hunger, a nonprofit organization that provides hunger-relief programming and services, providing Community Development grants for operations needs and sponsorship of the annual fall benefit concerts. Goldschmidt also sits on the Beyond Hunger Board of Directors. In addition, Byline is a sponsor of the Suburban Unity Alliance Community Fridge located at the Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church.

Byliners, Maggie Kenny and Susie Goldschmidt, Infant Welfare Circle 2 members, Wendy Planek and Mary Deziel

Kim Goldschmid and Susie Goldschmidt, Oak Park River Forest, Rotary fund raiser at Oak Park Farmers Market

• Promoting equality: Support for organizations such as Women’s Global Education Project and Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association Awards help our communities thrive and grow. • Caring and education for families, children and infants, and adults with special needs: Organizations such as Opportunity Knocks, Age Options, Infant Welfare, Sarah’s Inn, Hephzibah, Oak Leyden, A Place to Belong, The Learning Center, A House in Austin and many more local organizations have partnered with Byline Bank to serve the community. Outside of these more traditional avenues of contribution, Byline also gives back by featuring local businesses and organizations on local advertising via the Lake Theater Marquee, in local publications, and on social media and its website – extending their reach to new potential patrons. Building thriving communities is at the heart of everything Byline Bank does for the community. “Our mission is to help the greater Oak Park community learn, grow and prosper by working shoulder-by-shoulder with these critical organizations. We want to make a difference,” added Goldschmidt.

Denise Warren, Oak Park and River Forest Branch Manager, Paula Jones. Susie Goldschmidt and Shanea Collins

Kim Goldschmidt, Susie Goldschmidt, Byline Bank, Gary Cuneen. Founder & Exec Director Seven Generations Ahead

Anthony Clark, Suburban Unity Alliance Director, Rev Dr Marti Scott, Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church, Susie Goldschmidt, Byline Bank and supporters

Ravi Parakkat, OP Village Trustee and founder of Take Out 25 NFP, Eileen H Lynch Director of Operations, Senator Don Harmon’s Office, Susie Goldschmidt, Byline Bank, and Michelle Zurakowski, Exceutive Director of Beyond Hunger

Downtown Oak Park | 1001 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60301 | 708-660-1000 | bylinebank.com/locations/downtown-oak-park/

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WED DEC 1 7:30 pm wttw.com/beyondchicago #BeyondChicagoWTTW Support for BEYOND CHICAGO FROM THE AIR is provided by:

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Sculptor Lorado Taft's Black Hawk Statue near Oregon, Illinois. Photo: Colin Hinkle/WTTW

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L’Arche gives residents a sense of belonging

’Arche Chicago operates three family-sized residential homes where adults with intellectual disabilities live together with staff members who support and assist them. The effect is an environment where each person with disabilities thrives through person-directed, often 1:1 customized support that is tailored to each person’s individual needs and desires. But even more, L’Arche creates an environment where each person, staff and resident, experiences a profound sense of belonging and meaning. Live-in staff member Katie describes it this way: “‘Being present’ is difficult to describe. I didn’t learn to be present in a classroom or online seminar. Instead, sharing presence was revealed to me in a particular way at L’Arche. It’s where I leaned into the ways of the human heart. I learned about the communion of human hearts through receiving a resident’s blessing at the end of our nightly routines or chatting through our joys and griefs while being careful not to nick my housemate’s face with a razor during a morning shave. Presence in L’Arche meant that I could

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Community Relations Orchestra of The Year! Now in our 90th season!

Katie and Elisha enjoying a summer trip together.

trust others to hold my limitations with gentleness and extend that same grace without resentment. Presence meant that we could hold our celebrations and sorrows in the same breath and see each other with breathtaking dignity.” Come and see the profound gift of presence at L’Arche Chicago; reach out today to get started and see our community in action at hello@larchechicago.org.

L’Arche Chicago • 708-660-1600 • larchechicago.org

With your support, we will continue to bring beautiful and inspiring concerts to the community All concerts held on Sunday afternoons at 4 pm . For more information, or to order tickets go to SymphonyOPRF. SymphonyOPRF.org org

708 218 2648 • thesymphonyoprf@gmail.com

Creating Joyful Relationships For over 20 years, L’Arche Chicago has provided high quality care in community-integrated homes for adults with intellectual disabilities in the Oak Park and River Forest area. As our society seems increasingly fearful of difference, L’Arche offers a counter story: that the differences so often keeping people apart can become the substance of joyful and transformative relationships.

Make an impact today: larchechicago.org/donate

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Hemingway Foundation helps advance the dreams of young writers

NURTURE THE

he Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is committed to nurturing the creative spirit. “Support for the arts always tends to fluctuate,” Executive Director Keith Strom says, ”and with today’s emphasis on STEMrelated career paths, we think it is essential to continue to support and inspire those with artistic talents through our ongoing programming and student scholarships.” In 2020, Allen White was attending Oak Park River Forest High School for his junior year when he decided to enter the Foundation’s essay contest. White had previously written short stories, poetry and screen plays but never considered entering a contest until a school counselor encouraged him to give it a try. His essay, entitled “Diet Chicago”, looked at the restaurant and street life of Oak Park and its similarities with Chicago. In recognition of his work, White was selected as that year’s foundation scholarship recipient, receiving a $1000 scholarship award and a mentorship for his senior year with the Foundation’s writer-in-residence, Laura Young. White

CREATIVE SPIRIT OF THE NEXT GENERATION YOUR GIFT SUPPORTS: • OPRF Hemingway Scholarship Fund • Teacher Development • Student Mentorship • Young Writers Programming Donate @

hemingwaybirthplace.com

dreamed of going to the University of Southern California to major in screenwriting since he was in seventh grade. During his mentorship with Young, they worked on the creative writing admission essay helping secure a spot at White’s dream school. “I would not have made it this far,” White wrote to the foundation, “had I not received the extensive help on my common app essay that Ms. Young gave last fall. I truly and sincerely thank you for your help.”

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park • 708-445-3071 • www.hemingwaybirthplace.com Sponsored Content

is as easy as 1•2•3!

Order Chef Woody’s Holiday Meal  Contactless Pickup on December 23  Each 3-course meal feeds two people  Give yourself a holiday off from cooking!

Attend a Monday Program Be it Art, Literature, Music, Science or Social Science, our weekly programs (1:15pm start) in our ballroom will quench your creative thirst. Open to the Public!

Donate Help us continue or mission of strengthening our community through learning, giving, and sharing our landmark building.

Menus, Upcoming Programs and Donation Opportunities are available at www.nineteenthcentury.org or 708-386-2729 x 3

The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association’s pop-up pantry urges neighbors to help neighbors

ince 2020, The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association’s Community Outreach Committee has partnered with a vibrant new pop-up pantry in our neighboring Austin community. The pantry, located at Third Unitarian Church (Fulton and Mayfield in Chicago), started in June 2020 in response to the needs of immediate neighbors during the COVID19 pandemic. It’s a collaborative effort of Third Unitarian and Praise Temple of Restoration International, with support from the Central Austin Neighborhood Association (CANA), Stopgap Chicago, and other local organizations who have contributed guidance, volunteers, and supplies. Nineteenth Century members have generously provided donations of needed supplies - including paper goods, hygiene products, diapers, and canned goods - on numerous occasions to help the pantry get through the summer and fall when cash donations were waning. Members drop off the items at the Nineteenth Century Club, and Community Outreach Committee

members work together to transport the items to the pantry. “It’s exciting to be part of such a grassroots and collaborative effort, making an impact in our community,” said Linda Bonner, Third Unitarian Church Board CoPresident and member of the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association. “It’s about neighbors coming together to help neighbors, and I love being part of it”, said Mr. Beasley, Austin resident. The Central Austin pop-up pantry embodies the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association’s mission of strengthening its community through learning, giving, and sharing its landmark building. To learn more about membership at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, attend the organization’s upcoming Monday programs, or to make a donation, please visit www. nineteenthcentury.org or call 708-386-2729 x 3.

The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association • 708-386-2729 • www.nineteenthcentury.org

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A Housing Forward Client’s Journey Home

ynthia was already having a challenging year due to a knee replacement surgery. When she was still recovering, a fire broke out in her apartment and left her without a home. Although family members welcomed her, there were often too many stairs to climb. Cynthia began moving from place to place—and grew depressed. After reaching out to the Red Cross, she was referred to Housing Forward. Their outreach team immediately identified her living situation as very unstable. More health challenges, including diabetes and the need for another surgery made her an excellent fit for the medical respite services at Housing Forward’s Sojourner House. Following her second surgery, she had the support of her case manager, medical team visits, and access to healthy food. “The people here are amazing,” shared Cynthia. “They gave me help when I needed it, and they looked in on me to make sure I wasn’t feeling down.” Cynthia has since recuperated and is now living in her own apartment — on

the first floor. She wants to tell her story to help others who might be in a housing crisis. “This is a new chapter for me,” she says, “but I really don’t know what my living situation would be if not for the staff. I’m so blessed to have been a part of this program.” To help the men, women, and families struggling with homelessness, please give generously at housingforward.org/give.

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Beyond Hunger feeds families in trying times

ver the past few months more people are stopping by Beyond Hunger in distress. Some have gotten behind on their bills and are in crisis. Others are worried about having enough food on their table this holiday season. Since 1979 families have been relying on Beyond Hunger to get help when they need it. Mothers, like Sharon, are grateful for the support: “Beyond Hunger has helped us a lot. With my daughter being

sick and the cost of medicine and food just keeps increasing, we’ve needed the groceries to help us get by.” A gift today will ensure we’re able to meet any surge in need that comes our way this winter. Your generosity will offer immediate hunger relief for mothers like Sharon and make an impact for future generations. Visit GoBeyondHunger.org to learn more.

Beyond Hunger • (708) 386-1324 • www.gobeyondhunger.org

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New Moms works for Jylisa and her family

ylisa was pregnant and experiencing homelessness when she moved into her apartment at New Moms’ Transformation Center. She was immediately paired with a personal coach who helped her prepare for the birth of her baby. Coaches at New Moms are allies of resilient families, supporting young moms with resources they need to navigate parenthood, adolescence, and achieve their goals for the future. In January, Jylisa gave birth to her daughter Ja’nylahh after an emergency C-section. After recovering, her coach helped enroll her in our Job Training program. New Moms’ fully paid, 16- week Job Training program blends classroom and on-the-job training at our social enterprise candle company, Bright Endeavors. Our team creates positive environments of learning and employment practice for young moms. Jylisa began as a production assistant in March and was promoted to team lead because of her leadership skills. Jylisa also graduated on time from high school during her time at New Moms and will be attending Malcom X College to pursue nursing. “[New Moms] gave me a boost of

confidence.” Jylisa said. “It’s like you’re working for them, but they’re also working for you. They value your opinion. They make sure you’re okay, physically and mentally.” Jylisa’s story is a great example of what young families can accomplish when they have reliable support. Join New Moms in this essential work and support young moms as they build the foundations of well-being for their families and communities!

New Moms • www.newmoms.org

The Foundations of an Art Practice

t the tail end of celebrating its centennial year in 2021, the Oak Park Art League (OPAL) has re-established its figure drawing, painting and sculpting sessions that take place on Sunday mornings from 10am-1pm and Tuesday evenings, 6:309:30pm. Figure drawing is the building block of artistic expression for many artists. And OPAL has recently reopened these sessions to anyone looking for an opportunity to establish or develop their own artistic practice in a comfortable local setting. These sessions are self guided and offer beginners to advanced artists the opportunity to practice fundamental skills and expand their techniques in a variety of media to discover one’s individual artistic style. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned artist, these sessions offer a live model from which to draw, paint or sculpt. Mike Vest has been a part of this OPAL tradition for almost 10 years. Mike facilitates the Tuesday evening sessions and says it is an important part of his artistic and social life. “There is a place for every level of artist here. Beginners to advanced students work

side by side with no pressure from each other or imposed sense of competition. The artists that attend are outgoing, friendly and supportive of each other’s practice and skill level.” And students can become the facilitators, as in the case with Phyllis Frick. Phyllis began attending the figure drawing sessions almost 6 years ago. As a student she says she was able to establish the confidence and skills she wanted to achieve in her own work. “It was scary at first, to draw with a group of strangers and artists that had more skills than I did. But everyone was so nice and there was no pressure or judgment from other artists. I have been able to use my figure drawing skills and apply them to the Mixed Media class I attend, and visa versa. I love the multi-disciplinary approach this has allowed me to take my work in”, says Phyllis.

Oak Park Art League • 708-386-9853 • director@oakparkartleague.org

Lisa Rock in

12.12.21

events.dom.edu

Re-live the unforgettable Christmas music of The Carpenters in this fun and heart-warming show. With hits like “Merry Christmas Darling” and the jazzy “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” it’s a joyful holiday concert for the whole family. SUNDAY, December 12, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. Tickets starting at $20 BOX OFFICE (708) 488-5000 • events.dom.edu 7900 West Division Street • River Forest, IL 60305 • FREE PARKING

Masks and proof of vaccination or negative Covid-19 test will be required at entry.

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Joyful Giving

The Joyful Giving catalog begins on page B29. Learn about local organizations working to improve our communities, and how you can contribute.

You can also visit OakPark.com and go to our Season of Giving page.

Serving Bellwood, Berkeley, Broadview, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Stone Park, Northlake and Westchester

Donate online at www.vfpress.news/make-a-donation/ Make checks payable to: Village Free Press 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park IL 60302

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Wonderful holiday season Wishing you a

Don Harmon

Camille Lilly

Senate President

6941 W. North Avenue Oak Park, IL 60302 708-848-2002 harmon@senatedem.illlinois.gov

Representative

SE NATE PRE SIDE NT

DEMOCRAT • ILLINOIS

6937 W. North Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 (773) 473-7300 staterepcamilleylilly@gmail.com

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Community journalism fosters small ‘d’ democracy

ightly, there is an adversarial relationship between a local publisher and elected officials. Shouldn’t be rude or disrespectful. One side or both are failing if the relationship becomes intensely, negatively personal. But there ought to be some tension there as elected and appointed leaders go about their work and reporters and editors do the work of holding officials accountable. In our experience at Growing Community Media, there’s usually room for mutual admiration when everyone involved has reasonable confidence in why they are doing the work while also leaving their egos at the door. Doesn’t always happen but insecure egotists are the exception. The evidence is so clear that towns and neighborhoods thrive when there is strong community journalism at work. The debates are more compelling when they get aired openly. More people vote when they’re following the local news and have a sense of what elected officials are about. Spending is constrained and government projects go more smoothly when the press is actively observing.

To prove our point, we asked a batch of now former electeds their thoughts on how their communities benefitted from having independent journalism in their towns. Here are a few of the responses we received. Ben Sells Former president of Riverside “As an elected official, you need honest, independent journalism to hold your work up to you, providing you a perspective from outside your own. Journalism is critical to good government because it provides a broader context that is sometimes missed in the push for new initiatives.” Simone Boutet Former Oak Park village trustee “As a former elected official, I am passionate about maintaining a healthy democracy. Independent

local media play a critical role in this by keeping citizens informed so they can participate in their government. Informed citizens are essential to a healthy democracy.” Sean Blaylock Former Forest Park school board member “An increased awareness of my community created motivation and inspiration on how to serve the residents of my village.” John Scully Former Riverside village trustee “The RB Landmark provides coverage of local news that keeps all of us informed about what is happening in Riverside from questioning local board decisions to providing items of local activities in the neighborhood.”

Tom Weitzel Retired Riverside police chief “When I served as chief for the Riverside Police Department, the Landmark always reported through the lens of what I would classify as accountability journalism. A community newspapers’ mission is to hold elected and appointed city and village leaders accountable for their departments, actions, and responses to the community. Additionally, I have always felt that the Landmark had its pulse on the community and what was published in its newspaper reflected the values, priorities, and accountability that the citizens wanted demonstrated by their appointed and elected officials. The Landmark has always set the agenda for the public policy debate.”

Growing Community Media • 708-524-8300 • www.growingcommunitymedia.org

Oak Avenue Barber, 150 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park (708) 948-7404

Congratulations to Oak Avenue Barber on their opening! oakavebarber.com

Among the Celebrants: Adam Doe, Adam Doe State Farm; David Bores, Vintage Home Restoration; Todd Bannor, Bannor & Bannor; Aaron Silc, Sarah Silc, and Izak, Oak Avenue Barber; Dr. Mary Ann Bender, Weil Foot & Ankle Clinic; Sam Yousif, Fuller Health Group; Darien Marion Burton, D.M.Burton; Laura Best, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices; Cam Davis, Village of Oak Park; Liz Holt & Mark Walden, OPRF Chamber of Commerce. Photos by Mark Swinnie of D.M. Burton

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Ensuring a future for our One Earth

We have the power to build a sustainable future for all When we work together, we can create the world we want to see: Clean water. Clean air. Healthy food.

Learn more and join us: oneearthfilmfest.org/members. Save the date for One Earth Film Fest: March 4-13, 2022.

Protect Our Democracy Support Local News “When a local newspaper vanishes, research shows, it tends to correspond with lower voter turnout, increased polarization, and a general erosion of civic engagement. Misinformation proliferates. City budgets balloon, along with corruption and dysfunction.” - McKay Coppins “The Men Who Are Killing America’s Newspapers” The Atlantic, November 2021

www.growingcommunitymedia.org/donate

he headlines are overwhelming: a deadly pandemic. Systemic injustices. Environmental destruction. While the bad news keeps coming, One Earth has two major reasons for hope: “youth leaders, and the collective power that we have to change our world.” This fall, One Earth partnered with Seven Generations Ahead to send a group of young people to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, where they met with delegates and other youth activists. Since returning home, they’ve continued mobilizing for change. One Earth offers other environmental leadership programs for youth, including the national Young Filmmakers Contest, the Austin Grown youth agriculture and mentoring program, and the Pilsen-based HEALTH program, in collaboration with Chicago Botanic Garden. They also harness the power of people of all ages. Each spring, the One Earth Film Festival engages thousands through the best environmental documentary films, lively discussions, and action

opportunities. They say, “we ground our work at the intersection of environmental and racial justice, centering the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color filmmakers and activists. In 2022, we look forward to welcoming back Chicagoland audiences, as well as expanding our national and international community.” One Earth Collective (formerly Green Community Connections) was founded over 12 years ago in Oak Park & River Forest. While they continue to provide change-making programs at home, they have expanded their reach to inspire more people to connect, speak out, and work together to build a sustainable future for all. Learn more at oneearthcollective.org.

One Earth Collective • 708-824-6201 • www.oneearthcollective.org

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The Joyful Giving Catalog

November 24, 2021

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Everything you need for a better world: • More Art

• More Food

• More Compassion

• More Health

• More Education

• More Housing

• More Equity

• More Peace

Browse, read, share with your children. Give Locally – Give Joyfully! Animal Care League Animal Care League offers a safe haven for pets in need. Rooted in the community since 1973, Animal Care League takes a proactive approach to animal care and adoption as well as preventative measures to help reduce the number of homeless animals in our communities. With over 1000 pets coming to our doors each year, Animal Care League counts on supporters to ensure that we can provide what is needed from routine vaccinations to life saving surgery. Make a diﬀerence in the life of a homeless animal by visiting animalcareleague.org where you can sign up to volunteer, make a donation, view our adoptable pets, and learn about upcoming events.

Austin Coming Together Austin Coming Together (ACT)’s mission is to facilitate the collective impact of 50+ members and hundreds of partners to improve the quality of life in Chicago’s Austin community. Since 2010, we’ve been connecting residents to services, attracting investments for the community, and building capacity for policy change. Recently, the pandemic made long-standing challenges even worse. But we mobilized resources to address growing needs, from food, laptop, or PPE distributions and vaccine access, to advocacy for racial equity. Learn how Austin is leading eﬀorts to move forward together, and how you can support, at AustinComingTogether.org/AustinCares.

Beyond Hunger Over the course of the pandemic, meeting the emergency food needs of our community hasn’t been simple. We now serve people safely with a drive thru food pantry, a scaled-down socially distant food pantry inside First United Church, an off-site pop-up “Despensa” serving vulnerable immigrant families, and a vastly expanded Home Delivery program for older adults and people with disabilities. For over 40 years Beyond Hunger has been creating solutions to end hunger at every stage of life - we know it takes all of us. With your support we can make sure no one goes hungry this winter. Every $1 donated can feed a neighbor for an entire day. To donate, visit GoBeyondHunger.org or send checks payable to Beyond Hunger, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301.

The Collaboration for Early Childhood

The Collaboration for Early Childhood embraces the vision that all children should arrive at kindergarten safe, healthy, and ready to learn. In 2022, we will turn twenty, and we invite you to help us celebrate this two-decade-long community effort to ensure that every child thrives. This year, we safely administered over 700 hearing and vision screenings to young children, granted 1,099 professional development hours to early childhood educators with a focus on mindfulness and trauma informed practices, and gave 65 baby bundles to new and prenatal moms and parents in our community. To learn more about our impact, or to make a donation, please visit us at www.collab4kids. org and follow us on social media.

BUILD Since 1969, BUILD has helped Chicago’s most vulnerable youth escape gangs and violence to become positive leaders in their communities. These young people face enormous obstacles and trauma, so we surround them with the counseling, mentoring, training, and opportunities they need to build a future and succeed. We engage youth at every stage, with specialized teams dedicated to street violence interventions, gang detachments, creative after-school programming, academic school and college support, mental health care, community violence crisis response, and enrichment activities ranging from art and music to sports, podcasting, engineering and gardening. Potential doesn’t discriminate, neither should opportunity. Join us in BUILDing a better future. Visit www.buildchicago.org.Celebrating

Seniors Coalition

Concordia University Chicago Founded in 1864, Concordia University Chicago has equipped students to serve and lead with integrity and compassion. Concordia-Chicago is a Christ-centered Lutheran university where truth, freedom, and vocation form students for lives of influence and service for the common good. Historically a college for teachers, we now offer more than 100 areas of study through traditional, blended or online classes. Students can earn a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree through one of four colleges: the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Health, Science & Technology, and the College of Theology, Arts & Humanities. To learn more, please visit CUChicago.edu or CUChicago.edu/GiveNow to support our students.

D97 PTO Council This year, all ten D97 PTOs in partnership with PTOC’s Diversity Council, DIVCO, an organization focused on driving equity imperatives within schools, have committed to becoming communities of care. This initiative has driven the creation of “angel funds” for each school community to serve their financially vulnerable students and families with school supplies, field trip money, snacks, graduation yearbooks and gowns, spirit wear, books, tutoring and more. In order to fulfil this need, PTOs depend on tax deductible donations from community members like you. Donate to your neighborhood school and give all Oak Park public school students an opportunity to thrive regardless of income. • Julian: julianpto.org/Donate-to-the-PTO. php • Brooks: sites.google.com/view/ brooksptooakparkdonations/home • Longfellow: lpto.betterworld.org/donate • Lincoln: paypal.com/paypalme/ ptolincoln?locale.x=en_US • Holmes: mightycause.com/story/3e623g • Irving: washington-irving-pto-2.square. site/#uDWtwZ • Whittier: whittierpto.membershiptoolkit. com/ • Beye Please send a check to the school c/o of Beye PTO • Mann: paypal.com/donate/?hosted_ button_id=EYUYPNXB3ZWVU • Hatch: hatchpto.org/

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Impacting Lives of Faith and Education

r. Rosa J. Young was an advocate for the education of rural AfricanAmerican children. Her legacy is as an educator and church planter for Christ and His Church, founding and developing Lutheran elementary schools and congregations in Alabama. Dr. Young led a life of service and enabled others to do the same. She taught more than 2,000 students, impacting their lives with her faith and belief in the importance of education. Many of her students entered

into ministry or became parochial school teachers, spreading the importance of faith and education to many others with their fidelity to her vision. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by Concordia Theological Seminary in May 1961. She was both the first woman and the first African-American to be honored Dr. Rosa Young counseling young women who were teaching students at Alabama Luther College, 1961. Photo from lcms.org.

in this way by the Lutheran Church. Concordia University Chicago invites you to join them in endowing The Dr. Rosa J. Young Opportunity Scholarship. This fund will support African-American students at CUC who intend to enter church vocations in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Matching funds will be available to double your gifts to CUC up to a total of $275,000. To learn more about the scholarship match, call the Foundation Office at 866-448-3867 or give at CUChicago.edu/ GiveNow. To learn more about Dr. Young, visit the Concordia Historical Institute online at www.lcms.org/thefirstrosa.

A Most Merry and Blessed Christmas! God’s greatest gift to us is the gift of Himself, in His Son, Jesus Christ. A tiny baby nestled in the manger, with His arms reaching out to embrace the world – through Him, we find comfort in His promise of salvation. In all things, we are reminded that Jesus came to us as a gift and we are privileged to share that gift with others.

Dr. Rosa Young. Photo from lcms.org.

Concordia University • 708-771-8300 www.cuchicago.edu

Giving Tuesday CUChicago.edu/GiveNow

7400 Augusta St. River Forest, IL 60305

(708) 771-8300

CUChicago.edu

Learn more. Give more.

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The Joyful Giving Catalog The Day Nursery

Since 1912, The Day Nursery has provided exceptional early childhood education in an environment that welcomes all children, enhances individual strengths, and fosters the academic, social-emotional, and physical development that leads to school readiness. You can help lay the foundation today for successful adults tomorrow. To learn more about us and to donate, visit www.thedaynursery.org 1139 Randolph St, Oak Park, IL 60302 708.383.8211 - Fax: 708.383.0692 Email: info@thedaynursery.org - www.thedaynursery.org

Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park A United Way Community Partner/NAEYC Accredited

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is a non-profit 501(c)(3) literary arts and educational foundation dedicated to thoughtful reading and writing. The foundation offers a wide variety of programming, all open to the public, to nurture and encourage creative expression for students and for people of all ages. Through tours and exhibits at Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace museum, the foundation fosters an understanding of his life and work, his Oak Park origins and his impact on world literature. Your gift supports creative outlets for people of all ages through professional teacher development, local author and performing artist programs, inter-generational engagement, a writer-in-residence program, as well as student writing workshops, mentorships, and scholarships. For more information about us or to donate online go to hemingwaybirthplace.com or mail us at: Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, P.O. Box 2222, Oak Park, IL 603032222.

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Inspiring tomorrow’s architects today, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust continues the long road to recovery, steadfast in our mission to preserve an Oak Park treasure. Through the stewardship of the Home & Studio, the Trust provides a source of community pride and inspiration. While enhancing the vitality of Oak Park and the western suburbs of Chicago, Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy is upheld through the Trust’s educational programming. Enduring the global pandemic, we are thrilled for the opportunity to welcome back in-person education programs and tours. To learn more or donate, go to flwright.org 951 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302.

The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory The Oak Park Conservatory began as a community effort to house exotic plants residents collected during their travels abroad. Completed in 1929, it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Free to the public with 50,000 visitors annually, the Conservatory offers a rich atmosphere throughout three indoor showrooms featuring more than 3,000 plants. The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory offers programs focused on enriching the visitor experience at the Conservatory. Toddlers through adults can participate in year-round educational and recreational programs, volunteer opportunities and special events. To learn more or to join, visit fopcon.org.

Growing Community Media Growing Community Media connects citizens through community journalism rooted deep in our neighborhoods, based in facts, and reflective of voices not always heard. Through Austin Weekly News, Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review and Riverside-Brookfield Landmark, Growing Community Media reports local news and tells compelling local stories across a variety of platforms. We believe that high quality community journalism preserves and strengthens the fabric of our democracy. Independent community journalism holds local governments and institutions to account. It connects neighbors. It is the credible information source when social media goes haywire, and it allows a community to debate and celebrate. Support local news and protect our democracy at growingcommunitymedia.org/ donate.

l u f y o J e Th ing Giv alog Cat

The Ripple Effect of Representation

ntil recently, I had no reason to hope or plan for my future. I came to the U.S. as an infant with my mother, who was fleeing a violent relationship. When I was five, I experienced abuse at the hands of someone I knew. We got law enforcement involved, but he fled before he could be arrested. I became increasingly anxious and depressed. In high school, I began looking for ways to become a legal resident which led me to Pro Bono Network and the U Visa process. Recounting my experiences as a child for the legal filings was difficult, but I had people like my pro bono attorney, Patti, advocating for me and I kept going. What surprised me most was the ripple effect of representation on everyone around me. After my mother and I received U Visas and became legal residents, we saw family in Mexico for the first time in 20 years, including my grandfather who passed from COVID in January 2021. I was able to go to college, start a career and give back to my community. Connecting with extended

family, learning critical life skills, building a life for myself, and making long-term goals would not have been possible without the care and consideration shown by PBN. I hope my story can encourage support, volunteerism, or give hope to others. I know if it wasn’t for PBN I would not be where I am or who I am today.

Pro Bono Network • 708-665-3359 • www.pro-bono-network.org Sponsored Content

Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory delights community with Annual Plant Sale

or over 35 years, the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory in partnership with the Park District of Oak Park has offered one of the most anticipated and abundant plant sales in this area. From the first “Herb and Scented Plant Sale” in 1989 until today, the Annual Plant Sale has provided carefully grown plants while raising funds in support of the historic Oak Park Conservatory. Each year, thousands of plants are grown in the Conservatory greenhouses using healthy soil and integrated pest management (IPM) practices, providing healthy, sustainable plant products. From hearty vegetables and popular herbs to a unique array of colorful annuals, there is something to delight gardeners old and new. Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory volunteers make this community event possible. They begin in the early days of fall by selecting the plants, then starting seeds in winter and nurturing the seedlings into plants. In the days leading up to the Plant

Sale, dozens of volunteers give their time and energy to pull orders and make the Plant Sale days run smoothly. Community support of the Plant Sale helps The Friends provide quality educational programs, volunteer opportunities, community events, and other support for the historic Oak Park Conservatory. The 2022 Plant Sale will open to the public on April 18. To learn more, visit fopcon.org.

Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory • 708-725-2460 • fopcon.org

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Giving for a Better Tomorrow

ver the course of the past two years, the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation has taken a hard and honest look at philanthropy and its ability to address systemic racial inequities. We understand that our work, from grant-making to our investment portfolio to how we operate overall, must intentionally, comprehensively address the racial disparities that exist in order for all members of our community to thrive and prosper. This journey has led the Foundation to evaluate and assess all its policies, practices, and work. Our mission is focused on uniting community members and mobilizing resources to advance a racially just society and equitable outcomes for residents of Oak Park, River Forest and surrounding communities. Through strategic investments, strengthened partnerships, leadership and advocacy, we are redoubling our efforts to make sure that we are doing our best to ensure everyone has the opportunity they deserve in order to

live a fulfilling life. This starts with learning and listening, and building trust within our community, to deeply and fully understand the many barriers and disparities that exist right here in

“Our mission is focused on uniting community members and mobilizing resources to advance a racially just society and equitable outcomes for residents”. our towns. Ultimately what we want to know is, what keeps a family up at night? In the months ahead, the Foundation will be meeting with community members throughout the West Cook County region to

learn more about the challenges we face. This assessment will be of great value not just for the Foundation and nonprofit sector, but for local government, schools and the community at large. Together we will identify holistic solutions – including philanthropic resources – which will offer greater benefit to our community’s most vulnerable residents, and will address the socioeconomic and racial disparities of our region. At the end of the year, as we reminisce with family and friends, and make plans for a bright future, so too will the Foundation reflect on all the things we’ve learned along the way and our hopes for a better tomorrow. As a community foundation, we are responsible to do more for the benefit of those who call west Cook County home. Our capacity to do good together is greater than we can imagine. Please join us on this journey. Tony Martinez, Jr., president and CEO of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation (photo by Carrie Summy)

Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation • 708-848-1560 • www.oprfcf.org

The Joyful Giving Catalog Hephzibah Children’s Association

Historical Society Forest Park

Hephzibah is making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and struggling families. Oak Park’s oldest social service agency, Hephzibah is the only program in Illinois designated to care for the most severe cases of abuse and neglect of young children ages 3-11. Hephzibah Home provides comprehensive, therapeutic care for traumatized young children. Our Family Based Program supports more than 100 foster care children and stabilizes 150 families in crisis. Our Day Care Program delivers quality, affordable day care and summer camp programming for elementary school children in Oak Park. Make a diﬀerence with us at hephzibahhome.org.

Joyful Giving

The Historical Society of Forest Park was founded in 1975 to collect, preserve and share the rich heritage of Forest Park. Through history we explore the past to understand the present and shape the future. The historical society offers several virtual tours on our website including Forest Park Amusement Park, Bloomer Girls, Veteran History, Haymarket Marty’s Monument in Forest Home, Cemetery Symbolism and others. In addition, there are several programs including a Garden Walk, Prohibition Event, History Hangouts, bicycle tours and weekly lookbacks to bring history to the community throughout the year. Visit ForestParkHistory.org to learn more about the events, programs or to donate

Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest We are the community’s story tellers who make history relevant in tangible ways that positively impact today’s residents. We operate Oak Park River Forest Museum in an 1898 Oak Park Landmark at Lake and Lombard next to Stevenson Park. We invested $1 million in private funds to create a welcoming space in a former firehouse. Exhibits include “Open House: The Legacy of Fair Housing.” We are not supported by tax dollars and a gift of any amount funds our 2022 activities, our research center, and knowledgeable staff. Learn more and donate at oprfmuseum.org or 708-848-6755.

Housing Forward Housing Forward is passionately focused on one vision – ending homelessness. We believe in bold, comprehensive approaches to prevent homelessness whenever possible, to respond to housing crises, and to stabilize individuals and families through permanent housing. We offer wraparound services including case management, housing, outreach, employment, and emergency assistance. Last year, we served nearly 2,000 adults and families. Our new Interim Housing Program provides clients a path to permanent housing; Interim Housing sites include units dedicated to medical respite. Housing Forward also has programs that specifically address the housing needs of families, youth, and veterans. To learn more, volunteer, or donate, visit housingforward.org, email development@ housingforward.org, or call 708-338-1724.

Learn more. Give more. You can also visit OakPark.com and go to our Season of Giving page.

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Frank Lloyd Wright Trust engages and inspires youth in any environment

n response to the immense challenges faced throughout 2020 and 2021, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust is proud of the educational efforts made in these extraordinary times. To maintain safety, the Education Department produced new virtual program options for schools and families. Educators designed and implemented a virtual after-school club, engaging youth in weekly design challenges with the goal of designing a home of the future by the end of the fiveweek session. As one parent expressed, “This was amazing! He looked forward to every class and threw himself headfirst into all the homework assignments often spending hours upon hours, thinking, talking about and planning his projects. He is already asking for another class.” Virtual programming also allowed the Trust to maintain its longstanding partnership with Oak Park’s District 97, offering prerecorded tours and live virtual workshops to the fourth graders in the district. While the programs differed in format from those in previous years, teachers were pleased. “I was so happy

November 24, 2021

Home for the Holidays Neighborhood Open House Join us for a free tour of the Home and Studio on Saturday, November 27th, 9 to 11 am. Reservations required at flwright.org/holidays

with the way everything went. Our virtual workshop was perfect, and the kids really got into the material and the work. In fact, I gave them 20 minutes after the presentation was over to continue working on their blueprints because they were so wrapped up in the designing.” Beginning with 2021 summer camp, programming returned in-person offerings with in-depth, site-specific lessons connecting architecture to sound and music. Trust educators are now facilitating both virtual and increasingly frequent in-person tours and workshops to K-12 student groups.

SHOP LOCAL Our museum shop at 951 Chicago Avenue is open daily, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Come select the perfect Oak Park gift – or keep it for yourself!

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust • 312-994-4000 • www.flwright.org Sponsored Content

Supporting digital equity during the pandemic

hanks to the gracious generosity of the T. Kendall Hunt Family Foundation, Oak Park library cardholders have gained access to double the number of mobile hotspots and Chromebooks to borrow and use anywhere. Using the foundation’s gift, the library purchased more devices for checkout that in turn gave more Oak Park patrons free access to the Internet — important when due to the pandemic tech inventory was often in short supply and nearly all public spaces offering free WiFi remained closed due to COVID-19. The first Oak Park cardholder to borrow a library laptop and hotspot for offsite use during COVID-19 was a Housing Forward client. At self-service pickup, he told library staff he had relied on public computer access before the pandemic. Another Oak Park cardholder received her mobile hotspot by U.S.P.S. mail at her Oak Park address (as librarians worked behind the scenes to fulfill requests when buildings were closed to the public). She later emailed the library to share her thanks and the fact that she and her daughter “are so relieved to have an Internet signal that is not constantly interrupted by

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Empowering every voice

in our community her dad who is also working from home!” To learn more about how you can support your neighbors through gifts that help our community keep learning and stay connected during difficult times, visit oppl.org/give.

Oak Park Public Library • www.oppl.org

oppl.org/give

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The Joyful Giving Catalog IWS Children’s Clinic Help us care for the whole child and create greater health equity! At the OPRF Infant Welfare Society and IWS Children’s Clinic, we serve publicly insured/uninsured children and their whole health needs: sick visits, critical vaccines including COVID-19, behavioral health services, and dental care, including for children with special needs. We treat more than 3,400 area children each year, including Oak Park, Chicago, Berwyn, Cicero and beyond. Support the whole health needs of children in our community today! $25 provides a mental health screening, $50 provides two vaccines, $100 provides a preventive dental cleaning. Visit childrenscliniciws.org/donate or call 708-406-8661.

L’Arche Chicago L’Arche Chicago provides high quality care in community-integrated homes for adults with intellectual disabilities in the OPRF area. Our mission is lived through daily life shared in mutuality: afternoon walks to the park, doctor’s appointments, and dinner parties. Moreover, L’Arche is committed to life together in a way that welcomes difference. As our society seems increasingly fearful of difference, L’Arche offers a counter story: that the differences so often keeping people apart can become the substance of joyful and transformative relationships. Make a needed local impact through our people and mission at https://lc.app. neoncrm.com/np/clients/lc/donation.jsp

Maywood Youth Mentoring Program Organized in 1993 as a 501c3, the Maywood Youth Mentoring Program has served hundreds of middle to high-school youth providing a variety of programs, workshops, field trips, and experiences designed to increase academic potential and instill cultural pride. Since 2008, the program has hosted free monthly youth breakfasts with topics ranging from anger management and conflict resolution, etiquette, police/community interactions, sexual health, drug and alcohol avoidance, and academic excellence. Youths practice critical thinking skills to encourage positive life choices. Volunteer mentors interact with youths, providing positive role models for college and career choices. Funds are needed to continuously provide free services and incentives for participation. To volunteer, or to donate, visit us at maywoodyouthmentoring.org, or contact Barbara Cole, founder/CEO at 708-344-3577.

Nehemiah Community Project (NCP) Since 2017, the Nehemiah Community Project (NCP) has provided an array of services in the Maywood Proviso Township community. Community violence, scare resources and unemployment have a particularly negative impact on residents. NCP addresses the mental health/well-being and other service needs of youth and young adult men, providing tools to help them move forward in their lives. Programs include: •

En-Game: Men’s support group to problem-solve, receive aﬃrmation and deal with life’s challenges.

•

T.A.C.T.(Trauma Awareness Capacity Training): Provides awareness, coping skills and resources for those who have experienced trauma.

Learn more at thenehemiahcommunityproject.org.

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New Moms

New Moms’ mission is to strengthen families by partnering with young moms as they progress toward housing stability, economic mobility, and family well-being. We believe in the strength, skills, and potential of all families and envision a future where all young moms and their children thrive! Coaches in our housing, job training, and family support programs partner with moms, 24 and under, to decrease stress, build social connections, and set and track personalized goals. Together with their coach, moms build the foundations of long-term well-being for their families and communities. Join us in this essential work! Visit newmoms.org/donate.

The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

Oak Park Art League Celebrating its centennial in 2021, the Oak Park Art League (OPAL) is one of the longest, continually running non-profit arts organizations in Illinois. OPAL is a vibrant cultural center where the invitation and challenge to use art as a medium for personal and community growth is made available to people of all ages. Since 1921, OPAL has brought arts education, appreciation, exhibitions, and the spirit of artistic inquiry to the surrounding community. OPAL is committed to meaningful outreach to the population that makes up our greater community through partnerships and on-site arts programming & collaborations with other non-profit organizations. For more information about membership, volunteering, or to make a donation, please contact Executive Director, Jill Kramer Goldstein at 708-386-9853 or director@ oakparkartleague.org. The Oak Park Art League is located at 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302.

Oak Park Festival Theatre The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association strengthens our community through learning, giving, and sharing our landmark building through space grants to local non-profits, who account for 80% of its usage. We provide community outreach, scholarships, and public programming in five areas: music, art, literature, science, and social sciences. The Nineteenth Century is the owner of 178 Forest Avenue, commonly referred to as the Nineteenth Century Club. Our charitable and cultural activities are supported by our members, volunteers, donors, and by the events held at the building. Programs are open to all and we welcome all ages to join. If you would like information about volunteering, joining or donating, please call us at 708-386-2729 email to info@ nineteenthcentury.org. You can also make donation at nineteenthcentury.org.

Since 1975 Oak Park Festival Theatre, the Midwest’s oldest professional outdoor classical theatre, has brought the magic of the classics right to your backyard. Whether performing under the stars in beautiful Austin Gardens as we do each summer or at any of the many local venues where we partner with local philanthropic agencies (such as Housing Forward, Oak Park Housing Authority or Nineteenth Century Charitable Association), Festival Theatre breathes fresh air into timeless texts for Oak Park and beyond. With ticket prices kept friendly for every budget and free admission for all under 13, we rely on the generosity of our audiences to continue our dynamic community dialogue. Donations can be made on-line at oakparkfestival.com/donate or mailed to us: Oak Park Festival Theatre, P.O. Box 4114, Oak Park, IL 60303.

Learn more. Give more. You can also visit OakPark.com and go to our Season of Giving page.

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Play is key at Wonder Works

lay has long been recognized as purposeful and essential for children to learn and develop strong social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. For 30 years, these principles have guided Wonder Works’ innovative approach to early childhood education in music, math, science, the arts, and literacy. They understand the importance of early education and are uniquely placed to meet this need for the children of Oak Park and its surrounding communities. In an era where social distance and isolation have been commonplace throughout the pandemic and electronic toys and screen time inhibit imaginative play; the opportunities for quality play experiences have been greatly reduced. Imagine the joy of a group of 60 children from a local day care coming to Wonder Works for their very first field trip in more than 18 months! Toddlers explored and played in their Farm to Market exhibit by sorting and matching the fruits and vegetables by colors, sizes and shapes. Preschoolers took those same fruits and vegetables steps further by creating scenarios and engaging in imaginative play with their friends, while learning about sharing,

counting and cooperation. These special field trip experiences and museum visits are also extended to families in financial need, free or at a very reduced-cost, through their Community Partner Program. Help Wonder Works continue to provide a safe and welcoming space to play and learn: donate online at www.wonder-works.,org and know Wonder Works’ mission to spark curiosity and creativity in ALL young children through positive, play-based learning experiences will continue.

Wonder Works • 708-383-4815 • wonder-works.org

The Joyful Giving Catalog Oak Park Public Library Give to empower every voice in our community. Invest in Oak Park’s future. The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation manages eight endowment funds for the Oak Park Public Library. Monetary donations are tax deductible. Giving supports work dedicated to literacy, education, diversity, inclusion, equity, health, safety, and affordability. Your generosity connects people and community, educates global citizens, and sustains, shares, and respects Oak Park’s community’s resources. Choose the fund that means the most to you at oppl.org/give. Or contact Executive Director David J. Seleb at davids@oppl.org and 708-697-6911.

Joyful Giving

Oak Park Regional Housing Center (OPRHC) For more than four decades, the Oak Park Regional Housing Center (OPRHC) has been an advocate for fair housing. Our mission is to achieve vibrant communities and promote intentional and stable residential integration throughout Oak Park. The OPRHC is the only non-profit in Oak Park and the Greater Westside Region that encourages pro-integrative housing options. Our work is at the heart of why Oak Park is such a wonderful, diverse, and vibrant community, welcoming to everyone. Support our work with a donation at oprhc. org/donate. To learn more about the OPRHC call 708.848.7150, inforequest@ liveinoakpark.com, 1041 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302.

Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation

The mission of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is to unite community members and mobilize resources to advance a racially just society and equitable outcomes for residents of Oak Park, River Forest and surrounding communities. We envision a racially just and equitable society as the full inclusion of all people into a society in which everyone can participate, thrive and prosper. In an equitable society, everyone, regardless of the circumstance of birth or upbringing, is treated justly and fairly by its institutions and systems. Visit oprfcf.org to learn more about our services to donors, scholars, and nonprofits.

One Earth Collective One Earth curates vibrant environmental programming that inspires action, facilitates learning, promotes justice, and fosters equity and inclusion to create resilient communities and a healthier planet. We focus our work in 3 areas - One Earth Film Festival, One Earth Youth Voices, and One Earth Local. One Earth Film Fest’s 11th season will take place March 4-13, 2022. We’re excited to welcome Chicagoland audiences back live, in addition to our virtual screenings. Join us for captivating films, engaging discussion, impactful action opportunities and community-building. Memberships start at $25. Learn more and donate at oneearthfilmfest.org/give.

Learn more. Give more. You can also visit OakPark.com and go to our Season of Giving page.

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Our story is a community story

n April 2017, a series of local conversations highlighted the continued need to address racism in our village, and a multiracial group of community members came together to brainstorm ways of engaging people who are white in deeper levels of education. After months of planning, we landed on small groups in affinity spaces as an effective method for holding difficult conversations. We ran a Race Conscious Dialogues pilot and have been running cohorts every season since, in the capacity of a nonprofit organization. Our discussions, readings and activities are framed around unpacking and understanding Whiteness – our own racial identities, the historical and current harm being caused by Whiteness, and guided discovery of how we show up and work collectively to eradicate racism. FIFTY cohorts have been completed as of today and registration is ongoing. While our focus is working with those who are

Warriors discover life without boundaries at Opportunity Knocks

white, cohorts are offered periodically for persons of color through our partners. Affinity spaces allow for deep inner work, vulnerable dialogue, and are a highly valuable experience, but they are not the end game in our journey towards justice and healing. RCD participants are highly encouraged to support existing equity efforts and community-building opportunities in the area. Thank you for your donation, and most importantly, your participation. Learn more at raceconsciousdialogues. org/donate.

pportunity Knocks (OK) exists to support young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, whom they endearingly dub as Warriors. This past year, they have seen their Warriors “flourish in every way imaginable.” Talib Walton is one such Warrior. Pre-COVID, Talib was quiet and reserved at OK. While he made friends easily, he was modest when sharing his thoughts and joining conversations. After the pandemic began, OK switched to a virtual program platform and began to see a new side of Talib emerge. Registering for 3 hours of virtual programming a day, their staff marveled at how vocal Talib became in this new setting. Asking questions and voicing his thoughts became Talib’s new way! This positive trend of becoming more vocal and seeking new experiences continued as OK re-introduced in-person programming. Talib began to “schedule his whole day around OK Programs,” according to his father, James Walton. In addition to programs, Talib joined their

Race Conscious Dialogues • raceconsciousdialogues@GMAIL.COM • www.raceconsciousdialogues.org

Walk-to-Run Club despite previously expressing an indifference to exercise. Most recently, Talib has joined the Knockout Enterprise team as a caterer and pickle-maker. Talib’s growth over the past year is just one wonderful example of OK’s mission in action. Consider a donation this season so that Opportunity Knocks can continue to meet the needs of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is support from the community that grants Warriors the opportunity to discover and amplify their voices and explore the experience of life without boundaries.

Opportunity Knocks • 708-771-6159 • www.opportunityknocksnow.org

The Joyful Giving Catalog Opportunity Knocks

PeopleCare,Inc.

Opportunity Knocks was established in 2009 to support young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they live, work, learn, grow and connect within their community. OK offers a person-centered and highly-flexible curriculum, enabling participants to be equal architects in the development of program content. As we solidify our post-pandemic offerings, we look forward to continuing the residential component of the OK mission and other future endeavors. We are 95% privately funded and rely on the generous support of the community. Your gift is integral in moving our mission forward by offering unique opportunities for these young adults. Visit opportunityknocksnow.org.

PeopleCare,Inc., is a local nonprofit that provides free transportation, friendly visitors, telephone reassurance, subsidized taxi voucher program, weekly group grocery shopping, and referrals for seniors in Riverside, North Riverside, Brookfield, Lyons, and LaGrange Park. We are passionately committed to our original vision that “no older person in the last third of life will feel abandoned and will be able to live out their life in the most productive way.” We are the safety net for those with no family close by and who no longer drive. To donate, learn more, or volunteer visit www.peoplecareinc.org or call 708-442-1223

Joyful Giving

PING! PING! (Providing Instruments for the Next Generation) makes equitable access to instrumental music possible for students in need in grades 4 through 12 in Oak Park and River Forest public schools. PING! provides band and orchestra instruments as well as music enrichment through workshops; mentoring; and scholarships for music camps, trips, and instruction. Studies show that there are academic and social benefits to participating in a music program. To give our youngest students the best start, PING! is offering music lessons to our 4th and 5th graders, a program implemented during the pandemic to keep them engaged.

Pro Bono Network We believe access to justice should not depend upon your ability to afford an attorney. There are simply not enough legal aid lawyers to help people in dire need of civil legal aid. These include issues of safety from an abuser, adequate housing, critical care documents, and more. Pro Bono Network has enabled 400+ attorneys to give more than 25,000 hours of free legal assistance to over 4,500 clients whose lives were meaningfully changed. Let’s together transform lives by increasing access to legal representation. To get involved or donate, visit pro-bononetwork.org. Your support will make an impact on the lives of many!

For more information, or to make a donation, please visit our website at pingoprf.org. Have an instrument to donate? Send us an email at info@pingoprf.org.

Learn more. Give more.

You can also visit OakPark.com and go to our Season of Giving page.

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PING! (Providing Instruments for the Next Generation) Brings Positive Experiences to Youth

Empowered by The RFPL Foundation, Amy engages her community

ids thrive when they have something they can work toward and achieve, something positive in their lives. For Kai, an Oak Park 5th grader, that is mastering new skills on his viola. “It’s something that he’s good at,” said Kai’s mom, Emily. “There are other areas at school where he struggles a little bit, … so it gives him a lot of confidence. Being able to participate in something that he excels at is really nice.” When the time arrived to choose an instrument at D97 last fall, Emily wasn’t sure if it was an option because of cost, but then she learned about PING!, the nonprofit that provides band and orchestra instruments along with musical enrichment opportunities to students in need in Oak Park and River Forest public schools. Kai received his viola from PING! along with the chance to take private lessons. These lessons – offered for the first time to elementary students to keep them engaged in music while learning was virtual – helped Kai soar. This fall, his D97 string teacher noticed how advanced Kai is and recommended he move up to the next level viola instruction book. PING! provided the book to assist in Kai’s musical

development. Kai said the book looks hard, and playing “can be difficult at times,” but making music on his viola makes him feel happy. “It’s a good way to express emotion,” he said. “It’s fun to play. It’s like a form of artwork.” PING! does much more than provide first instruments and bring equity to music classrooms. The nonprofit meets students’ needs as they grow on their musical journeys – from lessons to mentoring, from summer music camps to trips, from instrument upgrades to second instruments. Supporting PING! is supporting positive experiences. Donate today: www.pingoprf.org/

donate.

PING! • 708-524-3001 ext. 2995 • www.pingoprf.org

my Grossman’s work engaging infants and children with reading and a love of learning became even more challenging with the pandemic. As Manager of Children’s Services at River Forest Public Library (RFPL), Amy is responsible for programs and services normally provided from the RFPL building, which typically sees over 98,000 Amy Grossman, RFPL Manager of Children’s patron visits a year. The answer for Amy Services reads with young patrons during Story and her colleagues was to use RFPL’s Anne Time in the Anne T. Smedinghoff Memorial T. Smedinghoff Memorial Garden more. Garden at the Library. Amy says, “June through September, we had nearly 2,000 children and care-givers The RFPL Foundation supports the attend 43 programs and activities in Garden with grants to fund maintenance, the Garden. We offered story times, art beautification and by sponsoring special activities, a storyteller performance and community events like The Dooley 7 interactive book displays. People were Band concert. Foundation grants have anxious to get out of their houses and also funded an update to the Children’s connect safely here.” Room, a new self-checkout machine and innovative special programs. The Amy’s colleagues in Adult & Teen Foundation helps ensure the vitality of the Services also took greater advantage Library for future generations and takes of space beyond the building, holding some pressure off taxpayers. programs such as yoga classes, Coffee Mondays, Teen Tasters, and the wildly Your gift to the RFPL Foundation popular Dooley Band concert outside. helps Amy and her colleagues serve our Local residents regularly used the Garden community delivering engaging programs for visits with friends, reading, and even and services for all ages. Please learn more for working utilizing RFPL free WIFI. and donate at RFPLFoundation.org.

River Forest Public Library Foundation • www.rfplfoundation.org

The Joyful Giving Catalog The Quinn Center of St. Eulalia Eleven years after its founding, the Quinn Center stands by its mission to build an inclusive culture of justice, health, and peace in Proviso Township. We inspire, educate, and empower through relationship building while confronting intersecting social problems and filling resource gaps to address social determinants of health. Today, year-round programming is available for over 1,000 community members at low or no cost. From youth enrichment to hunger ministry to senior social activities, we offer something for the whole family and work to create a safe space where neighbors can find connection and belonging. Learn more at quinncenter.org.

Race Conscious Dialogues

River Forest Public Library Foundation

RACE CONSCIOUS DIALOGUES The Race Conscious Dialogues are designed The Race Conscious Dialogues are designed for people who are white to deepen their awareness of identity, power and privilege,and then develop tools for anti-racism work. The foundational workshop series consists of 4 sessions, 3 hours each, with light readings to be done in preparation. This volunteer-based nonprofit was intentionally created for our community of Oak Park and surrounding areas. All discussions, readings and activities are framed around unpacking and understanding Whiteness – our own racial identities, the historical and current harm being caused by Whiteness, and guided discovery of how we show up and work collectively to eradicate racism. We invite your participation!

RFPL Foundation helps ensure the on-going vitality of the River Forest Public Library. Your gift will help preserve our historic building and continue our high-quality services and programs while preparing for future needs. Grants from the Foundation have enabled RFPL to refresh the Children’s Room and Teen space, maintain and beautify the Memorial Garden, offer community events like The Dooleys Band concert, explore the feasibility of creating additional indoor space for meetings and programs, expand self-checkout service and more. Your help ensures our Library continues to live at the heart and soul of our community.

Sarah’s Inn

Sarah’s Inn is a community-based organization whose mission is to improve the lives of those affected by domestic violence and to break the cycle of violence for future generations. Based in Forest Park, we offer services in three areas of program focus: Intervention for families affected by domestic violence that includes Advocacy and Counseling; Prevention education for youth to prevent future relationship violence; and Training and Education for professional first-responders, prospective volunteers and interns, and community-based groups. Intervention services are confidential, bilingual (English/ Spanish) and offered free of charge to survivors and their children. Learn more and donate at sarahsinn.org.

Please donate at rfplfoundation.org.

Donations are appreciated as well raceconsciousdialogues.org/donate.

Learn more. Give more. You can also visit OakPark.com and go to our Season of Giving page.

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The Quinn Center strengthens minds and its community

he Quinn Center’s Summer Enrichment Program continues to serve as a beacon of hope, offering the most affordable, full-day program for youth and teenagers in the Proviso area. As a result of the pandemic, many of their students were almost a full year behind on academic and behavioral benchmarks, especially in core subjects. Months of remote learning left them craving socialization, extracurriculars, and personal attention--all of which they received when their in-person camp resumed this summer. Through activities like science experiments, basketball clinics, and fine arts classes, nearly 100 kids gained skills for healthy bodies, minds, and souls. The program also serves a critical role in stimulating the local economy by generating dozens of teen and teacher employment opportunities. One of their Teen Camp Counselors shared that: “I am excited to wake up and come to work at Quinn because it doesn’t feel like work. I could be at home doing nothing or out in the streets. This program has helped lift me out of feeling trapped with mental problems. It’s easier to

SisterHouse

talk to people and I feel more expressive and positive.” The Quinn Center has become a second home for this young woman and many others who feel like outsiders or lack support systems at home. In the words of a community partner, “Trust in the Quinn Center is palpable… the staff knows and loves the people of this neighborhood and this love is reciprocated. The Quinn Center has successfully knit bonds where there were none.”

The Quinn Center of St. Eulalia • 708-397-6111 • www.quinncenter.org Sponsored Content

The Joyful Giving Catalog

Way Back Inn offers a second chance at life

efore I knew it, I had gambled my family’s “Thanks to the estate away. I was panicked Way Back Inn and suicidal. I believed my Family Program, wife was going to throw me out of the house, that my my family rallied brother was going to kill around me, me, that everyone in my becoming pillars family was going to hate me, and that I was going to for my new life in prison. recovery.” Since I have been in treatment at the Way Back Inn, my wife did not leave me. She is supporting me. Thanks to the WBI Family Program, my family rallied around me, becoming pillars for my new life in recovery. My court case is civil, so I will remain a free man. I am on a payment restitution plan and I have not gambled. I’ve been in treatment now for 4 months. In the Way Back Inn Gambling Outpatient Program, we support and encourage one another. I am still working and my business is thriving. I am in the process of paying everything back. I have gone from hopeless, despondent, and

fearful to living a life filled with self-esteem and hope for the future. I am forever grateful for all of the help that me and so many people receive at the Way Back Inn to have a second chance at life.

The Way Back Inn • 708-345-8422 • www.thewaybackinn.org

Founded in 1982 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, SisterHouse educates and empowers women to lead sober and fulfilling lives by providing a safe and structured spiritual living community. Each successful and resilient woman is reaching towards her full potential by growing in self-awareness, self-respect and forgiveness, learning to embrace self and others, while building healthy relationships. She learns not only how to maintain sobriety, internalizing the 12 steps and building a support system, but also how to thrive in life. Each SisterHouse woman secures quality employment and stable housing. She makes plans for her future and acquires the skills, knowledge, and abilities to realize her dreams. For more information or to donate go to sisterhousechicago.org.

St. Angela School St. Angela School has walked with the families of Chicago’s west side for one hundred years—walked with a deep commitment to enriching the lives, and the futures, of their children. We have a rich and varied history – and a future of great promise. We provide our children with a safe and loving environment and challenging academics; we help them explore paths that lead to meaningful and rewarding careers; and we teach them, above all, to believe in themselves. As we prepare for our next hundred years, we’re proud to reaﬃrm our commitment to love and serve all those who choose to be part of our community. Learn more about St. Angela School at saintangela.org or call us at (773) 626-2655.

The Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest Awarded “Community Relations Orchestra of the Year” in 2021, The Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest, under the leadership of award-winning conductor Jay Friedman, continues to bring extraordinary and accessible concerts to our community. Ticket sales provide less than half the funds needed for the Symphony’s performances. Your gift keeps the orchestra going strong and allows us to maintain affordable ticket prices, including free admission for all students through college. Please help us continue and strengthen our 90-year tradition of bringing beautiful and inspiring music to Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park and neighboring communities. Make your end-of-year tax-deductible donation at SymphonyOPRF.org, or: P.O. Box 3564, Oak Park, IL 60303-3564.

Thrive Counseling Center Thrive Counseling Center has provided mental health services for over 120 years. Our mission is to build healthy minds, families, and communities by empowering people to attain mental and emotional well-being. Hope, resilience, and recovery form the heart of our programs and services. Thrive’s services for youth and adults include: • Individual therapy • Group therapy • Psychiatry and medication management • 24/7 Crisis intervention • Case management • Suicide awareness and prevention training

Sweet Rest Since its 2017 inception, Sweet Rest has provided various forms of sabbaticals for Black Women throughout the country. Moreover, Sweet Rest is working to grow into a social investment that creates sustainability for Black Women entrepreneurs, while contributing to the greater good of providing rest and magnifying the need and capacity of wanderlust for Black Women and other women of color. To support this initiative and to give the gift of sweet rest, please visit Sweetrest.net.

• Thrive Talks We are open Monday-Thursday 9am-8pm, Friday 9am-5pm, and Saturday from 9am2pm. To learn more or donate, please visit thrivecc.org or call 708-383-7500.

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The Joyful Giving Catalog UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago UCP Seguin believes that all people, regardless of ability, deserve to achieve their potential, advance their independence and act as full members of the community. So we stop at nothing to provide life skills training, assistive technology, meaningful employment and a place to call home for people with disabilities, as well as specialized foster care for children. Our goal: life without limits for people with disabilities. Make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. Donate online at ucpseguin.org or send gifts to UCP Seguin, 332 Harrison Street, Oak Park IL 60304.

Welcome to Fatherhood Welcome to Fatherhood Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization created by Dr. Raheem Young and Sir Royce Briales. Our goal is to help fathers of all ages cope with the pressures and stresses of fatherhood. We formed Welcome to Fatherhood to provide all dads with a forum to discuss the ups and downs of their parenting journey with other men. Welcome to Fatherhood’s mission is to strengthen the family unit by empowering fathers and educating them on the importance of positive, active, and engaged paternal role models. For more information on Welcome to Fatherhood, please visit our website at wtfatherhood.org.

Wonder Works

Way Back Inn Since 1974, Way Back Inn has successfully provided long-term residential and outpatient treatment for men and women in Oak Park and surrounding communities who are trying to overcome substance and gambling use disorders. Our mission is to rebuild lives damaged by addiction in a personalized healing environment, where men and women’s lives are transformed and relationships are healed. Our recovery program focuses on the integration of the body, mind, and spirit. For more information or to make a donation, go to: www.waybackinn.org or call us at 708345-8422.

West Suburban Special Recreation Association West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WSSRA) provides recreational programming for individuals with disabilities who reside in Oak Park, River Forest and nine other surrounding communities. Donations to WSSRA, help provide financial assistance to those participating in our yearround programs and summer day camp. To make a donation, please visit wssra.net.

Joyful Giving

For nearly 20 years, children in Oak Park and our surrounding communities have been learning through PLAY in the safe, enriching environment of Wonder Works Children’s Museum. We put great care into creating a child-sized environment, for children birth to 8, designed to spark curiosity, creativity and learning in the areas of science, math, literacy and the arts. Your donations support free and reduced-price admissions for families in financial need, exhibit improvements, one-of-a-kind programs and so much more! Please join us along our exciting path to learning. Visit www.wonder-works.org and donatetoday to support the power of PLAY!

Youth Outreach Services Youth Outreach Services supports youth ages 12 to 21 and their families, by providing free programs that offer therapeutic interventions, life skills development, and mentorship to improve their safety and well-being. For more than 60 years, YOS has offered community-based behavioral health and substance abuse treatment, after school mentoring, family therapy, crisis intervention, case management, foster care, transitional living and housing services, in-school prevention curricula, and juvenile justice programs. Help youth get one step closer to reaching their goals, by donating at www.yos.org/ donate or text @ONESTEPCLOSER to 52014. To help a youth in need right now, call 773777-7112.

OPRF Infant Welfare Society expands resources to ‘care for the whole child’

nsuring the health and well-being of children in need has been the undeterred mission of the OPRF Infant Welfare Society through one public health crisis after another. We care for the whole child through integrated medical, dental and behavioral health care at the IWS Children’s Clinic. On October 19, 2021, a coalition of the nation’s top pediatric experts declared that “the mental health crisis in children is now a national emergency.” Concerns have been steadily rising over past decades; however, the Covid-19 pandemic and racial inequities have led to unprecedented levels of stress in children and adolescents. The children we care for live in underserved communities with families facing a range of challenges and traumas. In response, we routinely screen our children for signs of distress, which are not always easily apparent in a medical or dental visit. Once a concern is identified, we rapidly mobilize resources, ranging from hospitalization, therapy, psychiatry, or referrals to local social service agencies. Our providers and social workers learn about the family’s

needs and dynamics, and ensure the child is connected with support systems to improve their mental health. In early 2022, we will move into a new IWS Children’s Clinic at 28 Madison in Oak Park. This nearly 15,000 square foot building will increase our capacity for our core services and expand our definition of caring for the whole child. If you know someone who could benefit from our services, wish to learn more or to support, please visit www.oprfiws.org or call 708-848-0528.

OPRF Infant Welfare Society • 708-848-0528 • www.oprfiws.org Sponsored Content

The impact of local history

ounded in 1975, the Historical Society of Forest Park is dedicated to preserving the history of the town and the ancestors of this area. Once known as Noyesville, Oak Ridge and Village of Harlem, the land was also home to peoples from the Kickapoo, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Potawatomi, Myaamia and Ochethi Sakowin people. As European settlers arrived, the Indian Removal Act enabled the French-Indian trader, Leon Bourassa and his Potawatomi wife, Mnetoqua, to purchase the land including the area along the Des Plaines River where burial mounds were and people would pilgrimage to even through the Civil War era, which is now known as Forest Home Cemetery. After arriving from Prussia, Ferdinand Haase purchased the property and converted the land to the modern cemetery as it stands today. The descendants of Haase had excavated the graves in 1900, collected the artifacts which were later given to the Forest Park Library. A memorial marker was placed in section 27 of the cemetery in 1941 marking the trail head to honor and remember the people of these tribes. The artifacts were repatriated in 2019.

Forest Park Historical Society annual garden walk event raises funds and friends for the preservation of local history. Hailey Rodden (left) and Donna Kruse, the 2021 “Best in Show” winners. Courtesy Alexis Ellers

There are many stories from the past that come from this area, often quiet, diverse, voices that are brought to light by the preservation and legacy of historical records. Stories of the Forest Park Amusement Park, Harlem Racetrack, Checkerboard Airfield, Haymarket, prohibition, veterans, businesses and intertwined in the legacy of this area. Through the donations, memberships, programs and events the Historical Society of Forest Park is enabled to preserve the stories of the past to help understand the present and prepare for the future.

The Historical Society of Forest Park • forestparkhistory1975@gmail.com • www.forestparkhistory.org

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Committed to Oak Park and River Forest Byline Bank is privileged to be a part of the Oak Park River Forest community for more than 20 years, and in 2021 local Byline staff dedicated more than 200 volunteer hours to local non-profit organizations. We take our role of participating and investing in our local communities very seriously and we’re committed to helping the local communities where we live and work to grow and thrive—today and in the future. To learn more about our commitment to Oak Park and River Forest, visit bylinebank.com/oprf