the village free press Vol. II No. 49
VFP is fundraising, PAGE 2
DECEMBER 5, 2018
theVillageFreePress.org
Sears up for auction, PAGE 7
Lightford Recreation Center opens in Maywood The long-empty building at 809 Madison St. finally renovated By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The historic former children’s receiving home at 809 Madison St. in Maywood is finally operable again after sitting empty for nearly two decades. The facility, which is now a community center operated by the Maywood Park District, also has a name — the Lightford Recreation Center. Maywood Park District officials held a soft opening for the renovated facility on Dec. 1. Park district commissioners revealed the name of the new center in the presence of its namesake, state Sen. Kimberly Lightford (4th). Lightford, a Maywood resident, helped the district secure millions in state funding to open the building — a process that had been marked by disappointment. On Saturday, however, Lightford’s efforts paid See LIGHTFORD CENTER on page 3
ALEXA ROGALS
GIVING BACK: Edward Redd during a gala celebrating Y.E.M.B.A.’s 10th anniversary held Nov. 7 in Oak Park.
Maywood engineer doubles as pioneering mentor
Edward Redd founded Y.E.M.B.A. 10 years ago as a way to give back By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Growing up in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, Edward Redd, 36, knew the
odds were stacked against him. His father, a gang member, was killed when he was five years old, leaving his mother to raise five children in a crime-ridden, povertystricken community.
Redd, who is the oldest of his parents’ children, said that it took a positive village of adults, peers and impressionable See Y.E.M.B.A. on page 4