Community of
How our communities make a difference
Great worries. Great resolve. RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD
Our earth
Zero waste makes local difference PAGE 4
Our refugees
Faith communities make neighbors out of refugees PAGE 8
F O R E S T PA R K
JOURNAL REVIEW W E D N E S D A Y
Our addicts
Opioids, alcohol, pot top worries PAGE 12
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November 7, 2018
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Working together, there is so much we can do to transform lives and grow prosperity in and around Oak Park and River Forest, now and for generations to come.
GIVE TODAY.
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708.848.1560 or ryap@oprfcf.org
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November 7, 2018
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Be extraordinary!
he Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is proud to partner with the Wednesday Journal’s Season of Giving. The stories collected in this week’s special Community of Caring section feature the steadfast commitment of those devoted to improving the lives of tens of thousands who call Oak Park, River Forest and neighboring communities home. Our community is a very giving community. As your Community Foundation, we are dedicated to helping donors like you connect your aspirations and resources to meet our community’s most pressing needs. When we work collectively, whether we give our time, our talent, or our treasure, there is so much more we can do to transform lives and grow prosperity in and around Oak Park and River Forest, now and for generations to come. We invite you to learn more about this caring community and to participate in the Season of Giving. It is our time to Be Extraordinary! In service,
ANTONIO MARTINEZ JR.
Staff
Editor Lacey Sikora Photographer Alexa Rogals Editorial Design Manager Claire Innes Editorial Designers Javier Govea, Jacquinete Baldwin IT and Digital Developer Mike Risher Advertising Production Manager Philip Soell Advertising Design Manager Andrew Mead Advertising Designers Mark Moroney, Debbie Becker Advertising Director Dawn Ferencak Display Advertising Sales Marc Stopeck, Bill Wossow Advertising Coordinator Nonna Working Inside Sales Representative Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Distribution Coordinator Wakeelah Cocroft-Aldridge Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Associate Publisher Dawn Ferencak Business Manager Joyce Minich
Antonio Martinez, Jr.
President & CEO Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
ON THE COVER: Attendees during a West Suburban Action Project’s DACA informational meeting in Melrose Park. | File photo
George’s
Restaurant & Pancake House
Your Hosts: George & John
145 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302
Ph: 708.848.4949 Cell: 847.708.1727
Looking for a way to make a difference in the community this year? Check out the Giving Guide on page17.
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November 7, 2018
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Community of Caring | Our earth
Treading lightly: Zero waste efforts lessen environmental impact
Oak Park to Riverside, zero waste events are growing
There is a lot of environmental damage caused by improperly closed landfills. There is also climate change associated with the use of landfills.” He points out that there are also known benefits to composting food waste rather than putting it in a landfill, saying that By LACEY SIKORA science supports the benefits of compost in Contributing Reporter agriculture and gardens. Susan Casey is the Zero Waste Schools Proeven Generations Ahead (SGA), the gram Manager for SGA. She says that since Oak Park-based non-profit, has been their initial effort at Holmes School in Oak at the forefront of environmental Park, the zero waste program has expanded efforts locally and throughout the to include all seven District 97 elementary Chicago area for years, and a large schools, all three River Forest part of that is their zero waste District 90 schools, and Ascenefforts. SGA made the Oak sion, St. Giles and Trinity Park Microbrew Review the schools as well. While OPRF’s largest zero-waste craft beer lunch program is not zero event in the Midwest, and waste, Casey says the school in 2008, SGA began to bring does commercial composting zero waste initiatives to local in the kitchen, and OPRF also schools with the development works to donate their food surof a zero waste program at plus to the OPRF Food Pantry. Holmes Elementary School in She says that the school Oak Park. programs begin with the Gary Cuneen, founder and “three R’s,” referring to reexecutive director, says waste duce, reuse, recycle. “We look reduction has always been at what they are serving the a primary goal of SGA. He food on and go to washable or points out there are many compostable trays. We set up downsides to dumping trash recycling. If possible, we set in a landfill, particularly Susan Casey up commercial composting, when that trash could be rewhich allows all food scraps cycled or composted. to be composted. If we cannot “When you combine organic do that, we set up compost on-site, which is material with non-organic material in more limited.” landfills, you create methane gas, which Casey says schools that can add commercial is dangerous. Across Illinois, landfills will composting see drastic reductions in waste eventually reach capacity, and there is a volume. “For example, in a school of 1,000 cost to siting and building new landfills. students, which normally produces 500 to 600 No one wants a landfill in their backyard.
S
“For example, in a school of 1,000 students, which normally produces 500 to 600 pounds of waste a day, the use of commercial composting can cut that by up to 85 percent.”
Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer
Oak Park Microbrew Festival, above, and HopStop raise the bar for responsible event production in Riverside.
Photo courtesy of HotSpot
pounds of waste a day, the use of commercial composting can cut that by up to 85 percent.” SGA also offers supports to the schools, helping them form zero waste teams, and offering education to administration, custodians, and kitchen staff. Casey says getting the students and staff involved and invested is key. “We support the logistical and the educational side. We help them understand both the how and the why – the financial and environmental impact.” Cuneen notes that the Oak Park-River Forest area initiatives are just part of SGA’s work across the Chicago area. “We’re now working in Chicago Public Schools, and in the
North Shore. We’re a part of the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition, which works on everything from education to policy to an on-the-ground system of putting food scrap programs into jails, hospitals and universities.” Locally, SGA’s work is funded by the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation and is a part of the PlanItGreen initiative designed to enhance the quality and vibrancy of life in Oak Park and River Forest. Cuneen says they are currently in year seven of a 10-year environmental sustainability plan sponsored by the Community Foundation. The plan covers nine environmental goals, including waste. Cuneen says the goal was to divert 50 percent of waste from landfills to recycling and compost by 2020 and to reduce the total amount of material generated by the communities by 1 percent annually. He says that both Oak Park and River Forest are making good progress toward those goals. “As of 2016, Oak Park was at 43.6 percent diversion, and River Forest was at 31.4 percent. We have a little ways to go, but we’re moving in the right direction.
Giving back matters. That’s why OakParkApartments.com is a proud supporter of many local organizations, events and agencies.
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November 7, 2018
Community of Caring | Our earth
Photos provided
Seven Generations Ahead’s zero waste initiatives in local schools at Ascension, left, and Beye Schools, right. Through PlanItGreen, SGA is working to coordinate some of the waste diversion initiatives. Casey says part of this effort is getting consistent signage up throughout the villages: in schools, libraries, and villageowned properties. Cuneen says education efforts are still much needed, noting that there are greater restrictions on what can and cannot go into recycling bins. “Much of our recycling goes to China, which has greater regulations on what can go into recycling in terms of contamination. There
is an ongoing need to educate about what can be recycled because you run the risk of entire loads being rejected.” As part of its educational efforts, SGA also coordinates green block parties. All blocks applying for block party permits in Oak Park and River Forest receive information on waste when they apply. Green block parties can include compost bins, promotion of recycling and composting as well as talks on planting food and native pollinator gardens. SGA also conducts training on how to
organize small and large-scale zero waste events, and covers all aspects of planning including vendor relations and materials guidelines; event policies; volunteer roles and consumer education; recycling and food scrap composting signage and systems; hauler relations; day-of-event operations; and publicity. In Riverside, Rob Dixon of the village’s Sustainability Commission says that the Oak Park Microbrew Review as well as zero waste events at the University of Illinois
Serving our Community Senator
Don Harmon President Pro Tempore 6941-B W. NorthSenator Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 Senator Proud to Serve Senator (708) 848-2002 Don Harmon Don Don Harmon President Pro Tempore President ProPro Tempore President Tempore 6933 W. North Ave. 6933 W. North Ave. 6933 W. North Ave. Oak Park, IL OakOak Park, IL 60302 60302 Park, IL 60302 (708) 848-2002 (708) 848-2002 (708) 848-2002 329 Capitol Building 329329 Capitol Building Capitol Building Springfield, IL Springfield, IL 62706 62706 Springfield, IL 62706 (217) 782-8176 (217) 782-8176 (217) 782-8176 www.donharmon.org www.donharmon.org www.donharmon.org
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Representative Representative Representative Representative
Camille Lilly Camille Lilly Camille Lilly Camille Lilly 5755 W.Division Division St.St. 5755 W. St. 5755 W. Division Chicago, 60651 Chicago, ILIL60651 Chicago, IL 60651 (773) 473-7300 (773) 473-7300 (773) 473-7300 282-S Stratton 282-S Stratton 282-S Stratton Office Building Office Building Office Building Springfield, 62706 Springfield, ILIL62706 Springfield, IL 62706 (217) 782-6400 (217) 782-6400 (217) 782-6400
www.donharmon.org | harmon@senatedem.illlinois.gov dharmon@senatedem.ilga.gov dharmon@senatedem.ilga.gov dharmon@senatedem.ilga.gov
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Chicago where he works prompted him to try to make Riverside’s HopStop Craft Beer Festival a zero waste effort. “I was the president of the Olmstead Society of Riverside, and our group seeks to foster environmental awareness while honoring the heritage of our historic landmark village. We just didn’t want to create a ton of waste with our fundraiser.” He and the board of the Olmstead Society worked with Bright Beat Events to help make the event zero waste. “It’s a lot to do on your own. They do the heavy lifting and consider all of the aspects, down to providing glass, reusable cups rather than plastic cups. We also worked with vendors well ahead of time. The brewers and the food vendors had to either be amenable to zero waste practices from the start or open to changing their practices.” Flood Brothers, which provides the village with its residential composting bins, sponsors the zero waste efforts, and Dixon says that Riverside Foods was instrumental in supporting the vision of a zero waste beer fest as well. For Dixon, being a zero waste event not only lessens the environmental impact of holding a beer fest, but it also provided a great opportunity to educate the community. “From the signage to the different receptacles, it really helped people understand what is recyclable, what is compostable and what is trash. It’s educational for everyone.”
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November 7, 2018
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Community of Caring | Our earth
More relevant than ever: One Earth Film Festival
From Oak Park roots, annual festival now covers five counties By LACEY SIKORA
I
Contributing Reporter
n October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report warning of the effects associated with climate change. Ana Garcia Doyle, executive director and one of the founding members of the One Earth Film Festival notes that for many, the report which predicted crisis effects as early as the year 2040 was scary. “It is very depressing to see a possible year given in the report that is within our lifetime and within our children’s lifetimes.” While understanding the impulse to despair and “crawl under a bed,” Garcia Doyle urges people to do just the opposite, “Do something. Move forward.” She has just the opportunity for you to do so. In 2012 as a board member of Green Community Connections, Garcia Doyle was part of a team looking to get the message out about environmental issues. In February of order to narrow down the list of films for that year, they decided to put on a film fesscreenings. “With our 90 viewers, we simutival to coincide with Earth Day that April. late an audience. Everyone has a different Never mind that they had only seven weeks view point, and we make sure we have to do so and no experience with film. representation of our 14 topic areas.” They turned to film as a medium when By the end of November, the group has they were trying to think about how to a final slate of films and is working to fit spread the message beyond those in the them into appropriate time slots in the community who were already interested in communities holding the screenings. That environmental issues. Garcia Doyle says fit is an important part of the mission of that using movies to tell stories resonates the festival according to Garcia Doyle. “The with people. “It’s more exciting than data. festival is not an entertainment festival Things that can get you at an emotional even though the films can be entertaining level can be persuasive.” and thought-provoking and Garcia Doyle admits, “It paralyzing. We want to incite was kind of an ambitious action. One of the reasons we idea because we’re environwork in so many communimentalists and know nothties is that the environmental ing about film. We hoped change effort has to work on to get a few dozen people to the local level.” attend. Our expectations She points to screenings were pretty modulated.” last year in Chicago’s KenWhen roughly 500 people wood neighborhood which attended that first festival, tied into urban gardening they knew they were on to projects taking place in something. “There was a defour community churches. mand. We thought we were Ana Garcia Doyle After screenings of an urban drumming up something, agriculture film, members of but really, it was already area urban gardens shared there.” their experiences and community members Eight years later, the film festival has were available to offer ways for locals to grown immeasurably. This year, over 5,400 volunteer and get involved. Garcia Doyle people attended the March screenings and events, and two summer screenings, includ- says tie-ins like these help fire up residents and make it easier for them to get involved ing one at Millennium Park, drew an addiwhen the cause is tangible and part of their tional 10,000 attendees. In 2018, the festival community. included 35 films, 62 screenings and events Similarly, at the Shedd Aquarium last in 51 venues across five counties. year, a movie on the effect of plastics in Garcia Doyle says a group of 90 film the oceans was screened. Afterwards, the reviewers sees over 600 hours of footage in
“One of the reasons we work in so many communities is that the environmental change effort has to work on the local level.”
Photos and poster provided by One Earth Film Festival
Winners of the Young Filmmakers Contest 2018. aquarium had scientists speak on the effect of plastics on the world’s coral reefs and launched its Shedd the Straw Campaign. As part of this campaign, local establishments, including the Chicago White Sox and Guaranteed Rate Field banned the use of plastic straws. Garcia Doyle says efforts such as these reflect the import of the festival. “If we can help people launch things, we can make really substantive movement and change.” As the One Earth Film Festival looks forward to coming back in 2019 from March 1 through March 10, Garcia Doyle says the time is right for people to not only attend
but also to get involved. “Since the election, we’ve seen a huge bump in volunteers and partner agencies. People don’t want to feel powerless. They want to do something.” With more than 400 volunteers, there is always room for more at the One Earth Film Festival. Garcia Doyle hopes the news from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will galvanize more people to join in the efforts. “You can work with us. We always need more people. It’s a great way to affect change and you can meet others concerned about environmental issues.”
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November 7, 2018
Community of Caring | Our earth
‘Adults screwed up the environment’: Young filmmakers contest lets youth offer solutions One year after the founding of the One Earth Film Festival, its founders launched the Young Filmmakers contest in 2013. Ana Garcia Doyle, the festival’s executive director, says the young filmmakers component gives a voice to the next generation. “Really, this is a response to the fact that this is their world. We’ve screwed it up and they’re going to have to pick up the pieces. There’s a lot of agitation, but it’s not entirely negative. What is this new world we’re in? Embedded in that is a lot of creativity.” Lisa Files, co-director of the youth effort alongside Sue Crothers Gee, says that while the YFC was garnering 10 to 25 submissions a year, last year that number jumped to 115. She credits the spike to a few factors. “We doubled the prize money; a former winner created a great, promotional video for us; we renamed the college-level prize a ‘scholarship,’ and listed it on national scholarship databases; and we posted the contest on Film Freeway, a national platform for film
Photos and poster provided by One Earth Film Festival
Young Filmmakers event with virtual reality viewing at One Earth Film Festival. festival submissions.” The contest is open to kids from third grade to college-age, with different divisions and prizes by age group. Filmmakers in grades 3 to 5 compete to win $100 and a matching $100 gift to the charity of their choice that supports the theme of their film. Those in grades 6 to 8, receive $200 in prize money and make a $200 gift;
those in grades 9 through 11 win $350 and a matching gift of $350, and grade 12 through college win $1,000 and a $1,000 matching gift. Garcia Doyle notes that tying in the matching gift really brings home the impact of their work for the winners. “At the award ceremony, we invite the non-profits the winners choose, and the kids can give
the check to them.” For the competition, kids are tasked with creating a three to eight-minute film on one of six sustainability topics: energy, food, transportation, waste, water or open space/ecosystems. They present both their topic and a proposed solution. This year, the YFC is holding a filmmaking workshops for kids through the River Forest Park District. Students in grades 6 to 8 meet Sunday, Dec. 2 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Students in grades 3 through 5 meet on Sunday, Dec. 9 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Workshops are led by film writer, editor, director and teacher Jonathan Moeller. The cost is $30 for residents and $35 for non-residents; registration is at www.rfparks.com Interest in the contest has been significant from the Oak Park and River Forest area, and Garcia Doyle says the reach is growing, with many submissions from Chicago Public Schools as well as young people outside of the Chicago area. She says it is important to get the next generation involved in environmental causes. “They might not solve climate change right now, but they have great ideas. This contest lets them lift up their voices. It’s their world, and they’re going to be living with it.”
Lacey Sikora
MAKE 2018
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Community of Caring | Our refugees
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Local faith communities respond to refugee crisis
Sheltering immigrant ‘energizing and exhausting’ says pastor By LACEY SIKORA
W
Contributing Reporter
hen Eric Biddy, pastor of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Oak Park, was approached last year about the possibility of his church offering sanctuary to Donal Eduardo Valiente Marroquin, known as Lalo, Biddy says the immediate response was to think about it. But, church leaders did not have the time. Lalo was being treated for cancer and needed a place to stay soon. Oak Park’s Unity Temple had been working on the idea of offering sanctuary, but could not do so due to limitations on their building. One of Biddy’s parishioners brought the idea to St. Christopher’s, and Biddy agreed to an informational meeting. “We met with the people from Unity Temple and with Mony (Ruiz Velasco) from PASO. We wanted to make sure that sanctuary was needed and that this was not just a chance to look heroic.” As luck would have it, his readings from the pulpit had just touched on the fact that hospitality is a fundamental Christian value, and these values served as a guide to the congregation when it came to Lalo. Biddy recalls reading two stories in church: “One was about the holy family not being able to find a place to stay, and the other was when Jesus says ‘what you did to the least of you, you did to me.’ Jesus is constantly identifying with the poor and needy.” With the help of Unity Temple’s congregation, St. Christopher’s created a space for Lalo to live until he was granted asylum in September. Biddy says that the conversation about what to do next is continuing. “We have this space that with Unity Temple’s
Photo providedher
Jennifer Stutheit (with microphone) from the Lutheran Church of Martha and Mary in Mount Prospect and Ruth Bernhardt-Kuehl of Ascension Lutheran Church in Riverside (to Jennifer’s right) introduce Mahmoud (father), Wafaa (mother) and daughters Dalal, Malak and Hala, a Syrian refugee family, at a Jan. 21 welcome event held at Ascension. The family spent three years in a Jordan refugee camp before admission to the U.S. in June 2016. help was converted into an apartment. We want to use the space again for someone else facing deportation but there’s a lot within that.” He says that while Lalo’s case was complicated by his medical issues, it was also less complicated because Lalo was permitted to leave the building. The St. Christopher’s congregation needs to decide how to best support someone and whether they can sup-
port more than one person, possibly a family. While it is the current policy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE not to conduct an immigration raid in a sensitive location such as a church, Biddy notes that this could change. He says, “There is a real defense. If you imagine the photo of a clergy person being pushed aside by ICE to get to an immigrant? It’s a public relations problem.”
He says his congregation feels called to continue to offer help, but they could use more support from the community. “When the Wednesday Journal piece was published,” he says in reference to an article in March 2018 (http://www.oakpark.com/ News/Articles/3-6-2018/Oak-Park-churchbecomes-sanctuary-for-refugee/), “we got indications of approval, but I was surprised that I didn’t get calls from other faith leaders
Would you like to see your organization in the giving guide? Contact Marc Stopeck 708.613.3330 or marc@oakpark.com
November 7, 2018
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YOU are the difference!
Attitude Donal Eduardo Valiente Marroquin, also known as Lalo, front, with his attorney Mony Ruiz-Velasco, left, and Rev. Eric Biddy at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Oak Park. Lalo, who suffers from cancer has sought asylum from the violence of his native Guatemala.
File photo
families from Eritrea, Burma and Iraq, asking to help. There was not a great deal of among others. interest.” He says the churches target raising about He goes on to urge more public and local $8,000 to cover each resettlement period of support. “The effort to support immigrants roughly three months. “It covers housing threatened by deportation could use more and immediate needs. The effort is to get sites. Those have to be houses of worship. If churches can’t provide space, volunteers can the families as self-sufficient as possible as quickly as possible. RefugeeOne continues to provide food and whatever a person living in offer emotional support and connection with a basement needs.” the families after that initial period.” For St. Christopher’s there was also a twoThe experience of sharing a common goal sided aspect to offering sanctuary that Biddy between two churches has been positive says is important to acknowledge. “There Johnson says. “It’s been good was a benefit to us. It was an for us to be able to work on opportunity to live our faith this project with another in a challenging, hands-on church. We’ve become friends way. We found it energizing and support each other.” and exhausting.” Johnson also notes that While Biddy says St. much has changed since 2016. Christopher’s and Unity “Every year, the (federal govTemple would love more ernment) administration sets Oak Park parishes to join a target number for resettlein the efforts to help imment. In 2016, it was 95,000. In migrants and refugees, in 2018, it was 45,000. It looks like Riverside, churches have this year, nationwide, we’re joined forces in continued only going to resettle 20,000. aid of refugees. Ascension Pastor Eric Biddy We’re far short of target.” Lutheran Church and RiverHe goes on to say that five side Presbyterian Church countries with resettlement work together to support needs have been banned from resettling in refugee resettlement via RefugeeOne. the U.S. and notes that while RefugeeOne RefugeeOne is the largest resettlement resettled 728 refugees in 2017 in the Chicago agency in Illinois. Since 1982, RefugeeOne area, they are only expecting around 200 this has welcomed more than 18,500 refugees, year. “It’s not that local organizations aren’t meeting them when the arrive at O’Hare airport and providing furnished apartments, interested or willing to help. The offers for assistance have been considerable.” English classes, job search support, mental He says that in spite of lower numbers of health care, youth programming and menrefugees, RefugeeOne continues to need suptors to help newcomers adjust to life in the United States. port for its winter coat drive and for services Ken Johnson, a semi-retired pastor and such as the language lab, ESL, employment former board member for RefugeeOne, is a and childcare programs. “The frustration member of Ascension Lutheran in Riverside now is the atmosphere. We have a global and says that over the eight or nine years concern and part of our Christian faith is that Ascension Lutheran has partnered with to reach out to those in need regardless of Riverside Presbyterian, they have resettled geographic borders.”
Gratitude OF
“There was a benefit to us. It was an opportunity to live our faith in a challenging, hands-on way. We found it energizing and exhausting.”
Grateful for KeshaylA Grateful for BUILD Grateful to you www.buildchicago.org
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November 7, 2018
Community of Caring | Our refugees
OAKPARK.COM | FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM
Bringing hope to immigrants in an uncertain time
Will celebrate successes at November fundraiser By LACEY SIKORA
P
Contributing Reporter
ASO, Proyecto de Acción de los Suburbios del Oeste or West Suburban Action Project, is a community-based social justice organization located in Melrose Park and serving the western suburbs of Chicago. PASO works to engage community members in addressing issues that affect them, their families and their neighbors to build stronger communities where residents can live dignified lives regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic or immigration status. Mony Ruiz-Velasco, an Oak Parker and executive director, stresses that PASO works for the community and is led by the community, with community members making up the staff and board. “Our community members are impacted by the issues: racial inequity, barriers to health care, and immigration issues.” PASO’s core work is organizing and
File photo
Mony Ruiz-Velasco talks with attendees during a West Suburban Action Project’s DACA informational meeting in Melrose Park. community education, and Ruiz-Velasco says immigration plays a role in much of what they do. “Because of where we are, the majority of our work has been centered around immigration. A lot of things are impacted by that: from education to health to social services.” Through policy work at the state and local level and through educational topics, such as helping undocumented students learn how to get to college, PASO strives to
cover the issues facing the community, and Ruiz-Velasco says that many of those needs today are legal services. Since 2016, PASO has offered a legal clinic that provides comprehensive legal services to those who can’t afford it. Often these services include immigration issues, DACHA or family-based legal issues. Ruiz-Velasco says there is always a great need for legal services such as these, but that the need has increased greatly since the election of 2016.
“People are scared to travel to the city for legal services. We are the only resource like this in the western suburbs.” She points to events of May 2018 as evidence of the current need for legal services and more. “We had some pretty aggressive enforcement here in the western suburbs. Over 200 people were arrested. It touches so many more lives than just those 200. These people have families and children.” When the immigration raids occurred
Would you like to see your organization in the giving guide? Contact Marc Stopeck 708.613.3330 or marc@oakpark.com
November 7, 2018
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2018
File photo
Mony Ruiz-Velasco, executive director of P.A.S.O, an immigrant rights organization. in May, PASO convened meetings for the Marroquin, known as Lalo. Lalo fled his families to provide legal help as well as aid native country of Guatemala because he in procuring family services. Ruiz-Velasco feared for his life due to gang violence. notes that the nature of the raids created a PASO helped facilitate round table discushost of problems for everyone affected. sions to help the congregations see what “The immigration raids happen in such was needed for Lalo and how to provide it. a way that people don’t even know who has Lalo, who was treated for stomach cancer, their relative. There are no was eventually granted warrants; people are taken asylum after months of away in unmarked cars. It living at St. Christopher’s. can be terrifying.” Ruiz-Velasco says of For those left behind, the effort like these, “When impact is great. “The famiinstitutions open their lies need so much, including doors for sanctuary and mental and physical health care, it’s important to services. We see children have a multi-faceted apwho have anxiety that when proach. We’re all in this they get home from school together. There’s not one Mony Ruiz-Velasco their parents won’t be single place that can do all there.” of this and do it well.” PASO was founded in 2009, In recognition of their and Ruiz-Velasco says the staff has grown efforts to provide sanctuary, PASO is honorfrom three to nine in the three years that ing St. Christopher’s, Unity Temple and the she has been director of the non-profit doctors who treated Lalo at their annual organization. Much of their work is made benefit on Nov. 9. The dinner and fundpossible through the efforts of dedicated raiser, will be held at the Diplomat West volunteers. Banquet Hall in Elmhurst, and will feature Ruiz-Velasco says PASO works with keynote speaker Yosimar Reyes, a nationnumerous community organizations, from ally acclaimed poet, educator, performance providing legal services to domestic vioartist and public speaker. More information lence survivors at Sarah’s Inn to partnering is available on PASO’s Facebook page. with Dominican University to provide supRuiz-Velasco says it is so important to port to undocumented students. celebrate and cultivate the community Last year, PASO worked with the congreresponses that help PASO do the work they gations of Unity Temple and St. Christodo. “There just unfortunately haven’t been pher’s Episcopal Church in Oak Park to enough organizations that do this work. We offer sanctuary to Donal Eduardo Valiente can’t do it all. There’s so much need.”
“There just unfortunately haven’t been enough organizations that do this work. We can’t do it all. There’s so much need.”
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Community of Caring | Our addicts
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Opioids, alcohol and marijuana top landscape of addiction Local agencies key in on treating addiction By LACEY SIKORA
T
Contributing Reporter
he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total economic burden of prescription opioid misuse in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment and criminal justice involvement. Mary Egan, outreach director for Rosecrance, says that at the current rate, the opioid epidemic will claim the lives of more than 2,700 Illinoisans in 2020. Last year, Gov. Bruce Rauner launched the Illinois Opioid Action Plan, and Rosecrance, which serves over 30,000 individuals, is partnering in those efforts. Rosecrance, a not-for-profit organization offering comprehensive addiction services to adolescents and adults, has over 45 locations in the Midwest, including an Oak Park office. Egan says the effects of the opioid epidemic in Illinois are hard to ignore. “At our Harrison campus, opioid admissions were almost non-existent in 2006. In 2017, nearly 40 percent of adult clients were admitted to Rosecrance seeking treatment for an opioid addiction.” She says that opioid use is more prevalent among the young adult population with 25 percent of Rosecrance clients aged 18 to 24 reporting opioid use. Founded as an orphanage over 100 years ago, Rosecrance has transitioned to a provider of behavioral and mental health services, helping people find long-lasting recovery. Parents and concerned loved ones often reach out to Rosecrance when they are looking for a consultation or assessment of a perceived problem, and patients are often referred by their schools, physicians, therapists, or law enforcement. Egan says locally, alcohol and marijuana are the drugs most commonly abused by adolescents. She says that the changing landscape regarding mariMary juana is confusing for some parents. “Our culture is at a crossroads. Is it a medication or is it a benign recreational drug? We try to educate people and let them know that the potency of marijuana has gone up immensely. People do get addicted. We see large numbers of teens coming into the outpatient and residential facilities with cannabis disorder.” Alcohol use continues to be an issue with
Photos provided by Rosecrance
Rosecrance serves over 30,000 clients in more than 45 facilities throughout the Midwest. adolescents. Egan says that the age of first use is a point of assessment. “If kids are drinking at 10, 11, 12 or 13, this is a red flag and could be problematic. Parents should know that the prevention message is so important. If possible, you want to delay use until the brain is fullydeveloped.” After alcohol and marijuana, the third most abused substance by teens seeking treatment at Rosecrance is Xanax. Egan says the abuse of the prescription drug goes along with increased mental health Egan issues among the population. “Schools are seeing an increase of anxiety and mental health issues. Friends might get a prescription and or borrow pills from friends.” She says at Rosecrance, the initial assessment includes taking a full history of use of substances and mental health issues and collaborating with referral services to get a road map of the best next steps. “The
“Parents should know that the prevention message is so important. If possible, you want to delay use until the brain is fully-developed.”
majority of people we see have a substance abuse issue and a mental health condition. They go hand in hand. It’s important to get treatment that focuses on both.” In October, Rep. Dan Lipinksi announced that Pillars Community Health Center in La Grange was awarded a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of $243,200 to expand access to treatment for substance abuse and mental health service, and to advance the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment program. The funds will help Pillars pay for additional staff and screening tools to identify substance use disorders
such as hazardous drinking, alcohol abuse or dependence, abuse of prescribed and over-the-counter drugs and to help quickly connect individuals with needed education and treatment. Samantha Hicks, director of Addiction Services for Pillars says the predominant addiction issues they see in their patient population are abuses of alcohol and marijuana, followed by cocaine and prescription drugs. Many of Pillar’s patients are referred to a treatment program following a run-in with the law or after having behavior flagged at local schools. Hicks says, “With adolescents, 99 percent
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Community of Caring | Our addicts
Photo provided by Pillars
Pillars Board chair Zada Clarke and president and CEO Angela Curran, in front of the Medical Center in La Grange. regular drug testing. “It’s just another step of our clients are marijuana users. A lot of in learning accountability.” times, they are referred by a social worker. Pillars also works to engage the patient’s Treatment can often be an alternative to susfamily. Hicks says that family involvement pension or other discipline at their school.” is key. “The stigma of addiction can be the Often, treatment first involves an intenhardest thing within a family. It helps to have sive outpatient program. Hicks says that family understand how it can these programs can last two be difficult, and we give them to three months and include supports as well. We let the famnine hours a week in a group ily know that what the patient setting. This stage of treatneeds is listening and creating ment includes an educational boundaries.” component -- explaining what Pillars has increased its adthe substance is doing to the diction treatment services in patients’ bodies. There is also response to a marked nationrelapse prevention planning wide increase in addictionand working to replace the related health issues. The abused substance with a good number of overdose deaths item, as well as coming up per year more than doubled with coping mechanisms. from 2002 to 2015, and the Hicks says the staff at Pilnumber of overdose deaths in lars works to create a larger the teen population climbed 19 support system. “It’s not just percent in just one year from learning from staff. It’s also Samantha Hicks 2014-15. learning from other clients. Since 2017, Pillars has exThey are not so much an panded its addiction services authority figure as a peer. to better treat adolescents and There is a 12-step mentality to adults in their La Grange, Berwyn, Hickory this. We want you to get a sponsor and go to Hills and Western Springs locations and ofmeetings.” fers bilingual services in English and SpanOnce patients are successful and feeling comfortable, they transition to an after-care ish as well as same-day assessments to help families get started on the road to recovery. program. Hicks says this stage includes
“The stigma of addiction can be the hardest thing within a family. It helps to have family understand how it can be difficult, and we give them supports as well.”
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Community of Caring | Our addicts
Most overdose cases are not local residents
By LACEY SIKORA
I
Contributing Reporter
n North Riverside, Police Chief Deborah Garcia says that crime tied to residents’ drug addiction is relatively low, but that doesn’t mean that the community is not affected by drug addiction. The small town does not experience a large amount of drug-related crime, although often calls for domestic battery or other domestic issues are tied to one party’s use of alcohol or illegal narcotics. She says that it is far more common for officers to report crimes in the community caused by addiction issues of non-residents. She remarks, “We do have a large retail corridor which includes a large indoor mall and we do see crime caused by drug addiction. Our highest call for service is retail theft. This offense more often than not is committed by individuals who have a drug addiction. They typically steal items, sell them on the street or pawn them and use the money for their drug addiction. Arrestees openly admit this to officers.” In addition, she says officers often respond to calls of people inside the mall or outside retail stores begging for money, and that these individuals are often supporting drug addictions. Garcia also notes that the drug officers most commonly encounter is marijuana, with the vast majority of offenders in their teens to mid-20s. She says the vast majority of subjects arrested for retail theft in North Riverside have a drug addiction and are often arrested with small amounts of heroin, crack cocaine or drug paraphernalia in their possession. While driving under the influence of alcohol has remained a common offense, in the past few years, her officers have seen an increase in impaired driving in which cannabis and or other drugs were involved as well. When officers suspect an individual is under the influence of an illegal drug, Garcia says that it is normal procedure to contact medical personnel – typically the fire department’s paramedic staff. “If they determine the individual needs immediate medical attention then he/she would be transported to an area hospital. Our highest concern for an individual under the influence of a drug is their wellbeing. If there is any criminality to the situation, it would be addressed at a later point upon the person’s release from medical care.” She goes on to say that all North Riverside police officers are trained to NHSTA standards in administering field sobriety tests, and when a drug influence is suspected, they often contact an adjacent agency to request the help of their trained drug recognition expert. In addition, she stresses that the police department follows up when illegal drug
Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer
Mike Charley, top, Public Health Director for the Village of Oak Park, speaks to a group during an opioid awareness presentation at Oak Park Township. North Riverside Police Chief Deborah Garcia says her department builds connections with families. use is known or suspected. “Our department is provided services from Presence Health. In situations where drug addiction exists or is suspected, we forward reports to our provided crisis worker who then reaches out to the individual or the family.” In terms of the use of opioids in North Riverside, Garcia says police officers are dispatched anytime fire department personnel is called. “Given the geography of our town, an officer will almost always arrive before the fire department. We have equipped all officers with Naloxone, and they carry it on their person at all times. They are trained to recognize signs of drug overdose and to properly administer the drug.” In Oak Park, LaDon Reynolds, interim police chief, says that typically, the fire department responds to 911 calls in the case of overdoses as overdoses are “first and foremost a medical emergency.”
“Retail theft more often than not is committed by individuals who have a drug addiction. They typically steal items, sell them on the street or pawn them and use the money for their drug addiction. Arrestees openly admit this to officers.” Chief Deborah Garcia Oak Park’s Public Health Department recently completed a community needs assessment focusing on public health and mental and behavioral services. For the first time, the village collaborated with the townships of River Forest and Oak Park as
well as Oak Park Township’s mental health boards. Mike Charley, Oak Park’s public health director, says of the assessment, “One of our identified priorities was the illicit use of opiates.” He says the village partnered with over 50 different community organizations from local hospitals to PCC Wellness to create an Oak Park and River Forest opiate task force, which has been meeting monthly since March In the short term, Charley says the village is working to help residents find safe places to dispose of prescription drugs to keep those substances, which could include opioids, from finding their way into the hands of teens and others. There is a drop box at the police station in village hall as well as at local Walgreens in Oak Park on Madison Street and in River Forest on Lake Street. A medium-term goal focuses on prevention for teens and young adults, and the task force is partnering with IMPACT to work with residents, families and various organizations in Oak Park and River Forest to generate awareness of adolescent substance abuse and to plan and implement strategies to prevent and reduce youth substance use and its associated consequences. In the long-term, the aim is to reduce overdoses in the community. According to the police department, overdoses in the community are not common. In 2015, firefighters or paramedics administered opioid antidote Naloxone 43 times, and in 2014, 46 times. Charley says that there was a significant increase in the use of Narcan, the brand name for Naloxone, between 2015 and 2016 but that the number has stabilized somewhat since then. He notes that the median age of the person to whom local first responders administer Narcan is 46-47, and that these people are usually male. According to local hospitals’ emergency department data, Charley says that most overdoses in Oak Park are heroin overdoses, not overdoses of prescription drugs. Charley also says that much of the anecdotal evidence from the fire department is that many overdoses occur on the CTA Green Line and involve non-residents. “It just so happens that the last stop on the Green Line happens to be in Oak Park. People are getting their drugs elsewhere and riding the train here. Historically, most overdoses since 2014 have been non-residents in public places.” Charley says that the health department as well as the task force will continue to study the data and the issues surrounding opioid use and overdose in Oak Park. “Currently, our paramedics and first responders are all equipped with Narcan and respond to overdose calls by taking people to a local hospital. One goal is to understand what happens to people once they’re released from the emergency department. What happens when someone overdoses?”
November 7, 2018
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Wednesday Journal is proud to publish Season of Giving in partnership with the Community Foundation of Oak Park & River Forest
Get the Most out of Season of Giving • Giving Guide runs through December 26 Readers will browse through this giving catalog looking for potential agencies they want to donate to. • Giving Tuesday publishes November 21 The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is the day when many people make all their holiday donations. Be sure they see your ad in this section when they start looking for local charities.
To participate in Season of Giving call Dawn at 708/613-3329 or email to dawn@oakpark.com
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Community Giving Guide
d by the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
S
The Most Wonderful Guide of The Year!
eason of Giving is a campaign organized by Wednesday Journal and the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation to encourage local charitable giving during the holiday season. It has long
been recognized that when we shop local, our money recirculates through the local economy reaping dividends for the entire community. The same is true for charitable giving. When you donate to local nonprofits, your money goes to
AgeOptions
BUILD, Inc.
work in your own neighborhood. Your donations feed local families, offer safety and learning to local children, and enrich the beauty and art that surrounds us all. Over the coming weeks, we hope that you will take a moment to look over the listings
e connect giving to impact! AgeOptions helps to empower older adults in Suburban Cook County by connecting them to information and resources so they can thrive as they age. AgeOptions has served older adults since 1974 reaching more than 155,000 older adults and caregivers last year alone. AgeOptions partners with community-based nonprofits serving older adults and their caregivers to ensure that every aging person has access to in-home care, adult day services, nutritious meals, intervention and prevention of fraud, abuse, and neglect, and advocacy to protect their right. To donate, volunteer, or simply find out about the many services and programs available to you or your loved ones, go to www.ageoptions.org or call us at (708) 383-0258.
Animal Care League Animal Care League offers a safe haven for pets in need. Founded in 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 1000 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 difference in the life of a homeless animal by visiting www.animalcareleague. org where you can sign up to volunteer, make a donation, view our adoptable pets, and learn about upcoming events.
Since 1969, Austin-based BUILD, Inc. has helped thousands of Chicago youth escape gang violence to become positive community leaders. BUILD is a second family to young people who face steep obstacles, yet succeed every day with the help of caring mentors who share similar backgrounds. Programs like the Block 51 Arts Academy, Austin Summer of Opportunity, and BUILDing Girls 2 Women foster creativity, social-emotional health, and academic success of youth ages 6 to 24. Gifts to the Attitude of Gratitude campaign support expansion of programs in Austin, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Logan Square, and Fuller Park. Visit www.buildchicago.org or call 773/2272880.
The Children’s Clinic/ Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society Will you join us? We’re on a mission to advance the health and well-being of children in need. When you support the OPRF Infant Welfare Society, you help vulnerable children in our community and surrounding areas access critical healthcare, including pediatric, dental and behavioral health services. Our Children’s Clinic is an important safety net for 3,500 children each year, and your generosity is key. Your gift of $50 will provide a toddler with two essential vaccines. Or for $150, a young patient with autism can receive specialized preventive dental services. Make a gift at www.oprfiws.org or call 708406-8661. p.s. You’re also invited to join us for our 20th annual Holiday Housewalk & Market, November 29 – December 1! Another great way to help us provide heartfelt healthcare.
The Collaboration for Early Childhood
The Collaboration for Early Childhood is your resource for early childhood information in Oak Park and River Forest. We provide the connections vital to every child’s opportunity for success in learning and in life. We work with more than 60 organizations so that parents and their children receive critical information and support services, children are screened for developmental delays, teachers in child care centers, preschools and family child care homes provide high quality programs and our most vulnerable children and their families experience a strong web of support. For more information, or to make a donation, please visit us at collab4kids. org or follow us on Facebook.
Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory Since 1986, the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory has been inspiring and educating visitors. We manage over 150 volunteers. We offer free tours through the showrooms and free educational programs for kids. We sponsor two free events at the Conservatory KidsFest and FallFest. We host the Uncorked summer-series and we are celebrating the 30th annual plant sale this coming spring. We give grants to the park district to make improvements to the Conservatory. We rely on volunteers, members and donors to make these events, programs and grants possible. Please consider helping us grow. Join. Donate. Volunteer. For more information about membership, volunteering, or to make a donation please contact Executive Director, Beth Cheng, at 708.725.2460 or director@fopcon.org.
in this Giving Guide. Find an organization that resonates with you. Check out their website. Consider making a donation or volunteering. Spread the word. Don’t just shop local—give Local.
Green Community Connections The most recent United Nations report shows that the worst effects of climate change will hit by 2040 if we don’t act now. Go “all in” for the planet with your donation to the 8th annual One Earth Film Festival, an OPRF grass-roots effort that inspires climate action, resilience and environmental justice in communities throughout Chicagoland. In 2018, we hosted 60 film screenings, and 95% of surveyed attendees reported being inspired to get involved in issues or solutions. Protect the planet by joining One Earth today: oneearthfilmfest.org/give. Memberships start at $25. Bill Reilly of The Reilly Group at Merrill Lynch will generously match your donation now through #GivingTuesday.
Hephzibah Hephzibah Children’s Association was founded in 1897. We serve more than 1,000 children and families each year through innovative, community-based programs. Hephzibah provides a Group Home for children who have been taken from their families due to profound abuse or neglect. Our skilled staff recruits and trains foster parents, and offers ongoing support to help all family members navigate challenges. Our after-school Day Care operates on a sliding scale to serve working parents in Oak Park, with programs based at each elementary school. To make a real difference in the lives of children and families, please donate today at hephzibahhome.org.
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This Community Giving Guide of local nonprofits will run weekly through December. If you would like information on how to list your organization, email Marc Stopeck at marc@oakpark.com. Housing Forward The mission of Housing Forward is to transition people from housing crisis to housing stability. By emphasizing homelessness prevention, supportive services, employment readiness and supportive housing, we are able to offer a comprehensive, long-term solution that moves clients into housing quickly and keeps them there. Housing Forward is the only nonprofit organization in west Cook County with a comprehensive, long-term solution for preventing and ending homelessness. Founded in 1992, the agency provides integrated services to at-risk and homeless individuals and families in six areas: emergency assistance, employment readiness, supportive housing, outreach and engagement, supportive services, and emergency shelter. To learn more, visit www.housingforward. org or to donate, www.housingforward. org/give, or contact Janet Gow, Director of Development & Communications, at 708.338.1724 ext. 262.
L’Arche Chicago
Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry $1 = 3 meals, is an equation only you can make possible. With your help, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry has been reducing local hunger for nearly 40 years. Your support means we are able to meet the needs of nearly 16,000 families struggling with hunger each year. It means we can provide over 50 pounds of nutritious food plus access to vital programs and services to help people stretch limited food budgets in healthy ways. It means that even a little goes a long way: every $1 donated can feed a neighbor for an entire day. To make a donation, visit oprffoodpantry. org or send checks payable to OPRF Food Pantry to Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301.
Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation
L’Arche Chicago is a community where people with and without intellectual disabilities share life together in homes, as family. In our group homes in the OPRF neighborhoods, we strive to merge the highest quality of care and genuine friendship.
The Oak Park – River Forest Community Foundation is based on a powerful promise: to create an enduring institution where people can come together and pool their resources to meet our community’s most pressing needs; not just now, but forever. For sixty years, generations of thoughtful and caring donors and residents have empowered the Foundation’s work to safeguard and advance the community in which we live, raise our families and work.
We seek to create a world that welcomes difference and celebrates the unique gifts of all people, where each person has a genuine place of belonging.
From helping donors with legacy gift planning, to managing donor advised funds, to strengthening local non-profits, we connect.
Support L’Arche Chicago and help us to create that kind of world right here in Oak Park River Forest. larchechicago.org/2017
Oak-Leyden Developmental Services The mission of OakLeyden Developmental Services is to help children and adults with developmental disabilities meet life’s challenges and reach their highest potential. The organization offers life-changing support in three areas: Children’s Services, Residential Services, and Lifelong Learning. Empower people with developmental disabilities today at https://www.oak-leyden. org/get-involved/donate.
Visit www.oprfcf.org or call 708-848-1560 (ask for Rhea Yap) to start a fund, discuss your charitable estate plans, or make a donation today.
Oak Park Regional Housing Center Since 1972, the Oak Park Regional Housing Center (OPRHC) has been an advocate for fair housing. Our mission is to achieve meaningful and lasting diversity in communities. The OPRHC works to counteract steering and encourages pro-integrative housing options. We promote Oak Park as a community for all races, attracting people who respond to and strengthen that kind of climate. We work with local entities to coordinate a multifaceted effort to promote and sustain the community’s rich diversity. Support our work with a donation at https:// oprhc.org/donate/ oprhc.org • 708-848-7150 info@ oprhc.org • 1041 South Boulevard Oak Park IL 60302
Opportunity Knocks Opportunity Knocks is dedicated to providing opportunities and resources for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they may pursue their educational, occupational and social interests. Our approach to programming is person-centered, peer-led and community-based. Due to challenges in relying on the State of Illinois as a funding partner, we rely on our community for that partnership and support. We are nearly entirely privately funded. That fact makes your support that much more important. To learn more about Opportunity Knocks or to make a donation in support of the Warrior Mission, please visit us online at opportunityknocksnow.org.
PING! PING! (Providing Instruments for the Next Generation) is an allvolunteer organization that loans musical instruments to students in need in grades 4-12 in Oak Park-River Forest school districts 90, 97, and 200 so that they can participate in their school band or orchestra. PING! also provides music enrichment for its students through workshops, mentoring, summer music camp scholarships, private lessons, and field trips. Founded in 1998 PING! is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and over the past two decades has served more than 600 students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in the music programs at school. PING! depends on the community for donated instruments and financial contributions to maintain its instrument inventory and program funding. For more information or to make a donation, go to www.pingoprf.org. If you have an instrument to donate, send us an email at pingoprf@gmail.com.
Give oPRF
OAK PARK-RIVER FORE
Community Foun Pro Musica Youth Chorus
Pro Musica is the ONLY community children’s chorus in the greater Oak Park area for kids in 1st grade through high school. For over 25 years Pro Musica has brought music education, performance opportunities, and youth empowerment programming to over 1,100 children. Evidence shows that kids who sing in chorus get better grades, are happier, and become more community involved adults than their peers. Yet about half of area school children do not have access to chorus. Pro Musica is committed to reaching more children in our community by driving youth music education across socio-economic barriers. $25 provides sheet music for 1 singer for a season $50 provides rehearsal space for our singers for 1 week $100 provides 10 free tickets for seniors to our Spring Concert Help us make a difference in a child’s life – go to promusicayouthchorus.org and donate today!
The River Forest Library Foundation “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people,” said Andrew Carnegie. That’s why he funded thousands of public libraries a century ago to help people help themselves through selfdirected learning. Today, the River Forest Public Library (RFPL) carries on that core mission by providing not just books and periodicals but also a wide array of digital resources (onsite and remotely), interactive programs, and other transformative learning opportunities. Honor a family member, a cherished teacher or mentor, a dear friend, or your own love of lifelong learning by giving to the RFPL Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, at 735 Lathrop Avenue, River Forest, IL 60305 or rfplfoundation.org/donate. Your gift will inspire others and transform the lives of so many in our community.
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Sarah’s Inn
Since 1981, Sarah’s Inn has worked to improve the lives of those impacted by domestic violence and to break the cycle of violence for future generations. Our Intervention Program provides bi-lingual services for families affected by domestic violence in order to safely navigate crisis, effectively process trauma and ensure self-sufficiency. Our Training and Education Program creates a network of skilled bystanders to appropriately intervene as first responders and community advocates. Our Together Strong Project was created to prevent relationship violence by teaching youth about the impact of their choices, giving them the tools to lead healthy lives, and empowering them to make a difference in their community. To donate, visit donatenow.networkforgood. org/sarahsinn, or make a tax-deductible donation through postal mail by sending a check to: Sarah’s Inn, PO Box 1159, Oak Park, IL 60304
Thrive Counseling Center
HOPE
RESILIENCE
UCP Seguin Of Greater Chicago
R EC OV E RY
Thrive Counseling Center (formerly Family Services of Oak Park) has provided mental health services to our community for 120 years. Located in the heart of Oak Park, our mission is to build healthy minds, families and communities by empowering people to attain mental and emotional well-being. Hope, resilience and recovery form the heart of our programs and services. Last year we provided critical services to approximately 1,400 friends, neighbors and family members including… • counseling for youth and adults • psychiatric care and medication management • in-home counseling for older adults
UCP Seguin believes that all people, regardless of ability, deserve to achieve their potential, advance their independence and act as full members of the community. So we stop at nothing to provide life skills training, assistive technology, meaningful employment and a place to call home for people with disabilities, as well as specialized foster care for children. Our goal: life without limits for people with disabilities. Make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. Donate online at ucpseguin.org or send gifts to UCP Seguin, 332 Harrison Street, Oak Park IL 60304
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Way Back Inn/Grateful House
Since 1974, Way Back Inn and Grateful House have successfully provided residential and outpatient treatment for men and women in Oak Park and surrounding communities who are trying to overcome an addition to alcohol, chemical substances such as opioids, and gambling. Our mission is to rebuild lives damaged by addiction in a personalized healing environment, where men and women’s lives are transformed and relationships are healed. Our recovery program focuses on the integration of the body, mind, and spirit. For more information or to make a donation, go to: www.waybackinn.org or call us at 708-345-8422.
• psychosocial rehabilitation day program • 24/7 crisis intervention • Suicide Safer Community Program • adult and youth group therapy, including: • art therapy • stress management • coping with anxiety • grief support • Sibshops To learn more or donate, please visit www. thrivecc.org or call 708-383-7500, ext. 322. Follow us on Facebook!
This Community Giving Guide of local nonprofits will run weekly through December. If you would like information on how to list your organization, email Marc Stopeck at marc@oakpark.com.
OAK PARK-RIVER FORES
Community Foun
ptimism. We’ve got it. Stick with us. In print. Online.
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Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest Community Focused Customer Driven
Community Bank is the bank of choice for hundreds of nonprofits, working together to support the community! As your local bank we’re growing... and making personal banking more personal.
We are the bank offering solutions to meet your financial needs, throughout every stage of your life.