Forest Park Review 031021

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA, NFP ForestParkReview.com Vol. 104, No. 10

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F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW MARCH 10, 2021

Transformative education bill signed at East PAGE 5

Dog park to require keys PAGE 15

@FP_Review @ForestParkReview

Despite union objections, Labor Relations Board votes to keep hybrid learning in D209 Superintendent blames teachers’ union for low in-person numbers

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

On March 4, the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board handed down a 4-1 ruling supporting the continuation of the hybrid learning plan that began in District 209 a few weeks ago.

The hearing was held, according to the Proviso Teachers Union (PTU), because they were unable to reach an agreement with the district on several issues, including lack of vaccinations, proper ventilation which required windows being opened in cold weather, and disagreement about what metrics should be followed when making decisions on reopening.

In January, the district announced it would be acquiring 3,000 doses of the vaccine in early February, at which time it would begin administering them to teachers and staff and then to students, if there were leftovers. That didn’t happen, however.

See HENDERSON vs. PTU on page 4

LESSONS FROM THE PAST

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Middle school students watched presentations on civil rights and the Holocaust on March 4 and 5 when the Mobile Museum of Tolerance visited District 91. Read more on page 5.

Sporting goods retailer takes Hallmark location on Madison Play It Again Sports to open late spring or early summer

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Play It Again Sports, a national franchise with over 250 stores in North America, is scheduled to open in Forest

IN Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 THIS Big Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ISSUE Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Park in late spring or early summer. David King, a commercial real estate broker, represented owner Rich Schauer in a long-term lease for the 3,200 square foot former Hallmark store at 7443 Madison St. The store, said King, has 40 feet

Raucous night on Madison Street PAGE 8

of frontage on Madison St. and 11-foothigh ceilings.

The owners of the Forest Park Play It Again Sports are Oak Parkers Erich KrSee PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS on page 15

Audiologist on hearing loss and cognition PAGE 17

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

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JUST SOLD! 1201 Fair Oaks, Oak Park Represented buyer! Beautiful 4BR/5BA, 6,000 sq ft home with over 100 original stained glass windows! ............... ................................................... $750,000 Patty Melgar Hooks | 708-261-2796 patty.melgarhooks@cbexchange.com

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COLDWELLBANKERHOMES.COM Oak Park 114 N. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park | 708.524.1100 The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2020 Coldwell Banker Realty. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Realty LLC.

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

Bowling my way back to physical fitness

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the place. He described a few improvements they’ve made over the years.

The most modern touch was the installation of automatic scorekeepers in 2010. This was for the convenience of younger bowlers who never learned how to keep score. The machines also show you the speed of your shot.

This is invaluable because if I crank it down there at 10 mph, I’m more likely to get a strike.

They also modernized the ball returns, so you aren’t distracted by balls returning on the surface. Otherwise, Drew is keeping the “old school” feeling of Circle Lanes, with décor that hearkens back to the ’70s and ’80s.

Circle Lanes first opened on Saturday, June 7, 1941. An article in a local paper boasted that it had 18 lanes, men’s and ladies’ locker rooms and a luncheonette. Its most attractive feature, though, was air conditioning.

Bowling was peaking in popularity and Circle Lanes attracted leagues as well as casual bowlers.

Drew has kept the

onths of inactivity have taken a toll, physically and mentally. I vowed to not take this setback lying down. I turned to Circle Lanes to start my exercise program.

I go way back with Circle Lanes. In the ’80s, we formed a Saturday night league with our neighbors. We were careful to keep the bowling part from interfering with the socializing part.

The league eventually folded and I’ve missed it ever since. We still go to Circle Lanes for open bowling and our grandkids love it.

So I returned there with my vintage bowling ball and shoes. Bowling shoes never go out of style because they’re never in style in the first place. I made sure to bring folding money to pay for a game because Circle Lanes is a cash-only kind of place.

Bowling alone isn’t near as much fun as competing with others but it’s intense exercise. It’s always your turn, so you never sit down. I was pretty rusty after a year’s layoff, so I’ll use that excuse for my final score of 95.

Afterward, I interviewed the manager of Circle Lanes, Drew Stutz. His parents Zyg and Bonnie had taken full ownership of the bowling alley in 1988. They are no longer with us, but Circle Lanes is still owned by the Stutz family. Drew grew up in the business and knew everything about running

JOHN RICE

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L O O K I N

mix of hosting league bowling during the week with open bowling on the weekends.

They often have a 1-2 hour waitlist on Friday and Saturday nights. He attributes the popularity of the place to the fact that people are “stir crazy” and looking to come out for some family-friendly fun.

The pandemic put the kibosh on this kind of fun for a time. The state shut down bowling alleys from March 15, 2020 till early July. Drew reopened but was forced to close down again from November to Jan. 19. They’ve been open since, with restrictions in place to keep bowlers safe.

For example, they operate at 50% capacity, accommodating up to 100 patrons.

Masks are mandatory in the common areas but are optional on the lanes. They allow a maximum of five bowlers per lane and do not allow groups to share ball returns. This keeps patrons socially distant. Drew also shut down several pool tables for the same purpose.

Despite the restrictions, Circle Lanes is thriving.

Drew said a few bowlers are using the game as a form of physical therapy. He also believes bowling is a good form of exercise.

Bowling can even build up your biceps, depending on how many beers you drink.

B A C K

T I M E . . .

–Jill Wagner

REVIEW Editor Maria Maxham Senior Editor Bob Uphues Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Lifka Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Debbie Becker, Mark Moroney Sales and Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA Board of Directors Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer HOW TO REACH US ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-366-0600 ■ FAX 708-467-9066 EMAIL forestpark@wjinc.com CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com ONLINE ForestParkReview.com TWITTER @FP_Review Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Forest Park Review,141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302-2901. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS No 0205-160) In-county subscriptions: $28 per year. $42 for two years, $58 for three years.

Out-of-county subscriptions: $36 per year.

SYNONYMOUS WITH SERVICE The first (and only) woman to hold the highest elected office of mayor in Forest Park was Lorraine Popelka. She served as mayor for 12 years and as a commissioner for eight years before that. She was well known throughout Forest Park especially through her work as a swim instructor and director of the “Learn to Swim” program at the Park District of Forest Park. She also directed the women’s softball program for eight years and the volleyball program for ten years, served on the Garfield School PTA for 12 years (including holding positions of president and treasurer), and was a member of the District 91 Citizens Advisory Council, the Village Traffic and Safety Committee and the St. Bernardine school board. Lorraine Popelka’s name is synonymous with service to the people of Forest Park, and the park at Adams Street and Thomas Avenue was named in her honor.

F O R E S T PA R K

Forest Park Review is published digitally and in print

by Growing Community Media NFP. © 2020 Growing Community Media NFP. F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW In 1987, Lorraine Popelka was elected mayor of Forest Park. She voted at Garfield School, down the block from where she grew up and later raised her own family. Her service to youth touched generations of Forest Parkers.

Share photos on Instagram using #fpreview or email alexa@oakpark.com.

All photos become property of Forest Park Review for possible future use in print or digital capacities.

@ForestParkReview

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

HENDERSON VS. PTU Hybrid numbers low from page 1 In a Feb. 23 email, Superintendent James Henderson said with state shortages, the district was unable to get any vaccine.

At the Feb. 27 board meeting, he announced that 900 vaccines were on the way for the district.

In the Feb. 23 email, though, he also blamed teachers and the PTU for the small number of students who had opted to return to in-person learning. Only 22 percent of students are scheduled to participate in the hybrid learning plan, he said, the rest opting to continue remotely.

Henderson said the PTU has been using scare tactics and encouraging teachers to warn kids they should wear coats to school since windows would be cracked to help ventilate the classrooms in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Henderson added that “CDC guidance notes that natural ventilation can indeed be used as a mitigation strategy,” but was clear that the heating systems in the school build-

ings are working adequately.

Henderson claimed that the PTU is guilty of having “strongly encouraged, and even shared with students, that they need to wear a coat in their classrooms because they would have their windows ajar.” He added, “Some parents have even contacted me to let me know that teachers told their children that if they return to school, they will get sick and die.”

These PTU actions are “egregious and shameful,” said Henderson, adding that their “tactics are not only aimed at thwarting the in-person hybrid learning plan, they demonstrate unprofessional conduct displayed by individuals who claim they have the best of our … students at heart.”

He added: “These communications stoked fear in some of our parents and impacted their decisions on whether to allow their children to return to the classroom. Our parents have every reason to be outraged with such tactics.”

PTU leadership told the Review that they wanted to bring in an industrial hygienist, at no cost to the district, to address the issue of proper ventilation, but the district said no.

In an email, Henderson, “We have addressed more than 800 health, life, and safe-

ty issues within our school buildings. We do not believe any additional measures are necessary at this time.”

PTU president Maggie Riley sent a response to Henderson’s comments to the Review on March 6.

“It’s so disappointing that, despite our continual and ongoing efforts to work with Dr. Henderson to do what we know as professionals is in the best interests of our students and schools, he continues to respond to questions and concerns from our union and community with misplaced vitriol, erroneous or incomplete information and false accusations. He refuses to take any responsibility for the issues facing our district, students, and school staff. It is no surprise that hundreds of people have already signed on to a petition calling for his resignation,” reads the statement.

The PTU statement from Riley said that the union’s members would continue to request meetings with Henderson to discuss concerns related to keeping students and staff safe.

“We remain hopeful that he will stop the unfair attacks, work with us instead of against us, and focus instead on doing his job, just as our teachers and school staff have been doing effectively all throughout

the pandemic,” reads the statement.

In the press release about the district being allowed to remain open for hybrid instruction, Henderson said, “This is great news for students who need face-to-face instruction. We have put safety above all else to ensure our scholars get the attention they need to be successful in the classroom. We will continue to work in tandem with our teachers and the Proviso Teachers Union to ensure greatness for the whole child. Our scholars deserve nothing but the BEST!” One of the measures the district has put into place is free COVID-19 testing, available to all students and staff, at each school building on Tuesday and Thursday. Teachers are now eligible to receive a free COVID-19 vaccination; if they sign up through the district, according to the press release, they will be scheduled to receive the first treatment in the month of March.

Other safety precautions and guidelines in place within the district include mandatory mask wearing, social distancing, frequent hand-washing, increased sanitation, and well-ventilated rooms, “using an openwindow, a box fan and an air cleaner with a HEPA filter,” according to the press release.

Parents, residents, staff signing their names after Feb. 27 board meeting

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

A group of Proviso Township High School District 209 employees have thrown their support behind a Change.org petition calling for the removal of D209 Supt. James Henderson.

The petition was created after a controversial Feb. 27 meeting, during which the D209 board voted on a series of massive administrative realignments that includes outsourcing the district’s IT department, which means that many of the department’s current employees may be out of work by the summer.

“Our beloved Proviso Township has hit a new low in the hiring of a out-of-state superintendent James Henderson he is from Holmes County Mississippi where this district is now bankrupt because of his actions [sic],” the petition reads.

“James Henderson is now trying to do the same things that he did to the state of Mississippi. We must have him removed before thousands of Maywoodians jobs are lost. He is incompetent of running our school system. And he has also started a plan of out sourcing different jobs to other companies and also wants to take away the P.A.E.C. Co-

op out of the district if he secede this well destroy the school system in which all three schools are not able to handle we Stop Henderson before it’s to late.”

Michael Latham, a Proviso East alum, said he started the petition, which went live on March 2. By March 4, it had garnered 263 signatures, more than half the way towards its goal of 500. By March 9, it had over 650 signatures and a new goal of 1,000.

“I started the petition after watching the board meeting on Feb. 27, which was a disgrace,” Latham said. “I was shocked and appalled at what I was hearing and what was going on. This is a huge deal.”

Latham said he knows employees who work at D209 high schools “and everyone has had the same notion,” he said. “We know he’s crooked. For this gentleman to come out of state and wipe jobs away from people who have kept three campuses afloat in the middle of a pandemic is totally unacceptable and wrong.”

When contacted on Thursday afternoon, D209 Communications Director Nicole Wilson said she was not aware of the petition, but would bring it to the attention of district administrators, including the superintendent. This article will be updated if and when they issue a response.

Diana Garcia, one of the IT employees who fears that she’ll lose her job at the end of the school year, said she supports Latham’s petition.

“This was highly encouraged by D209 employees,” she said.

“We did it with the hopes that people would acknowledge and pay attention to RESIDENTS UPSET: A petition started by a former D209 student what was going on.”

Garcia said that calls for the removal of Superintendent James Henderson. she and other Proviso East IT workers met with Henderson on would make the audit available on the district’s website, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Monday for roughly 15 minutes.

“We still haven’t seen that audit, even “He said now we’re all employed, but with the exception that our last day of employ- though we met with the superintendent on ment is June 30,” Garcia said, adding that Monday,” Garcia said, before lamenting how she and her coworkers are still in the dark she and her coworkers have been treated by about their employment status. She said, the superintendent, who was hired last year.

“The first day I saw him was back in Au“I’m just very confused,” about the changes, which have come as the district upgraded to gust, when we were doing [laptop distribunew Promethean boards and other technol- tion] for incoming freshmen,” Garcia said. ogy that she said the workers have been ef- “It was the first or second day and he showed up and walked in … and didn’t say anything. fectively maintaining.

But Henderson and some board members He looked around, then looked at my coworksaid that allowing an outside company to er and said, ‘How can you get upstairs.’ My observe the department and make changes coworker pointed the way for him and they will lead to significant improvements and left. He didn’t say nothing — not thank you cost-savings. Last year, the administra- or anything. Later, I figured out it was the tion reportedly conducted an audit of the superintendent. But prior to the [administraIT department, but Garcia said she and her tive restructuring], he never spoke to us.”

Latham said his goal with starting the coworkers have not seen the audit. Board member Amanda Grant, who voted against petition is to “get rid of the superintendent. the proposal to outsource the IT depart- That’s our goal, because if we get rid of him ment, said she had not seen the audit either. we have a chance of at least other people At the Feb. 27 meeting, Henderson said he keeping their employment.”

Screenshot

D209 employees back petition calling for superintendent’s removal

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

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Pritzker signs ‘transformative’ bill at Proviso East

Screenshot

East alumna Lightford in attendance

$1 billion be invested “in every Black community.”

“I’m tired of taking crumbs,” Lightford said at the time, as Gov. Pritzker stood feet away. “Governor, we need a slice!”

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Talking through tears, Lightford said her Staff Reporter career political career started as a 27-yearold Maywood trustee whose fight to rehab the Gov. J.B. Pritzker was at Proviso East Fred Hampton Pool got her labeled “the anHigh School, 803 S. 1st Ave. in Maywood, gry black woman, because I was fighting for on March 8 to sign into law the Education what was right for my community,” she said and Workforce Equity Act — one of seven last year. “And I have been that angry black landmark pieces of legislation advanced woman for 21 years and I’m not going to stop!” within the last year by the Illinois LegislaOn March 8, in Proviso East’s library, tive Black Caucus (ILBC).

Lightford, through tears of joy, said the signThe education act, HB 2170, was introing ceremony “is my moment of peace. My anger is gone because I know this legislation is transformative and filled with hope for our children.”

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (7th) — a Maywood native, Proviso West alum and the state’s first Black House speaker, who earlier this year succeeded longtime speaker Michael Madigan — said the changes in the bill “move us a little bit closer to equity.”

Welch, who chaired the governor’s Education Success Transition Committee, said many of the changes in the bill were discussed two years ago.

LANDMARK BILL: Pritzker with Sen. Lightford, right, and Rep. Ammons, left, on March 8 inside of Lightford said there are 23 Proviso East High School. The governor had just signed a landmark education bill. Looking on are provisions in the act. Accordduced by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (4th), the chairwoman of the ILBC and a Proviso East graduate.

“I find myself in a full-circle moment,” Lightford said during Monday’s signing ceremony, held inside her alma mater’s library. “This is my school. Proviso East.

Class of 1986.”

The landmark education legislation comes nearly a year after the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, which prompted a racial reckoning across the country and unified Black lawmakers in Illinois.

In June 2020, about a dozen Black lawmakers stood in front of the Fred Hampton Aquatic Center in Maywood and demanded

Rep. Ford, far left, Lt. Gov. Stratton, second right, and House Speaker Welch, far right.

Lessons in freedom focus on the past D91 students visit the Mobile Museum of Tolerance

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

“Freedom is not a gift from heaven -- you have to fight for it every day.” These words from Simon Wiesenthal are just one of the quotes about freedom and human rights displayed on screens in the Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT), which visited Forest Park last week.

Forest Park middle school students in District 91 were some of the first in the state to experience lessons from the past in the MMOT on March 4 and 5.

The MMOT is a museum on wheels, a collaboration between the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to bring important lessons about civil rights and the Holocaust directly

to schools and communities across Illinois.

The MMOT website says it was modeled after the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center’s “Tour for Humanity” bus, which was launched in 2013 and has visited schools all across Canada. But the MMOT is the first of its kind of the United States.

“MMOT will utilize innovative technology and interactive lessons to bring its message of tolerance directly to Illinois communities,” reads the website. “With a plan to visit around 150 schools and communities each year, the MMOT hopes to inspire thousands of Illinoisans to stand up to hate and strive toward positive social change.”

On Thursday, D91 middle school students learning remotely watched a remote broadcast of a civil rights presentation from the MMOT, a video the Review watched inside the mobile theater with D91 Principal Tiffany Brunson and Assistant Principal Eric Beltran and several PTO members.

After the video, facilitator Alison Slovin, Midwest director for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, engaged students in a conversation about the video. She shared her own

ing to a summary of the act provided by the ILBC, those provisions include the creation of an Inclusive American History Commission to reform how Black history is taught in schools, the creation of a Whole Child Task Force to address childhood trauma, increased funding for college scholarships for minority students, and expanded access to early childhood interventions, among many others.

“Justice is about so much more than policing, jails and prisons,” said Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton. “Justice is about access to health care, mental health services, economic opportunity and, of course, quality education.”

Rep. Carol Ammons (103rd), who co-sponsored HB 2170 alongside Lightford, said the act “will be studied by others” long after she and other lawmakers who contributed to the bill are gone.

District 209 Board of Education President Rodney Alexander said, “We know that representation matters and this legislation provides opportunities for the right teachers to be in the right classrooms.”

Before signing the bill, Gov. Pritzker said, “Improving education, and especially early childhood education, was a focus of mine before I became governor and it’s my great honor to carry forward that mission as governor. As I see it, our work isn’t done until equity and fairness is a guiding principle at all of our schools.”

To read more on HB 2170, visit: stand.org/ illinois/blog/confused-about-black-caucuseducation-bill.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

experiences and that of her daughter who have faced prejudice as Jews.

Slovin talked about the role bystanders play in issues such as civil rights and discrimination, and TEACHING TOLERANCE: The Mobile Museum of Tolerance Brunson said that in visited District 91 on March 4 and 5. the district, students are taught to be “upstanders,” who defend others in a safe way, watching the presentation, is where the real opportunity to learn is.” always going to an adult if they need help.

“We are very excited about the MMOT On Friday, students who are attending classes in-person three days a week got to coming to FPMS,” said Brunson. “We have visit the museum in person, donning masks such a diverse student population in Forest and watching a video about the Holocaust. Park and we must all learn to recognize and Again, the video presentation was followed appreciate our differences.”

Superintendent Lou Cavallo said the up with a discussion.

MMOT “is absolutely essential for our comIt’s the follow-up that’s important.

“You can’t teach these concepts in a munity.” He added, “The Mobile Museum of bubble; they should be followed up by a Tolerance (MMOT) visit fits perfectly with conversation,” said Suzy Dees, director of our Equity Imperative mission of nurturing professional learning from West 40. “All dialogue around all issues of inequity.” the things that students think of later, after Learn more at https://mmot.com/

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

S P O N S O R E D

Chi Taco Grill: Look for fries inside

C O N T E N T

Elmwood Park taqueria puts a Cal-Mex twist on tradition Located northwest of Elmwood Park’s bustling “restaurant row” on North Avenue and just east of “the circle,” Chi Taco Grill, a relative newcomer on the local dining scene, confidently stands alone at 7530 W. Grand Ave. “The road to opening was long because of the renovation and dealing with the pandemic,” said Emilio Godinez, Food Writer co-owner of Chi Taco Grill. “But the Village of Elmwood Park has been great about everything and business so far has been really good.”

Father and son, Hector and Emilio Godinez, purchased the small-scale property three years ago after agreeing something about the eatery appealed to them. It took the co-owners a few years to complete a thoughtful renovation to bring Chi Taco Grill to life, but the passionate

MELISSA ELSMO

duo’s modern taqueria is up and running and bringing a unique California twist to burritos, tacos, tortas and bowls.

Hector, a native of Jalisco in western Mexico, spent his early years cooking alongside his mother and father. Though the self-taught cook’s salsas are influenced by recipes he learned cooking alongside his parents, he had the menu for Chi Taco Grill in the back of his mind ever since he learned about California-style burritos.

Chi Taco puts a twist on tradition by cramming a handful of fresh cut fries into every CALI TORTA: Look for fresh cut fries on the side and inside of Chi Taco’s steak torta. burrito in true Cal Mex style.

Hector took the concept a step farther by including fries inside of Chi Taco’s tortas and vegetarian tacos. In fact, fries are the first ingredient mentioned in nearly every menu item at Chi Taco Grill.

Feedback from eager customers has revealed steak is the most popular filling for Chi Taco’s offerings. Hector credits his special blend of seasonings for the popularity of his meat offerings—he spent years tweaking the recipe until it was just right. Vegetarians, however, have nothing to fear at Chi Taco. A robust mushroom and

IT’S A SIGN: Chi Taco Grill is located at 7530 W Grand Ave. in Elmwood Park.

Lourdes Nicholls

Vegetarians will delight in well-seasoned mushroom and potato tacos from Chi Taco Grill shown here with a duo of house-made salsas.

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2020

Dine -in / Carry Out / Delivery Catering / Bar / Banquet Chinese • Thai • Japanese Cuisine Hibachi Steak House Co-owner Emilio Godinez shows off the branded exterior of Chi Taco Grill. potato mixture can form the base of any bowl, burrito, torta or taco.

As summer draws nearer Hector and Emilio are eager to place a few tables outside and attach drop down benches along the east side of the building to increase their outdoor dining footprint. The taqueria has also been approved for a liquor license by the Village of Elmwood Park and the owners are currently exploring the option of adding a limited bar program to the restaurant including beer offerings and house-made micheladas.

In addition to his thoughtful menu, Hector is especially proud of the distinctive branding behind Chi Taco. Hector’s brother, Felipe Godinez is a creative director and brought Chicago-centric design elements

forward in the branding. Both the logos and color scheme evoke the highly recognizable Chicago flag.

Hector and Emilio are eager to grow the business and replicate the Chi Taco brand of California i n s p i r e d Mexican fare at future locations.

“People from every walk of life are coming to my business and we have a really wonderful clientele,” said Hector. “We are proud our food at Chi Taco is always fresh and delicious. People love the taste of the food.

It is 100% worth the trip from a neighboring suburb.”

Chi Taco puts a twist on tradition by cramming a handful of fresh cut fries into every burrito in true Cal Mex style

*All food items were ordered via carry out and plated at home.

All photos, Melissa Elsmo

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

‘Raucous Saturday night’on Madison Street Citations issued include underage drinking, public urination, excessive noise

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

Multiple local ordinance citations, from public urination to underage drinking and excessive noise, were issued to bars and their patrons up and down Madison Street over the weekend, as people flocked to drinking establishments during one of the first warm weekends in months. The fact that March 6 should have been the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which has been postponed until September because of COVID-19, may have contributed to the crowds and problems, said Forest Park Police Chief Tom Aftanas in an interview March 8.

Among citations issued were those to two underage individuals caught drinking alcohol. One, who was stopped with a cup containing alcohol on Madison Street, said he’d been drinking in Shortstop. The other was stopped with an open container outside Forest Park Tap Room but refused to tell police where he had gotten the drink. Both instances occurred in the early morning hours of March 7.

Both Forest Park Tap Room and Shortstop were the sites of other misbehavior in the wee hours of March 7.

Forest Park Tap Room was issued a citation for serving patrons after hours when police conducted a check at 2:05 a.m. on March 7 and found approximately 10 customers still inside, most, according to the police report, sitting at the bar and drinking alcoholic beverages. The reporting officer said he announced the bar was closed, but the patrons continued drinking. The reporting officer then yelled out that the bar was closed, at which point people finished their drinks and began collecting their belongings.

“It was apparent that the patrons did not appear to be leaving prior to my entry and order to leave the bar, nor was anyone ac-

We are Open!

Photo provided

BE RESPECTFUL: New signs on Forest Park Tap Room urge patrons to have respect when leaving the bar. tively wearing masks or practicing social distancing while in the bar,” wrote the reporting officer in his report.

Early the previous morning, at 2:30 a.m. on March 6, Forest Park Tap Room was issued a citation for excessive noise after a caller reported loud music coming from the bar. According to the police report, “The location has been the source of numerous community complaints.” The reporting officer said he arrived on the scene and the music was so loud that the bartender and DJ couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Finally, according to the report, the DJ turned down the music, but it was “still at an unreasonable level” so the officer asked

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him two more times to turn down the volume, which he did.

The report alleges that bar owner Lance Law refused to provide an ID to the police and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol himself. When police told him that numerous people had called about noise, he responded with, “How is it my problem they bought an apartment on Madison Street next to a bar?”

Co-owner Hansel Law provided his ID to police and was issued a local ordinance citation related to excessive noise.

The police report also said the department had seen multiple videos on that date showing a large group of people, not all of them wearing masks or being properly distanced, consuming alcohol and dancing.

“With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the location appears to be a health risk,” wrote the officer in his report.

In an interview with the Review on March 8, however, Lance Law defended Forest Park Tap Room, 7321 Madison St. Because of promotional events being hosted by the bar, said Law, people are coming from all over the city and nearby suburbs. He said, though, that because of the size of the bar, there is ample room for social distancing, and they have been adhering to guidelines regarding occupancy.

“Capacity is not an issue for us,” Law said. He added that they’ll be beefing up security, which will include having their regular security guard patrol the perimeter around the bar to ensure that patrons leav-

ing will do so safely and without disturbing anyone, and they have posted signs reminding patrons to be respectful of neighbors.

Shortstop, 7413 Madison St., was also the reported location of several citations over the weekend, although none were issued to the bar itself. In addition to the minor caught drinking outside, police reports indicated that the bar was playing loud music and several patrons were walking around outside with open containers of alcohol. A bar patron “stumbled out of the bar heavily intoxicated,” according to the police report, was unable to walk and fell backwards, hitting his head on the sidewalk. Paramedics were called to take him to the hospital.

Owner Marty Sorice acknowledged that there were problems over the weekend and that he and his staff will correct them.

“We had security but at that moment not at the door,” Sorice said in a statement. “We are aware of the minor and to our knowledge he was not in the bar. We were supposed to be at 50 people; if we were over, we intend to correct it. We got a large influx of people right at that point. We certainly are not faultless here and we will seek to improve.”

Although several police reports were related to Tap Room and Shortstop, there were problems at other locations.

“We saw issues along the whole length of Madison Street,” said Aftanas.

There were at least six incidences of public urination on Madison Street and near bars on Randolph Street, according to police reports, and at least seven citations issued for open alcohol.

Aftanas made it clear that the behavior witnessed and ticketed by officers over the weekend won’t be tolerated.

“We don’t want that type of behavior to be a regular thing on Madison Street,” Aftanas said. “We do not want someone to step outside after having dinner somewhere and see someone urinating on the street.”

Aftanas said the midnight shift knows what to look for and will keep an eye on the bars, especially watching for loud music, open containers, underage drinking and lack of social distancing.

“Rules will be strictly enforced,” Aftanas said. He added that officers will maintain communication with bar owners and work with them to correct problems and to remind them to be respectful of their neighbors.

Mayor Rory Hoskins, too, said the weekend was problematic. Like Aftanas, he said he thinks the fact that it was supposed to be the day of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade most likely contributed to the large number of tickets handed out by the police.

“It was a raucous Saturday night,” Hoskins said. “We don’t want Forest Park’s image to be that of rampant public urination or disregard of social distancing.” He said he’s asked police to use their cameras to take pictures of what’s going on inside bars, and each liquor license holder’s occupancy is being reviewed and bar owners will be reminded of the rules, including capacity.

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

9

Car stolen from gas station

A car was stolen from the Citgo gas station at 7323 Randolph St. on March 3 at 5:09 p.m. when a woman left her car running and went inside the store to pay for gas. She took her keys with her, but the offender was able to drive away in her car.

A witness said he observed a male subject in his late teens or early twenties crouching down and walking towards the woman’s car.

He also saw a white SUV parked at another pump at the gas station. The witness saw the male subject get into the woman’s car and flee eastbound down Randolph Street. The white SUV did the same.

OnStar was working in the stolen car, however, and an ignition block was placed on the car, which was located in Chicago.

port that his two driver’s side tires had been slashed and the rear driver side of his car side swiped by an unknown vehicle.

License plate taken The rear license plate and sticker were stolen from a car on the 500 block of Ferdinand Avenue during the overnight hours between March 4 and 5.

Toilet paper stolen

for a delayed burglary report. She said that an unknown offender had ransacked her car. Although no damage was done, miscellaneous documents and a pack of toilet paper were missing.

ment, March 1-7, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded.

Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

A woman on the 1200 block of Marengo Avenue called police on March 3 at 9:21 a.m.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Depart-

Compiled by Maria Maxham

River Forest

CTA trains defaced

FOOT CLINIC

Unknown offenders defaced two train cars at 711 Desplaines Ave. with graffiti. Police were called on March 1 at 12:47 a.m. when an employee discovered the vandalism. The offender(s) apparently gained access to the trains by cutting a large hole in the fence off Van Buren near Grove Lane.

Tires slashed The owner of a vehicle parked in the McGaffer’s parking lot on the 7700 block of Roosevelt Road called police on March 3 to re-

See what all the buzz is about.

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7351 Lake St. (Just west of Panera Bread)

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The key to prevention is early diagnosis of diabetes, and regular foot exams from a podiatrist. Diabetics who receive regular foot care, including paring of calluses and debridement of thick fungal toenails, are almost four times less likely to undergo an

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These include boots, lightweight colorful athletic shoes, and dress shoes. Even patients who are not diabetic love the look and comfort of the footwear. Diabetic socks, slippers and compression hosiery are also available.

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

Proviso East’s Ecology Club Pollinator Garden Groundbreaking

March 10 - 17

BIG WEEK

On March 15 at 3:30 p.m., the PEHS Ecology Club will celebrate their new pollinator garden at Madison Street and Greenwood Avenue in Maywood. The event will be held outside, rain or shine. Masks are required and social distance who be enforced. The garden will be in a 12-foot squared plot and will contain native plants that feed, shelter and sustain local pollinators including butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. To get involved in the project, email amcelhatton@pths209.org

Family Fun Night for St. Patrick’s Day

Virtual Spring Storytime Concert with Little Miss Ann Join the Forest Park Public Library on March 13 from 11 a.m. to noon for a fun, interactive virtual concert for kids. Get ready to clap and dance with award-winning musician Little Miss Ann. Sign up to join the group party at fppl.org/events.

The Forest Park Arts Alliance (FPAA), in conjunction with Creativita, is hosting an online family fun night. Jessica Luciano of Creativita will be leading a craft, and parents have the option of getting the supply kits or a list of supplies needed from Creativita. The craft will be “leprechaun snot and a pot o’ gold slime.” The event will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16. Learn more at facebook.

34153096163 com/events/480634153096163

Green Cleaning Products Join the Forest Park Public Library on March 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. for a virtual presentation from Kate Carney, from the Cook County Department of Environmental and SSustainability, on the basics of household hazardous waste and how to make your own green cleaning products. Register at fppl. org/events or contact Sky at slavin@fpplorg or call 708-366-7171.

Galaxies and Garbage

G. K. Chesterton Society Meeting Join the G. K. Chesterton Society for their meeting and discussion of “The Trees of Pride” by Chesterton on March 13 at 2 p.m. at Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 Madison St.

Join Dr. Mark SubbaRao, Director of the Space Visualization Studio at NASA Goddard, and Forest Park’s own Dr. Julieta Aguilera on March 16 at 9 p.m. for a presentation about data collection, classification and analysis, the latter utilizing the Litterati app in the community of Forest Park as part of the Science, Art and Trash project.

Register for free ahead of time at eventbrite.com/e/galaxies-andgarbage-tickets-144672817291

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

11

Generations of Excellence since 1958

708.771.8040 • 7375 W. North Ave., River Forest Alisa Coghill DonnaAvenue Barnhisel 7375 West North Kay Costello Anne Brennan MANAGING River Forest, Illinois 60305 Maria Cullerton Kevin Calkins BROKER/OWNERS Julie Downey Tom Carraher 708.771.8040 Kurt Fielder Pat Cesario Andy Gagliardo

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12

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

CHICAGO

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

13

OAK PARK

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14

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

BairdWarner.com

232 S Kenilworth Ave Oak Park | $795,000 Jim Gillespie

147 N Euclid Ave, Unit 406 Oak Park | $689,000 Hughes Home Team

6624 Windsor Ave Berywn | $589,000 Sandra Dita Lopez

2022 N Wood St, Unit 1N Chicago | $580,000 Elsa Lucas

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715 Washington Blvd, #2D Oak Park | $219,000 Bethanny Alexander

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

15

Keys required for dog park Gates will be locked beginning May 1

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

RENDERING

PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS

Coming this spring or summer from page 1 umrei and wife Rachel Caskey, who are looking forward to opening a store that will be driven largely by community engagement.

Krumrei said they are thrilled to have chosen a location in Forest Park and appreciate the warm welcome they’ve already received from the village and surrounding communities. Parents to three children, Krumrei, who is a military veteran and Caskey, a physician, are especially excited to partner with local nonprofits.

The Play It Again Sports website describes its business model this way: “You may never outgrow your favorite sports — but you may outgrow your equipment.

Your locally owned Play It Again Sports provides an easy way to sell your quality used sports and fitness gear and get paid on the spot or trade up for what you need now.” Customers can save by purchasing affordable used gear or choose from their selection of brand-new equipment from the most popular brands.

Here’s how it works: You bring sports and fitness gear you are no longer using into the store where it will be reviewed by a member of the staff. Based on condition and market demand, they will make you an offer which if accepted will be paid in cash. Play It Again accepts all equipment from team sports like baseball and soccer, as well as individual sports and home gym equipment. The closest franchises to the new Forest Park location are in Westmont and Oak Lawn.

King represented ownership in the transaction, and John Lawrence of Berkshire Hathaway represented the franchisee.

For more information, visit playitagainsports.com/locations/forest-park-il The owners are looking forward to connecting with local sport teams, clubs, sport organizations, park districts and schools. Social media and emails are under construction and will be up and running soon. To reach the owners, or for additional information, please contact representatives Jenny Shepherd or Christine Barnard at jenny@jennyshepherdpr.com

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

NEW NEIGHBOR: Erich Krumrei has leased the old Hallmark location at 7443 Madison St. and will be opening a Play It Again Sports franchise in late spring or early summer.

The village council voted on March 8 to begin issuing keys for the local dog park, sometimes referred to as the Forest Bark Dog Park, at 632 Circle Ave. Currently, the park is unlocked, and although a license to use it is required by local ordinance and registered dogs should be wearing the village-issued dog tag, rules aren’t often enforced.

Beginning May 1, however, with the expiration of existing licenses on April 30, the park will be locked and accessible only by those who have keys.

The problem with open access to the park, explained Commissioner Jessica Voogd at the March 8 village council meeting, is safety.

“To get these licenses, you have to confirm that your dogs are up to date on all vaccines and that sort of thing,” Voogd said. “So we want to make sure … that we are having only dogs in there that are up to date on shots.”

According to the village ordinance regarding the dog park, keys and licenses to use the park will only be issued for dogs current on rabies shots who have, within the past year, been examined for communicable diseases and vaccinated or have immunity tested for distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus and Bordetella.

Residents pay $10 for their first dog and $2 for each additional dog to use the park. Nonresidents will be charged $50 for their first dog and $5 for each additional dog. A fee of $20 will be charged for replacement of lost keys.

Commissioner Dan Novak, who voted against the ordinance change, said the village should take a harder look at raising the rates.

“I support the dog park and the use of the dog park,” Novak said during the meeting, but added, “I just think we’re not charging enough.”

He asked if case studies had been done on dog parks in surrounding areas to see what was being charged elsewhere and suggested grandfathering in dog park users whose licenses expire on April 30, allowing them to renew ahead of time and lock in the old rates.

Without a proper P&L study or report, including labor and necessary improvements to maintain the park, it’s impossible to determine what costs for dog-park users should be, Novak argued.

Voogd said this first year of keyed access to the park would be a “trial year” to see how many people actually pay for a license and get a key.

“We can get a better sense of how many people are using the space,” Voogd said. “So I feel like it’s on the short-term agenda in the next year or two to revisit what those prices are and see if we need to raise them, but we didn’t want to do that just yet.”

16

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

Proviso program empowers young mothers ‘Common sense’ skills taught to at-risk residents

choices when it came to men,” she said, “until this man showed me a different way to live.

Until he came, I never knew about that other type of life.”

One goal of WIN Life, therefore, is to hold

By TOM HOLMES up to the young women who participate a difContributing Reporter ferent narrative for their futures. She has observed that many young black women think On March 4, a new program kicked off, “ain’t no use in going to school cause I ain’t aimed at providing essential skills to at-risk going to get the job anyway.” mothers in Proviso Township.

“We have to start changing how we think,” The road from adolescence to adulthood she said. “Sometimes they don’t know that is bumpy for almost everyone, but if you are and sometimes they don’t even know the life young, black and female there will be some they have is not good. Sometimes we think added challenges to getthat what we have is the ting where you want to way it is supposed to be. go.

Sometimes it’s enough to As one way of addressopen someone up to know ing these challenges, a that choices can become new program, WIN Life available.”

Plan for Women has startLeMonde added, “We ed, a program that aims always have to make to bring “empowerment choices. We hope the and parenting strategies WIN Life Plan will spark for effective family and something in them that community well-being.” says ‘this is not the way it According to the prois supposed to be. I don’t motional materials, the have to accept just any re16-week program “aslationship.’” sists women (ages 18-25) According to Valerie, “I to explore a variety of want the women to know Photo provided situations that impact this: we have to quit laytheir personal growth HELPIING OTHER WOMEN: Valing down and accepting potential. We will explore erie Goodloe strives to help at-risk things, prior to knowing personal growth and emwomen through the work she does at who we are.” powerment beneficial to A Maywood resident creating a well-function- W.I.N. LIFE, which she founded. named Barbara Cole ing family environment. invited her to come to Recognizing personal strengths and building Maywood and run her program after viewupon a strong set of values will help to elimi- ing Valerie’s documentary film Gang Girl: A nate unproductive thinking that interferes Mother’s Journey to Save Her Daughter. with the potential for having a positive influAfter seeing her work, Cole knew they ence on the well-being of the family and com- were kindred spirits. The Maywood Youth munity.”

Mentoring Program, which she has been diValerie Goodloe, who created WIN Life, recting since 1992, has the stated mission of said, “African-American women today are “improving the quality of life for Proviso in a living situation where almost as soon as Township youth through mentoring activithey walk out the door, they’re at risk. Many ties, to improve critical-thinking, leading to things contribute — unemployment, being good decision-making, literacy, and cultural marginalized in communities where there is enrichment of Proviso Township youth.” no access to things they need, and maybe inValerie Goodloe’s life is testimony to the accurate information passed down from their effectiveness of her program. In her 70 years, parents.” she has journeyed from a life of using drugs That said, Goodloe and her husband, LeM- and serial relationships to being married to onde, who together run their nonprofit WIN- LeMonde for forty years, getting certified DOW (Women In Need of Discovering Own as a photo journalist by the prestigious MeWorth) focus not on challenges outside of young dill School of Journalism, working as a staff women but on what is going on inside them. photographer for Johnson Publishing, and “We focus on common-sense things,” Valer- accompanying Barack Obama as a photograie explained, “that may help them make better pher during his campaign for the presidency. choices regarding, for example, time management, dependability, health, and self-esteem.

For info: Barbara D. Cole, Maywood The biggest force against us in our community Youth Mentoring Program Inc., 708-344-3577, is not having functional households.” barbaracole@maywoodyouthmentorg.org or A recovering alcoholic who has been sober Valerie Goodloe, executive director, WINDOW, for 40 years, she has six children from three window@windoworganization.org. different relationships. “I hadn’t made good

Getting a good job without four years of college Triton College, Proviso high schools provide opportunities

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Tim Stefl is a Forest Park plumber who started his own business in 2007, has eight employees working for him and has not spent one day in a four-year college.

He didn’t disclose how much he makes in a year, but a website called Career Explorer reports that the average yearly salary for plumbers in Illinois is $79,400 and can go as high as $156,513.

A recent NPR report with the headline, “High-Paying Trade Jobs Sit Empty, While High School Grads Line Up for University” said, “High school graduates have been so effectively encouraged to get a bachelor’s that high-paid jobs requiring shorter and less expensive training are going unfilled. This affects those students and also poses a real threat to the economy. There are some 30 million jobs in the United States that pay an average of $55,000 per year that don’t require bachelor’s degrees.”

Paul Jensen, associate vice president of Academic Innovation and Workforce Education at Triton College in River Grove, said Triton has for many years been providing students opportunities to prepare for jobs that industry is asking for and at a cost and in a time frame that is manageable.

For example, students can be certified in Triton’s Architectural Technology program after just two semesters, with graduates earning a starting salary of $27.32/hour. Students who have taken the 12-week-long Pharmacy Technician program start at $17.80/hour and the starting hourly wage for students completing the Automotive Technology course is $20.24.

Jensen added that a concept he calls “stackability” informs the design of a substantial number of courses in Triton’s curriculum.

“The college has a number of educational and training programs that are specifically designed for industry’s needs and that are not two-year programs. We have certificates that are one or two semesters in length. When you are done, you can sit for an exam, get an industry credential and go right to the workforce.

And if you want, you can come back later or can take classes while you are working and continue toward a degree.”

Jensen offered the following example: “You can get a certificate in automotive engine repair at Triton, be qualified to

work in an automotive repair shop and can start earning money working on specific parts of a car. Then when you have time and money saved up, you can apply that course work to a degree and take courses in automotive transmission or suspension repair, and step-by-step finish your associate degree.

Many high school graduates have neither the time nor money to invest in a two-year associates program, let alone a four-year college course of study. Stackability at Triton allows students to enter the workforce quickly, earn money, and re-enter training in ways that fit their resources.

“Will I get a job after I complete my coursework?” is the question every student asks. Jensen said Triton has a good reputation for preparing students for the workplace. The statistics a few years ago showed that 97% of the graduates of Triton’s culinary and hospitality program found work.

Jensen added that it depends on the job market. Right now the pandemic has had a devastating effect on the hospitality industry, but there are signs that hiring will pick up as the economy reopens.

“The good news,” he said, “is that we see signs the economy is improving. At the local level we are seeing a lot more interest by employers, with a lot more calls than last year and more interest in our job fairs. Students nearing graduation have been encouraged.”

Although D209 administrators do not use the term “stackability,” that is in effect what is happening in Chef Keith Morris’ culinary arts and nutrition classes at Proviso East High School. In his newly constructed industrial class kitchen, Morris isn’t teaching his students to cook. He’s preparing them for an occupation.

One of his students, Britin Wheaton, who was a senior at Proviso East two years ago, took all three courses that Chef Morris and his colleague Jennifer Miller offered. She said, “I have the goal of becoming a bakery and pastry chef. I plan on going on to Triton College and taking culinary classes there for two years and then finishing at a four-year university.”

Tim Stefl, as it turned out, was and is not a college kind of guy. He likes working with his hands, he’s good at what he does, and he makes a good living doing it.

In a way he stacked his training. While working, he got increased training in one-day workshops with online courses and by reading as he went along.

Clearly, four years of college is not for everyone, especially when they have to carry a six-figure debt and have to then get a professional master’s degree to be prepared for a real job.

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

17

Helping adults stay connected through better hearing Forest Park’s new audiologist talks about hearing loss and cognitive decline

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

“Hearing aids are my passion,” said Dr. Meg Hebb, “because they are the meaningful difference maker for most people with hearing loss, the game changer in their dayto-day life.”

Hebb, who will be the new audiologist at Connect Hearing, 7249 Madison St., beginning March 8, always wanted to go into healthcare, but not specifically the life-ordeath aspect of medicine.

“I was more interested in improving quality of life,” Hebb said. “I think that’s something really unique about audiology, in that we’re not there to extend life, we’re there to make life worth living, to help maintain social connections, and to keep your brain aging younger, giving you all the sensory input that you need.”

She was also influenced to choose this career path because her younger sister had hearing loss, and Hebb watched her grow up seeing an audiologist and a speech and language pathologist. Initially, Hebb said that fueled an interest in speech and language pathology, but the more classes she took, the more she realized it was the technology, specifically hearing aids, that interested her

the most.

Equally as compelling to her, though, is the focus on relationships in audiology. She enjoys the connections she develops with patients, but she also deeply values the relationships her patients have with people in their lives and the world around them.

The connection between cognition, including dementia, is a big focus for Hebb, who said that while hearing aids certainly won’t prevent dementia, they can significantly aid in a person’s ability to interact with the world. They also allow the brain to focus on things other than filling in gaps like it does in the early stages of hearing loss, supplying bits and pieces of information your ears aren’t hearing.

That the brain can do that is great, Hebb said.

“But after many years of having to spend all this extra cognitive energy on hearing, you’re pulling a cognitive resource away from things like working memory and problem solving,” said Hebb. “So we want to make listening effortless, because that can all contribute to cognitive decline and dementia.”

Additionally, hearing loss affects cognition because it can

cause a lack of interaction, oftentimes in situations that are socially integral in someone’s life, like family gatherings or meals in a retirement home.

“If you get into that situation, and you can’t hear or understand, you start to withdraw. It’s much easier to just take a backseat to the conversation than it is to continue to push forward,” Hebb said. “And when we see that withdrawal, we see higher instances of depression and isolation in seniors, which is also linked to dementia and cognitive decline. The more we are engaged in the world around us and the more stimulation our brain has on a regular basis, the better it’s going to age.”

Addressing hearing loss as early as possible is important, said Hebb, because it’s easier to adapt to hearing aids when you’re younger.

But one of the reasons people don’t seek help right away for hearing loss is because it generally isn’t something that happens overnight.

“Hearing loss is tricky, because for most people, it isn’t a big sudden drop, it’s gradually over time you start to experience it,” Hebb said. “Before it becomes really a huge problem

and a barrier for communication, it still may be there and manifesting in ways that you don’t necessarily think of right away.”

Connect Hearing works primarily with adults, said Hebb, and typically their patients are in the 65+ age group. But younger adults can experience hearing loss too.

“Hearing loss can have a lot of different causes,” said Hebb. “A big concern these days is headphones causing noise induced hearing loss. So sometimes we’ll have patients who, you know, maybe they’re a musician, and they haven’t been using appropriate hearing protection.”

Some problems are simple, like a build-up of ear wax causing hearing difficulties. Or maybe problems in hearing can be related to a virus. In cases such as those, hearing is often restored. But when it’s not, there are options. Regardless, said Hebb, it’s a good practice to visit an audiologist in your 40s, just to get a baseline to compare future exams to. And at Connect Hearing, first time evaluations are completely complimentary, said Hebb, and for people who have no issues, the clinic will give them tips on how to preserve and protect their hearing.

Hebb, who holds a clinical doctorate, said she’s looking forward to joining the Forest Park community at Connect. She completed four years of undergraduate school and then a doctorate program at Rush, which included clinical rotations. She did her clinical residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

KEEPING PEOPLE CONNECTED: Dr. Meg Hebb became the primary audiologist at Connect Hearing, 7249 Madison St., on March 8.

Photo provided

Candy factory controversy Union carpenters claim Ferrara Pan guilty of unfair practices

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

On March 9, union carpenters on the Circle Avenue bridge held signs protesting Ferrara Pan’s business practices, but it wasn’t the first time they’ve made their grievances known. Representatives from the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters have been standing regularly outside Ferrara Pan, 7301 Harrison St., for over two weeks.

One of the signs read, “Shame on Ferrara for making taxpayers look like suckers” with pictures of red and green lollipops on it.

The picketers from the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters are in a dispute with Ferrara Pan over the company’s choice

to hire non-union workers at their new DeKalb facility, said Keith Jutkins, vice president of the Chicago council. The Ferrara Pan distribution facility in DeKalb, he said, is receiving tax incentives from the state but is refusing to hire union workers.

The union’s website claims that “Ferrara has taken millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies only to support contractors who pay below the area standard wages and benefits. This hurts our communities and takes money away from our local economies.”

“All we want is a fair shot,” he said. “We want to resolve this issue.”

Ferrara representatives, however, haven’t sat down with the union for a discussion, according to Jutkins.

The union, he said, is also renting space on a billboard off the I-290 expressway at Kedzie letting the public know about the issue.

“We’re showing our point of view through a banner,” Jutkins said.

The Review reached out to Ferrara Pan via email last week but did not receive a response.

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

OPINION O U R

V I E W

Middle ground on Harrison

T

he proposed apartment development on Harrison Street near The Park got an expected rocky reception from neighbors last week before the Forest Park Plan Commission. The public comments were critical of the proposed four-story, 57-unit project. The complaints were: too tall, too dense, too little parking, too much traffic, water and sewer worries, and expected noise from a rooftop deck.

The plan commission heard a lackluster presentation from one of the developers. It then continued the meeting until April and asked the developer to come back with more details on several of the specific issues raised by neighbors.

This initial proposal may be too dense. A compromise on height and number of units may be necessary and fair.

Neighbors though also need to be ready to compromise.

The hard reality is that the nearly block-long site currently houses an auto repair shop. And that’s the highlight. The balance of the parcel is an old restaurant that has been basically shuttered for a decade. When it does sporadically pop back to use it is a use that frustrates the neighbors. When it is dormant, it attracts pests and complaints.

The status quo is a flop.

Given current development trends, an apartment project is the least surprising suggested use. And refuting concerns that Forest Park will have too many apartments, well that is the risk the developer takes. Someone will live in these units and, based on the current proposal, even if rents soften this will still be a fairly high-end project. That’s good for Forest Park.

Also useful to remember is that this parcel faces outward to the north. The Park. The el. The Ike. And while it backs up to a single-family block to the south, it is, just as it long has been, a more active commercial use. While it must respect its single-family neighbors, it is zoned for a different use.

Neighbors also undersell their neighborhood when they denigrate the site’s appeal as a transit-oriented development. The Blue Line should be a selling point and a point of pride for Forest Park south of Madison. Argue over the number of parking spaces but check the research and you’ll see that many younger tenants choose to live near public transit and combine it with Uber rather than pay the high cost of owning a car.

Don’t drive this developer out. Find common ground. Or just watch the Pines rot some more.

St. Pat’s excess Even in a pandemic, knuckleheads, it turns out, will drink to excess on the evening of Forest Park’s traditional St. Patrick’s Day Parade. That is the explanation for why Madison Street bars were so rowdy last Saturday night. The usual public urination, excess noise and general self-debasement.

Oh and did we mention in the middle of a pandemic?

Forest Park police hope the street quiets in the weekends to come even as spring comes calling. We’re not confident in that and expect the force to be present and active to contain the chaos.

I

The Coronavirus Film Festival

have watched more movies during the pandemic than I have in probably any three years of my life combined — 107 over the last year. We started out watching old favorites.

Comfort-food movies, the kind you’d always stop on while channel-surfing on a rainy Sunday in November.

That got dull quickly, though, so my wife invented the Coronavirus Film Festival. She’d come up with a few categories: “Disaster,” “Musician in a NonMusical Role,” “Movie with Clues,” etc.

The fam would come up with movies in the categories, write them on slips of paper, throw them into a hat, and pull one when we had a couple hours.

A few reviews:

Tenet Times more couple a Tenet see to need probably I to really grasp whatever the heck that was but goodness was it fun to look at.

Point Break Everything you need to know about Point Break is that Keanu Reeves is an FBI agent on the trail of surfing bank robbers and the case-breaking clue is a butt.

ALAN

Godzilla (1998) Here’s the thing about this amazing and legendary failure: It’s almost a decent kaiju movie. They got the spectacle, they got the barely-there characters, they got the magnitude, they got the laughable coincidences, they got the scientist no one listens to, they got the military doofus. They just totally whiffed on the one single thing you must get right in a Godzilla movie and that is Godzilla himself. The kaiju is not Godzilla in any way at all. If this movie had been described as “giant velociraptor trashes the Big Apple” and they’d called Dino York, it would have been a great popcorn flick.

BROUILETTE

Some Like It Hot So it turns out classics are classics for a reason. This was my pick from the “AFI Top 100” category and it was awesome. I had been worried. Two things stood out: 1) A movie from 1959 featuring men disguised as women could have aged very, very badly. This one has not. There are no winces in the film that weren’t there in 1959.

2) I had never especially understood the phenomenon of Marilyn Monroe. That is, it turns out, because I had never seen a movie with Marilyn Monroe in it.

I get it now. Holy moly. Her presence on the screen is so otherworldly it is as though she was filmed with special effects. She nearly glows in the dark.

Moonstruck, Major League, Planes Trains & Automobiles The movie equivalent of pitching a perfect game is “There is not one wasted second in this film. You cannot alter anything without making the movie lesser.”

Three of the four examples from the CFF are listed above.

Titanic This is two movies stapled together: A slightly draggy romance and an amazing disaster movie. I love disaster movies. You could turn the first hour and a half or so into about a 10-minute montage and I would be very happy with it. If I ran across Titanic on TBS while channel-surfing, I would come back right about the time the lookout’s eyes widen.

Gigli This movie is awful. It is offensive, dumb, incoherent, mean, poorly acted, poorly written, and features zero chemistry between the two leads despite having been made entirely to capitalize on their then-red-hot romance. I am telling you about it because it is awful in the most fabulously mockable way. Buy yourself a couple cookies at a dispensary and fire up Gigli in the company of folks you think are funny.

Showgirls Brace yourselves: Of the 107 movies, this is the movie that most exceeded expectations. This movie was ahead of its time. In a post-#MeToo world, Showgirls looks more like a brutal and damning allegory of how Hollywood treats women than the unrealistic overblown campy disaster it was regarded to be when it came out. It was only over-the-top unrealistic until folks knew a lot more about magnates like Harvey Weinstein. Twenty-five years later, it looks a lot more like ruthless satire than high-budget soft-porn. If you doubt this is about how the showbiz machine chews up young women, ask Elizabeth Berkeley, who gives maybe the most fearless performance as an unlikable person I have ever seen in anything and was absolutely slaughtered for it. One wonders how a more established performer would have fared with critics.

Dirty Dancing This is the other perfect game. I had, unsurprisingly, never seen Dirty Dancing. This movie taught me how to watch a movie that was not made for me (or anyone I have ever been). You could not more accurately activate the pleasure centers in the youthful female brain without electrically-charged probes and an MRI machine, and maybe not even then. Listen: Baby establishes immediately that she is 18. The rest of the film is devoted to chronicling her journey from 14 to 30 in the space of a summer. She demonstrates and overcomes awkwardness. She learns to dance and she is the best at it. She has an edgy encounter in which she saves the day despite not being directly involved with the situation itself. She argues with her father, eloquently, and he agrees she is correct. She has sex for the first time, and she is confident and skilled. It’s amazing to watch something that is meant to push buttons that are not installed in you.

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

s c i t i l o P All !

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n o s w e n e at d o t p u e nd a t n e Get all th m n er v o g L A s C n O o i L t c r e u l o y Le A C O L g in m o c ED p u H S I the B R FU E R & W at the NE

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Please Check Your Ad: The publisher will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion.

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PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of KEVIN KHANG DINH Case Number 20214000570 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: KEVIN KHANG DINH to the new name of: KEVIN KHANG LEODINH The court date will be held: On April 13, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom Video-conference. Please use the information below to access the hearing.

ZOOM MEETING ID: 914 3462 0283 ZOOM PASSSWORD: 988648 CALL IN: 3126266799 Published in RBLandmark 2/24, 3/3, 3/10/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of WILLIAM DEWAYNE LEONE Case Number 20214000561 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: WILLIAM DEWAYNE LEONE to the new name of: WILLIAM DEWAYNE LEODINH The court date will be held: On April 13, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom Video-conference. Please use the information below to access the hearing.

ZOOM MEETING ID: 936 6870 5913 ZOOM PASSSWORD: 862976 CALL IN: 3126266799 Published in RBLandmark 2/24, 3/3 3/10/2021

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Asha Andriana Berry Case Number 20214000560 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Asha Andriana Berry to the new name of: Asha Andriana The court date will be held: On April 13, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. at 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Cook County, IL in Courtroom # 0112.

Published in Wednesday Journal 2/24, 3/3, 3/10/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE CLAIMS NOTICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, COUNTY DEPARTMENT, PROBATE DIVISION. ESTATE OF JASON EDWARD BOBZIN, DECEASED. NO. 2020 P 006222.

Notice is given to creditors of the death of the above named decedent. Letters of office were issued to COURTNEY MARIE BOBZINMOHAMMED, 1002 SPRUCE ST., APT 1A, GELNDALE HTS., Il 60139, as Independent Administrator, whose attorney of record is DANSBY G. CHEEKS, 108 MADISON ST., OAK PARK, IL 60302.

The estate will be administered without court supervision, unless under section 5/28-4 of the Probate Act (Ill. Compiled Stat. 1992, Ch. 755, par.

5/28-4) any interested person terminates independent administration at any time by mailing or delivering a petition to terminate to the clerk.

Claims against the estate may be filed in the office of the clerk in Room 1202, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL, or with the representative, or both, on or before AUGUST 24, 2021, or, if mailing or delivery of a notice from the representative is required by section 5/18-3 of the Probate Act, the date stated in that notice. Any claim not filed on or before that date is barred. Copies of a claim filed with the clerk must be mailed or delivered by the claimant to the representative and to the attorney within 10 days after it has been filed. E filing is now mandatory for documents in civil cases with limited exemptions. To e-file, you must first create an account with an e-filing service provider. Visit http://efile.illinoiscourts.gov/ service-providers.htm to learn more and to select a service provider. If you need additional help or have trouble e-filing, Visit http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/FAQ/ gethelp.asp.

ATTY. DANSBY G. CHEEKS, Published in Wednesday Journal 2/24, 3/3, 3/10/2021

Attention! Home-improvement pros!

Reach the people making the decisions – your target demographic.

Place an ad in Wednesday Classifieds! Call 708/613-3342

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online • Available 24/7/365 ForestParkReview.com PublicNoticeIllinois.com

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE 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: Y21006103 on February 25, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of ADG HANDYMAN SERVICES with the business located at: 2417 N. 75TH AVE UNIT F, ELMWOOD PARK, IL 60707. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ALBERT JOSEPH DEGENOVA 2417 N. 75TH AVE UIT F, ELMWOOD PARK, IL 60707, USA

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: Y21006062 on February 24, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of FIRST FINANCIAL PLUS with the business located at: 4232 EDGEWATER AVENUE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: STEEVE KIDD 4232 EDGEWATER AVENUE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162

Published in Wednesday Journal 3/3, 3/10, 3/17/2021

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: Y21006089 on February 25, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of WILSON FINANCIAL with the business located at: 1126 N. 6TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153.

The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: ALEATHA WILSON 1126 N. 6TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153, USA

Published in Forest Park Review 3/10, 3/17, 3/24/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Maeve Madeleine Kennedy Riordan Case Number 2021CONC000230 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Maeve Madeleine Kennedy Riordan to the new name of: Rory Quinn Kennedy Riordan The court date will be held: On May 13, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at Cook County Court Calendar 6.

Published in Forest Park Review 3/3, 3/10, 3/17/2021

Published in Wednesday Journal 3/10, 3/17, 3/24/2021

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: Y21006185 on March 5, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of TWISTED SOU’LS CATERING with the business located at:139 HARRISON ST APT 2N, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ANTHONY BOWMAN 139 HARISON ST APT 2N, OAK PARK, IL 60304, USA

INVITATION TO COMMENT ON A PROPOSED TOWER CONSTRUCTION: The Village of Riverside is proposing to construct a 120-foot tall self-support communications tower (overall height including top-mounted appurtenances) at the Public Works Department, 3860 Columbus Boulevard, Riverside, Cook County, Illinois. The type of lighting (if required) for the tower has not yet been determined.

Published in Wednesday Journal 3/10, 3/17, 3/24/2021

Starting a new business in 2021?

The Village of Riverside invites comments from any interested party on the impact the proposed undertaking may have on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering, or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Comments pertaining specifically to potential effects on historic resources may be submitted within 30 days from this publication to: Ben Youra, G2 Consulting Group, LLC, 1186 Heather Dr. in Lake Zurich, IL 60047, Phone: 847-3538740, e-mail: byoura@g2consultinggroup.com This notice is provided in accordance with the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission, 47 C.F.R. Part 1, Subpart I and Appendices B and C. Published in RB Landmark 3/10/2021

Call the experts before you place your legal ad!

Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice in • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside Brookfield Landmark • Austin Weekly News • Village Free Press Call 708/613-3342 to advertise.

PUBLIC NOTICES

local employees...

happy employees!

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE SECTION 000020 – LEGAL NOTICE Village of Brookfield 8820 Brookfield Avenue Brookfield, Illinois 60513 Candy Cane Park The Village of Brookfield does hereby invite sealed bids for redevelopment construction of Candy Cane Park. Work will include site clearing, earthwork operations, storm sewer, asphalt paving, concrete curbs, walks and paving, shelter, site furnishings, playfield equipment, fencing, and planting and seeding.

Project manuals, including bid form and specifications, and construction documents are available after 10:00 AM on March 11, 2021 from Accurate Reprographics, 2368 Corporate Lane, Suite 100, Naperville, Illinois 60563, 630-428-4433 www. hitchcockplanroom.com.

Bidding documents are available for download and print at the non-refundable cost of reproduction.

Bids will be accepted at the Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513, during regular office hours. All bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked with the Contractor’s name and address, and “Bid for Candy Cane Park,” on the face of the envelope. Bids must be received no later than 10:00 AM March 25, 2021. Bids will be opened on March 25, 2021 at 10:01 AM at the Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513. All bidders will be required to submit Bid Security in the form of a Bid Bond, Certified Check, Cashier’s Check in the amount of 10% of the Base Bid, payable to the Village of Brookfield.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

The successful bidder, as determined by the Village of Brookfield, shall be required to pay, and to agree to pay no less than the Prevailing Rate of Wages, pursuant to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130) for the locality of the Village of Brookfield (Cook County), to each laborer worker, or mechanic needed or used to complete the work as detailed in the contract to be let. The successful contractor, and all subcontractors shall be required to submit, to the Village of Brookfield, certified payrolls no later than the tenth day of each calendar month for the immediately preceding month.

The Village of Brookfield reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, parts of any and all proposals, or to waive technical errors or omissions in submitted proposals.

No submitted bid may be withdrawn until a period of sixty (60) days after the bid opening date, without written consent of the Village of Brookfield.

The Village of Brookfield encourages minority business firms to submit bids on this project and the successful contract bidder to utilize minority businesses as sub-contractors for supplies, equipment, services, and construction.

Questions should be directed to Bridget Deatrick or Steve Konters, Hitchcock Design Group at 630.961.1787 bdeatrick@hitchcockdesigngroup.com or skonters@ hitchcockdesigngroup.com.

Wednesday Classified 3 Great Papers, 6 Communities To Place Your Ad, Call: 708/613-3333

PUBLIC NOTICES

This project is being financed, in part, with funds from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, “Open Space Land Acquisition & Development” (OSLAD) grant program.

END OF SECTION 000020 Published in RB Landmark 3/10/2021

Hire Local. Place an ad on Wednesday Classified’s Local Online Job Board.

Go to ForestParkReview.com/classified today!

Contact Mary Ellen Nelligan for more information.

(708) 613-3342 • maryellen@forestparkreview.com

P

Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021

INC., REALTOR

(708) 366-8989 7342 MADISON ST, FOREST PARK, ILLINOIS 60130

SOLD!

928 S. Kenilworth Ave. Oak Park ....................$275,000

1028 Beloit Forest Park ....................$289,000

SOLD!

Property has been owner occupied by the same family for 50+ years. 1st fl has spacious living rm and dining rm, kitchen and 1/2 bath. 2nd floor has three bedrooms and full bath. Stucco exterior and 2 car detached garage.

Great location in south west Oak Park. Needs some updating but livable as-is.

935 Elgin Avenue, Forest Park ........................$489,000 This is a money maker! This early 1970s brick four flat houses two one bedroom apartments on the top floor, a large three bedroom two bath apartment on the first floor, and a large two bedroom two bathroom apartment in the lower level. Tandem parking for 8 cars.

Meticulously maintained by the current owner for several decades.

The numbers work! This one really won't last long.

SOLD!

CELEBRATE INTELLECTUAL/ DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH As COVID-19 emerged in March 2020, Amanda, resident of a UCP Seguin group home in Oak Park, was presented with a major dilemma.

With a dual diagnosis of intellectual disabilities and bipolar disorder, she asked the question: how would she cope with challenges brought on by the pandemic?

Initially UCP Seguin was ordered to close its day services sites, including the Levinson Center in Oak Park where Amanda received life skills training and other services to promote community integration. She had to “shelter-in-place” in her group home.

Amanda faced social isolation and the potential of worsening mental and physical health. UCP Seguin deployed day services staff to her group home to ensure around-the-clock provision of enrichment activities, therapy, and other interventions.

CONTACT US

UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago 3100 South Central Avenue Cicero, IL 60804 708.863.3803

This 3 BR, 2.1 BA home has not been available in over 55 years.

It has been meticulously maintained within the same family for that time. This home offers two first floor good sized bedrooms and a large second floor master. Each floor has a full updated bathroom. The first floor living room, with it's vaulted ceilings, fill with sunlight pouring from the front foyer windows.

1117 Marengo Avenue, Forest Park .......................$263,500 What a great opportunity to get into Forest Park at an affordable price! This home offers four total bedrooms, two on the second floor and two on the first floor. The home is in perfect condition!

Living room, dining room, and eat in kitchen, plus a finished basement. Huge deck off the back of the house and a very large two car garage!

337 Marengo Avenue, Forest Park ......................$275,000 Fantastic location alert!! Just a stones throw from Madison Street shopping, restaurants, and night life makes this a very desirable piece of real estate! This is two flat is ready for some love and attention. Just stuck in time is all. Or a fantastic de-conversion to single family! So bring your decorating ideas, and be prepared to fall in love!

OVERCOMING SOCIAL ISOLATION DURING THE PANDEMIC... with Help From UCP Seguin

I/DD CONSORTIUM

SOLD!

UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago believes that all people, regardless of ability, deserve to achieve their potential, advance their independence and act as full members of the

Community Support Services cssservices.org Oak Leyden Developmental Services oak-leyden.org

Using her iPad, Amanda has participated in remote Zoom video activities, such as cooking and fitness classes, conducted by day services staff. With assistance from Board Certified Behavior Analyst Dana Pavlik, Amanda has helped conduct a weekly class for other participants called “Fun Times With Dana: Let’s Get Social!”

In these classes, participants are presented with a basic understanding of the new norm and how best to cope with it.

With UCP Seguin support, Amanda has been “Alone Together” with the community, succeeding in overcoming the challenges of her dual disabilities and the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOLD!

Oak Park Township Senior Services oakparktownship.org/senior-services Opportunity Knocks opportunityknocksnow.org PACTT Learning Center pactt.org Progress Center for Independent Living progresscil.org Riveredge Hospital riveredgehospital.com 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.

Suburban Access, Inc. subacc.org The Answer, Inc. theanswerinc.org UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago ucpseguin.org West Suburban Special Recreation wssra.net

info@seguin.org ucpseguin.org facebook.com/UCPSeguin twitter.com/UCPSeguin

You can show your support for our Consortium members and the great work they do by visiting their websites – learn more, donate, volunteer, and follow them on social media. We appreciate your support!

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Forest Park Review, March 10, 2021