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Village Free Press_092723

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Reuse-A-Palooza in photos Page 3

Vol. VIII No. 39

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

vfpress.news

Charcuterie busines opens in Berkeley Page 3

Maywood Westchester couple’s miniature firm bridges world draws thousands global divides Keynect Global is offering a 6-month internship for 18-25-year-olds in Proviso Township that includes a trip to Africa By MICHAEL ROMAIN Publisher

Maywood Trustee Miguel Jones said he entertained several stereotypes about Africa as a child. “Growing up, I thought everybody [in Africa] would be in little villages,” Jones said during a fundraiser for Keynect Global, a travel and tourism firm, at O’Sullivan’s Public House in Forest Park on Sept. 14. “I just didn’t know.” The trustee said those stereotypes dissolved into a much more nuanced reality after he visited the continent during the pandemic. Keynect’s founder, Chassidy Keys, facilitated Jones’ trip as she has for dozens of other people. Now, Keys, who has an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is fully committed to her company after leaving her job in Corporate America. “There are a lot of young people on the continent that don’t have jobs,” she said on Sept. 14. “They have bachelor’s and master’s degrees but don’t have work. So, if you’re a small business or nonprofit looking to grow but maybe don’t have the capital to scale or hire people full-time, we can help you source talent. That’s one of our major services.” See KEYNECT on page 7

Michael Romain

Jim and Michelle Bozic stand in their Westchester basement next to the detailed dollhouses they’ve constructed since 2019. The intricate miniature homes can take years to make.

Jim and Michelle Bozic build dollhouses that evoke their love for family and the Beatles

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Michelle Bozic said she and her dad often admired the dollhouses they’d see on display at stores like Frank’s Nursery and Crafts. “We said, ‘One day we’ll build one,’ but we never got around to it,” Bozic said. “My dad has since passed.” One frigid winter day during the infa-

mous Polar Vortex in 2019, Bozic’s online browsing brought to her some people building a dollhouse. That’s when the spark came. She asked her husband Jim if he’d be willing to work on a dollhouse with her. He agreed. “We just got the bug, you know? We were painting everything, gluing things, buying the little things that go in,” Michelle said. See BOZIC HOUSES on page 3


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