W E D N E S D A Y
January 22, 2020 Vol. 39, No. 25 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Wright Plus 2020 Page 25
Harmon wins top Senate post Brings position held by mentor Phil Rock back to Oak Park By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
Don Harmon achieved a long-held dream and ambition Sunday when he was elected President of the Illinois State Senate after a tough battle with his colleague Kimberly Lightford. Harmon, a native of Oak Park who lives in his childhood home, represents most of Oak Park and the West Side while Lightford represents the portion of Oak Park that is south of the Eisenhower Expressway. Lightford also represents River Forest. Harmon and Lightford, who have sat just one seat apart from each other on the floor of the state Senate, had been fighting it out in a contentious battle for the top job in the Senate since mid-November when John Cullerton announced that he was resigning in the middle of his term. Lightford, (D-Maywood) was seen by some as the early favorite. She was bidding to become See HARMON on page 14
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
THEIR BEES-WAX: Production assistant Alexis Lee pours wax to make candles at Bright Endeavors in Garfield Park.
New Moms kindles bright futures
Nonprofit’s job training program doubles as a social enterprise candle company By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
While browsing the candle section at Whole Foods, pick up a Bright Endeavors candle and flip it over. On the bottom label of each candle is the name of the young mother who made it. Bright Endeavors, the New Moms 16-
week paid job training program, provides young mothers in need with the skills necessary to find gainful employment, while doubling as a social enterprise candle company. “An interesting thing about social enterprises is that it’s a very broad spectrum,” said Sarah-Jayne Ashenhurst, New Moms social enterprise director. “Some don’t op-
erate with the job training force as an actual labor force, as we do.” Targeting mothers between 16 and 24 years in age, the mothers in Bright Endeavors are given the title of production assistant and split their time between manufacturing beautiful candles and atSee NEW MOMS on page 16
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