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House Speaker Welch joins town hall on D209’s Sports Complex at Proviso West

District wants more feedback as planning process continues

Amaris E. Rodriguez Contributing Reporter

“Yes, $40 million is in this state budget for Proviso West High School to build a sports complex and I make no apologies about it,” said Chris Welch, speaker of the Illinois House. Welch is widely credited, and sometimes criticized, for getting the Proviso funding into a tight state budget. Welch was back in the cafeteria of his alma mater on Thursday, Nov 20. to speak with D209 administrators, community members and stakeholders about the $40 million grant designated for the construction of a new sports complex at the high school.

The town hall was held at West to discuss the Sports Complex Design Proposal

See SPORTS COMPLEX on pa ge 8

AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ

Superintendent Kris Mohip addresses communi ty members regarding the Spor ts Complex grant to build new sta te-of-the art facilities for Prov iso West.

By HOPE BAKER Contributing Reporter

District 91’s school board hopes to soon take its next step towards finding a new superintendent of schools: the hiring of a search firm to help. otential firms made presentations durEducation meeting on Nov. 13. The ontenders are: School Exec Connect, Edu-

The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is committed to supporting, creating, and implementing solutions identified in our landmark Community Voices report. Our 2024-25 Community Grants recipients are advancing the strategic priority of mental and behavioral health for youth and young adults.

Our community and those who work tirelessly to support it need your help — we hope you will consider them in your year-end giving.

We recognize and celebrate the Community Grants Cohort:

• A Greater Good Foundation

• &Rise

• Austin Coming Together

• BUILD

• Dominican University

• Family Service and Mental Health Center of Cicero

• The Firehouse Dream

• Front Porch Arts Center

• Kehrein Center for the Arts Foundation

• Kinfolk CoLab

• Maywood Fine Arts

• Nehemiah Community Project

• New Moms

• Race Conscious Dialogues

• Thrive Counseling Center

• YEMBA

• Youth Crossroads

• Youth Outreach Services

Invasion of the Scarecrows awards

e Historical Society and Arts Alliance recognize ve locals for their themed fall decorations

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

While driving through Forest Park over the past two months or so, you may have spotted one of the award-winning scarecrows for this year’s Invasion of the Scarecrows – the annual fundraising initiative by the Historical Society of Forest Park and Arts Alliance of Forest Park

At a party celebrating the 50th anniver-

full of gift certificates from Forest Park businesses, wine, candy, Forest Park-opoly, Historical Society of Forest Park booklets, and tickets to the Arts Alliance of Forest Park’s Tellers’ Night.

People’s Choice award: ‘Wizard of Oz’

by Ricky Ponsaa and Mark Ferraro

After seeing video of “The Wizard of Oz” playing at the Sphere in Las Ve gas, Ricky Ponsaa and Mark Ferraro decided to create their own version for this year’s Invasion of the Scarecrows. They decorated the roof of their Marengo Avenue home with four scarecrows of Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. An ode to the yellow brick road runs down the house’s front steps.

Ferraro said his favorite part was creating the Tin Man. Though Ferraro and Ponsaa started by spray painting a pair of pants silver, the end result came after shaping tin into arms and legs. It took them about a month to put the displ ay together.

“It’s a lot of work, but when you overhear a group of kids passing by on a school trip, saying, ‘I see Dorothy! I see the Tin Man,’ ‘Oh look, there’s a witch!’ with such excitement, and the amount of positive feedback from kids and parents while trick-or-treating, that is so, very rewarding,” Ferraro said. “With all the amazing scarecrows and the creativity of this town and the people in it, it was such an honor to be recognized.”

Most Artistic award: ‘Moth Crow ’ by Meghan Hunt

According to the sign in front of the scarecrow, the Moth Crow is a “mysterious creature of the night, a spirit guide to the light, bringing hope to the dark.” The message, Hunt said, was one of the hardest parts about developing the scarecrow.

“There were a lot of really difficult things happening in our community at the time, so I chose the message of hope in a short poem,” Hunt said.

Hunt told the Review that the scarecrow was largely inspired by her 9-year-old, who’s currently fascinated by moths. She said she tries to tie in a nature theme with her scarecrows every year.

“I love how the moth wings flow in the wind,” Hunt said of her favorite part of this year’s scarecrow. “It really just blended in with the front garden, as a moth should.”

When Hunt found out she won the Most Artistic award, she said she was shocked and honored.

sary of the Historical Society on Nov. 16, five Forest Park residents were reco gnized for their creative, detailed scarecrows — the award-winning ones out of the 105 scarecrow kits purchased for this year’s village-wide decorating contest.

Scarecrows were set up throughout October. Also last month, locals voted on their favorite scarecrows. Winners got baskets

Best of Madison award: MacDaddy Salon at 7506 Madison St.

The best scarecrow on Madison Street was called Moira Crows. It’s fashioned after Catherine O’Hara’s character Moira Rose on the TV show “Schitt’s Creek.” In the series, Rose stars in the film “The Crows Have Eyes 3: The Crowening” as Dr. Clara Mandrake, an ornithologist who turns into a human-crow hybrid — the character depicted in MacDaddy’s store window.

“Our idea was to find something that was crow-related to stay on brand with the scarecrow theme,” said Kate Henneberry, MacDaddy’s front desk coordinator who developed the scarecrow with the salon’s assistant, Anna LaFaire, in a week during their downtime at the salon.

Both Henneberry and LaFaire said their favorite part creating the scarecrow was

getting to be creative with a coworker. LaFaire added that she enjoyed painting the scarecrow’s face and thrifting the clothes “We worked really hard to make Moira look real. Anna did a great job bringing her facial expressions to life, creating something that is both hilarious and cree Henneberry said. “We are just happy that the community reco put in and liked it as much as “The most difficult away until next year

Most Historic a by Colette Anderson

Bessie Coleman was the first AfricanAmerican woman and Nati to hold a pilot license. She south and moved to getting her pilot’s license in Franc

Forest Park Pride a by Duncan Justice

Though Sonny and Cher do Forest Park connections, Duncan Justice won the Forest Pa elaborate display featuring the husband-wife pop duo who in the 1970s.

“There are just so many talented people in this community. I don’t feel like my scarecrow was better than anyone else’s, but that is also the lovely thing about art. It’s subjective,” Hunt said, adding that the award also motivated her to decorate again for Invasion of the Scarecrows next year. “I just lo rticipating and roping neigh-

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Proviso’s Mary Larry appears unlikely to stay on ballot for Democratic Party post

Valid petition signatures seem well short

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

Proviso Township Committeewoman Mary “May” Larry, who is facing a for mal challenge to her nominating petitions for the influential 7th District Democratic State Central Committeewoman seat, will have to wait a bit longer for any resolution, until some election authority other than the Illinois State Board of Elections schedules a hearing.

However, based solely on the number of signatures Larry collected on the nominating petitions she submitted to the ISBE, it’s clear she fell far short of the required number needed to qualify to be on the

March Democratic primary ballot, even if all those signatures are ruled valid.

Of the possible 460 signatures Larr ry submitted, 358 were alle gedly invalid for one reason or another, and many of the remaining signatures were alle gedly signed by people who live outside the 7th Congressional district.

In fact, a review just of the municipalities noted on Larry’s petitions includes numerous towns and cities outside the boundaries of the 7th Cong ressional District, including Berkley, Melrose Park, Northlake, Berwyn, Riverside, La Grang e and even the north suburban city of Evanston.

Should Larry be ruled of f the primary

ballot, the committeewoman race will be between three other contenders, incumbent committeewoman and 37th Ward Alderwoman Emma Mitts, City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin (who is also a candidate for Congress in the 7th district) and 5th District State Senator Lakesia Collins.

The date and time of any hearing on Larry’s case is currently unclear because the ISBE is required to pass legal responsibility for any decision to, most likely, the Chicago Board of Elections.

ISBE Executive Director Bernadette M. Matthews forwarded a letter to Larry stating that “Because the 7th Congressional district is coterminous with the county boundaries or the boundaries of a city that

has a board of election commissioners, the State Officers Electoral Board will not hear the objection to your nominating papers.” Matthews told Larry she would be contacted by the governing electoral authority with “the time and date of the hearing on the objection.”

MARK HOST Y

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Mary “May” Larr y

‘Elektra’ o ers an impressive display of emotion

Forest eatre Company play will be at Madison Street eater through this weekend

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Though the entirety of the play is set just outside the palace of a royal family, Forest Theatre Company’s “Elektra” journeys through an entire range of emotion.

I went to see “Elektra” while it’s being perfor med at Madison Street Theater through this weekend. The Greek tragedy takes place in-the-round, with a stage surrounded by no more than 50 seats

Elizabeth Hope Nahulak, who plays Elektra, said she was most excited about the intimacy of the small theater for this performance.

“The audience is right there. It’s live. You

feel the energy from whoever is in the space at that time,” Nahulak previously told the Review. “Whenever the audience feels involved like that, I think it immediately raises the stakes for everybody, which I think makes a way more powerful performance . . . And I love being able to see the audience’s faces and tell whether or not I had them. In the moment, I’m like, ‘Am I convincing you?’”

I certainly felt more involved in the emotions of “Elektra” than I would have in a large theatre. My mom and I sat front-row, and there were times I felt like my feet might be in the way of Nahulak while she sprawled on the floor, weeping in grief.

Elektra is consumed by rage and grief after her mother kills Agamemnon, Elektra’s father and the king, because he sacrificed his other daughter to appease the gods at the start of the war. She also laments for her brother, yearning for his return home to avenge their father

I was deeply impressed by Nahulak’s perfor mance, and my mom was right when she said that she must be exhausted after every show.

Nahulak told the Review that the range

of emotions she shows in “Elektra” was the most difficult part of the performance, and now I understand why.

“It’s very difficult to be truthful emotionally on stage because it is so vulnerable and this play deals with so many heavy themes,” Nahulak said. “There are times when I’m just weeping onstage, so that can take an emotional toll. I just really want to be as honest and as truthful to Elektra as I possibly can, so that way I can be kind of like a vessel. The audience can take what they will from it. They can hopefully see things reflected in themselves. It’s about them, it’s not about me.”

A needed relief from the visceral grief onstage, there are breaks of hope, reassurance and even brief laughter among the actors.

The chorus of two women who care for Elektra provide moments of honest, sometimes comedic, feedback to Elektra during her emotional turmoil. But they mostly chant in Greek. And Elektra’s living sister, a sympathizer with their mother, had a few lines that made me think of sassy conversations with my own sister when we disagree.

Such language can be credited to Ezra Pound, who translated the version of Sopho-

cles’ “Elektra” that Forest Theatre Company performed. This iteration is rarely produced, perhaps because of Pound’s fascist sympathies which led to his arrest for treason. But the translation has a nice balance between Shakespearean-sounding sentences and modern, humorous jabs that bring classic themes into the present.

Richard Corley, producing artistic director of Forest Theatre Company, previously told the Review that he hopes audiences walk away from the play feeling more connected to humanity through a story that resonates across time

“People have always grappled with questions of ‘How do I deal with traumatic pain and suffering in my life? What do I do with it? When I have suffered injustice, what choices do I make in my life because of that?’” Corley said.

He added that he hopes viewers consider these questions long after they leave the play I’m still thinking on them days later, and I don’t think I would ever kill someone, no matter how hard I was suffering. But morals aside, it was somehow moving to see a character’s grief cause them to do so

Man threatens CTA security with crowbar

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Police were dispatched to the CTA Blue Line station at 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 19 for a man who was threatening personnel with a crowbar. Police made contact with the man and ordered him to surrender the crowbar, which he eventually did. CTA security said, earlier on the train, he asked the man to give him the crowbar, but the man was uncooperative and threatened to hit him with the crowbar. The man was charged with aggravated assault.

Aggravated eeing

On Nov. 14, police saw a car traveling down Harlem at 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile-perhour zone. Police curbed the vehicle in the 300 block of Harlem Avenue but, as the officer got out of the police car, the driver fled Police pursued the car, which ran several stop signs before it got away. About 20 minutes later, Elmwood Park police advised Forest Park police that they saw the car parked and had the driver and two other occupants of the car detained. They said the dri ver appeared to be highly intoxicated and spat on officers. Forest Park police found two cans of Cutwater drinks near the center console and placed the driver into custody. At the police station, officers found MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, on the driver. He was charged with aggravated fleeing, driving under the influence, illegal transportation of alcohol, four traffic sign violations, speeding, failure to signal, possession of a controlled substance, having a suspended license and resisting officers.

Leaving the scene

While on patrol Nov. 15 around 3:30 a.m., police found a crashed and abandoned car in the 1200 block of Harlem Avenue. Police reported that the front of the car had disabling damage and appeared to be stuck on a raised curb in the Walgreens parking lot. Police saw three men walking on Roosevelt Road and reviewed street cameras, confirming that the three men were in the crashed car. Police saw the subjects get in another car and drive down Harlem Avenue. The

crashed vehicle was towed, and an administrative hold was placed on it

Hit and run

Before 9 a.m. on Nov. 15, police responded to the intersection of Elgin and 14th, where a man was walking in the middle of the street, and a car was parked on the side of the road with the door open. Police detained the man, who had dried blood around his mouth, hands and clothes. Police checked street cameras at Roosevelt and Harlem and saw the man driving the car attempt a wide turn south on Elgin, slowly hitting a light pole on the street. Police reported that there was no damage to the light pole. The man was charged with a hit and run and failure to reduce speed

The morning of Nov. 21, police were dispatched to Harlem and 38th Place in North Riverside, where police had a subject in custody. The victim told Forest Park Police that, at the intersection of Harlem and 13th, another driver caused an accident and left the scene before exchanging information. A crash report was filed for the offending vehicle.

Fire

On Nov. 20 around 1:30 a.m., police were flagged down by someone in the 1100 block of Lathrop Avenue. The person directed police to a unit where there was a fire. Police reported that there was smoke in the building’s stairwell and hallways, along with the apartment where it started. The tenant was still in the apartment, but the fire was out. He said he bur nt hot dogs before putting the fire out.

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

arrest

Ed Voss, 77

Banker, part-time farmer

Alfred Edwin George Voss

oodstock, of For, died on 21, 2025 at his home, surrounded amily. Bor n 24, 1947, he aduated from St. Bernardine Elementary School, Fenollege, and ned a Master of Business Administration ee in Finance from DePaul University. ed as a securities salesman at large investment banks in the city during the week and spent his weekends building a farming business. In his later years, he devoted himself to full-time farming, a tribute to his family’s dairy-farming heritage in Missouri. Above all, he was most proud of his long marriage. He and Colleen loved eating out,

dancing with each other, attending parties, visiting friends, and taking their family on adventures in their motorhome. He often said he had a very lucky and happy life.

Ed was the husband of Colleen (née Payne) for 52 years; the father of Jeanette (Abiodun Oladimeji), Leanne (David Cailles), Alfred Edwin II, and Maureen (Thomas Hopman); and the grandfather of Rose, Naomi and Owen Oladimeji, Matthew, Alexander and Violette Cailles, and Declan and Greenlee Hopman; the brother of Gregory (Sharon) and Martin (Cynthia) Voss; the brother-in-law of Mickey and Kathy Payne and Patricia and W. Don Jolley; and the uncle, cousin and friend to many. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred Edwin I and Josephine (née Heffernan) Voss

A visitation will be held on Friday, Nov. 28, from 4 until 8 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake. A Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 451 W. Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake. Burial will follow at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, Hillside

Modernizing the Historical Society of Forest Park

Celebrating its 50th anniversar y, the group aims to bring village history to more residents

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The Historical Society of Forest Park celebrated its 50th anniversary at BABS Comedy Club Nov. 16. One of the activities of the evening was a Forest Park-themed game of Chronology, where teams tried to accurately create a timeline of notable local events and milestones

The custom Chronology — created by Jill Wagner, a board member for the Historical Society of Forest Park and reader engagement manager for Growing Community Media, which publishes the Review — will be available to purchase soon. The game is just one way the historical society is looking to rejuvenate itself and its role in town.

“We definitely moder nized a lot when I started,” said Alexis Ellers, who’s been the historical society’s executive director for nearly a decade.

The Historical Society of Forest Park started taking advantage of online platforms, Ellers said, like to sell event tickets and share videos they create. The group even relaunched its oral history project, posting about local veterans on its website.

“It’s hard to get people to come to a local history society, so our method is more bringing it to people,” Ellers told the Review.

She said one of her favorite historical society activities is to bring film photos and information about the Altenheim to Forest Park’s annual German Fest. And that way people who wouldn’t necessarily visit a local history museum get to interact with it

“I like to think we’ve changed peoples’ opinions about a historical society. It’s not a dim, dusty building that you go to if you hit it at the right time,” Ellers said.

Because locals often ask the historical society about the specific people who used to live at the Altenheim and if their relatives were among them, Ellers said she hopes to work with the senior living home to digitize its fragile documents

She also wants to create cemetery tours at the Altenheim and Woodlawn, since the historical society has ones for the other cemeteries in the village. And the society is working to create an illustrated booklet of local architecture by Henry Fiddelke.

Emphasizing the goal of bringing Forest Park history to locals, Ellers said the group has long had the dream of having a mobile museum to bring to events.

“I hope that we can just keep bringing history to people,” Ellers said of her hopes for the historical society in its years to come

History of the Historical Society

Dr. Frank Orland launched the Historical Society of Forest Park in 1975 to preserve the village’s history. With a day job as a dentist, Orland put together the historical society’s first board of directors, organized Forest Home Cemetery tours and collected artifacts to display in the Forest Park Public Library. Orland led the organization until his passing in 2000.

According to a previous Review article, it took a while for the Historical Society of Forest Park to recover. Rich Vitton became the organization’s next president and moved much of the group’s collection to his basement. With local pleas to revive the group, the community created a new board.

Augie Aleksy became the next president of the historical society. The owner of Centuries and Sleuths, which closed in the summer of 2024, Aleksy succeeded in hiring the group’s first executive director, Diane Hansen Grah. Under her, the historical society started organizing new events and fundraising efforts.

After Aleksy, Jerry Lordan became president. (At the 50th anniversary celebration on Nov. 16, the Historical Society of Forest Park recognized Lordan with the Dr. Orland Award.) Theresa Steinbach followed, and today, Mark Boroughf is the historical society’s president. Nearly a decade ago, Ellers succeeded Grah.

Ellers said that, before she became executive director, she worked for Mark Rogovin, helping him with his dad’s photography collection. Rogovin was on the historical society’s board, and Ellers said she often heard him talk about the Haymarket riot and even helped Grah and Rogovin locate graves from the Eastland Disaster in honor of its 100-year

anniversary. Shortly after, when Grah left, Ellers became the historical society’s executive director.

Though the Historical Society of Forest Park once had space in St. Peter’s church and First United Church, a space above the police station at Village Hall holds most of the historical society’s collection today. The group also has access to some of the newly villageowned space at 7410 Madison St

In the lower level of Village Hall, the historical society displays a few of its artifacts, along with its Wall of Renown of notable Forest Park residents. Ellers said that, once two defunct vending machines are removed, the historical society plans to revamp another

wall in the basement.

“We’re very appreciative to have that space,” Ellers said of the area at Village Hall above the police station and in the lower level. “Not having a space with rent and utilities is one of the ways that we are able to do so much with such a small budget. All that money just goes straight into programming, collecting and all of the things that are more important.”

“We really appreciate all of the members and all the volunteers. People keep saying we got so much done this year,” Ellers added. “We just have so many people who come out and help with stuff and they’re really enthusiastic.”

Thanksgiving gratitude from GCM

Has there been a Thanksgivin in memory where we more urgent, more complex reasons to offer up our thanks for being part these village and neighborhoods ser Growing Community Media

There is the strong and vital pulse of community, of shar ing, of generous listening and collecti action in times which are perilous the West Side and out to Ri report on neighbors sho to each other whether it is food pantrie being urgently replenished, whistles being blown or a local high school student

singing the National Anthem before a Bears victory. us at GCM gives thanks for the privilege and the responsibility of serving s. We thank readers ho are also donors to our nonprofit newsroom. We thank sers who use our reach to build their businesses pledge our best efforts in the ear ahead to be a strong, accurate and acice for our communities

Dan Haley Senior Advisor and Interim Editor

ALEXIS ELLERS

Garden walk attendees check out Historical Society posters at 7410 Madison St

SPORTS COMPLEX Grant funding

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as a collaboration to figure out community wants and needs for the project.

“It is going to be transformative … it is going to help not just Proviso West -- it is going to help all of District 209 but it is also going to help this community and all of the neighboring communities,” Welch said.

Welch said he sees the positive impact other such facilities have brought to school districts and their communities, including the construction of new hotels, restaurants and schools

“Schools not having to raise taxes because there are outside sources of revenue coming in because of all of these folks that are visiting the community because of these sports complexes,” Welch said. “It is a non-property tax base source of revenue which allows the school district to do some other things and maybe not raise property taxes.”

Elizabeth Alvare z led the meeting, providing information from previously collected data. According to feedback from the sports complex survey, 67 percent of participants said it was very important for the new development to have “safe, accessible facilities for all community members.” Additionally, 69 percent said spaces for multiple sports were very important – with soccer being the top answer for which sports and activities should be prioritized in the design of the complex.

Spaces for family-friendly and community events, such as concerts or festivals, also received a favorable vote, with 40 percent of participants strongly agreeing on their importance.

L.T. Taylor, building manager, said a new stu-

Welch, the for mer longtime president of the D209 school board before he entered state politics in 2013, said the central location of West’s campus in Hillside would help make it a destination people would travel to Supt. Krish Mohip, who had invited Welsh to speak at the meeting, said it was rare for a school district to receive this type of support from the state.

“It is not solely because Speaker Welch is the Speaker and this is some place that means a lot to him but I think it is also because this district means a lot to the state and I saw that because I was at the state level,” Mohip said.

Mohip said there had been a lot of conversation at the state level about how to improve conditions for students and staf f at Proviso.

“It is not lost on me that this was put into the state budget,” he said. “This is not only something Proviso Township wants but this is something that the entire city wants. They want to see a Proviso that is thriving. A Proviso that is doing great things.”

Deputy Superintendent of Operations

“I think the school should be a safe haommulor said, ommunity needs to feel valest is the only school in t f at we t p on the sports e in providing 2025-26 components for our kids to thrive.”

“It is for our children,” said Alvare z who joined District 208 after serving for several years as the superintendent of the District 91 public elementary schools in Forest Park. “It is for our community. It is for our families here.”

Attendants participated in roundtable discussions where they submitted answers to what they would like to see included in the new facilities

Submissions will be reviewed by Thought Exchange, a platform used for surveys, and information will be shared with the school board to help draw out the plans before making final plans

Alvare z said the district would like more feedback

“This is a once in a lifetime [opportunity], not many people get this when it comes to school districts,” Alvare z told Forest Park Review. “Your voice gets to be heard. This is our dream and whoever is here today is really going to make a difference. If you use the QR code and answer those questions, your voice is going to be part of that.”

D91 SEARCH

Evaluating rms

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cation Leadership Solutions and the Illinois Association of School Boards. School Exec Connect and Education Leadership Solutions are for-profit firms, while the Illinois Association of School Boards is a nonprofit organization.

At the same meeting, the board also discussed chronic absenteeism and kindergarten assessment.

The superintendent position became vacant in July when Dr. Elizabeth Alvare z stepped down in order to join Proviso ship High School District 209.

Dr. Robert Hubbird, District 91’s assistant superintendent of finance and operations, is now interim superintendent, as the process to find a permanent replacement continues

According to board President Shannon Wood, Hubbird will finish out Dr. Alvare z’s contract, which ends on June 30, 2026. Wood said the goal is for a permanent superintendent to begin in July 2026.

Just imagine what someone could lear n with an extra 135 hours of instruction.”

During the 2022-2023 school year, the district’s percentage of chronic absenteeism reached 25.69%. That percentage dropped to 21.9% during the 2023-2024 school year and continued to decrease to 20.58% for the 2024-2025 school year

So far this school year, D91’s chronic absenteeism rate is 9.1%, which Hubbird said puts the district on pace to finish the year at about 20%.

Although the chronic absenteeism rate has improved, Hubbird emphasized that there is still substantial room for growth.

“You can see our percentage has been going down for the past couple years but 20% is still way too high,” Hubbird said. “The is 25%. We are below that, ke to get that number even lower.”

“We, the board, now have to come up with what we want out of a superintendent, what our expectations are, and what we’re looking for,” Wood said.

D91 board members discuss the superintendent search process at a recent meeting.

The next step is to hire the search firm to help, which the board hopes to do at its next meeting Dec. 18.

During their presentations, each of the search firms talked about their qualifications, experience, proposed strategy and cost.

Other items on the agenda

At its November meeting, the board also discussed how to decrease chronic absenteeism. This was defined by Hubbird as missing a total of 18 days in a school year, which is about a month.

“Missing a whole month, to put it into perspective, is 135 hours of instruction,” Hubbird said. “That’s what a student misses if they are identified as chronically absent.

Hubbird noted that data shows a clear trend: students perform better when they are in school consistently.

“This message is for parents,” Hubbird said. “Parents, we cannot teach empty seats. We need your child here each and every day that they’re healthy enough to be in school.”

Another topic that was highlighted during the Nov. 13 meeting was the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS). According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey is an observational tool designed to help teachers, administrators, families and policymakers better understand the developmental readiness of children entering kindergarten.

Completed within the first 40 days of the school year, the assessment looks at three areas of development: social and emotional, language and literacy and math. The survey is then repeated two more times during the school year

“Our kindergarten students are outperforming the state in two out of three of those metrics, which is really nice to see,” Hubbird said. “We have a really strong kindergarten program and we want to continue to promote that program.”

Currently, D91 has space for 13 more kindergarten students. For more information, email register@fpsd91.org.

AMARIS RODRIGUEZ

House Speaker Chris Welch, a Proviso West alumnus.

HOPE BAKER

Great topics for holiday conversation

Politics and religion make for wonderful conversations during the holidays … if you don’t feel like you have to win.

Here’s where I’m coming from. For several years I was the religion reporter for this paper and for the Wednesday Journal.

I wrote enough articles to fill a 520-page book titled, The Soul of a Liberal Village. I interviewed people with a wide range of worldviews and theologies — ranging from a woman who was ordained a Catholic priest (seriously) to a Catholic church that still does the Mass in Latin; from a secular humanist group whose motto is “good without God” to the pastor of a Bible-believing Evangelical church; and from Jews to Muslims.

HOLMES

Intimacy requires vulnerability

My interviews were transactional in the sense that I was trying to get a good story. But that didn’t seem to bother the people I was interviewing

One of the events I covered was a meeting with Jewish members of Oak Park Temple and Muslims from the Islamic Center in Villa Park

I had to laugh. In their attempt to be sensitive to the dietary restrictions of both faith traditions they settled on pizza!

My job was to describe them as accurately and with as much empathy as possible — whether I was drawn to or repelled by them. My opinions were ir relevant. My task was to neither judge nor argue, but to get inside them and have them tell me after reading the article, “You got me right.” I don’t think that “you got me right” meant I had pandered to them, but that I set any issues I had observed in a context that explained them to readers according to their way of thinking.

I was writing about religion and that meant trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the interviewee’s head and heart, and that meant if people trusted me enough to let me have a peek inside, I was obliged to let them know one way or another that I understood I was treading on holy ground

You see where I’m headed?

I was not trying to win. I was trying to understand.

I was not being altruistic. I was doing my job.

Nevertheless, at the end of the interview most people thanked me even though they were the ones taking time out of their day to do me a favor. They were the ones taking a risk by being vulnerable

When I tried to figure out why, I decided it was because folks rarely experience having someone else attentively attempting to understand them without setting them up for a sale or an ideological knock-out punch as soon as they let down their guard.

I listened to a conversation between two older men, one a Muslim and one a Jew. As they shared how they faithfully live out their faith traditions — which they both trace back to Abraham and Sarah — one of several things they discovered that they had in common was the worry that their children would become so assimilated to secular American culture that they would abandon the religious traditions that were so precious to those two old men.

Intimacy was achieved. The goal was not to win but to understand

Years later, I imagined that if they got into a discussion about what’s happening in Gaza, they might disagree — one taking the side of Israel and the other the side of the Palestinians — but because of the understanding that had been built up between them, they would do so as friends and maybe even as brothers.

This holiday season we don’t have to fear discussing politics or talking about religious differences if our goal is not to win but to understand, to frame the exchange as sharing seeking understanding and not as an argument, which by definition means someone has to win and someone has to lose

Religion and politics can be very personal and emotional. I hear many people pleading for us to “lower the temperature.”

The way to do that is not by avoiding talking about it but by building relationships of trust with folks who think differently than we do, bridges of understanding across the chasm of polarization.

We don’t have to pretend that we all think alike if we build on the foundation of understanding and respect.

If you want to go deeper, Google Braver Angels, the nation’s largest movement to bridge the partisan divide

SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

U S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE OF WATERFALL VICTORIA III-NB GRANTOR TRUST, Plaintiff

vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF SAMMIE HUGHES, DECEASED; AMIR MOHABBAT AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SAMMIE HUGHES, DECEASED; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendant 25 CH 3812 CALENDAR 64

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on December 16, 2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-15-313-016-0000. Commonly known as 1914 S. 19th Ave., Maywood, IL 60153. The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Lender Legal PLLC, 1800 Pembrook Drive, Suite 250, Orlando, Florida 32810. 407-730-4644. LLS14419-IL INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3276039

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF CSMC 2017RPL2 TRUST Plaintiff vs. PATRICK HAYES, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, UNKNOWN OWNERS GENERALLY, AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendant 24 CH 1212 CALENDAR 60 NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on December 17, 2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-17-111-039-0000. Commonly known as 4447 Idlewild Lane, Hillside, IL 60162. The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Altman, Strautins & Kromm, LLC d/b/a Kluever Law Group, 200 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1880, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (312) 236-0077. SPS002456-24FC1 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3276049

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC Plaintiff

vs. CARY ROSENTHAL, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR NICK P. ANGELACOS, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF NICK P. ANGELACOS, DECEASED; TAMISHA ANGELACOS; AIDAN ANGELACOS; ALEXANDER ANGELACOS; GABRIEL ANGELACOS; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendant 25 CH 1547 CALENDAR NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on January 5, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-21-204-119-0000.

Commonly known as 10072 Drury Ln., Westchester, IL 60154.

The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than the mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act.

Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Lender Legal PLLC, 1800 Pembrook Drive, Suite 250, Orlando, Florida 32810. 407-730-4644. LLS14129-IL INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3277126

Submit

forestparkreview.com/events

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER. 2025 QUARTER 4

November 26, 2025

THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY PUBLISHED ITS FIRST QUALITY-OF-LIFE PLAN CALLED AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER. (AFT) IN 2018. THIS QUARTERLY PUBLICATION DESCRIBES HOW AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER (ACT) IS SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY TO IMPLEMENT AFT AND OTHER EFFORTS.

FROM VISION TO REALITY

POWERED BY COMMUNITY: ASPIRE CENTER SHOWS WHAT AUSTIN CAN BUILD TOGETHER PAGE 3 ASPIRE CENTER FOR WORKFORCE INNOVATION: OUR FIRST 90 DAYS PAGE 4 ANCHOR TENANTS PARTNER FOR THE COMMUNITY PAGE 7

Special thanks to these Austin Forward. Together. quality-of-life plan legacy investors:

Since 2010, Austin Coming Together (ACT) has facilitated collaboration to improve education and economic development outcomes in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Today, we serve a network of 50+ organizations committed to improving the quality of life in the Austin community. Our strategic plan is called Thrive 2025 and outlines how we will mobilize our resources to achieve four impact goals by the year 2025: Quality Early Learning, Safe Neighborhoods, Living Wage Careers, and Stable Housing Markets.

ACT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

CHAIR

Larry Williams

Broker, State Farm Insurance

VICE CHAIRMAN

Bradly Johnson

Interim CEO, BUILD Inc.

SECRETARY

Jerrod Williams

Law Clerk, Illinois Appellate Court

ACT STAFF

Leadership

Darnell Shields

Executive Director

Research & Evaluation

Andrew Born*

Senior Director of Community Impact

Mia Almond Research Associate

Operations

TREASURER

LaDarius Curtis

Director of Community Engagement, Greater Chicago Food Depository

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Darnell Shields

Austin Coming Together

Directors

Sharon Morgan

Director of Graduate Support & Community Outreach, Catalyst Schools

Reverend Reginald E. Bachus Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church

Deirdre Bates* Director of Operations

Dearra Williams

Executive

Operations Lead/ Assistant to the CEO

Londen Mance

Office Administrator

Alfred Jackson Community Liaison/ Receptionist

Strategic Initiatives

Sandra Diaz*

Service Delivery Enhancement Manager, Austin Community Hub

Emone Moore

Engagement Coordinator, Austin Community Hub

Dollie Sherman

Engagement Specialist, Austin Community Hub

ACT MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

A House in Austin

Academy of Scholastic Achievement

Austin Childcare Providers Network

Austin Community Family Center

Austin Weekly News

(Growing Community Media)

Be Strong Families

Beat the Streets Chicago

Bethel New Life

Beyond Hunger BUILD Inc.

By The Hand Club For Kids Cara Catholic Charities

Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures

Chicago Community Loan Fund

City of Refuge

Defy Ventures Illinois

Erikson Institute

Friends of the Children

Friendship Community Development Corp. of Austin

Greater West Town Community Development Project

Housing Forward

i.c. stars

IFF

Tenisha Jones

Executive Management Professional

Reginald Little

Business Development Specialist, Great Lakes Credit Union

Deborah Williams-Thurmond

Founder & CEO, D.W. Provision Consulting Services

Ruth Kimble

Founder & CEO, Austin Childcare Providers Network

Clara Bonnlander

Social Services Coordinator, Austin Community Hub

Ethan Ramsay* Planning and Investment Manager

Grace Cooper Lead Organizer

Nyla Larry Project Coordinator

Natalie Goodin

Special Projects Manager

Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

Jane Addams Resource Corporation

Kids First Chicago

KRA Westside American Job Center

Learning Edge Tutoring (fka Cluster Tutoring)

Legal Aid Chicago (fka LAF)

Max Komnenich

Associate Principal, Lamar Johnson Collaborative In Memoriam

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jack Macnamara

1937–2020

FOUNDING BOARD CHAIR

Mildred Wiley 1955–2019

Arewa EKUA Community Organizer

La’Shawna Bundy Community Land Trust Coordinator

Mary White Community Resource Coordinator

Krystal Cano

Community Resource Coordinator

Marketing & Development

Robbie Gorman Director of Development

Jon Widell

Marketing and Development Specialist

Sydni Hatley

Marketing and Development Specialist

*Also part of the ACT Leadership Team

Manufacturing Renaissance

Mary Shyrese Daycare

Maryville Academy

Mercy Housing Lakefront

New Moms

OAI, Inc.

Oak Park Regional Housing Center

Open Books

PCC Community Wellness Center

Project Exploration

Renaissance Social Services, Inc.

Sarah’s Inn

South Austin

Neighborhood Association

St. Joseph Services

St. Leonard’s Ministries

Stone Community Development Corporation

The Catalyst Schools

The Journey Forward

The North Avenue District, Inc.

Towers of Excellence

UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work

VOCEL

Westside Health Authority

West Side Forward

Worldvision

Youth Guidance

Powered by Community: Aspire Center Shows What Austin Can Build Together

JBy Darnell Shields Executive Director, Austin Coming Together

ust months after opening its doors in June 2025, the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation is demonstrating what is possible when a community’s long-held dreams are met with sustained commitment, collective action, and real investment. For years, many of the ideas behind this project were dismissed as too ambitious or out of reach. But here in Austin, we always knew what we were capable of. Now, we’re watching those once-distant concepts come alive in real time—translated into programs, services, and opportunities that are already changing lives.

The Aspire Center was built with a clear, urgent purpose: to confront the barriers that have held too many of our residents back from achieving economic mobility. At Austin Coming Together (ACT), our vision has long been to create a truly thriving Austin community. With the Aspire Center, located at the former Robert Emmet Elementary School on Madison and Central, we are closer than ever to realizing that vision.

From day one, the services inside the Aspire Center were intentionally designed to address the needs our residents voice most consistently— access to quality jobs and job training, opportunities to build generational wealth, and accessible legal support. These offerings, led by ACT’s Hub team and delivered in partnership with our anchor tenants, are helping us meet both the immediate and long-term priorities of the community. Already, the early impact has been unmistakable.

Westside Health Authority (WHA), a lead partner in the Center’s development and operations, is providing critical wraparound support that many job seekers need in order to succeed. Residents are accessing case management, job readiness training, transitional employment, permanent job placement assistance, and more—services that ensure people are not

navigating life’s challenges alone while trying to secure stable work.

Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) is scaling access to hands-on welding and advanced manufacturing training for the West Side through their presence at the center. Participants are gaining industry-recognized skills that lead to living-wage employment, and the demand for these programs continues to surpass expectations.

BMO is offering on-site financial education, coaching, and banking access— helping residents build financial stability, repair credit, open accounts, and plan for the future. On-site legal assistance is available at no cost, including support with expungement, criminal defense, and other services that remove long-standing barriers to employment and opportunity, thanks to the Cook County Public Defender’s Office and Legal Aid Chicago.

Each of these offerings is part of a larger system of support—one that reflects how Austin has always worked best: collaboratively, with shared responsibility and shared vision.

The Aspire Center is not just meeting its goals—it is living out the promise we made to our community. We set out to build a place where residents could access pathways to better jobs, stronger financial futures, and greater stability. Today, we are seeing those pathways fill with neighbors determined to move forward.

This is what we envisioned. And as we continue to grow, we intend not only to fulfill our commitments but to exceed the hopes we all carried into this project. Austin deserves nothing less.

Aspire Center for Workforce

COMCAST FLAGSHIFT LIFT ZONE (FLAGSHIP LIFTZONE ANNOUNCEMENT ON SITE)

In September, Comcast opened the Flagship Lift Zone at the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation. This massive $500,000 investment provides free highspeed WiFi and technology offerings including laptops, digital cameras, and meeting pods for virtual or in-person meetings, collaborations or interviews.

This also brings with it a partnership with scaleLIT, with the help of ACT’s Hub team to provide digital skills programming and its Career Pathways Navigators training to the Aspire Center, helping job seekers in the area.

DEFENDERS OF THE COURT

In September, Freedom Defense Center of Austin, in partnership with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago and Westside Health Authority, hosted a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community legal resource fair as part of My Block My Hood My City’s #SaveStreetball initiative. Teams were sponsored by Anchor Tenants: ACT and WHA, along with BUILD and Contextos (in-house creative partner of FDCA.

The day showcased the strength and intentionality of not only the interior, but also the exterior of the Aspire Center. A day outside featuring free haircuts, food, and drinks, in addition to legal and community resources to help people know their rights, and come together to celebrate the community.

Innovation: Our First 90 days

BMO GRAND OPENING

In October, fellow ACWI Anchor Tenant, BMO opened their second Austin branch inside the Aspire Center, further establishing the bank’s commitment to the West Side. BMO’s Zero Barriers to Business program will have a strong presence at this branch, aiming to expand access to capital and address the structural barriers that have historically stunted business growth in underserved communities. BMO’s involvement in the Aspire Center is part of a larger, collaborative effort to reimagine the former Emmet Elementary School as a regional hub for job training, small business development, and building community wealth.

OPEN HOUSE CHICAGO

In late October, Open House Chicago hosted their annual architecture and urban exploration festival, and in our first year of operation, the Aspire Center was chosen as a participation site!

The Aspire Center was featured across Chicago Architecture Center platforms as one of Open House Chicago’s new sites, and we are also thrilled to share that the Aspire Center was listed as a top recommendation by Chicago Sun-Times’ Lee Bey!

With nearly 500 guests visiting and touring the space this was an opportunity to help spread the word around the great work of everyone in the Aspire Center and bring some additional attention to the beauty within the Austin community.

With the release of the AFT Highlighted Agenda, ACT is going “on the road!” Our team will be on tour and available to co-host discussions about the new phase of Austin’s AFT quality-of-life plan and its vision and strategy, with block clubs, churches, community organizations, coalitions, etc. Other ways we’ll ensure to update the community on the progress of implementing the Highlighted Agenda are through newspaper sections like this, emails, and social media.

Plan Leaders

Community

Narrative

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Kenneth Varner

Healthy Schools Campaign

Dearra Williams

Austin Coming Together

Reesheda Graham

Washington

The Kehrein Center for the Arts

STRATEGY LEADS

Suzanne McBride

Austin Talks

Cindy Gray Schneider

Spaces-n-Places

Maria Sorrell

Community Resident

Megan Hinchy

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Andraya Yousfi By the Hand Club for Kids

Jai Jones PSPC, The Chicago Community Trust and Community Resident

Adrienne Otkins Community Resident

Michael Romaine The Culture

Keli Stewart Front Porch Arts Center

Kenn Cook Westside Historical Collective

Economic Development

TASK FORCE CHAIR

Roxanne Charles West Side Forward

STRATEGY LEADS

Emily Peters Jane Addams Resource Corporation

Tina Augustus Community Resident

Melissa O’Dell Defy Ventures

Fanya Buford-Berry Community Resident

Baxter Swilley Community Stakeholder

Ed Coleman Austin Chamber of Commerce

Education

TASK FORCE CHAIR

Charles Anderson

Michele Clark High School

STRATEGY LEADS

Pam Price Director of Parent University at CPS

Ruth Kimble

Austin Childcare Providers Network

Cata Truss Community Resident

Housing

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Athena Williams Oak Park Regional Housing Center

Allison McGowan Community Resident

STRATEGY LEADS

Shirley Fields Community Resident

Rosie Dawson Westside Health Authority

Public Safety

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Bradly Johnson BUILD Inc.

Marilyn Pitchford Heartland Alliance

STRATEGY LEADS

Edwina Hamilton BUILD Inc.

Jose Abonce The Policing Project

Ruby Taylor Taproots, Inc.

Youth Empowerment

TASK FORCE CHAIR

D’elegance Lane

Community Stakeholder

STRATEGY LEADS

Aisha Oliver Root2Fruit

Helen Slade

Territory NFP

Dollie Sherman

Austin Coming Together

Chris Thomas YourPassion1st

Civic Engagement

TASK FORCE CHAIR

Deborah Williams-Thurmond

D.W. Provision

Consulting Services

Anchor Tenants partner for the community: Westside Health Authority and Jane Addams Resource Corporation

host forklift training at Aspire

By Jonathan Widell Marketing & Development Specialist, Austin Coming Together

Recently, in September, two Aspire Center Anchor Tenants, Westside Health Authority (WHA) and Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) came together for the community to launch a forklift certification training program. The entire program takes place inside of the walls of the Aspire Center.

These cohorts take place over a two week period, and consist of three days of job readiness training from WHA, followed by two days of forklift certification training through JARC. Westside Health Authority helps them get interview ready through mock interviews, builds relationships with their case managers and career specialists/ job coaches, in addition to leaning into the group aspect of the cohort which adds another element where they can help and learn from one another as well. WHA helps make the participants comfortable and reminds them what makes them unique, before helping with job placement upon completion.

Jane Addams Resource Corporation offers the forklifting certification training on site at

the Aspire Center. The training is led by Jose Ramirez from JARC and the training is very hands on, involving both exams they need to pass, filling out the necessary paperwork, and learning about the standing forklift. This program is unique because JARC is not only able to offer the necessary information for people to learn, but they can receive direct training so they are prepared when they are taking the next step in their careers.

While the program is led by WHA and JARC, this is a collaborative effort that leverages other Aspire anchor tenants as well . ACT plays a key role in helping refer people to the program, screening them, and making sure community residents are aware of its existence. Our Hub team serves as the intake coordinators and first point of contact, ensuring that people are being helped and being placed properly. There is also a financial literacy aspect at the end of the training that allows BMO to potentially play a role. This was what we envisioned when this idea started. This program coming together demonstrates the intent and optimization of what was envisioned for the community through the Aspire Center.

The demand has already been so high that the first cohort had to be expanded to accommodate interest, which shows the need for, and the impact programs like this can have in a community like Austin. n

This shows the power of collaboration, when two likeminded organizations come together with the vision of wanting to empower the community with a resource that becomes a service not only for the community, but for Chicago.

JOSEPH GREEN, WHA

Holiday 2025

Your Guide to Holiday Shopping & Dining in Oak Park, River Forest & Forest Park

HOLIDAYS ARE A TIME TO COME TOGETHER.

Our Local Communities Are Interwoven Through Connections & Celebrations.

Happy Holidays!

A

OPRF Chamber of Commerce

Since arriving at the Chamber in October, I’ve been reflecting on what makes Oak Park and River Forest such a remarkable place to live, work, and do business. In the short time I’ve served as Interim Executive Director, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many shop owners, civic leaders, restaurateurs, and entrepreneurs who form this spirited, tight-knit community. Their dedication to their craft, and to one another, is what gives our local economy its heart.

The holidays are an especially meaningful reminder that thriving communities don’t happen by accident. They are built through each of us showing up for one another: choosing to shop local, supporting our independent businesses, participating in community events, or simply taking a moment to thank the people behind the counters, kitchens, studios, and storefronts.

ery purchase you make locallysweet treat, a special gift, or a celebratory night out - strengthens our small businesses and keeps our commercial districts thriving. It sustains the partnerships, creativity, and at make Oak Park and River est truly unique.

As you browse this guide, I hope you’ll vorites, revisit familiar , and feel inspired by the breadth of what our community has to of fer. Thank you for supporting the businesses and organizations that work tirelessly to serve and shape this place we all care so much about.

Wishing you a season of connection, warmth, and local joy.

Yoo-Jin Hong Interim Executi ve Director OPRF Chamber of Commerce

How do you define Proof?

We are Proof. Proof of Concept. Proof of Design. Proof of what’s possible when creativity meets purpose.

We are proof of what is and of what came before. With over 30 years of experience, our work is more than a portfolio. It’s evidence. Evidence of trust built with a client list that continues to grow year after year. Evidence of a multidisciplinary studio where creative minds—both near and far— come together to craft custom solutions that fit.

Snowflake ornament drop-in workshop is back!

beadinhand.com

145 Harrison Street 708-848-1761

beadinhand.com

145 Harrison Street

708-848-1761

Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 11–6

Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 11–6

Wed: 1–6; Sat: 10–5 Sun: Closed except Dec 17

Wed: 1–6; Sat: 10–5 Sun: Closed except Dec 17

C eleb rat e the delicious

As we edge towards the darkest days, food keeps us looking forward

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

Here in immigrant-rich America, we love to eat every culture’s celebration foods. For better or worse (for our waistlines), we think of them as everyday meals. Let’s take a bite of those celebrations as we take a dive into several dishes to delight the season.

Onion Roll – Latke ight

Hanukkah spans Dec. 14 to 22 this year. The eight-day festival commemorates when the Maccabean Jews re gained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. They only had enough olive oil to burn a lamp in the Temple for one night, but it stayed lit for eight nights

“In order to remind us of the oil, Jews eat a lot of oily foods during this holiday,” Ryan Rosenthal, co-owner of The Onion

River

Roll, said. “The Ashkenazi’s, which are a group of Jews that only had potatoes and onion, so they got very creative and made potato pancakes.”

Latkes, as they are called, are popular in many Jewish delis. At The Onion Roll, they start with Idaho potatoes, chopped fine with a bits of onion, salt and pepper. Panko crumbs are added as a binde r. Formed into patties, the pancakes are slipped into olive oil and fried until they are crisp on the outside and soft and warm on the inside.

This North Avenue deli goes a step further. They serve a latke flight – like you’d have a flight of wine or beer tasting.

“One pancake will have applesauce. A second pancake will have sour cream and chive, and the third pancake will be a Nova pancake,” Rosenthal said.

The Nova is topped with hand-sliced lox, rolled around cream cheese and topped with chives. As it’s been said, bet you can’t eat just one.

Forest Chocolates – Peppermint bark

A candy cane is said to symbolize a shepherd’s staf f. T he crook evokes the shepherd of men that the baby Jesus will become. River Forest Chocolates owner Donna Slepicka remembers that connection and putting candy canes on her Christmas tree, but at her shop on Lake Street in River Forest she transforms them into another treat of the season: peppermint bark

“We crush peppermint, candy canes,” Slepicka said. “My chocolate is couverture. that is very high in cocoa butter, which is the most expensive ingredient in chocolate. It’s creamier and it just has a better flavor.”

To do justice to that quality of chocolate, it is tempered in-house. That means melting it, then raising the temperature higher, then lowering it in a way that aligns the confection’s crystals. This creates the distinctive snap of high-end chocolate.

At River Forest Chocolates, they add a touch of peppermint oil to batches that will become pe ppermint bark

“That makes it a little more special than what you g et at the grocery or big box stores,” Slepicka said. “When you say Christmas, it is all about peppermint. In

the winter I think mint because it’s cold out. It is just all the more appealing because it’s minty and it’s fresh. This is just my own take on it.”

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

A Flight of Latkes at e Onion Roll

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Peppermint Bark from River Forest Chocolates

C ONTINUED FROM PA GE B1 1

Spilt Milk – “World Peace” chocolate cookie

This time of the year, we see many cards, signs that encourage, even implore Peace on Earth. What ingredients are needed to make that happen? Butter, flour, cocoa powder, egg, sugar, vanilla – mix them together in the right portions and cookies emerge. A cookie with the power of world peace?

“It’s just a small statement,” Nikos Liargovas, owner of Spilt Milk, said. “What holidays is, is about people putting their best ef for ts to be as cheerful as possible, to be as positive, maybe trying to forg et some of the problems that we all have.”

In the fractured and crummy world that we are inhabiting at the moment, the new owners of Spilt Milk bakery figure that chocolate cookies can’t hurt.

“It’s a very simple recipe, it doesn’t have secret ingredients,” Sandra Liargovas, wife and co-owner with her husband Nikos, said. “Something so simple can have such a big name. It’s small things that can make this season and make people’s life better with some small ef fort

“If you put some ef fort in to give some positivity out, some-

Holiday Spectacular presented by

NICHOLAS KRAEMER, CONDUCTOR

HOLIDAY BRASS & CHORAL

Inspiring music in beautiful spaces

THURSDAY

Dec 18, 7:30 pm

Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest

TICKETS START AT $43 | baroque.org | 312.551.1414

A Classic French Bistro with American influences. Serving Lunch and Dinner daily. Champagne Sunday Brunch with live Jazz.

Direct online ordering is available Sunday brunch (10am-2pm)

(10am-2pm)

Catering

Catering (please give 48 hours notice) Private parties on our 2nd floor (bridal, wedding, and baby showers, birthdays, meetings) 2nd

Old Xmas cards – OPRF museum PROVIDED

Holiday card s make a ge nuine, tactile connection

The world might be digital, but a card in the mail delivers like nothing else

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter

Recently I read an essay in the New York Times by novelist Ann Pachett. Her nostalgia for physical mail struck a chord with me. She wrote, “I loved the mail. In my youth, I ran to the box to see if there might be an envelope whose contents would change the course of my life – an acceptance letter, a love letter, a check.”

To me, there is something special about opening the mailbox and seeing a letter with a handwritten address on it (not those phony ones that try to look like

handwriting!)

Christmas still brings a bumper crop of these correspondences. I reached out to several local enthusiasts of the postal experience to get their perspective on the tradition and future of cards in the mail.

Colleen Fitzgerald is the owner of Fitzgerald’s Fine Stationery. In her downtown Oak Park shop, she designs custom holiday cards and more.

“In a world that moves faster every year, sending a holiday card is a simple way to slow down and connect,” she said. “When someone opens a holiday card, they feel

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Garland F

Silhouette Blue, card design

remembered. It’s a small gesture that can lift a heart, spark a smile, and remind us what the season is really about: connection, gratitude and love.”

Another local card purveyor Gail Eisner of Pumpkin Moon and Scratch ‘n Sniff, both in downtown Oak Park, echoed that personal connection.

“Somebody thought about you and they went to the extent to pick out a card and, address that envelope and get that stupid stamp and get it to the post office. And that is a gift,” she said.

“We don’t touch anything anymore.

Christmas cards, I feel are one of the last things that you get to hold in your hands,” Megan Rose said.

Rose designs cards and stationery. Her Forest Park-based company is Silhouette Blue.

ager Rachel Berlinski think back to a time when long distance phone calls were expensive or not even possible.

“Cards would’ve been a really important way to keep in touch with family that you wouldn’t normally see, especially during the holiday season. How else would people keep in touch?” Berlinski said.

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Holiday cards, Fitzgerald's

“It’s so nurturing to send a piece of mail,” she said. “You have to put into the world what you want back from it. It’s a two-way street. You have to start sending them out.”

At the Oak Park River Forest Museum on Lake Street, they have a collection of historic greeting cards. Those made Operations Man-

Keeping the tradition alive, the museum’s gift shop sells a pack of six cards, which are a collection of historic images from the area that evoke the holiday spirit.

“I have some diehard friends that are still doing it. God love them. And again, I love it. And I love the photo card where I get to see the family, the update letter,” Eisner said.

“Christmas is such a nostalgic time of year. People are willing to go the extra step,” Rose said. “Christmas kind of pulls you back in time a little bit. And so much of it is tactile. I hope that it keeps going because I love holding the cards in my hands, putting our friends’ pictures up on the wall and getting to look at them for a couple weeks. It’s such a special time “

Holiday Spectacular presented by

Celebrate the Season!

Upcoming Holiday Events

November 29-December 30

There’s something fun for ever yone this holiday season!

Compiled by Stac y Coleman

Holiday Open House

Saturday, Nov. 29, Noon-4 p.m., Oak Park and River Forest Museum

OPRF Museum’s Holiday Open house will include festive refreshments, games and activities for all ages! Enjoy their Stars of Oak Park and River Forest Christmas Tree and Hometown Legends LEGO Hunt and take advantage of the Small Business Saturday 10% o discount in the gift shop. 129 Lake St.

A Charlie Brown

Christmas Brunch (Live!) at Pleasant Home

Saturday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Pleasant Home

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown! Enjoy live music, nostalgic holiday spirit and great food presented by Fitzgerald’s Nightclub and the Park District of Oak Park. The Kevin Fort Trio will be playing live at Pleasant Home with a brunch bu et by BABYGOLD Barbecue. Register on the Park District of Oak Park website. 217 Home Ave

Holiday Trivia Night

Monday, Dec. 1, 7-8:30 p.m., Linda Sokol Francis Brook eld Library

Back by popular demand, test your festive trivia skills at the library! Registration is encouraged but not required for this jolly evening. Bring a team of up to ve people or join a team when you arrive! 3541 Park Ave

Holiday Market

Friday, Dec. 5, 3-7 p.m.

Saturday Dec. 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

IWS Children’s Clinic

Get unique and special gifts for your loved ones at the OPRF Infant Welfare Societ y’s Holiday Market. Featuring 22 vendors, the market will be held in the upstairs event space of the IWS Children’s Clinic. 28 Madison Street

“On Christmas Morning we would run eagerly to the playroom fireplace where we had hung our stockings the night before. They were always filled with candy, spiced cakes, cookies, and surprise packages.” - John Lloyd Wright

Home for the Holidays

Saturday, December 6, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio 951 Chicago Ave, Oak Park

Join us for a celebration of the season in keeping with the Wright family tradition! Bring your family and friends for a free tour of Wright’s Oak Park Home, decked for the holidays.

Free. Please register at flwright.org.

Concordia-Chicago University Band Christmas Concert

Friday, Dec. 5, 8-9:15 p.m.

Chapel of Our Lord

Enjoy festive holiday favorites at the Concordia University Band Christmas Concert! Conducted by Dr. Richard Fischer, the University Band features 70 players. Admission and parking are free to all 7400 Augusta Street

Holiday Cookie Exchange with Mary DiSomma

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7-8 p.m.

River Forest Public Library

Whisk up some festive treats and visit the River Forest Public Library for their Holiday Cookie Exchange. Bring homemade cookies (and the recipe!) to share with other participants. Not into baking? Cookies from a local bakery are also allowed. The library will provide cookie tins to take your treats in. Plus, local baker and cookbook author Mary DiSomma will share some of her own baking wisdom and cookies as she talks about her book A Gift of Cookies: Recipes to Share with Family and Friends. Registration on the River Forest Public Library website is required. 735 Lathrop Ave.

An [Urban] Christmas Carol - Bah Humbug with Groove!

Friday, Dec. 5, 7-8:30 p.m.

Madison Street Theater

Join the Youth Dance Theater of Greater Chicago for one night in Chicagoland’s only all dance adaptation of A Christmas Carol! The performance is set in modern-day Chicagoland and embodies the same hopeful message as its inspiration. Tickets are available online only. 1010 Madison Street

Holiday Housewalk

Friday, Dec. 5, 5-9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 1-5 p.m. Oak Park and River Forest

Kick-o the holiday season with the OPRF Infant Welfare Societ y’s annual Holiday Housewalk! Four stunning Oak Park and River Forest homes will be festively decorated and open for viewing. Tickets are available on the OPRF IWS website.

Austin Holiday Market

Friday, Dec. 5

BUILD- Austin Campus

BUILD’s Austin Holiday Market is back! Taking place on its Austin campus, the market is known as a celebration of small, local black and brown owned businesses and non-pro t social enterprises. Find a unique gift and get into the holiday spirit by attending! Keep an eye on the BUILD Chicago website for further details. 5100 W Harrison St.

Family Cookie Part y

Saturday, Dec. 6, 1-3:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7, 1-3:30 p.m.

A House in Austin (The Big Blue House) Make some delicious holiday memories with your loved ones at A House in Austin’s Family Cookie Party! Come dressed in your favorite festive pajamas and enjoy treats and activities in each room, as well as festive photo ops! Register on A House in Austin’s website for $25 per family, or pay what you can. 533 N Pine Ave

Holly Jolly Gingerbread Part y

Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Brook eld Zoo Discovery Center

Get in the holiday spirit and give back with the Brookeld Zoo at their Holly Jolly Gingerbread Party fundraiser. This event will feature a brunch bu et (featuring cocoa, Bloody Mar ys and mimosas!), gingerbread house

decorating, and special visits from the zoo’s animal ambassadors and Santa himself! Purchase tickets on the Brook eld Zoo website. 3300 Golf Road

Holiday Bazaar

Friday, Dec. 5, 3-9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Liber ty Cultural Center

One of Animal Care League’s longest standing traditions, the Holiday Bazaar is back! Pick up special holiday gifts, snack on some festive baked goods and more!

Plus, if you swing by the ACL adoption center on Sunday the 7th, you can get a picture with Santa! Visit Animal Care League’s website for more details. 6445 27th Pl

Candlelight Walk

Friday-S unday, Dec. 5-7, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oak Park Conser vatory

Take in the sights with Oak Park Conser vator y’s Candlelight Walk! Holiday music and refreshments await as you take in the festive atmosphere. Take a stroll over to Mrs. Claus’ holiday garden, where you can meet Santa and get a special treat! Plus, make sure you drop o your wishlist in Santa’s mailbox. Purchase tickets on the Oak Park Conser vator y website. 615 Gar eld St.

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C ANDLELIGHT WALK

Krampusnacht: A Holiday Hunt!

Friday, Dec. 5, 7-9 p.m.

Pleasant Home

For the folklore fans ages 21 and up, enjoy a night of fright and festivities at Krampusnacht: A Holiday Haunt! Santa rewards the nice, but Krampus comes after the naughty, so be sure to keep an eye out for the notorious beast. Enjoy light appetizers and drinks at the cocktail par ty that promises thrills, chills and twisted holiday cheer. Register on the Park District of Oak Park website. 217 Home Ave., Oak Park

Home for the Holidays

Saturday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

Join the Frank Lloyd Trust for a free holiday experience at the Home and Studio! Wright’s Oak Park home will be decorated for the season with a festive tree, poinsettias, wreaths, evergreens and more. B ring friends or family and enjoy a free tour. Register on the Frank Lloyd Trust website. 951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park

Winterfest in Downtown Oak Park

Saturday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Downtown Oak Park

Visit Downtown Oak Park for Winter fest to get your local x of the holiday season! Enjoy festive enter tainment, from The Polar Express playing free at Lake Theatre to Canterbur y Carolers and local choral performances. Register for the Cookie Walk to pick up a holiday tin and pick up sweet treats from local businesses. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for Santa! More information can be found on the Downtown Oak Park website.

Cozy Winter Family Singalong

Saturday, Dec. 6, 2-4 p.m.

Forest Park Public Library

Warm up your voices and winter spirits! The Forest Park Library is hosting a winter musical medley for the family. Words will be provided for those who would like to sing along, plus there will be jingle bells and shakers for the little ones. Hot chocolate, cider and co ee will be ser ved. Plus, kids can stick around for an indoor snowball ght! Registration is encouraged and can be completed on the Forest Park Public Library website. 7555 Jackson Blvd.

KRAMPUSNACHT: A HOLIDAY HUNT

A direct line to Santa, Bluey, Batman …

Children can send and receive letters from their personal her

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter

For the past four years a bright red mailbox has hit the streets around the holidays with the intent to delight young children. Collaboration for Early Childhood sponsors the box and a whole team of elfish volunteers ply their trade to make it seem magical.

The letterbox is usually posted outside the Collaboration’s office at 171 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park. But it goes on the road too, when the organization takes part in events around the area, such as Winterfest, Shop Small, and Santa Saturday.

“We exist to try to bring joy and support to families,” said Wendy Giardina, the collaborations engagement coordinator. “We also take templates to area coffee shops so that kids can fill out the letters to Santa and then they can bring them to our mailbox.”

The organization sends letters too. Using a form on the collaboration’s website, parents can request a letter from Santa or just about any character who is special to a child.

“It could be Batman; could be Bluey; could be, some of them we have to look up because we don’t really know who that is,” Giardina said. “But we do our very best. Last year we got almost 200 letter requests. We have a lot of volunteers that

help us ans of our most joyful programs that we do.”

It’s a way for adults to emphasize something positive going on in a child’s life.

“Parents are able to shout out that their kid is potty trained or that they ’re sweet to their younger brother or that they’re very kind to the new puppy they just got,” Giardina said. “That really goes a long way, when you get it from Santa or whomever your hero in life is.”

T he Collaboration for Early Childhood was established in 2002. It is both publicly and privately funded with the goal to cultivate the whole child from birth to the age of five.

Mailing a letter to Santa

“There really wasn’t any sort of attention paid to anything that happened before kindergarten,” Giardina said. “It was just, oh, those are little kids. But as we all now realize, 90% of brain development happens before you’ re five years old.”

When the organization isn’t coordinating mail, it also supports early learning professionals working in childcare, day care and preschools.

“We try to find ways to help them,” Giardina said. “Get support for things that they need. We do professional development for them. We also support parents of children zero to five with parenting workshops and

groups and tons of activities in the community.”

Though they enjoy the interaction at Christmastime, the organization tries to highlight as many holidays as they can.

“We’ re always looking to find people to help us,” Giardina said. “We recently celebrated Diwali. We had a family come and help us set that up. We try to shout out every holiday that we possibly can with the goal of being inclusive.”

Connect with the North Pole

• collab4kids.org

Donuts and Dreidels: A Chanukah Celebration

Sunday, Dec. 7, 1-2 p.m.

Oak Park Public Library

Come celebrate Chanukah at the Oak Park Public Library! Temple Har Zion’s David Schwar tz will lead children through songs and stories. Plus, there will be snacks! Register on the Oak Park Public Library website. 834 Lake St

Holiday Pajama Extravaganza

Friday, Dec. 12, 6-8 p.m.

Linda Sokol Francis Brook eld Library

Don your favorite festive pajamas and head to the librar y for the annual Holiday Pajama Ex travaganza. Enjoy stories, snacks, music and crafts, plus, Santa will make an appearance! Bonus: Santa speaks both English and Español! 3541 Park Ave.

Winterfest

Friday, Dec. 12, 4-6 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Middle and High Schoolers are invited to the Oak Park Public Library’s annual Winter fest! Come celebrate the season with games, activities and food. More information can be found on the Oak Park Public Library website. 834 Lake St

Breakfast with Santa

Saturday, Dec. 13, 9-10:30 a.m.

Park District of Forest Park Administration Building

Santa is teaming up once again with the Park District of Forest Park for a breakfast to remember! Enjoy pancakes, sausage, juice, milk and hot co ee, with a side of games, coloring and crafts. Make sure to bring your own camera so you can snap a picture of your kids with Santa! Make sure to register beforehand, as spots do ll up. 7501 Harrison Street

Card-making with Ope ration

Rising Spirits

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1-2:30 p.m.

Forest Park Public Library

Make a veteran’s holiday season a little brighter! Write cards to veterans living in Illinois veterans homes and take part in a local tradition. Last year, Forest Park made up more than half of the holiday cards collected for Operation Rising Spirits through the Department of Veterans A airs. Be a par t of the impact this year! Materials are all provided. Registration is available on the Forest Park Library website. 7555 Jackson Blvd.

All Ages Private Lessons for Music, Languages, Academic Tutoring, Theater, Voice, Audition Prep, Logic Pro recording and more! $150 o ! Spanish Immersion K-12 Micro School

$150 off registration fee if used before Jan

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Watch HomeAlone whereitwasfilmed!

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6:30pmChurchdoorsopen

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6:30pmChurchdoorsopen

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6:30pmChurchdoorsopen 7:30pm“HomeAlone”screening Admission:$20.00

33rd Annual Cookie Walk

7:30pm“HomeAlone”screening Admission:$20.00

Saturday, Dec. 13, 10-11:30 a.m.

7:30pm“HomeAlone”screening Admission:$20.00

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United Lutheran Church

The sweetest $20 you’ll spend this holiday season!

library! Join in on the DIYing with the Austin Branch by decorating cards for the holiday season. Cards and decorating materials will be provided! More information can be found on the Chicago Public Library website. 5615 W. Race Ave

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Hosted by United Lutheran Church and Chicago Church of Christ, the 33rd Annual Cookie Walk is fast approaching. Buy a box and ll it with a variety of holiday cookies, knowing that the proceeds go to local charities. There will also be a ra e and jams, jellies and candles available to purchase. 409 Green eld St.

Cla ssical Blast’s “Dark Side of the Yule”

Sunday, Dec. 14, 4 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s Nightclub

Mix your holiday spirit with some classic rock in this unique holiday experience! Combining rock hits and traditional carols, holiday standards and beyond, Classical Blast ’s “Dark Side of the Yule” is returning to Fitzgerald’s for one show only and is open to all ages!

Tickets can be purchased on the Fitzgerald’s website. 6615 W Roosevelt Rd

DIY: Holiday Greeting Cards

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Chicago Public Library- Austin Branch

Make and take holiday greeting cards with your local

A Dickens Carol

Friday, Dec. 19, 7-9:30 p.m.

Pleasant Home

Join Oak Park Festival Theater for the world premiere of A Dickens Carol at Pleasant Home! One night only, this staged reading is a new twist on the holiday classic, reimagining the story from Dickens’ point of view and featuring real-life events. Light appetizers and two drink tickets are included in the cost of registration on the Park District of Oak Park website. 217 Home Ave

A Christmas Carol

Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m.

Grace Lutheran Church

Join Consonance - Chicago Choral Artists this holiday season for a returning favorite! A Christmas Carol features both arrangements of traditional carols and original music by Benedict Sheehan, and the return of voiceover artist Bill Rohl ng. Tickets are available on the Consonance website. 7300 Division St.

accompanied by a parent or guardian. Doors open at 6:30 and tickets can be purchased on the Rober t’s Westside website. 7321 Madison Street

Home for the Holidays

Saturday, Dec. 20, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Downtown Oak Park

Get into the holiday spirit with Downtown Oak Park! Marion Street will have free horse drawn carriage rides, and maybe you’ll see Santa as he visits local businesses. Plus, warm up with some free hot cocoa on the Cocoa Walk! Full details are available on the Downtown Oak Park website.

Khanike (Hanukkah)

Celebration with Mameloshn

Sunday, Dec. 21, 4:30-8 p.m.

Temple Har Zion

Celebrate Hanukkah with one of two programs at Temple Har Zion, both featuring the local Yiddish

Monday, Dec. 22, 1:15-2:30 p.m.

The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

Enjoy an afternoon of holiday favorites, operatic arias, musical theater gems and pieces from the Great American Songbook per formed by Desir Hassler, Pam Williams, Mike Cavalieri, Lisa Kristina and John Concepcion. close out the concer t, join in yourself! There will be a sing-along of holiday carols. The event is free to the public, though donations are welcome. 178 Forest Ave.

Kwanzaa Celebration

Tuesday, Dec. 30, 6-8 p.m.

Oak Park Public Library

Celebrate Kwanzaa with the Oak Park Public Library! Keep an eye on their website for details, coming soon. Past years have included dancing, drumming, storytelling, and more! 834 Lake St.

Savo r the seasonal

These are dishes that make fall and winter wor th it

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

Khyber Pass – Karahi gosht

While this dish isn’t connected to a specific winter holiday celebration, it takes Khyber’s owner Malik Jawid on a sentimental journey when days get shorter, colder and memories gain a nostalgic hold on the mind

“Back home, cozy, family together,” Jawid said. “I remember always enjoying that smelling and being cooked.”

This savory, warm meal comes from northern India and Pakistan. Traditionally made with goat or mutton, at Khyber Pass it’s made with lamb.

“Around that time of the year, it’s a little bit more specially prepared,” Jawid said. “With spices you don’t use usually.”

A kadai is the deep, round, flat-bottomed cooking pan used to prepare the dish. Unlike curries which marinate the meat first, here it is simply sauteed in ghee or oil, then slowly simmered in sauce to delicate tenderness. The method gives the unique taste that is different from curries made with the same meats.

The sauce includes ginger, garlic, green chilies and a special coarse ground spice blend known as kadai masala. The “gravy” didn’t traditionally include onions, but modern recipes add them to balance the tangy zip of tomatoes. Overall, the dish pairs well with naan to mop up the playful combo of sweet, spicey and hot flavors.

Khyber Pass is on Lake Street in Downtown Oak Park

Cucina Paradiso – Pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sage sauce

Customers at Cucina start asking for it about the time PSL lattes hit the menus elsewhere. Once the idea of fall is in the air, tastebuds are ready.

“Servers are coming to us and saying, they’re asking about the pumpkin ravioli,” Mike Bouse, Cucina Paradiso’s operations manager, said. “It’s like, all in good time. if it wasn’t a little bit limited, it wouldn’t be so sought after.”

The fall favorite starts with a puree of pumpkin and ricotta cheese. That is plumped inside egg pasta with fresh herbs and for med into ravioli.

“The sauce is very simple. We take brown butter and

with a little bit of garlic and some sage that we toast in the brown butter. We add stock and white wine to it and then very carefully emulsify it with Pecorino Romano cheese.” Bouse said.

On top goes toasted pepitas and another generous helping of Pecorino.

Sage is spotlighted here. But do you know why fall foods are so often sage-flavored?

“Sage can definitely withstand even some snow. It’ll withstand a free ze,” Bouse said of the herb that lasts longer into cold weather than most others. “It lends itself so well to things like squash, gourds, game meats that would normally be harvested during the fall season – turkeys, venison, that sort of thing. At home, I am pulling sage out of the garden for the T hanksgiving turkey.”

Cucina is on North Boulevard in Oak Pa rk

Karahi Gosht

PROVIDED

Cucina Paradiso – Pumpkin Ravioli

Daly Bagel – Cranberry orange bagel & gingerbread bagel

Two different bagels, packed with ingredients with deep connections to end-of-year holidays, show up on the menu for a limited time each year at Daly Bagel on Chicago Avenue in Oak Park

Cranberry orange will be the featured special the first week of December, just as we are all fully digested from Thanksgiving and looking for another blast of turkey-time flavor. Whole dried cranberries mix in with bagel dough that gets its liquid from orange juice rather than water

The week of Christmas gingerbread bagels roll out. Most Daly bagels are made with honey, but this recipe calls for molasses to set the right tastebud-bed for chunks of crystalized ginger inside and a ginger topping outside

“We’ll have both flavors again in January. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Adrienne Guldin said. “You do appreciate it more when it comes back, than if it’s something you can’t get all the time.”

Guldin has a favorite cream cheese combo for each of the flavors.

“We have an apple cinnamon roll cream cheese that I really like with the gingerbread, because you’ve got so many of those spices that just come through them, just warm it all up. For the cranberry orange, I think goat cheese is probably the most popular with that. It’s a nice mix of sweet and sour,” she said.

PROVIDED

Cranberry Orange & Gingerbread Bagel

The Joyful Giving Giving Catalog2025

Animal Care League

Animal Care League o ers a safe haven for pets in need. Rooted in the community since 1973, Animal Care League takes a proactive approach to animal care and adoption as well as preventative measures to help reduce the number of homeless animals in our communities. With over 1,300 pets coming to our doors each year, Animal Care League counts on supporters to ensure that we can provide what is needed from routine vaccinations to life saving surgery. Make a di erence in the life of a homeless animal by visiting animalcareleague.org where you can sign up to volunteer, make a donation, view our adoptable pets, and learn about upcoming events.

Arts Alliance Forest Park

Become a Member and Create With Us! Arts Alliance Forest Park. The Catalyst for Creativity.

Members enjoy a variety of bene ts including discounts to events all while collaborating with other local organizations and businesses including Village of Forest Park, the Park District, Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce.

Programs include the well-attended StoopSessions, Tellers’ Night, GarageGalleries, Makers’ Market, 48-Hour Film Festival and art installations such as Little Perspectives, Sit & Savor, FiberFlash and the Park District mural with more to come!

Join the only local arts organization that assembles art enthusiasts for the love, fun and beauty of art for only $25! Visit forestparkarts.org/becomea-member

Austin Coming Together

Austin Coming Together (ACT)’s mission is to increase the collective impact of our 50+ member organizations on improving education and economic development outcomes for Chicago’s Austin community. Since 2010, we’ve been connecting residents to services, attracting investments for the community, and building capacity for policy change. Recent e orts include co-developing the former Emmet School into the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation and supporting the Austin Eats Initiative, a 20+ group focused on strengthening the community’s food access infrastructure. Learn more at austincomingtogether.org

Beyond Hunger

For over 45 years Beyond Hunger has been harnessing the power of communities to create a hungerfree future. Through our food pantry, home delivery program, nutrition education classes, and social services, we provide hunger relief that truly goes beyond basic nourishment. We provide our clients with the tools they need to ensure that no one is left behind in the battle against hunger. We know that this work would not be possible without our community. Whether you volunteer, advocate for those in need, or donate, you are essential in moving our mission forward. With your support, we believe hunger is solvable. Learn more about how you can get involved in the ght to end hunger by visiting gobeyondhunger.org or donating using this QR Code.

BUILD

Since 1969, we have embedded mentors in schools and across neighborhoods to connect with youth who need support. Wrapping young people in the opportunities and care they deserve, we help them build hope, resilience, and a path to a promising future. We engage youth at every stage, with specialized teams dedicated to street violence interventions, gang detachments, creative after-school programming, academic school, college support, mental health care, community violence crisis response, and enrichment activities ranging from art and music to sports, podcasting, engineering, and gardening. Potential doesn’t discriminate, neither should opportunity.

Join us in BUILDing a better future: buildchicago.org

CAYR Connections

CAYR Connections, an Oak Park nonpro t, envisions a future where all brains belong. CAYR stands for “Come As You Are,” and our mission is to build inclusive spaces that honor neurodiversity (the natural variation of human brains). Our programs for neurodivergent children and their families - including our upcoming microschool and summer program - provide opportunities for education, connection, and advocacy. Our social club for neurodivergent adults and community outreach programs help create lasting networks of support and understanding. Your donations make this possible and help us expand our reach.

Join us in creating a more inclusive world at www.cayrconnections.org

The Collaboration for Early Childhood

Early care and education is where success starts. It makes everything else possible, and it allows children to reach their full potential from the rst day of kindergarten all the way through to adulthood. We are a communitydriven organization that cultivates the development of the whole child, birth to age ve, by engaging families, local organizations, early childhood educators, caregivers, and health providers to create equitable, nurturing, and interconnected systems of support. Help ensure that we continue to be a place where families thrive!

Investing in early childhood is an investment in the future. Your donation will make a powerful impact! Learn more at collab4kids.org

Community Support Services (CSS)

Community Support Services (CSS) initiates, provides and promotes services for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families, within their communities, in order to strengthen their independence, self-esteem, and ability to participate in and contribute to community life. We provide supportive employment services, respite care, residential services, community day services and home-based services. CSS serves 51 communities and has a strong presence in Oak Park and River Forest and surrounding areas. We rely on private philanthropy to fully fund all our essential services.

To donate and learn more about services, please visit www.cssservices.com/donate.

Friends of the ChildrenChicago

Every child has hopes and dreams – but far too many children face the challenges of poverty, housing insecurity, and exposure to gun violence.

Friends of the Children steps in early— pairing kindergarteners on Chicago’s West and South Sides with Professional Mentors. We focus on the individualized journey of the child, helping them build skills and create goals while partnering with caregivers to strengthen family stability. What makes us unique? We walk alongside our youth for 12.5 years. No Matter What. Our trauma-informed approach puts the child at the center and surrounds them with a network of support.

Friends of the Children-Chicago isn’t just about prevention—it’s about possibility. Join a child’s team of support by donating at friendschicago.org today.

Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory

Built in 1929, the Oak Park Conservatory is a Historic Property of the Park District of Oak Park. Free to the public with 50,000 visitors annually, the Conservatory is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Conservatory o ers three indoor showrooms featuring more than 3,000 plants and two outdoor gardens including a play area for toddlers. The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory o ers a wide range of programs focused on enriching the visitor experience at the Conservatory. From volunteering to educational and recreational opportunities, tours and classes, there is something for everyone to enjoy year-round.

Growing Community Media

Growing Community Media is the reader supported newsroom behind four great local news publications covering our neighborhoods and villages. We publish the Austin Weekly News, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park & River Forest, Forest Park Review and Riverside-Brook eld Landmark. Day in and day out we provide authentic, boots-onthe-ground, fact-based reporting about people and places you know and value. We hold our public o cials and institutions accountable and help our communities stay connected and informed. Your gift to Growing Community Media is an investment in making your neighborhood a stronger and better place to live.

Donate for news that matters to you at growingcommunitymedia.org/donate

Habitat for Humanity Chicago

We at Habitat for Humanity Chicago do more than build homes. We help build thriving neighborhoods by o ering residents small grant opportunities, homebuyer education, and a ordable mortgages through our various programs. Working in the Austin, Greater Grand Crossing, and West Pullman community areas, our wider neighborhood approach guides our work and is sustained by our dedicated volunteers, donors, and partners.

Together, we build Chicago. Join us in investing in our neighbors today: habitatchicago.org/ donate • (312) 563-0296

Hephzibah Children’s Association

Housing Forward

Founded in 1897, Hephzibah Children’s Association is Oak Park’s oldest social service agency. Serving children and families for 128 years, our mission of helping children thrive and families ourish is muti-faceted. We are the only residential treatment program for severely abused, neglected, and traumatized children in need of behavioral intervention from ages 3-11 in Illinois. In addition, Hephzibah o ers foster care services, comprehensive services for children and families in crisis, positive parenting services and an abuse & neglect prevention program. Hephzibah also provides a ordable after-school care and summer camp for Oak Park families of all income levels.

To make a donation, visit hephzibahhome.org/donate-now.

Holiday Food and Gift Basket

Holiday Food and Gift Basket, a program of the Community of Congregations, has been spreading joy in Oak Park and River Forest since the 1970’s. Every year we provide grocery gift cards in November and holiday gifts in December to low-income individuals and families. Our small program has a big impact because of the support of community members like you. We need donors to fund gift cards, sponsors to ful ll wish lists, and volunteers to deliver gifts. Thank you for helping our neighbors in need.

Please visit our website for information on how you can donate, sponsor, or volunteer. Find us at communityofcongregations.org/ holiday-food-gift-basket

Housing Forward is passionately focused on one vision – ending homelessness.

Ending homelessness means addressing it at all levels, from the possibility of a housing crisis to its permanent resolution. We prevent homelessness whenever possible, respond to housing crises when they do occur, and stabilize people with supportive services and housing. Housing Forward is a recognized leader in west suburban Cook County, assisting over 2,500 individuals and families each year with our comprehensive wraparound support from the onset of a housing crisis to its resolution.

To learn more or get involved, visit housingforward.org, email or call 708-3381724

L’Arche Chicago

Together is a beautiful place to be…

Quality care for adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities extends beyond the basics of supporting someone with their basic living and medical needs. Everyone deserves an opportunity to live a vibrant and meaningful life. L’Arche Chicago is a highly relational community dedicated to creating a space where everyone’s unique gifts are celebrated. We are committed to the highest quality of care for our core members (adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities). Mutual relationships transform lives at all four of our homes, located in Forest Park, Oak Park, and Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

You can make a beautiful impact – Join us by making a gift today! Visit www. larchechicago.org • 708-6601600 • hello@larchechicago. org

League of Women Voters of Oak Park-River Forest

The League of Women Voters

Oak Park and River Forest is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. Locally, we register voters and sponsor candidate forums. We also present civic education programs covering topics such as the decline of local news, ranked choice voting and the problem of mis and disinformation. The League advocates at the state and national level on policy issues including voting rights, immigration and the environment. And the LWV nationwide United and Rise initiative aims to mobilize 8.5 million voters to protect and preserve our democracy.

Visit lwvoprf.org to learn more.

Maywood Youth Mentoring Program

Organized in 1993 as a 501c3, the Maywood Youth Mentoring Program has served hundreds of middle to highschool youth providing a variety of programs, workshops, eld trips, and experiences designed to increase academic potential and instill cultural pride. Since 2008, the program has hosted free monthly youth breakfasts with topics ranging from anger management and con ict resolution, etiquette, police/ community interactions, sexual health, drug and alcohol avoidance, and academic excellence. Youths practice critical thinking skills to encourage positive life choices. Volunteer mentors interact with youths, providing positive role models for college and career choices. Funds are needed to continuously provide free services and

The Neighborhood Bridge

The Neighborhood Bridge connects families in the Austin and Oak Park communities to vital resources that strengthen stability and opportunity. Through our Advocate Program and Essentials Pantry, families receive personalized support for housing, food, legal aid, education, and more. This year, we opened the Bridge Center at 38 N. Austin Boulevard, a new Community Service Center built on partnership and hope. Your generosity helps us continue bridging families to the services they need to thrive.

Donate today to support our work: theneighborhoodbridge.org

New Moms

The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association strengthens our community through learning, giving, and sharing our landmark building through space grants to local nonpro ts, who account for 80% of its usage. We provide community outreach, scholarships, and public programming in ve areas: music, art, literature, science, and social sciences. The Nineteenth Century is the owner of 178 Forest Avenue, commonly referred to as the Nineteenth Century Club. Our charitable and cultural activities are supported by our members, volunteers, donors, and by the events held at the building. Programs are open to all and we welcome all ages to join. Our Monday programs are now being live-streamed as well as available a week later on our website for all to enjoy.

Young moms hold extraordinary

Oak Park Regional Housing Center

Oak Park Regional Housing Center has celebrated 52 years with the mission to achieve vibrant communities while promoting intentional and stable residential integration throughout Oak Park and the surrounding communities. OPRHC is the only HUD approved non- pro t agency in Oak Park promoting intentional integrative housing stability options while increasing housing inventory. Consider giving a tax-deductible year end donation so that we may reach our goal to raise $25,000 by December 31, 2024! These funds will help us continue to help integrate and invigorate the Greater Westside communities for up to 100 individuals in the rst quarter of 2025!

You may donate at: oprhc. org/donate. To learn more, please call 708-848-7150, or email: info@oprhc.org.

One Earth Collective

One Earth curates vibrant environmental programming that inspires action, facilitates learning, promotes justice, and fosters equity and inclusion to create resilient communities and a healthier planet. We focus our work in 3 areas - One Earth Film Festival, One Earth Youth Voices, and One Earth Local. One Earth Film Fest’s 15th season will take place April 22-28, 2026. We’re excited to welcome Chicagoland audiences live, in addition to our virtual screenings. Join us for captivating lms, engaging discussion, impactful action opportunities and community-building.

Memberships start at $35. Learn more and donate at oneearth lmfest.org/give

OPRF Infant Welfare Society

Since 1916, OPRF Infant Welfare Society has supported families in need through programs including the IWS Children’s Clinic. Each year, 3,000 infants, children, and young adults from birth to age 21 receive medical, dental, and behavioral health services— regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Guided by a commitment to compassionate care delivered with respect and dignity, the Clinic attracts families from across Chicagoland, from nearby Oak Park to as far as Mount Vernon. OPRF IWS is powered by generous donors, dedicated sta , committed members, and caring volunteers. Join us in advancing children’s health. Donate at opr ws.org/donate.

PING! (Providing Instruments for the Next Generation)

Pro Bono Network

Pro Bono Network creates exible pro bono opportunities, removing barriers to attorney volunteerism, to serve people in need. Founded and based in Oak Park, PBN connects attorneys who want to volunteer with workable pro bono opportunities. PBN has supported more than 400 volunteer attorneys and 30 translators who make justice more accessible to individuals in need. Since 2011, PBN volunteer attorneys have contributed more than 36,000 volunteer hours, to serve more than 6,500 clients. We believe in a future where every person has access to legal help and every attorney has the opportunity to serve.

Info@pbnetwork.org Support PBN here: www.pbnetwork.org/donate

Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest

The Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest is a dedicated branch of Rotary International, a global network of community members united in the mission to provide service to others. Locally and internationally, the club champions humanitarian projects that promote peace, ght disease, support education, and grow local economies. Their work ranges from funding college scholarships to providing polio vaccines to 2.5 billion children in 122 countries over 35 years. These e orts rely on community support.

To learn more about Rotary and help create lasting change in our community and beyond, visit: oprfrotary.org/.

St. Angela School

St. Angela School has served the families of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood for more than ve generations. We are committed to enriching the lives and futures of our children. We have a storied history and an extended family of generous alumni whose philanthropy provides scholarship funds and whose engagement keeps our campus beautiful. We are richly blessed and deeply grateful for the partnerships that have sustained us through the years. Now, early in our second century, we are proud to rea rm our commitment to love and serve all those who choose to be part of our community. We ask those partners to recommit to our cause as well. Thank you! Learn more about St. Angela School at saintangela.org or call us at (773) 6262655.

Sarah’s Inn

Sarah’s Inn takes a holistic approach to addressing domestic violence, o ering free, bilingual (English/Spanish) services for survivors and their children, including con dential advocacy and counseling. We also provide a Partner Abuse Intervention Program for perpetrators of domestic violence, Prevention education for youth to build healthy relationships, and Training and Education program for professionals and organizations to create a network of skilled ambassadors. Together, these programs improve the lives of those a ected by domestic violence and help break the cycle for future generations.

Show your support for our ongoing work at sarahsinn.org/donate.

Share Food Share Love Food Pantry

Due to federal cuts to regional food distribution, our food pantry has been put on notice that we will likely not receive supplies that our neighbors in need are especially looking forward to this holiday season. Putting food on the table is a basic human right. Putting food on the table means we can a ord to take a break from our daily worries to feel the comforts of mealtime, togetherness, and nutritional well-being. Putting food on the table is an act of sharing and love.

You can make a real di erence this holiday season. Learn how: sharefoodsharelove.org.

The Joyful Giving

visit OakPark.com

Three Pillars Initiative

The idea to create a youth philanthropy leadership education program was born in 2010 by Rick and Cheryl King, long-time residents of Oak Park. In partnership with the OPRF Community Foundation, they launched the Future Philanthropists Program (FPP), now in its fteenth year.

Given the success of the Oak Park program, and a desire to share this model with communities across the country, the Three Pillars Initiative (TPI) was incorporated in October 2018. TPI’s mission is to work with communities to develop and launch programs that teach the art, science and business of philanthropy to the next generation.

Donate today to support the youth of tomorrow.

Way Back Inn

Since 1974, Way Back Inn has successfully provided long-term residential and outpatient treatment for substance use and gambling disorders. Our mission is to rebuild lives damaged by addiction in a personalized healing environment. This holiday season, we ask that you gift responsibly with the youth in your family. Children who have early exposure to gambling experiences, including lottery tickets, are more likely to develop a gambling problem later in life.

For more information or to make a donation to our program by scanning the QR.

West Cook YMCA

In the last few months, your West Cook YMCA has transformed, expanding our reach to serve youth, families, young professionals, and healthy aging adults. We’ve added tness classes and programs for all ages, extended facility, gym, and pool hours, and invested in new weight equipment and space, all to strengthen spirit, mind, and body. Today, we ask for your support to continue building a more connected and healthy community. Your investment helps to keep and add programs that foster wellbeing, spark belonging, and bring people together across all walks of life. Join us in shaping a better us, for today, and for the generations to come. Together, we are stronger.

For more information, visit westcookymca.org.

West Suburban Special Recreation Association

Association (WSSRA) provides recreational programming for individuals with disabilities who reside in Oak Park, River Forest and eleven other surrounding communities. Donations to WSSRA help provide nancial assistance to those participating in our year-round programs and summer day camp.

To make a donation please visit wssra.net.

Wonder Works Children’s Museum in Oak

Park

Wonder Works Children’s Museum has been a community gem on North Avenue since 2003. Our small but mighty museum plays a very important role in nurturing young minds, fostering a love of learning, and bolstering social and emotional skills. In 2025, we continued to grow museum access for ALL children through discounted admission for families with nancial needs, sensory friendly play sessions, and social service agency partnerships. As a 501c3 non-pro t organization, individual donations to Wonder Works Children’s Museum are crucial to bringing our mission and programs to life.

Visit Wonder-Works.org/ give to donate and support the museum.

LOVE OAK PARK & RIVER FOREST? JOIN AS A COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR.

If you shop here, live here, or simply love it here, this is your chance to fuel the local businesses that keep our community buzzing.

Become a Community Contributor and help power:

✔ Small business support ✔ Local events & festivals

✔ New business initiatives ✔ A thriving, resilient economy

Plus, you’ll get insider access to Chamber happenings, invitations to special events.

Stay in the loop. Sign up for our Community Connection newsletter. Make your impact today.

SAVE THE DATE - BITE NITE 2026 Friday, January 30, 2026 • 5:30-9:30 PM Nineteenth Century Club, Oak Park Scan to join.

• The biggest foodie night in OPRF is back!

• Bold flavors. Packed rooms. Electric energy.

• 30+ restaurants, a 360° bar, live entertainment, and all the community vibes you can handle.

• Mark your calendars – you won’t want to miss it.

Whether you’re pampering yourself at James Anthony Salon, Elan Hair Body & Sole or Polished Nails and Day Spa, we think you should be able to get all of your banking done in your neighborhood…with people who love the area as much as you do. Byline is privileged to be a part of the Oak Park and River Forest community. Dine at Breakfast House Oak Park, Kyber Pass, or Jerusalem Cafe and shop at The Book Loft, River Forest Chocolates or Val’s Halla Records.

To learn more about our commitment to Oak Park and River Forest, visit bylinebank.com/oprf

Left to right:

My Hanh La, Senior Universal Banker; Isbeth Saravia, Assistant Branch Manager; Denise Warren, Branch Manager; Susie Goldschmidt,Market President