WednesdayJournal_110525 by Wednesday Journal

J URNAL

River Forest cop used pepper balls on teens in Halloween crowd

500 teens crowded Downtown Oak Park; gun shot, ghts on Lake

By DAN HALEY Interim Editor

It was a River Forest police officer who de ployed multiple rounds of pepper balls in two locations on Lake Street on Halloween evening as police from that village and other neighboring forces turned out to assist Oak Park police in dispersing a crowd of some 500 teens who had gathered in Downtown Oak Park

There were re ports to police of fights on Lake Street near Harlem around 8 p.m. on Oct. 31. A gunshot was re ported at Lake and Forest that left a bullet hole in a nearby apartment. There were no reported injuries from that shot. Oak Park police closed Lake Street to auto traffic and began working with officers from other communities to move

PROVIDED BY EDWARD TORPY

CROWD CONTROL: A River Forest police o cer (inset) used pepper balls to disburse groups of teens in two locations on Lake Street on Oct. 31.

Illinois Repor t Card again ranks school as Commendable

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

When it comes down to it, the key statistic in the 2025 Illinois Re port Card for Oak Park and River Forest High School District school board president Audrey Williams-Lee is freshmen on track for graduation.

The Illinois Re port Card, released Oct. 30 by the Illinois School Board of Education, showed 94.1% of OPRF’s ninth graders were on track in school year 2023-24. That’s up from 89.8% for 2024.

“It’s good to see movement on that number,” Williams-Lee said. “It’s been a bit stubborn over the last couple of years.

“There’s been work on how do we help students recover credits,” she said. “We’ve seen

Oak Park trustee indicted on fe deral conspiracy

Brian Straw was arrested along with other area elected o cials and political candidates

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

A sitting Oak Park village trustee has been indicted on federal conspiracy charges alongside several other local political figures over an early-mor ning protest at the Broadview ICE facility last month.

Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw was one of six indicted on conspiracy to impede the work of a federal law enforcement officer according to U.S. Northern District of Illinois court documents filed last week. The indictment alleges that Straw and his co-defendants were among a crowd of protestors who blocked, pushed against and banged on a vehicle being driven by a federal officer into ICE’s Broadview Detention facility the morning of Sept. 26.

“It was further part of the conspiracy that Straw joined the crowd at the front of the government vehicle, and with his hands on the hood braced his body and hands against the vehicle while remaining directly in the path of the vehicle, hindering and impeding Agent A and the vehicle from proceeding into the (Broadview facility),” federal prosecutors wrote in the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that protestors scratched the word “PIG” onto the federal vehicle and damaged a side mirror and rear windshield wiper on the vehicle.

Wednesday Journal has contacted Straw for comment.

Straw’s co-defendants include Kathrine “Kat” Abughazaleh — whose name is misspelled several times in the document — a 26-year-old journalist-turned congressional hopeful presently among the leading candidates to be Illinois’ next 9th District U.S. Re presentative. She responded to the indictment in a social media video posted Wednesday afternoon.

“This is a political prosecution and a gross attempt to silence dissent, a right protected under the first amendment,” she

said. “I’m not backing down. We’re going to win.”

The others charged in the indictment are Cook County Board candidate Catherine “Cat” Shar p, 45th ward Democratic committeeman Michael Rabbit and two other protestors named Joselyn Walsh and Andre Martin.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge April Perry. No date for a hearing on the matter has been posted to Perry’s public courtroom calendar.

Perry is also presiding over the case which will decide whether or not President Donald Trump can de ploy out-of-state National Guard troops to Chicago. Her most recent ruling has blocked the de ployment of troops indefinitely.

Straw is one of several Oak Park elected officials who has made re peated visits to protest at the Broadview ICE facility since the federal government began its “Operation Midway Blitz” mass deportation effor ts focused on Chicagoland. Several Oak Parkers have been hit with federal court charges tied to impeding federal of ficers at Broadview protests, including local attorney Scott Sakiyama who was arrested after tailing an ICE vehicle near a local elementary school last week.

The indictment comes as Straw and the rest of Oak Park’s village board work on

WEDNESD AY JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf

Senior Audience Manager Stac y Coleman

Sta Repor ter Brendan He ernan

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Columnists Marc Bleso , Nicole Chavas, ck Crowe, Vincent Gay, Mary Kay O’Grady, John Stanger, Josh VanderBerg

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Emma Cullnan

elopment Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Operations Associate Susan Babin

ocial Media and Digital Coordinator Maribel Barrera

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

passing an “ICE free zone” ordinance banning federal immigration agents from operating on village-owned property. Such an ordinance would potentially include collaborations with other governmental agencies like the Oak Park Library, school districts, park district and Oak Park Township to adopt uniform policies, Trustees said last week.

The federal government says it’s arrested more than 1,000 undocumented immigrants in recent months, as federal operations have led to chaotic scenes across the re gion and alle gations that federal agents are illegally violating residents’ rights and racially profiling Latino people and other minorities.

Oak Park already has an immigration sanctuary ordinance on the books that bars village employees from aiding federal immigration investigations, but the trustees’ proposed plan would take those measures a step further.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Eric Weinheimer | Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson

TODD BANNOR

Trustee Brian Straw at an Oak Park Village Board meeting in May.

Oak Park man shot and killed, victim’s brother charged with murder

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

An Oak Park man was shot to death following a reported altercation with his brother Sunday afternoon, according to village authorities.

Oak Park police responded to reports of a shooting at a home in the 400 block of South Ridgeland Avenue at approximately 1:47 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. Responding officers found 26-year-old Anthony Brooks unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head before Oak Park Fire Department paramedics pro-

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

th a new mediator steering the negotir Forest School District 90 and rest Education Association appear to be closing in on a new contract.

But it didn’t happen at the latest mediation session Oct. 29, a three-hour af fair, chag rin of Lauren Baiocchi, RFEA co-president with Cindy Crannell. we were hoping to get the deal done,” Crannell said Sunday. “It was just really disappointing, even though it was

Added Baiocchi: “While we did see progexpected to see more from the district. They know what we’ve been advocatand their most recent response to tch that.”

In a statement to Wednesday Journal, ag reed progress had been made Oct. 29, with the next mediation session scheduled for Nov. 10.

“While the ne gotiation process can be challenging, the essence of any successgotiation is the shared expectation

nounced him dead at the scene shortly after, according to a village spokesperson.

Police took the victim’s brother Miles Brooks, 23, into custody at the scene. The caller who reported the shooting had told police that the younger Brooks had shot his brother in the head following an altercation inside of their shared home, according to the village.

Oak Park officers took Miles Brooks into custody and brought him to the police station from the scene without incident. He has since been charged with first-degree murder. The incident is the second fatal shooting in Oak Park this year

that both parties desire to reach resolution through reasonableness and compromise,” said Supt. Ed Condon. “The district is eager to reach a final ag reement that reflects financial stewardship while emphasizing the extraordinary value of our teachers – to our students, our families, and the future of our school community.”

The sides were forced to bring on a new third-party mediator after the federal government shutdown precluded the original mediator from further participating. That, Crannell said, was a positive.

“I was happy with her,” she said. “Both sides were in support of her in terms of they didn’t have any objections at all. They were able to meet before the 29th to get her caught up where we’re at in our negotiations and mediation. I think she brought some interesting perspectives to the table.”

The pair also said that they are receiving pressure from RFEA membership to close a deal. Assuming that body’s negotiating team arrives at an offer that would be palatable to its membership, a two-thirds majority vote would be necessary for ratification.

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ommunity journalism has long sought a sustainable future. e it is within reach rt, we can , connect, and can keep local news that lasts. er the next two months as we to secure the future of local news serve with Austin Oak Park & River Forest, Forest Park Review and Riverside-Brookfield Landmark. To gether, we can make it happen. It is easy to donate to our nonprofit. Here’s the link: GrowingCommunityMedia.org/donate Your community. Your news. Now more than ever. With gratitude, Max Reinsdorf Interim Executi ve Director Growing Community Media

Beyond Hunger sets record for households served amid SNAP bene t uncertainty

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Funding for America’s largest hunger prevention program is hanging in the balance, and local food aid organizations are trying to fill the gap.

While two federal judges have ruled to block President Donald Trump’s plan to stop all funding to SNAP, the nation’s largest hunger prevention program, the 2 million Illinois residents who rely on the benefits will still likely deal with delays and interrupted service amid the gover nment shutdown. The White House announced Monday that the federal gover nment will restore funding to the program using money from a Department of Agriculture contingency fund, but program participants will only receive half the amount they’d nor mally receive.

Over the weekend, program participants did not see benefits hit their accounts and expected to receive no SNAP benefits during

the entire month of November. In the midst of that stress and uncertainty, Oak Parkbased food assistance organization Beyond Hunger said it provided food to more households in need over a single weekend than it had ever before in its nearly five decades of operation.

“This past weekend we served the most households we have ever served in our 47year history, re presenting 1,200 individuals in our community,” said Jennie Hull, Beyond Hunger ’s CEO. “With benefits only being partially funded and the timeline of their release extremely uncer tain, we expect to only continue to see historical numbers at our pantr y.”

While the organization, which serves people in need on Chicago’s West Side and in the near west suburbs, expected to serve about 5,000 residents during the months of November and December, Beyond Hunger now expects to provide food to more than 6,000 residents during that

Etime. That would be a more than 25% increase over 2024’s holiday season, Hull said.

This disruption to benefits comes after the federal government passed a budget over the summer that changed SNAP eligibility standards, resulting in as many as 450,000 Illinois residents losing their benefits, Hull said. Those changes went into effect on Nov. 1.

“Even after the shutdown, whenever that is, the changes to SNAP via the bill passed this summer, will have an immediate impact on about 450,000 Illinois residents so our benefits folks will be working hard to make sure folks can stay on SNAP and stay educated about what this change means,” Hull said.

During this time, Beyond Hunger volunteers have been working longer shifts and taking more shifts to meet the increased needs, Hull said.

The organization is also seeking finan-

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month with FirstLight Home Care

very November, Alzheimer’s Awareness Month highlights the growing impact of this disease on individuals, families, caregivers, and communities worldwide. As the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s affects over 55 million people. This month encourages greater understanding, research support, and compassionate care for those facing the disease. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disorder that slowly destroys memory and cognitive abilities. Age is the strongest known risk factor, with most cases occurring in people over 65. Genetics also play a significant role. Lifestyle and heart health—including high blood pressure, diabetes, and

lack of exercise— are also linked to higher risk. While there is no cure, ongoing research is making strides. New drugs that target amyloid plaques in the brain aim to slow cognitive decline. A multifaceted approach, including lifestyle interventions and other treatments, is key. Increased research funding is essential to accelerate progress. A diagnosis is life-changing, but not life-ending. Establishing a care plan early is crucial. This includes medical management, legal planning, and building a support system. Medications can help manage symptoms, while physical activity, a healthy diet, and cognitive stimulation may slow decline and improve quality of life.

Emotional support through groups and community programs is also vital. Alzheimer’s Awareness Month is about advocating for those affected. Whether it’s donating to research, raising awareness, volunteering, or simply learning more, every effort helps build a future where Alzheimer’s is no longer feared, but cured.

FirstLight’s compassionate caregivers are experts when it comes to assisting adults with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. To learn more, contact us: (708) 6653325 | 840 S Oak Park Ave, Ste 211, Oak Park, IL | firstlighthomecare.com/ home-healthcare-oak-park

Harmon, Lightford celebrate law allowing citizens to sue ICE

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon is not someone known to wear his heart on his sleeve

But on Oct. 29, Harmon stood before his colleagues as they prepared to vote in committee to send a bill he had sponsored to the senate floor for a full vote. The legislation would give Illinois citizens le gal recourse when they are abused by federal law enforce ment, and Harmon got a bit emotional as he urged its passage.

“I am distraught and frightened,” Harmon said. “I never thought I’d live in a world where masked federal employees, brandishing military-style weapons, would jump out of unmarked vans to kidnap and disappear people — U.S. citizens.”

we’ve seen daily,” Harmon said. “This gives the growing number of victims a clear, legal path to go after the abusers and hold them accountable.”

The bill passed the Senate 40-18. About an hour later the House passed the legislation 75-32. It is now headed to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk to await his signature to become law. The new law would allow Illinois residents to bring civil actions against any person who deprives them of their constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, or Section 2 or Section 6 of Article 1 of the Illinois Constitution.

While federal agents have repeatedly labelled their enforcement actions as an attempt to ar rest and deport the “worst of the worst” ille gal immigrants, primarily those with prior criminal convictions or outstanding warrants, they have also routinely ar rested people with no criminal record, including minors, at times for reasons having nothing to do with their citizenship or immigration status.

DON HARMON Illinois Senate president

“Masks might conceal their faces, but they can’t hide the constitutional abuses

Harmon said the bill was a collaboration with House lawmakers, the state attorney general’s office and the gover nor. Senate Democrats said in a press release that the law would “codify longstanding common law protections to ensure parties, witnesses, and their family members can access the justice system without fear of civil arrest.”

Individuals who believe their rights were violated by federal immigration agents will have the right to sue officers for knowingly violating the state or U.S. Constitution during civil immigration enforcement, for false imprisonment or unlawful detention.

It would create a 1,000-foot safe zone around courthouses, including parking facilities and sur rounding streets. Violations

would carry civil damages for false imprisonment. Advocates say this is needed to avoid disruptions to court activities.

Federal law enforcement officers who ar rest individuals improperly at or near a courthouse would face civil damages for false imprisonment and $10,000 in statutory damages, under the new law. A judge can also issue an order preventing ar rest under the provision.

Illinois Senate Democrats sai on their website that the bill “allows courts to award puniti damages based on the se of the defendant’s conduct, with particularly egregious factor including wearing masks to ceal identity (excluding legiti mate health or tactical purp failing to identify as law enforce ment, not using body cameras, operating vehicles with obscured or out-of-state plates, and deploying crowdcontrol weapons like pepper spray or rubber bullets.”

hospitals into hunting grounds and schools into sites of fear, they aren’t just violating the law — they’re violating our most sacred values,” said Lightford. “This legislation is a shield for the vulnerable and a warning to those who think they can operate above our constitution.”

Harmon said he expects the bill to face gal challenges, but “That doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do.”

“I’m prepared for this law to challenged, but I think we still have an obligation to try to do something,” Harmon, of Oak rk, told a committee hearing in Springfield Thursday Senate Minority Leader John rran (R-41) of Downers ove said that’s sure to happen, saying, “You are … teeing this up for the Supreme Court to set this aside. You’re actually making it easy on them.”

The bill would also bolster protections by “amending the Illinois Whistleblower Act to shield anyone who reports violations of this new law from retaliation, encouraging individuals to come forward when they witness constitutional rights being infringed.”

Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, who represents much of the Austin neighborhood and numerous western suburbs including Broadview, echoed Harmon’s concerns, saying, “What we’re seeing isn’t just happening somewhere else: it’s happening right here.”

“When federal agents operate with masks and unmarked vehicles,

The bill that passed recently is not the first time Harmon has led an ef fort to respond to perceived federal law enforcement over reach.

In 2019 Harmon sponsored House Bill 1637, the Keep Illinois Families Together Act in the Senate. That law prevents local law enforcement officers from acting as deputized immigration enforcement agents and prohibits local police from detaining someone solely on the basis of their immigration status.

“With the toxic rhetoric sur rounding im-

KIMBERLY LIGHTFORD

Two D90 schools ‘Exemplary’ on state report card

Roosevelt Middle School gets close but earns Commendable

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

From a big-picture standpoint, the fact that Lincoln Elementary and Willard Elementary schools achieved Exemplary status in the 2025 Illinois Re port Card released Oct. 30 was a major positive

With a score of 85.36, Lincoln earned Exemplary status for the third year in a row, and Willard (86.17) was the same for the fourth straight year. The Illinois Re port Card, published by the Illinois State Board of Education, awards schools that rank in the top 10% of the state as Exemplary, with the next 67% considered Commendable.

The rub is that Roosevelt Middle School, Exemplary a year ago, fell just short this time, achieving Commendable status

“We are incredibly proud of the work we are doing at Roosevelt Middle School,” said Dr. Christine Trendel, River Forest School District 90 director of curriculum and instruction. “Roosevelt’s overall index score places it in the top 14% of schools across the state and just a few points shy of the cutof f for an Exemplary rating this year.”

Trendel added that among all suburban Cook County public middle schools, Roosevelt was 17th in English/language arts

proficiency and eighth in math proficiency.

As far as what is going well at Lincoln and Willard, district superintendent Ed Condon said it’s a multitude of factors.

“District 90 has a steadfast commitment to teaching and learning,” he said. “We incorporate best practices in instruction and student assessment, support ongoing and aligned professional development for staf f, and use carefully selected, high-quality curricular materials. We are highly committed to our special education program and ensuring multi-tiered systems of support for students.”

Trendel said Lincoln’s English/language arts proficiency score was the highest among all public elementary and middle/junior high schools in suburban Cook County. Willard’s English/language arts proficiency score was the 11th highest among all public elementary schools in suburban Cook County. Math proficiency at both Lincoln and Willard place them in the top 22 public elementary schools in suburban Cook County.

The district enrolled 1,315 students in 2024-25. A total of 65.8% were white, 11.8% were Hispanic and 5.4% were Asian. The percentage of Black students in the district was redacted from the state document.

One number that was worth attention was an 8% chronic absenteeism rate, down from 9.3% a year ago and well below the state mark of 25.4%. That 8% was also substantially lower than comparable districts in the area.

“We continue to see a decline in chronic absenteeism over time, but even one avoidable absence has implications for student learning,” Condon said. “Our consistent focus is to make sure every student feels welcomed at school, finds opportunities to experience success and feels genuinely connected to their school community.”

Condon added that there is no time for the district to rest on its laurels.

There’s plenty of work to do.

“The results of the re port card are certainly encouraging, but we also reco gnize that not every child has reached their full potential yet,” he said. “Each year, administrators, faculty leaders and support staf f at each school convene to create and implement school improvement plans. This intentional planning with a broad group of staf f at the table helps promote excellence in teaching and learning throughout our schools.”

D97 chooses superintendent search rm

Five district schools achieve Exemplar y status in 2025 Illinois Report Card

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

Oak Park School District 97 took another step toward choosing its next superintendent Oct. 28 with the selection of the Illinois Association of School Boards as its search fir m.

According to a district statement, IASB’s executive searches team has more than 50 years of supporting school districts throughout the state, and “is known for its comprehensive, equity-centered approach

to identifying high-quality educational leaders.”

“We appreciated hearing from several strong search firms but ultimately chose the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) because we felt they were the best fit to guide this important process for our community,” Cheree Moore, school board president, said in the statement. “IASB brings deep experience supporting Illinois school districts in identifying and recruiting outstanding leaders. Their team has a strong understanding of our local context

and shares our commitment to equity and community eng agement.”

The search is necessary because for mer superintendent Dr. Ushma Shah resigned Aug. 15 under undisclosed circumstances Dr. Grif f Powell and Dr. Patricia Wernet were named co-interim superintendents for the 2025-26 school year.

Community input is an important part of the superintendent selection process, the statement said. To that end, IASB launched an online superintendent search survey for staf f, families and community

members to share their thoughts on District 97’s strengths, challenges, and priorities for the future, along with the qualities they want in the next superintendent. Next steps are clear. IASB is tentatively set to present survey results and draft an Announcement of Vacancy for board review on Nov. 18, with the position expected to be posted the next day. Focus groups with staf f, families, and community members are anticipated in early December, and the board aims to conduct interviews in January 2026, with a new superinten-

PROVIDED

Math class at Willard Elementary in River Forest

D200 REPORT CARD

Commendable agai

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improvement in our Black ninth and our Latino ninth graders. We’v the numbers rise in terms of those who are on track. Even freshmen not on track, the time they are seniors, they are ready to graduate.”

Supt. Greg Johnson echoed those sentiments.

“It’s a combination of ef forts,” he said. “(There was) a really clear ef fort last year to make sure our freshmen are acti working not to get of f track. If they do get a credit during a semester, we directly with them and the teachers on claiming credits.”

Overall, OPRF was again awarded Commendable status by ISBE with a score of 91.79 out of 100, up from 90.36 a year and 89.53 in 2022-23. That was roughly 1.3 points short of being considered Exemplary, which is the top 10% of schools in the state. Commendable makes up is the next 67% of high schools.

“I would say I’m very pleased with the progress we’re making, and every school wants to be in the top,” Williams-Lee said. “We know we have areas of improvement.

“We’ re not where we want to be, but we’re progressing in the areas where we need to make progress.”

OPRF enrolled 3,276 students in 2023-24, 51.6% male and 48.3% female. A total of 52.3% of students were white, while 17% were Black and 16.3% Hispanic. Almost 97% of students graduated.

“The annual re port card always provides

dent appointed by the end of January and beginning their tenure July 1, 2026.

“The board’s goal is to find a leader who reflects what matters most to Oak Park –equity, excellence and belonging,” Powell said. “We have a strong foundation of dedicated educators and supportive families, and they will be looking for someone who will honor that and continue moving the district forward.”

Whoever the new superintendent will be, they will i nherit a high-perfo rm ing dist rict, judging by the results of the 2025 Illinois Re po rt Card, released Oct. 30 by the I llinois State Board of Education.

Of the district’s 10 schools, five achieved Exemplary status – I rving (82.20 summative index score), L ongfell ow

valuable insight to how our school has performed across several metrics, and this year is no different,” Johnson said. “Over the past few years, we’ve continued to see a steady increase in several areas, and we are pleased to see that trend continue. This is a re port card our school can be proud of.

“With that said, there are always areas for us to improve, and we will continue to work purposefully to ensure this district is fulfilling its commitment to every student under our care.”

(85.31), Holmes (89.52), Whittier (86.18) and Beye (84.59) elementary schools. Th e I llinois Re po rt Card awards schools that r ank in the top 10% of the state as Exemp lar y, with the next 67% considered Commendable. Lincoln (80.60), Mann (80.48) and Hatch (72.64) elementary schools we re named C ommendable, along with Brooks (75.71) and Julian (70.30) m iddl e schools

“The recently released data from the Illinois Re po rt Card gives us a meaningfu l snapshot of how our district is performing and wh at remains ahead,” Powell said. “We’ re p leased that five of our 10 schools earned the Exemplary d esignation, wh ich is a mark of strong performance under this statewide system.

“We do have a number of students who miss instruction for a variety of reasons, academic, extracurricular and personal pursuits. Like any statistic like this, I’m glad this is part of our state re port card (because) it’s an opportunity to dig deeper. e happy to see improvement in this number, but we’re not near where we want

The ACT Suite of assessments is the new designated high school assessment for Ilplacing the SAT, and here, OPRF scored 79.3% of students considered profiEnglish-Language Arts. In math, 64.5% of students were considered prowhile 35.5% were considered not

“We are an incredibly high-performing school and we see that here,” Johnson said. “This is the first year of new proficiency targets to the ACT. Comparing this to previous years is very difficult. This is kind of for us and we’re looking to understand it.

“I’m happy with the fact that we continue to see a strong level of performance for our students, but keenly aware we have things

One of those areas, like many nearby districts, is chronic absenteeism, which sat at 19%, down by about a point from a year ago. Chronic absenteeism is the percentage of students who miss 10% or more of school days per year either with or without a valid excuse.

Why is this a challenge not only for OPRF, but other area school districts?

“It’s a too-often used cliché, but that’s the million-dollar question,” Johnson said. “It is across the country we’ve seen this shift.

“A t the same time, it re presents a moment in time – it d oesn’t capture all of the teaching, learning, and i nnovation happ ening every day in our schools. Our foc us remains on strengthening classroom i nstruction and improving the experiences of students who have b een historically underser ve d. We ’ ll c ontinue using the re po rt card results as one of several tools to info rm our school-level improvement ef for ts and to guide our work ahead.”

District 97 enrolled 5,501 students in 2024-25, 52.4% of which were white; 15.5% were Black and 15.3% were Hispani c. District-wide, 72.4% of students were considered proficient in Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) testing for English/language arts, and 60.5% were con-

What’s next? Besides a full review to Williams-Lee and the full board Nov. 20, Johnson said there is still work to do, especially in two areas.

“For a long time, we have been intent on finding ways for more and more students to find and have success in higher-level courses,” he said. “We’ re thrilled to see that and it’s something we’re going to continue working on.

“We’ re looking to increase participation in colle ge and career pathways, so more students are experiencing coursework to look at what post-secondary worlds can be like.”

sidered proficient in math.

Like almost every other area district, chronic absenteeism is still challenging post-Covid. For District 97, chronic absenteeism, or the percentage of students who miss 10% or more of school days per year either with or without a valid excuse, checked in at 14.4%.

“Chronic absenteeism isn’ t unique to Oak Park,” Powell said. “It’s a statewide and national trend with complex causes. We also know that consistent attendance is one of the strongest predictors of student success. Our focus is on partnership and working with f amilies to identify what’s g etting in the way of attendance and ensuring that every student feels like school is a place they belong.”

Feds to drop charge against Oak Park native accused of assaulting Border Patrol Chief Bovino

Federal prosecutors led a motion to dismiss Nov. 3

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

An Oak Park native accused of assaulting U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino is having his remaining federal charges dropped.

Cole Sheridan was arrested by federal agents and charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer in connection with a reported altercation with Bovino during a protest at the Broadview ICE facility the morning of Oct. 3. Sheridan had appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Heather McShain on Thursday, Oct. 9 for a probable cause hearing in the case, in which the judge ruled that the “assault” element of the charges could not proceed due to lack of evidence, accord-

ing to court documents.

Federal prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the case entirely on Monday, Nov. 3, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court for the Norther n District of Illinois.

Federal agents had said that Sheridan had shoved Bovino back in response after the top-ranking Border Patrol agent had pushed him and other protestors outside of the ICE detention facility that morning. Bovino told federal investigators that he had injured his groin as result of the incident.

During the hearing, U.S. Attorney William Hogan said that Sheridan faced the charges because he had resisted agents and not complied with orders like other protestors.

“There were many protestors in the video who were not arrested,” Hogan said. “That’s because they complied with law enforcement’s lawful orders. Mr. Sheridan, despite his impressive educational background and obvious understanding of English, did not.”

Sheridan’s attorney Ben Horwitz said that the Border Patrol agents were at fault in the incident, that they had set out to make a statement with a “show of force” and that his client did not break the law while peacefully exercising his right to protest.

“This was an incident instigated by the federal authorities,” Horwitz said. “This was a wildly perfor mative event.”

Bovino was not wearing a body camera the day of the incident, and the moment immediately proceeding Sheridan’s arrest was not captured in footage submitted as evidence during last month’s hearing. Last week, U.S. Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to begin wearing a body camera, as most of the border patrol officers under his command do

During last month’s probable cause hearing, the court watched 17 minutes of body camera footage depicting Border Patrol’s interactions with the protesters on Oct. 3. The footage entered into evidence came from

Agent Jason Epperson, a border patrol officer from Erie, PA stationed in Chicagoland to take part in “Operation Midway Blitz.”

Epperson’s body camera footage did not depict the alleged shoving match between Bovino and Sheridan.

Sheridan appeared onscreen about 16 minutes into the video wearing a crop top, mask and white helmet. He comes into view on the video after law enforcement had already cleared protestors onto a grassy area to one side of the road leading into the ICE facility.

Bovino is heard in the footage telling Sheridan and other protestors to “move back or you’re under arrest.” The video showed Epperson putting two hands on Sheridan before moving to arrest another protester

The next time Sheridan appeared onscreen he was on the ground with Bovino on top of him, arresting him.

Wednesday Journal has reached out to Horwitz for comment.

Illinois leaders decry Straw indictment

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

As the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s showed, it helps to have a rallying cry when faced with a daunting struggl e.

Those throughout the Chicago area either impacted by or actively fighting against the immigration enforcement actions of the Trump administration heard such a rallying cry from their elected leaders Oct. 30 after the Department of Justice indicted 6 people for their protests at the ICE detention facility in Broadview. Among those indicted was Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw.

The open letter from Gov. JB Pritzker and others came as a bill (HB1312) protecting illegal immigrants from ICE actions in certain places, like courthouses and hospitals, is headed to Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law.

“We refuse to be silent,” Pritzker and others said loudly and clearly in their letter Pritzker was joined by Illinois House Speak-

er Chris Welch, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle atop a list of 130 elected officials in northern Illinois who spoke out in detail against the federal effort

Other signatories were U.S. Re presentative Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4), Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Redmond Burnett, 28th Ward Alder man Jason Ervin and 1st District Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps, along with members of the Illinois Congressional dele gation, the Cook County board, the Chicago City Council and more than a hundred county, municipal and township office holders.

All signaled their solidarity with the six protesters who were indicted for stopping a US Customs and Immigration Enforcement vehicle during a protest in Broadview the morning of Sept. 26.

Straw, one of multiple public officials among the so-called “Broadview Six,” has called the charges “baseless” and vowed to “continue to stand with and protect our immigrant neighbors.”

“The politicization of our justice system crosses a fundamental line that should alarm anyone who cares about democracy and the rule of law,” the letter states. “This is not what democracy looks like, and we cannot accept it as normal.”

“Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, County Board candidate Cat Shar p, Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw, Joselyn Walsh, and Andre Martin now face prosecution for simply exercising their First Amendment rights,” the letter states.

The DOJ action, the signatories said, “follows a disturbing national pattern, from the indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver in New Jersey to the charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, for mer FBI Director James Comey, and dozens of others who have challenged the Trump administration.” Federal prosecutors, they say, “are being weaponized to punish political opponents and silence dissent.”

“The politicization of our justice system crosses a fundamental line that should alarm anyone who cares about democracy

and the rule of law. This is not what democracy looks like, and we cannot accept it as normal,” Pritzker and the other signatories said.

“Federal agents have grabbed residents off the streets without warrant or explanation, including U.S. citizens. They fatally shot an unar med civilian during a traffic stop. They have caused multiple high-speed collisions in residential neighborhoods. They have pepper-sprayed innocent bystanders and peaceful protesters across Cook County and outside the Broadview ICE facility, including faith leaders and candidates for office.”

“Masked ICE agents have transformed everyday life for thousands of our constituents,” the elected leaders wrote. “Parents won’t send their kids to school, workers are choosing to stay home, and families are skipping doctors’ appointments for fear of being picked up off the street.

“We refuse to be silent,” the letter signatories said. “And we will continue standing with every resident who speaks out against what this administration is doing to our communities.”

Mass at ICE center draws crowd of protesters

Federal agents denied clergy access to facility to ser ve communion

More than 50 Catholic nuns, priests and deacons arrived at the ICE Detention Center in Broadview on Nov. 1. Their goal was to bring communion to the immigrants being detained inside the industrial building on Beach Street. A small group of representatives of the group, including a 91-year-old nun, were escorted to the door of the facility by Illinois State Police to make their request only to be turned away.

According to the National Catholic Re porter, the Catholic leaders then said Mass for the more than 2,000 protesters who had gathered at the site. Communion was distributed to the protesters. The protest was organized by the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership. The priests were from across the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese, said NCR.

— Dan Haley

Autumn brings crisp air and colorful leaves — but also new safety risks. A few simple steps can help keep you and your loved ones safe at home:

Clear outdoor paths: Sweep or rake wet leaves from steps, driveways, and walkways to prevent slipping.

Improve lighting: Replace dim bulbs, add motion-sensor lights outside, and keep indoor hallways and entryways well lit. Secure floors inside: Remove clutter, tuck away cords, and use non-slip pads under rugs. Wear safe footwear: Choose shoes with firm, non-skid soles instead of socks or loose slippers.

Use support when needed: Keep railings sturdy and add grab bars in high-risk areas like bathrooms.

Taking these precautions helps reduce fall risks and keeps your home safe and welcoming all season long.

PHOTO S BY TODD BANNOR

Catholic priests concelebrate Mass near the Broadv iew ICE Detention Facility.

River Forest’s ‘Casual Conversation’ does not violate Open Meetings Act

Illinois Attorney General turns away complaint from resident

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

River Forest officials learned that the Illinois Attorney General’s Office r uled that they did not violate the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA) when holding a quarterly “Casual Conversations” event, as was alle ged by village resident Deborah Borman in a complaint filed in December.

T he OMA complaint is related to a series of “Casual Conversation” meetings held by Village President Cathy Adduci on Aug. 31 and Nov. 23. T he meetings invited “all community members” to attend and “get answers to any questions they may have at [the] info rmation and info rmational event,” Borman’s complaint states.

In her complaint, Borman alle ged that

at the Aug. 31 meeting, Adduci and two village trustees were in attendance, qualifying the “Casual Conversations” event as a meeting involving the majority of a quorum.

Under the Illinois OMA, public bodies are required to conduct their business in public, which involves providing advance notice of meetings, the posting of an agenda, allowing public comment at meetings and maintaining written minutes.

Because the “Casual Conversation” meetings involved the majority of a quorum and failed to post agendas and maintain minutes, Borman alle ged that they took place in violation of the OMA.

In her complaint, Borman also claimed that at the Nov. 23 “Casual Conversations” meeting, three village trustees attended, along with Adduci. Prior to the meeting, Borman alleges Adduci approached at

least two of the trustees and requested that they not speak at the meeting for fear of creating an OMA violation.

This month, the Attorney General’s office notified the village that a determination was made that the board did not violate the OMA.

In her letter to the village and Borman, Shannon Barnaby, senior assistant attorney general in the Public Access Bureau, said the matter is closed.

“The public access counselor has determined that resolution of this matter does not require the issuance of a binding opinion,” she said in the letter.

Borman declined to comment for this story.

The next “Casual Conversation” event will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 in the River Forest Community Center, 8020 Madison St.

Term limit referendum vote delayed one meeting

River Forest officials will push back slightly a vote on a planned term limit referendum to satisfy a requirement of the Illinois Election Code.

Village Administrator Matt Walsh said village trustees original plan was to vote at the Oct. 27 village board meeting to place the referendum question on the November 2026 election ballot but learned that action would not meet an election code requirement.

“During preparation and review of the draft term limit resolution, it was noted that the Illinois Election Code states that no resolution can specify placement on an election ballot more than one year ahead,” he said. “Oct. 27 is a few days prior to the selected election date (Nov. 3), so the resolution can’t be placed on that meeting agenda.”

Walsh said the vote would be rescheduled to the next village board meeting, which will be held Nov. 17.

Façade improvement plan nets rst River Forest business

Novick Orthodontics uses grant for so t and fascia work

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

Novick Orthodontics has become the first recipient of a small business grant through a new program offered by the village of River Forest.

The orthodontics office owners received a $5,000 grant from the village under the façade improvement grant program, which helped fund a project to improve soffit and fascia at 7351 W. North Ave.

The program, which was approved by the village board in March, is available to small business owners and commercial property owners in River Forest’s two tax increment financing (TIF) districts, one along North Avenue and the other along Madison Street.

Robert Novick is the office administrator. Dr. Darshana Novick, his wife, is the orthodontist who operates the practice and owns the building. Novick said they were considering undertaking the project when they lear ned about the program.

He said he reached out to the village in late 2024 upon learning about the program but discovered it had yet to be approved. After village officials approved the program, he reached out again and filed the required paperwork.

“The process was not complicated as long as you have your ducks in a row,” Novick said. He said he would recommend the program, noting, “It worked out pretty well” for them.

He said he went through a similar process with the City of Chicago previously and rated the River Forest process as better In addition to soffit and fascia replacement, the project, the total cost of which was $18,600, included gutter and downspout replacement and installation of vinyl siding on a dor mer.

The improvements were the first since they bought the building in 2010. At that time, they undertook what Novick called a “gut rehab,” as well as tuckpointing and new windows.

Jessica Spencer, assistant village administrator, said the idea for the program came from the village’s Economic Development Committee (EDC).

Cuyler Brown, EDC chair, said the program was introduced in a commission meeting in September 2024. He said Matt Walsh, village administrator, “led the way” by providing various versions of programs from other communities and the commissioners “spoke from their experience” as well.

“I want to thank our Economic Development Commission for their hard work on creating a program to help our local small businesses,” said Village President Cathy Adduci. “We hope that other businesses on Madison Street and North Avenue follow Novick’s lead and take ad program. Beautifying our ridors improves the quality of residents and boosts our econom Brown, who has served the EDC since 2017 and as chairman since 2021, said the de opment of the program was a venture.

“It was truly a group ef finish,” he said. “Each c lot of thought into what portant aspects of a progr how it would impact the erty overall.”

Brown said he and f ers Tim Brangle, Rajendra Chiplunkar and Carr Preston developed the pr added that “invaluable input” was provide by current commissioners Liz Muhr, Matt Carolan and Scott Elza and sioners including Katie Lo ham and Wally Wahlfeldt.

He said commissioners spiration” from two Illinois municipalities the village of Gilberts and the city of Charles, as well as input from the Oak River Forest Chamber of Commerce

“We had a member of the of these discussions, so it was

SIMPLE GIFTS

Songs of Strength, Hope & Courage

SATURDAY

November 15 • 7:30pm

Glenview Community Church

1000 Elm Street, Glenview

Tickets: $25

Seniors: $20

Students: $20

Group Tickets: $22

Tickets at the Door: $30

Breast Cancer Survivors: $20

SUNDAY

November 16 • 4:00pm

Pilgrim Congregational Church

460 Lake Street, Oak Park

SMALL BITES

Restaurants are stressed. Let’s save them, again

Suppor t our cornucopia of deliciousness

Big eating season is upon us. It starts with dessert on Halloween, then becomes a progressi meal from Thanksgiving, to Christmas, to New Year’s … then desser t again on Valentine’s Day. Hold onto your waistline!

At Takeout25’s owners and managers meeting there was talk about the stress that many, if not most, of our dining establishments are under these days. Whether it’s economic pressures to stay home or immigration action fears keeping diners and restaurants are feeling the pinch. Consider picking up your Covid sta ways and plan to order or eat out once a week.

can do it ag munity support!

Gyumon Japanese BBQ is open! The stunning dining room at 105 N. Marion St., in Oak Park started serving up meals last week. Here’s the deal: all-inclusive dining comes at two levels $45 per person or $55 (which includes a wider range of options).

ppetizers, soup, entrees, dessert and select beverages are all included. The protein list is extensive: wagyu beef, marinated chicken, shrimp, pork sausage, squid and more. Each table is fitted with a yakiniku g rill. S’mores at the end of the meal is a special indoor treat.

Ecuadorian food began as a weekend specialty, but it is now available daily at Golden Pizzeria, 6606 W. North Ave., Chicago. Owner Marta Pilco started out ing in pizza restaurants, but she has epreneurial plunge. Her menu features extensive Italian options, including very generously sized pizza slices, but it’s food from her home country that caught my attention. Encebollado is the national dish of Ecuador – a silky soup with tender flakes of tuna, pickled red onions, yucca, all floating in a rich broth. You can also try bolones, salchipapas, and more. Grab a can of Inca Kola!

There’s a new sushi shop, Happy Izakaya, inside and upstairs at Habrae, 7230 Madison in Forest Park. The OPRF Chamber of Commerce cel-

PROVIDED

Takeout 25 Community Cookbook release party is set for Nov. 8 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Book Loft, 1047 Lake St. in Oak Park. In honor of the group’s fifth anniversary, 25 local restaurants shared their recipes. It’s also packed with info about the history and evolution of dining in our community. Perfect for holiday gift giving!

Congrats to Anfora Wine Merchants, which leads of f the Chicago Tribune’s recent ar ticle about the best places to sip and savor wine in the suburbs. Also mentioned were Cooper’s Hawk, Citrine Café, Hemmingway’s Bistro and Autre Monde Cafe & Spirits. In fact, all the locations mentioned for vino in the ‘burbs were around here!

Alice and Friends’ Ve gan Kitchen is up and running in the old Munch space on Marion.

If you missed the invitation to meet at Bobby’s Eastside for the first incar nation of Eats-out – where local food lovers gathered, ate well and talked turkey –you’ll have another chance come January when we give the gathering another go.

Got news, questions or ideas for this column? Email them to us at Eats@oakparkeats.com. RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Ecuadorian encebollado soup at Golden Pizzeria

ebrates achievement in the local business community at its annual Spotlight Soiree on Nov. 19. Earlybird tickets are available now for $35.

Eats-out with Ann Farrell, Risé Sanders-Weir and Paul Clark at Bobby’s Eastside

the teens east on Lake Street and toward Austin Boulevard.

Oak Park officials confirmed Sunday, in response to an inquiry from Wednesday Journal, that pepper balls had been deployed at Lake and Harvey where a fight had broken out among a small group of teens. Via an Oak Park spokesperson, Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson made clear it was not an Oak Park officer who used the chemical weapon. As late as Monday, Oak Park said it did not know which neighboring department was responsible for the pepper balls.

After reviewing video from the scene provided to the Journal on Monday, the Journal asked River Forest if the officer was a member of its force. In a statement, the River Forest police department said one of its officers had deployed pepper balls twice Friday evening at two locations on Lake Street.

River Forest said its officers are provided with pepper ball guns after proper training and that it had reviewed body cam footage from the evening and concluded its officer had “properly de ployed” the pepper balls and been successful in helping disperse the crowd.

one was injured or impacted by the use of pepper balls.

Dan Yopchick, the Oak Park spokesman, confirmed that Oak Park police do not carry pepper ball weapons. Further, he said that when multiple law enforcement agencies provide support on an incident that the Oak Park department leads, a “unified command structure” is set up with a goal of coordinating action and clear communication.

“While officers from outside agencies may employ tools or tactics not used by OPPD, the department was aware that multiple jurisdictions were present on Lake Street during the incidents but did not authorize or de ploy any pepper ball weap ons,” said Yopchick.

“Pepper balls were deployed in two instances. ... This intervention de-escalated the situation and dispersed the crowd.”

“Pepper balls were deployed in two instances,” said River Forest officials. “The first was in the area of Lake Street and Forest Avenue right after a confirmed re port of a gun being fired. The pepper balls were de ployed at the ground at an individual armed with a bat and disobeying an officer’s commands. This intervention de-escalated the situation and dispersed the crowd.

“The second incident in which a River Forest officer de ployed pepper balls was in the area of Lake Street and Harvey Avenue. The officer was responding to assist Oak Park police with a fight in progress. The pepper balls were de ployed at the ground at numerous individuals [who were] actively striking a victim. This intervention deescalated the situation and dispersed the crowd,” said the River Forest statement.

Earlier the Oak Park spokesman said no

Laura Schaeffer of the Compound Yellow Studio at Lake and Harvey was among those who witnessed the confrontation at that location. She said on Sunday that a fight broke out among 8 to 12 teens in front of her gallery. “Two to three girls were slapping each other. It was a slap fight, the sort of thing you see sometimes with teens,” she said. Schaeffer said a couple of police officers “charged toward the teens. I didn’t see any sign of an ef fort at de-escalation. They had these huge pepper ball guns,” she said. At least one officer began firing pepper balls.

One of those affected was Jasper Nord, the 23-year-old son of Schaeffer. He went outside to observe when the fight began. He said one officer shot “at least five pepper balls onto the driveway at the studio.” That impact dispersed the chemical irritants into the air.

When he complained to the officer who shot the pepper balls, he said the response was that the officer had shot them into the ground and not at any person. Nord said an Oak Park officer called him a “moron” and a “crybaby.”

Nord also said that, by the time the fight broke out around 10 p.m., almost the entire crowd of teens had already reached Austin Boulevard and the small group in the fight were the last stragglers.

In response to a question from the Journal, Yopchick confirmed that only municipal policing agencies were involved on Friday night. “There was no presence of ICE or other federal personnel as it relates to this activity on Friday,” he wrote.

incorporate their contributions as we went along,” Brown said. “Once we had a final draft, we provided it to the chamber for final thoughts. They circulated it among a few of their business leaders who were very excited about this opportunity and appreciated the fact that some accessibility changes were included as eligible projects for this program.

“The feedback was positive and very helpful in our coming up with the proposed structure. Of course, we always leave room for changes to be made in the future as we find needed.”

Spencer said officials have had “a couple of people” inquire about the program but so far Novick Orthodontics is the only applicant.

“The goal is to reach as many businesses as possible,” she said, noting officials are promoting the program on the village website and e-newsletter as well as an email “blast” to targeted businesses

“We’re looking at additional strategies,” she said. “This is an exciting undertaking.”

The program’s purpose is helping businesses or property owners attract new customers or tenants. The proposed programs are funded out of funds in the TIF districts Officials earmarked $100,000 with $50,000 for each district. However, each award cannot exceed 50 percent of all eligible activities or $5,000, whichever is less. Funding is subject to budget approval.

Priority is given to projects that improve the overall aesthetic of the commercial district; enhance the accessibility of the project; or incorporate energy-efficient or sustainable design elements. The village administrator has the final approval authority.

Eligible improvements range from energy conservation upgrades and exterior accessibility enhancements for individuals with disabilities to new primary signage and installation of awnings or canopies. Other eligible improvements include restoration of historic exterior architectural elements and installation or improvement of front and rooftop patios or walkways.

Improvements that are not eligible include acquisition of land or buildings; new construction or development that is not directly tied to enhancing the primary façade(s); interior signage and lighting fixtures; and flat roofing installation or repair

“Quality, A ordable, Independent Housing for Seniors”

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Oak Park police investigate Halloween property damage

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park police are investigating several incidents of criminal property damage from over Halloween weekend.

According to police, someone damaged the garage door of a home in the 600 block of Wesley Avenue overnight on Oct. 30. The incident re por tedly knocked the garage door of f its tracks and caused $3,000 in damage to the home, according to police.

Police also received a re port that overnight on Oct. 31 that someone jumped on top of the hood of a 2016 Subaru Forester parked in the 800 block of South Boulevard. Police also received a re port that someone had damaged the door of a KIA Soul parked in the 1000 block of Oak Park Avenue and removed the door’s handle in an apparent bid to gain entry, causing about $200 in dama ge.

Police are also investigating a criminal property damage incident tied to re ports of shots fired in Downtown Oak Park on Halloween. A resident who re ported hearing gunshots discovered what appeared to

be a bullet hole in their apar tment shortly after re porting the incident to police Friday night, according to police.

Domestic battery arrests

Police arrested two village residents on domestic battery charges in unrelated incidents over the weekend.

Shortly before 10:20 a.m. the morning of Friday, Oct. 31, police arrested an 18-yearold Oak Park woman in the first block of Harrison Street on domestic battery charges, according to police. Shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday Nov. 1, police arrested a 70-year-old Oak park man in the 7100 block of Roosevelt Road on charges of domestic battery, according to police.

Tool theft

Oak Park police are also investigating an incident in which nearly $14,000 in tools were stolen from a vehicle in the village Police received a re port that someone shattered the passenger side window of a plumber’s van parked in the 1000 block of

saws, drills and specialized plumbing cameras worth an estimated $13,995, according to police.

No one has been arrested in connection with that incident.

These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department re ports dated Oct. 27 – Nov. 3 and re present a portion of

Anyone named in these ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port 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 a description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Oak Park commander selected as Wisconsin town’s next police chief

Schonella Stewart, a 19-year OPPD veteran, has been hired to lead the Beloit Police Depar tment pending nal approval

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park Police Commander Schonella Stewart has been selected to serve as the next police chief of Beloit, WI.

Stewart has spent the last 19 years serving on the Oak Park Police Department, rising from patrol officer to serve as patrol commander, community policing commander and investigations commander for the department over the course of her career. She also served as a homicide task force member, Internet Crimes Against Children task force member, FBI hijacking task force member, and human trafficking task force member,

according to the city of Beloit news release announcing her selection.

“In addition to going through two rounds of interviews with the PFC (Police & Fire Commission), Stewart excelled in an assessment center conducted by three police chiefs from other communities, a community forum, and in interviews with city leadership and department staff,” the release said. “A conditional offer was extended to Stewart, who accepted. The conditions include a standard employment drug screen, a background investigation and for mal Police & Fire Commission approval. The PFC is expected to meet in early November to take for mal action on the selection.”

Stewart’s twin sister Schenita Stewart was named the chie f of police in Evanston in 2022.

Beloit is a town of about 37,000 people on the Wisconsin-Illinois border, about 18 miles north of Rockford. Geneva Police Chief Anthony Miceli and Rockford Police Department Assistant Deputy Chief Ty Eagleson were also in the running for the position, according to the Beloit Daily News. Stewart would be the first woman to hold the position. She would succeed for mer Chief Andre Sayles, who left the town earlier this year to accept a deputy chief position with the Seattle Police department, according to the Beloit Daily News.

COURTESY OF VILL AG E OF OAK PARK Commander Schonella Stewart

Sustainability is a calling card for Oak Park Apartments

Vintage apartments are updated with help of local rm Energy Matters

By LACEY SIKORA Real Estate Reporter

For almost 40 years, brothers Bob and Bill Planek have been a part of the Oak Park area community through their property rental company, Oak Park Apartments. The duo got their roots in local real estate when they were students at Fenwick High School and worked in janitorial and maintenance for area apartment buildings.

Once they finished school, the brothers saw a business opportunity in the local rental market, which had not seen a lot of investment. They bought a two-flat and the rest is history.

Fast forward a few decades and Oak Park Apartments owns over 75 buildings and 1,800 units in Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park and Chicago. Their buildings might be vintage – most of their buildings are 1920s era courtyard complexes – but their maintenance methods are cutting edge.

After Oak Park adopted the Climate Ready Oak Park plan in 2022, the village began to implement sustainability measures in the code for newly constructed buildings. These measures do not apply to Oak Park Apartments’ vintage buildings, but the Planeks were already onto green building practices

Wendy Planek, marketing consultant for the organization, notes that for over 20 years Oak Park Apartments has been using the latest sustainability measures in updating and maintaining their properties, often pairing with local firm Energy Matters.

She says, “They’ve been on the green energy bandwagon for probably 20 years in a variety of ways. As the technolog y changes, the methods have changed too. My husband (Bob) and his brother are advo cates of finding new technolo gy and seeing what works.”

She says being green pays real dividends in terms of both monetary savings and the quality of life for tenants. On top of this there’s the often-unheralded sustainability measure that comes from maintaining older buildings

e 41 unit

at 8-12

rather than tearing them down: maintaining older buildings conserves energy and avoids putting building debris in landfills. She adds, “Preserving these historic buildings that we have — that’s probably the greenest thing.”

Some of the ef for ts Oak Park Apartments undertakes are rooted in new technologies that help the vintage buildings stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

Anytime one of the buildings needs a new roof, they work with a white product that reflects heat. They also apply five inches of continuous foam insulation under the roof. When they take out walls during a rehabilitation project, they always add insulation. Insulation around hot

APARTMENTS on pa ge 20

building

Van Buren Street has a new heat pump split system which replaced electric baseboard heat.

Small businesses are the heart of every community, but some have a harder time getting started and staying strong. Join us for an evening of insight and inspiration as Bob Tucker and Mary Fran Riley share what it takes to support local business in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Moderated by Growing Community Media’s Max Reinsdorf, this free event takes place November 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Public Library Growing Community Media is hosting a conversation between Mary Fran Riley and Bob Tucker Thursday, November 6th • 6:30 pm Oak Park Public Library

APARTMENTS

Green investments from page 18

water heaters and pipes also helps with energy efficiency.

Oak Park Apartments also is thoughtful with what goes into their buildings. New appliances are Energy Star-rated. Interior lighting is LED, and paint is low VOC. T hey also are careful with water expenditures: new plumbing fixtures are lowflow and plants used for landscaping are drought resistant.

Planek notes that a lot of these changes, as well as installation of sustainable HVAC systems, have been done with the help of Energy Matters. T he locally owned heating and cooling company specializes in designing, engineering, and installing complete comfort systems for owners of existing homes and buildings

Much as the Planek brothers be gan their business endeavors in high school, Mike and Matt Nickels got their star t working summer construction jobs with the Planeks while still in high school.

After graduating from colle ge with engineering de grees, the brothers started Energy Matters and have been helping clients with electric, HVAC and other work to make their homes more sustainable.

Mike Nickels says of the long-term relationship with Oak Park Apartments,

“We’ve worked hand-in-hand for our whole business career, and they’re really pushing the envelope.”

Working with Energy Matters, Oak Park Apartments has taken on a number of major projects to make their buildings more ef ficient.

In 2021, they converted 914 North Blvd. to a fully solar building for all 30 apar tment units. At 8-12 Van Buren, they added a heat pump split system, re placing electric baseboard heating in 41 units.

At press time, they are re p lacing an o riginal, electric-ducted heat system in 41 units with a heat p ump-ducted system at 228 Des Plaines Ave. in Fo rest Pa rk . At 408 N. Taylor Ave. in Oak Pa rk , a hybrid heat p ump system is being i nstalled to re p lace the g as system in 25 apar tment units

Nickels says the technolo gy on heat p ump systems has evolved rapidly. “When we started 8 to 10 years ago the technolog y wasn’t really there for the norther n half of the c ountr y. Now, the technolog y is g ood down to ne gative 17 de grees T here’s b een a nice wave of technologica l improvements alongside society ’s adoption of these technolo gies.”

Fo r more info rm ation on how heat p ump systems wo rk , Planek refe renced: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=oETVJ7Nx9g0

In addition to the ener gy efficient projects above, Planek says that Oak Pa rk Ap artments c ontinue to maintain and up gr ade all of their properties. A recent restoration at their historic E.E. Ro be rt s building at 173. N. Grove saw the re p lacement of 18 of 40 sculptural head s. At 201-209 N. Grove, the building was c omp letely renovated and drought-tolerant landscaping was a dded. Properties such as 927 Wesley have pollinator ga rdens S ustainability measures have lowe re d utility bills significantly — roughly 30%.

Planek notes that there are a lot of b ene fits to their tenants that ca n’ t be measured.

Wesley features a pollinator garden.

“There are definitely cheaper choice s that you c an make, but we do n’ t want to be re p lacing these up gr ades in a few year s. We ’re looking more long-term to g et the buildings b etter than they we re before in terms of sustainability wh il e maintaining the vintage char m. ” S he emphasizes, “I think a lot of p eople seek us out and Oak Pa rk out because of our architecture. It ’s g ood for the environment, g ood for the long-term sustainability of the architecture and g ood fo r p eople wanting to live in our buildings.”

SUNSHINE: Since 2021, the 30 unit building at 914 North Blvd. has been fully solar powered.

WORTH PRESERVING: Apartments on Grove, some designed by E.E. Roberts, have been carefully restored.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

VIEWPOINTS

What is non-ageist humor?

What’s funny to one person is not always funny to another. “Duh!” you say?

Last month’s Ageism Awareness Day event in Oak Park featured Yale’s Dr. Becca Levy as keynote speaker. As part of Action Community Engagement (ACE), Levy is currently leading a research project to help identify , educate about, and reduce ageism in Oak Park.

Many of the 90 or so Oak Park participants in this study will be developing and implementing various projects around town, projects like intergenerational gardening or an outdoor photo exhibit on Harrison Street or a book group or advocating with the Oak Park Health Department that ageism is a public health issue

MARC BLESOFF

I am currently working with a small group of Oak Parkers (and Levy) on a program about non-ageist humor. We’re planning a public event at The ComedyPlex in downtown Oak Park on Monday, Dec. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. Did you ever want to do stand-up? Stop on by and tell a non-ageist joke! There’s a thin line between really funny and downright offensive, and oftentimes that line is blurry. This is a very subjective topic

Ageist humor is usually about someone, not shared with them. It can be punching down against a socially devalued group or reinforcing fixed stereotypes about capabilities and worth. For example:

Infantilizing older adults: “Did you remember your diaper today?” “Let’s get Grandma a ‘baby on board’ sign.” Treats older adults like children; strips competence and dignity

“Tech Clueless” tropes: “Don’t let Grandpa near the email — he’ll break the internet!” “Older people and technology are like oil and water.” Reinforces a stereotype that blocks learning and inclusion.

Romantic/sexual invisibility: “Older people flirting? Gross.” “No one wants to see old folks kissing — think of the children!” Dehumanizes by denying full emotional and romantic lives.

Workplace/competency: “He’s been here so long, his first computer was a stone tablet.” “We can’t let the fossils handle the presentation.” Assumes older = obsolete.

Targeting Younger People (Ageism isn’t only about older adults): “What do kids know? They haven’t lived.” “Gen Z is made of snowflakes.” “You’re too young to have real problems.” Dismisses younger people’s credibility and experiences

Non-ageist humor doesn’t rely on stereotypes about age. It doesn’t demean people based on being “too young” or “too old.” It paints all ages as capable, valid, and fully human and it makes fun with people, not at them. Non-ageist humor can empower us rather than make us feel ashamed.

Please note, it is important that we are able to laugh at ourselves and to appreciate the role of humility. Self-directed humor can feel empowering for some (“I ear ned these wrinkles!”) and can feel like inter nalized bias to others.

I’ve been thinking about a humor spectrum, with slapstick at one end and a cerebral play-on-words toward the other end. Ah yes, Moe, Curly and Larry, those 3 Stooges, who could ever forget them? Question: Why did the scarecrow get an award?

Answer: She was out standing in her field

Studies show that children absorb ageist nor ms as early as 3 years. This comes mostly from media, observing adults and the language around them. For example, cartoons where older characters are grumpy or clueless, or adults joking “I guess I’m having a senior moment!” or birthday milestone language: “29 again!” (older = bad).

Yes, non-ageist humor deserves more public discussion. So let’s get together on Monday, Dec. 8, 6-8 p.m. at ComedyPlex.

Shrubtown: p. 23

As Wednesday Journal celebrated its 45th anniversary and the power of journalism with a special Lake Theatre showing of “All the President’s Men,” we asked Charlie Meyerson — Growing Community Media Board member, long-ago Journal columnist and now publisher of the free daily email news briefing Chicago Public Square — to set the stage with a few remarks on the state of journalism now and then:

NBC News has a new slogan: “Facts Clarity. Calm.”

I have no beef with facts or clarity.

But at a time when reporters are getting tear-gassed, elected officials are getting arrested simply for engaging in political protest and people are being snatched at random off our streets, I don’t have much use for “calm” reporting.

In the summer of 1974, when the book All the President’s Men was published, I’d just declared a change in my major at the University of Illinois, from chemistry to journalism. (The chemistry thing was a sham; I had a chemistry scholarship, but I’d planned on jour nalism as soon as I could switch — which, back then and there, you couldn’t do until you qualified as a junior.)

And although my career path had been set long before that — both my parents were newspaper folk, as were Clark Kent, Peter

Parker, and Mike Royko, and I’d been publishing my own newspapers since the age of 7 (with crayon) — so the reporting detailed in All the President’s Men made me more certain than ever that that’s what I wanted to do with my life.

And I wasn’t alone, of course. Remember that the Watergate scandal documented in that book led to Richard Nixon’s resignation just two months after its publication. That energized a generation of young people who saw the news biz as a way to make a difference.

And for decades that followed, it was just that. Courageous publishers like the Post’s Katherine Graham and editors like Ben Bradlee spoke truth to power, and truth often, although not always, came out on top.

But that tide’s turned. Mainstream media — which had gotten fat on easy profits in the years before the internet — got caught flatfooted by digital competition and found themselves headed for a financial cliff. In many cases, they handed the wheel to vampiric hedge funds and billionaire dilettantes who let staffs shrink and principles wither.

And as Donald Trump and the Republican Party — enabled by reactionary organizations like Fox (I refuse to associate the word

PHOTO

On Halloween evening some 500 pretty young teens gathered in Downtown Oak Park. It was a problem, seemingly unanticipated, as there was rowdiness, some fights, and one known discharge of a gun that left a hole in an apartment window at Forest and Lake Oak Park police put out a call for assistance as its officers worked to get control of the situation and began to move the young people out of downtown and toward Austin where it was concluded most of the teens lived. Several local police agencies turned out, including River Forest, Forest Park, Berwyn, Maywood and the Chicago Police Department which managed the arrival of the crowd at Lake and Austin.

What’s troubling is, as the Jour nal re ported over the weekend, pepper balls were de ployed against these youth in Oak Park.

Pe pper balls. A chemical weapon made f amous by the thugs at ICE and Border Patrol in their near indiscriminate use against protesters and those being detained in the Trump administration’s attack on immigrants and American values. Oak Park is a town on the forefront of resistance to this authoritarian rule. We are bold in our statements: a village trustee has horrifyingly been indicted by the discredited Department of Justice for protesting at the ICE detention facility in Broadview.

So how is it possible that, in this village, pepper balls are being used against teenagers?

When we first asked the village about this we were quickly told, “Not our officers!” And “we’ll find out who did this and get back to you.” Turns out it was an officer from River Forest. Based on video provided to the Journal, we asked River Forest if it was their officer. Yes, they said, it was our officer and it turns out the multiple rounds of pepper balls deployed into a driveway at Lake and Harvey in response to a small fight among a handful of stragglers was not the only instance of the weapon being used. A River Forest officer also used his pepper ball gun at Lake and Forest where, River Forest officials told us, there was a person with a bat who did not quickly drop it.

We have serious questions about why River Forest police have pepper balls available to them. We have serious questions about a chain of command, admittedly during a chaotic event, where Oak Park police say they are in charge but somehow a chemical weapon is de ployed. And we cannot figure out how the Journal learned which department was responsible for the action even as, on Monday, Oak Park police said they did not know.

We saw the videotape. The River Forest officer was surrounded by Oak Park cops at La ke and Harvey when he shot at least five pepper balls. The Oak Park officers did not say, “Whoa. Can’t do that here!” And then none of those cops raised their hands and told their leaders exactly who fired the pepper balls?

This is not good. It is not acce ptable

Afew thoughts on the last day of Daylight Saving Time — or do say Daylight Savings Time? Either seems acceptable. Either wa oddly named.

What are we “saving” with Daylight Saving Time? Daylight? Time? Both? And what, if anything, are we saving it for? A rainy day? Our solar batteries? Sustaining our sanity through the long winter ahead?

At least “Daylight Saving” sounds soulful, as opposed to Central … Standar Time, which lowers the boom … of doom … and gloom.

The end of Daylight Saving arrived early this year It happens the first full weekend of November. Next year the first full weekend is Nov. 7-8. An extra week of extra daylight! For some of us, deeply appreciated Maybe you prefer your extra daylight in the morning, but even that is short-lived as we creep closer to the solstice and the hegemony of moon and stars over sunlight.

Goodbye light, hello night Pepper balls in Oak Park

TRAINOR

We are shifting from Daylight Saving to Daylight Losing — for the next two months anyway. After December, we enter Gradual Daylight Comeback Time — until March when we vault forward an hour, back into blissful evening light.

The only reasonable argument I’ve heard for changing our clocks is that if we didn’t, the dawn in June would rouse us at 4:30.

There is no benefit whatsoever for falling back to Central … Standard … Time.

So why not stick with Daylight Saving all year round? Conventional thinking seems the culprit — it’s how we’ve always done it.

Regardless, for the next 50-some days we’re in Nightlight Saving Time as we steadily lose the light of day. Why double down then, assaulting our lightcraving psyches with this extra onset of darkness? It’s as if we take delight in de-light, painfully evident in our “celebration” of the dark side each Halloween, otherwise known as skeleton-mania, bones on every lawn, tombstones and ghostly wraiths of every sort — a time when the veil between this side and that side of reality is at its thinnest, according to folklorists

On this, the morning after All Hallow’s Eve, which makes Nov. 1 All Hallow’s Day — which this year

coincides with the last day of Daylight ving — I pass a father standing over a large deflated witch on his front lawn. thers the sad remains in his ar ms — as gently as if it were the remains of a close friend who chose to say goodbye to life itself — and carries it back to the here it will rest for another year. I continue along the pathways where empty candy wrappers compete for sidewalk space with the fallen leaves. all is upon us, but the falling has just begun. So many leaves still stubbornly cling to trees, awaiting their denouement, when the bare and barren branches can no longer bear their leafy burden and more closely resemble exposed nerve endings against the iron-grey sky.

This is what losing looks like, when the trees’ only adornments are the few stars viewed through branches in the night sky overhead, a reminder of James Joyce’s elegant “heaventree … hung with humid nightblue fruit.”

What were we saving daylight for if not now? Yes, a few weeks of extra light in the morning to savor before we lose that too, but for what? To make our way to the barn to milk the cows? Apparently not. Far mers (and their cows) reportedly oppose these biannual time shifts.

It’s as if we deliberately choose this deprivation of daylight, this withdrawal within.

Time to lose ourselves in the Saturnalia of candlelit holidays, saving daylight for another season, another dawn that we know will come. Must come. Can’t come too soon. We outline our living with strung lights, flickering fireplaces, fellowship, and incandescent living-room trees — compensating for daylight loss and celebrating Nightlight Saving Time, as if shining out to the naked nightly universe were enough. And, for a while anyway, it helps.

Our annual exercise in irrationality, this inexplicable shifting of clocks, this surrendering to the dark, this substitute for the loss of light, however, won’t feel half as bad as last year’s Daylight Losing, post-election, four-month eclipse, trapping us inside its unsolvable film noir mystery.

So goodbye, light. Hello, night. It’s time to flip our switch.

We’re saving daylight for the coming of spring.

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

River Forest’s Memorial Hall

Tuesday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day back when it started in 1918, to commemorate the signing of the agreement that ended World War I, “The War to End all Wars.”

Did you know that in 1923, in River Forest on Armistice Day, nearly 2,000 people gathered to witness the laying

of a cor nerstone for two new connected buildings, Memorial Hall and Roosevelt School, at the corner of Jackson and Oak avenues?

Memorial Hall was a communityfunded building (at least $60,000 in 1923 dollars) to honor, recognize, and thank 252 local WWI veterans for their service and sacrifice to our country.

This memorial was so significant to the planners that they hired the renowned architectural fir m, Perkins, Fellows & Hamilton, known for their public school designs.

Upon entering Memorial Hall, one sees three bronze plaques, with two of them listing the many names of those who served in WWI, while the third bas-relief panel depicts soldiers and the War Memorial slogan: “To Commemorate the Past To Serve the Present

To Inspire the Future

To Honor Those who Served Our Country”

This Veterans Day, let us remember the significance of the River Forest War Memorial to honor those who served in WWI as well as all those who have continued to serve our country.

John Dzuryak

River Forest

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

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Honoring our veterans

Tuesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. Once again, the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association has offered us the use of their ballroom for the annual Oak Park Veterans Day Ceremony. Everyone is invited.

BRIAN FLORA

One View

For many years, for mer Village Clerk Virginia Cassin organized the village’s Veterans and Memorial Day events, but she moved away in 2018 to be with family. A handful of us wanted to continue the tradition, and I took over as the primary organizer. What motivated me, I think, was a deep-seated belief that traditional and dignified ceremonies on Veterans Day and Memorial Day are an important and special way to remember and honor friends and family members who have served in our military. My dad was a decorated career Ar my officer who served in WWII and Korea. I grew up on military bases and was immersed in military tradition. A brother and a brotherin-law were also career military.

During the Vietnam War era, I wanted to serve my country as a diplomat, but Uncle Sam had other ideas. I was drafted in my second week of grad school. I volunteered for OCS and spent six months training to become an officer I spent three years in the Ar my, including a tour in Vietnam. I then left the military to become a State Department Foreign Service Officer.

For 35 years, my wife Kay and I served at U.S embassies around the world. On our missions abroad, we were always protected by a Marine Security Guard Detachment. They and the Em-

bassy’s Military Attaches were our friends and colleagues. I organized Memorial Day ceremonies for our ambassador at our National WWI and WWII cemeteries in Belgium.

In short, over the years I developed a deep respect for our veterans And especially for their families

For me, keeping our ceremonies going here in Oak Park is a way to show that respect.

If you are interested in a traditional, respectful Veterans Day event, please join us in the NCCA Ballroom (178 Forest Ave., Oak Park) at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. I will emcee. Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and Village President Vicki Scaman will give welcoming remarks. Officers from the Oak Park Police Honor Guard will post the Colors. Our History Singers, John and Kathryn Atwood, will lead us in patriotic singing, including a medley of Service Songs. Taps will be played as wreaths are laid. John Atwood’s remarks will address World War II’s Pacific Theater.

The surrender of Imperial Japan ended the war 80 years ago. We will recognize the service and sacrifices of the over four million veterans who served in the Pacific. They suffered over 350,000 casualties, including 111,600 killed in action. More broadly, the ceremony will honor all of our veterans, past and present, who have served the country in wartime and in peace. I hope to see you there next Tuesday.

Brian Flora, a resident of Oak Park since 2007, is a retired career diplomat. He organizes Oak Park’s Veterans and Memorial Day ceremonies

Misusing the National Guard

Too little attention has been paid to Trump’s illegal federalizing of states’ National Guards. He casts aside history, tradition, and settled law that places control of these citizen soldiers in the hands of gover nors. If a president proposes to deploy them, it can be done only in dire circumstances and, most important, at the request of a gover nor. Exceptions are only when a gover nor is acting in violation of law, as in the Civil Rights Era in the South.

My major concer n, though, is for the heavy burden that is being placed on these men and women who, after all, are citizen soldiers, not professional members of the U.S. military. When they are tor n away for de ployment, sometimes far from home and open-ended,

On the budget and term limits

I want to share two important updates from the Oct. 13 River Forest Village Board meeting.

First, an independent audit of the village budget confirmed River Forest continues to exceed standards for financial management and planning. This responsibility has become increasingly complex, given today’s economic challenges, which is why we continuously pursue new revenue sources and grants to support critical village services. These include emergency response and maintaining essential systems that keep our community running — our streets, sidewalks, and water and sewer networks This report marks the 13th straight balanced budget for our village.

The second update concerns the ongoing discussion about ter m limits. The village board reached a consensus to direct staff to prepare a resolution for a binding referendum on ter m limits to appear on

the Nov. 3, 2026, General Election ballot. This step is necessary due to the wording on the referendum petitions used for the April 1 election, which included the words advisory and binding – which are contradictory. Implementing ter m limits based on that language could have opened the village to legal challenges — something we wanted to avoid, to protect both the integrity of our elections and taxpayer resources.

The resolution for the binding referendum was also considered at our Oct. 27 village board meeting. The village intends to use the same question and effective dates to ensure consistency.

Thank you to all residents for your patience and commitment as we work to make decisions that uphold River Forest’s financial stability and democratic values.

Cathy Adduci River Forest Village President

Prioritize pedestrian safety in Oak Park

Oak Park has long prided itself on being a walkable, family-friendly community. Our tree-lined streets, vibrant business districts, and proximity to public transit make walking not just a convenience, but a way of life Yet increasingly, that way of life is under threat — from drivers who speed through intersections, ignore crosswalks, and fail to yield to pedestrians as required by law.

into the street only to be honked at or swerved around. These are not isolated incidents — they are daily occurrences. This is not just a matter of courtesy; it’s a matter of safety and le gality. The village of Oak Park must take decisive action to enforce pedestrian right-ofway laws. That means:

- Increased traffic enforcement at high-risk intersections

their families suf fer. Employers face difficult decisions about whether to replace them, temporarily or even per manently.

And they may very well have moral or ethical qualms about what they are being called upon to do. Since the Nuremberg tribunals, “I was just following orders” has been discredited as justification for what is now happening daily under Trump’s increasingly abusive seizure of power.

We, as citizens, must stand against his machismo. And, in the meantime, we must have a heart for those citizen soldiers, so like ourselves, and treat them with the respect every fellow citizen is entitled to Fred Reklau

Oak Park

Illinois law is clear. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1002, drivers must stop and yield to pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks. This includes intersections without painted lines, where pedestrians still have the legal right-ofway. The statute also prohibits drivers from overtaking vehicles stopped for pedestrians and requires them to exercise due care to avoid collisions.

Despite these protections, too many Oak Park drivers treat crosswalks as optional. Anyone who walks regularly in our village has witnessed the near-misses: cars barreling through intersections while pedestrians wait nervously at the curb, or worse, step

- Public awareness campaigns to educate drivers on their legal obligations.

- Visible signage and crosswalk improvements to reinforce pedestrian zones

- Data collection and transparency on pedestrian-related incidents

Oak Park should be a model for pedestrian safety, not a cautionary tale. By enforcing the laws already on the books — especially 625 ILCS 5/11-1002

— we can protect our residents, uphold our values, and ensure that walking in Oak Park remains safe, accessible, and respected.

David Hopp Oak Park

Breaking through stereotypes

I am writing as a recent participant of the Action Community Engagement (ACE) Project, sponsored by Yale University, Midwester n University, AgeOptions and Oak Park Township.

I lear ned there are various ways to challenge negative stereotypes. One that resonated with me and other older adults that I know is the false age stereotype that “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and this applies to older people’s inability to lear n.

The fact is, there are many positive cognitive changes in older age and there are many techniques to support lifelong lear ning. Older people can benefit from the same memory strategies that young people use to improve recall. I lear ned that our brains experience new growth in response to challenges throughout our life span.

We all have the ability to learn and contribute to society, no matter how old

we are.

This information is from Dr. Becca Levy’s book Breaking the Age Code: How Your Age Beliefs Determine How Long and Well You Live.

Levy proves in her book that people with positive age beliefs live an average of 7.5 years longer than people who have negative beliefs.

As an Oak Park community, we must continue to celebrate our rich diversity by engaging everyone: the young, middleaged, and older population. In order to do this, we must be cognizant of structural ageism, which is defined as: age-based discrimination embedded within laws, policies, institutions, and cultural practices at a societal level that impacts older people I am now aware of what structural ageism is and how it can negatively impact both older and younger people.

Cheryl Williams

29-year resident of Oak Park

Seabury Chime returns to Grace Episcopal

Sending out their joyful sound every Sunday mornings until June 2022, the 10 bronze bells of the Seabury Chime at Grace Episcopal Church, 924 Lake St., will again toll over downtown Oak Park

The sound stopped when it was discovered that a century of use had taken its toll. The bells fell silent, and 10 tons of wood, iron, and bronze were removed from the tower during restoration. The Seabury Chime was given by C. Ward Seabury in memory of his father, the late Charles Seabury (1839-1910), a pillar of Grace Church’s early life. This restoration was made possible by a gift from Dr Fred and Carole Barber, longtime Grace members and leaders in the area medical community

A special liturgy will be held on Sunday, Nov. 16 to officially welcome the bells back into use. Over 100 years, they have chimed to call worshippers to service, at weddings, funerals, and other special events like holidays. At funerals, the bell is tolled for the number of years the deceased person has lived, a tradition in English

churches coming from a meditation by the 17th century poet John Dunne, “For whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

The bells range in weight from 375 to 3,600 lbs., totaling 13,500 lbs. Originally, they were made by Old Meneely Bell Foundry in West Rye, New York. Paccard Bell Foundry in Annecy, France, established in 1796, has completed the restoration to replace the wood with steel frames and holders with all new clappers. A special high crane was required to lift each bell into position.

A single carillonneur plays the bells from a console located in the room below the bell chamber. It has 10 wooden levers, each connected to a clapper of a bell by chains, rods, and springs. Volume is controlled by how vigorously the lever is depressed. This means that, whenever the bell rings, a real person is at the console or pulling the levers or the rope for the swinging bell. Under proper conditions, the bells can be heard for 3 miles

Charles Chauncey Wells Oak Park

Housing policy must factor in racial equity

The exchanges over the Historic Preservation Commission’s refusal to approve the construction of 24 new luxury units in the Boulevard Arcade Building between Josh VanderBerg (“Preservation isn’t progress,” Viewpoints, Oct. 8) and David Bates, (“The role of the Historic Preservation Commission,” Viewpoints, Oct. 22) raise important considerations that impact housing policy decisions. We are concerned about what these exchanges omit and even get wrong VanderBerg rightly points out that singlefocus historic preservation interests and single-family zoning contribute to racial exclusion in housing. Bates, on the other hand, sees historic preservation operating in its own bubble, protecting the community’s architectural heritage (an agreedupon good), while ignoring the historically negative role in hindering racial diversity and equity

HENRY FULKERSON

One View

market development nor historic preservation isolated from our racial and economic reality will ensure new affordable and racially integrated housing in Oak Park. Real data backs our assertion:

■ Oak Park’s IHO weaknesses have come into sharp focus with the discussion of the Boulevard Arcade project. Because the current IHO does not apply to development projects of 25 and under, no affordable units will be built.

■ Although Vanderberg has claimed Oak Park ranks at the top in the state in af fordable housing, Oak Park ranks in the bottom 7% in housing affordability (Illinois Housing Development Authority).

■ A May 6 Wednesday Jour nal article documents that 44% of Oak Park renters are housing cost burdened

Both fail to examine affordability in preservation decisions on new construction. In doing so, they ignore past and recent reports linking housing affordability and racial equity found in the village’s landmark housing studies, “Impediments to Fair Housing” (2010) and the “Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Report” (MMCR, 2024).

VanderBerg claims that simply building more luxury apartments like the units in the proposed Boulevard Arcade project will correct the growing housing affordability crisis. He rejects the MMCR that advocates for a variety of affordable housing strategies, including updating Oak Park’s very weak Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO).

We believe that neither unfettered free-

■ The MMCR documents a significant decline in Black population linked to the lack of affordable housing. Data from school report cards confir m a 30% drop in Black population since 2010.

Both VanderBerg and Bate should understand that all housing policy must consider affordability, racial equity, and inclusion. Not doing so reinforces generations-old racial biases in housing opportunity in Oak Park Finally, we believe it is now time for the village to strengthen the current, weak, and ineffective Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. We will address changes in the IHO and other affordable housing strategies in a future One View.

Henry Fulkerson submitted this on behalf of Oak Parkers for Affordable Housing, a network of individuals and allied groups working to ensure racially equitable housing in Oak Park

Republicans, do your job!

While President Trump continues to cripple agencies by not paying its workers for essential services, we have a reverse situation with the Republicans in Congress and on the Supreme Court. They have been giving carte blanche to President Trump for his egregious actions — and getting paid to boot. They are forget-

ting that they are part of the three distinct and co-equal branches of gover nment. These slumbering, spineless bodies need to do their job if we are to survive this awful mess that President Trump and they have created!

Dorothy Dumelle Oak Park

In the Oct. 29 Viewpoints, everything Daniel Mokrauer-Madden said about Elon’s behavior was right. And as Elon runs Tesla, there should definitely be no new Teslas purchased by thoughtful people in Oak Park. But dumping an already purchased EV is expensive, and we want more, not less EVs in the area — they’re cleaner, cheaper to run, quiet, and are modern and thus safer for drivers and pedestrians

We need a more nuanced response. If all Teslas in Oak Park were replaced, it’s likely some would be replaced by high-end gas cars. The key here is that no money should go to Tesla — not a dime — until Musk is gone

Tussling with Tesla

and Tesla begins to address and compensate the world for his har m. We have a lot of clever business people and people who know clever business people in Oak Park. Surely a company can be for med to organize and brand shops that can put in junkyard Tesla parts or work-alike, non-Tesla parts, and endorse and make easy-charging networks to keep charger money from going to Tesla.

Membership for drivers should not include some random “anti-Elon” bumper sticker, but rather something like “This vehicle is no longer in the Tesla ecosystem and contributes no money whatsoever to

Tesla Inc. Scan this QR code to join and never give one more penny to Elon.” It needs to be a BIG sticker.

There is money to be made here and good to be done. Someone clever should pick up the ball.

In the meantime, keep your Tesla, but do your darnedest to find people who service them without new Tesla parts, don’t pay for subscriptions to Tesla, and don’t pay for supercharging. If you can make a bumpersticker that says you do all that, then hand them out to like-minded people.

Paul Pomerleau

Oak Park

e homeroom experience at OPRF

Oak Park and Ri Fo est High School used the alphabetical (by last name) homeroom system. Under this system, all of the students re homeroom teacher from 8:20 to 8:40 a. m. when the school da started The teachers took attendanc handled administrat lems, and sometimes ser as an advisor to indi students. During this 20-minute period, students also hear various announcements over the PA

Mr. May, a science teacher, was my freshman homeroom teacher. He was a jovial man in his 60s who told us he would retire at the end of the school year. He had served in the Ar my Air Corps during World War I and would sometimes tell us about his combat experiences

During my sophomore year, Mr. Rossiter, a math teacher, was my homeroom teacher Each mor ning when we arrived, we were

treated to rock-and-roll music via his radio. He was a happy man in his mid-40s who wanted to know us well, so d each student ding his/her life n came to be d at his desk, he first asked me where I lived. I told him my address, and he I had a large . I told him that seven d in our home. at vocation I thought about pursuing. I replied that I planned either a career in medicine or a career as a civil engineer. The civil engineer idea really pleased him. Finally, he asked me if I played a sport, and I told him that I played baseball and that I was a pitcher.

In my junior year, Miss Hawkins, also a math teacher, was my homeroom teacher. She kept a Louisville Slugger baseball bat on her desk and often showed us that the bat had been autographed by many baseball stars of the past 20 years. The

guys in the homeroom figured she was OK because she was a baseball fan.

Miss Hawkins was a tall woman with a commanding voice — not a person to defy. She was known as “Hawkeye” by my classmates. Twice I was assigned to her study hall, and if there was the slightest noise, it immediately stopped when she froze the culprits with the “hawkeye.”

Mr. Stevens was my senior year homeroom teacher. He was a tall, distinguished man in his 60s who taught American history. He was the teacher I wish I had had for American history. Each mor ning after announcements had ended, Mr. Stevens would ask members of the class about their respective opinions concerning current events. We discussed the Eisenhower presidency, the Cold War, Little Rock, and space travel, just to name a few.

What was so gratifying was that here was a teacher who cared about what we as young people thought.

I appreciated the homeroom period simply for the fact that, before the 8:20 bell, my classmates and I had the opportunity to exchange thoughts and maybe some gossip.

Protecting your lawn crew

Cancel your landscapers and pay them anyway. The folks mowing your lawn and blowing your leaves are being targeted by ICE in all neighborhoods of Chicago.

If you’ re feeling helpless, leaving your leaves is one small act you can do to peacefully resist. Your lawn can be a bit lengthy for the sake of keeping commu-

CHARLIE MEYERSON

Getting out of neutral

from page 21

“News” with it) — have attacked jour nalism with rhetoric like the kind spewed by Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew, traditional news media have shown sadly little of the mettle detailed in All the President’s Men. Trump’s outrageous, unhinged statements have time and again been “sanewashed” at plutocrat- and corporate-owned media — at least some of them paralyzed by the administration’s financial and regulatory threats

So, no: I can’t celebrate “calm” journalism — or, for that matter, “objective” jour nalism. As then-Slate columnist Will Oremus wrote early in Trump’s first administration: The president “exploited traditional media outlets’ intense desire to be perceived as objective, and thus to be respected by conservatives and liberals alike — a business imperative … transmuted into an ethical injunction.”

To put it more plainly: A good reporter becomes an expert on their subject matter. And experts develop opinions worth knowing. Reporters who don’t share their opinions — of who’s a truth-teller, who’s a liar, who’s smart and who’s not — are leaving their audience in the dark. If they know someone’s a crook and they don’t tell us clearly — if they don’t shout it from the rooftops and Tiktoks; if they stay, you know, calm — they’re letting us down. Especially now.

So let’s celebrate the journalists who brought us All the President’s Men, yes — along with all the reporters, editors, publishers and broadcasters who know when not to stay calm.

nities safe. And leaving your leaves is beneficial to the environment.

Roberta Jannsen

Oak Park

I’m sure most of us have triggers that bring back past memories. For me one is the sound of choppers overhead. They were everywhere 55 years ago. I loved hearing them. It meant added protection and usually chased the danger away, but even then, I wondered what my life would be like if it was the enemy flying them. My life could have been very different. Now, unfortunately, the enemy is flying them. Today I despise their sound

Robert Dunn

Oak Park

Art, AI, and the abundant mindset

There is a certain type of magic that happens in my ar t room with my students: Time stands still. As a middle-school art teacher I see up close their drive to create. I have students who passionately stir gloppy puddles of acrylic until they’ve created the perfect purple and others who happily click on the exact shade they need when digitally “painting” on their iPads. I have students who need twee zers to fold the world’s tiniest origami rose and others who stand on tiptoes to design Lego skyscrapers that reach for the ceiling.

LINDSAY JOHNSON

One View

and successfully constructing clay mugs, do I strategically show my students a video of a contemporary artist who builds cl ay vessels with a 3D printer. This amazing feat of technology — methodically pumping and stacking clay from a machine — constructs impressive and intricate for ms but is always met with a shrug. “It’s cool, but I’d rather make it myself,” Wolverine says.

OBITUARIES

Jim Forbes, 78 Engineering and computer science

Joan Ryan, 92

Former direc tor, Infant Welfare Clinic

In my classroom, I encourage my students’ creative exploration by giving them hands-on time with material and per mission to get a little wacky. “Look! I’m Wolverine!” a seventh-grader says as he proudly shows me popsicle sticks glued to his knuckles.

With artificial intelligence now storming into the world of education — embedded in our school devices, the topic of every teacher conference I attend, products in my algorithm promising to “transfor m” my teaching — I wonder what creative exploration looks like for me. Not wanting to choose between traditional arts or technological progress, I’ve created a framework that helps me preserve the physicality of ar t that I and my students love, while investigating the benefits that artificial intelligence has to offer.

First, I embrace my own timeline. In my diverse classrooms, students move at different speeds. They are driven by their own interests and needs. They make progress congruent with their own abilities and background knowledge. Taking my time to slow down and learn how artificial intelligence works, how it is being developed, and how it is impacting our world helps me contemplate the immediate and long-lasting effects.

Instead of jumping into creative AI tools like Canva’s Magic Studio AI with all 150 students across my six classes, I teach how to craft prompts to generate specific imagery for posters in our graphic design unit with only a single class. This allows me to examine the benefits and determine what is actually useful and realistically scalable.

Second, I embrace my “why not.” Our ceramics unit is a consistent hit. Only after three solid weeks of coiling, pinching,

My students find satisfaction in the productive struggle of making an idea come to life with their own hands. Yes, generative AI can make ar t, but my students actually appreciate having the time to unwind and make it themselves.

Third, I embrace my “why.” As the only 6th- to 8th-grade ar t teacher in my school, I leverage ar tificial intelligence as the thought partner I need. My common teacher constraints — time, space, and need for support — become a specific conundrum within an art context. Turning to social media groups of other art educators doesn’t provide the instant support I get from multiple rounds of hyperspecific prompts. Design an outline for four 37-minute lessons that cover the introductory components of animation and includes time for instruction, independent practice, group reflection, distributing and cleaning up materials, I type into ChatGPT and it suggests a curricular sequencing I hadn’t considered that works with my goals and within my constraints.

While it can’t load a kiln or hang new ar t on a bulletin board for me, partnering with AI streamlines my ideas to develop and implement the hands-on, communityrich experience my students want.

When it comes to AI and the arts, I’m choosing an abundant mindset. The arts don’t inherently have to compete with other priorities and innovations. I can actively work to both protect and uplift traditional arts, while also embracing thoughtful implementation of artificial intelligence to improve my administrative processes. Wolverine, free from popsicle appendages and now patiently sculpting from clay his brain-rot-du-jour “Niche Fruit,” is teaching me that I too can embrace the real and artificial at the same time.

Lindsay Johnson is a 6th- to 8th-grade art teacher at Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest and a 2025-2026 Teach Plus Leading Edge Educator Fellow.

James Daniel Forbes, 78, died on Oct. 14, 2025 in Reno, Nevada after a shor t illness. Bor n in Oak Park on Sept. 10, 1947, the son of Adine Clare Forbes and Daniel Robert Forbes, he grew up in River Forest and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1965. After high school, he attended Kent State University, then transfer red to the University of Illinois where he earned a de gree in aeronautical engineering. He started his engineering career with Stewart Warner manufacturing in Chicago, later pursuing engineering positions in Madison, Wisconsin and on the East Coast. In 1998, he returned to school and obtained a de gree in computer science, which led to employment in the insurance industry where he helped companies prepare for the Y2K computer conversion in the year 2000. He later worked in the gas pipeline industry as a GIS mapping specialist and with VerHalen Consulting as an engineer investigating industrial accidents.

After retirement, he moved to Reno, Nevada where he pursued his passion for cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. He loved the Lake Tahoe area where he enjoyed skiing in winter, hiking in summer, and eating at Gar Woods restaurant on the lake year-round. He had lifelong interests in technology and the stock market, both of which he learned from his dad. He closely followed advancements in aviation, computer science and other technologies. One of his earlier interests was flying and he obtained a private pilot license while attending college in 1967. He was an avid reader and particularly liked WWII history.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Adine and Daniel Forbes, and his brother, Jeffrey Forbes. He is survived by his sister, Jeanie Forbes; his ne phew, Patrick Forbes; his niece, Nicole (Forbes) Bucci; his great-niece, Tristan Forbes; his great-nephew, Thomas Forbes; and his lifelong friend, Jim Brown. There will be a private celebration of life for Jim in Reno, Nevada at a later date

Joan Ryan, 92, a longtime resident of Oak , died peacefully on Oct. 25, 2025. Joan loved Oak Park and the many oppor tunities it provided their family. She graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with a de gree in nursing, working and teaching in many Chicago area hospitals, eventually becoming the director of the Infant Welfare Clinic in Oak Park. She was an active member of Ascension and St. Giles parishes and a docent at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio for over 35 years. She loved playing tennis, cooking, traveling, reading, and attending the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, and Goodman Theater. She encouraged her children to explore their interests, attending more baseball, hockey, and volleyball games than can be counted, as well as hundreds of recitals, concerts, and plays.

Joan is remembered by her sister, Barbara (Tony Schmeltz); her son, David (Theresa) and their children, Joe (Courtney), Courtney, John, and Maeve Ryan and great-grandsons Jack and Weston; her daughter, Sara (Malcolm Warner) and their children, Madeline and Charlie; her daughter, Patricia (Brian Faut) and their children, Conor, Gillian and Ryan; and her daughter, Molly (Peter Quinn) and their children, Natalie and Benjamin.

She was pre-deceased by her loving husband, John (Jack) Ryan, and her granddaughter, Isabel Warner.

SPORTS

Fenwick football routs Kennedy in 6A rst round

Friars face Rolling Meadows in round of 16

By MELVIN TATE

Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick football team opened the IHSA Class 6A state playoffs at Winnemac Stadium in Chicago on Saturday against Kennedy, which had just 29 players listed on the roster. The Friars were expected to win comfortably, and they indeed snapped a two-game losing streak with a 42-6 victory. However, despite the win, head coach Matt Battaglia wasn’t entirely satisfied afterwards.

“There was a lack of focus,” he said. “All credit to [Kennedy], they did a great job with their kids. But we have little things that need to be cleaned up. This team’s got the ability to play Thanksgiving weekend, but we’ve got to make sure we don’t get in our own way.”

Fenwick (7-3) needed only six plays to score on the game’s opening possession as Jake Thies (38 yards on 3 carries) ran in from 12 yards out. Then later in the first quarter, Rocco Nero intercepted Kennedy quarterback Alex Hernandez and raced to the house for a 40-yard pick-six.

Just 16 seconds into the second quarter, Jamen Williams (3-of-8, 53 yards) hit Raphiel Stewart for a 35-yard touchdown and a 21-0 Fenwick lead. The Friars’ next possession lasted one play, but it was a big one as Nero (78 yards on 6 carries) went of f left tackle and broke free for a 54-yard score.

Fenw ick quarterback Jamen Williams (#12) rolls out and looks to throw during an IHSA Class 6A rst-round football playo game against Kennedy, Nov. 1. e Friars advanced to the second round with a 42-6 v ictory.

He would add another touchdown run from two yards out with 43.8 left in the half as Fenwick took a commanding 35-0 lead at halftime.

“Equally, all of [the scores] are exciting to me,” Nero said. “A score’s a score, a touchdown’s a touchdown. Each means something special.”

The Friars played their reserves for the second half, and backup quar terback Tommy Quinn (4-of-5, 49 yards) found receiver

Mikhail Ulep for a four-yard touchdown pass. The score made it 42-0 with 9:30 left in the third quarter and initiated a running clock for the remainder of the contest.

Battaglia thought it was important to get

all of his players as much playing time as possible against the Crusaders.

“It’s huge,” Battaglia said. “We’ve got a lot of two-way guys. You’ve got one injury, it’s next man up, so we need to make sure we have everyone prepared for when their name is called.”

Kennedy (7-3) managed to avoid the shutout when Hernandez (13-of-20, 97 yards) hit Kavarion McCarter for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 8:30 left in the game.

On offense, Nico Scudiero had five rece ptions for 82 yards, and Corey Griffin and Ryan Murray had two rece ptions apiece as Fenwick had eight receivers catch balls. Reserve quar terback Myles Hill also saw

playing time and completed seven of his nine passes for 86 yards.

Defensively, Zikomo Mbewe had two sacks and Jack O’Malley, Ed O’Neill, and Aiden Williams each posted tackles for loss for the Friars, who held Kennedy to 97 yards of offense, including a net rushing total yardage of zero.

Fenwick will host Rolling Meadows in a second-round game at Triton Colle ge, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. The Mustangs upset host Riverside-Brookfield 29-23 in their first-round game as quar terback Joe Brigham threw for 197 yards and a touchdown and Keeling Murray rushed for 144 yards in the second half, including a 68-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference.

“They’re a good, physical team that plays in a tough conference (Mid-Suburban League),” Battaglia said, “and we know that they’re not going to be shy playing Fenwick. They don’t care who we are, so they’ re going to come out and want to get after us.”

“From here on out, nothing’s easy,” Nero said. “We’ re going to come in, play our brand of football, and see how it goes.”

The fact that the Friars will play at Triton for the first time since a 48-7 victory over Benet on Oct. 10 is appreciated.

“I’m really glad to get the seniors another opportunity to play at home and take care of business so they can hopefully get one more,” Battaglia said.

“Home games are great,” Nero said. “You’ve got your home crowd and student section. It’s going to be fun.”

Huskies’ Schnizlein, Ra er earn individual berths to state OPRF

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest senior Violet Schnizlein always remembers missing

boys just miss advancing

her first Class 3A girls cross country state berth by fewer than six seconds at the 2024 Lake Park Sectional.

“I think I’ve been more focused and driven and excited than ever this cross country season,” Schnizlein said. “I think that (almost qualifying) helped me through this whole season and just chipping time each race.”

In her return to the Lake Park Sectional

Saturday, Schnizlein left no doubt. She not only qualified but finished 13th with a lifetime-best 17:38.4 for 3.0 miles to comfortably be among the 10 individual state qualifiers for r unners not among the

C AROL DUNNING

Improved Fenwick soccer reaches 2A super-sectional

Friars capture rst sectional title since 2012 under new coach Seymour

By BILL STONE and MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporters

The huge turnaround by the Fenwick High School boys soccer team this season climaxed with its first sectional title since 2012. The Friars nearly reached the Class 2A state semifinals Monday but lost to De La Salle 2-0 in the Lyons Township SuperSectional.

Under first-year coach Shannon Seymour, the Friars finished 14-6-1 behind 12 seniors after going 2-13-3 in 2024. As a No. 3 seed, Fenwick beat No. 4 St. Patrick 2-1 Friday to win the De La Salle B Sectional.

“We’d run through a brick wall for this man,” Fenwick senior goalie Dominik Ballarin said about Seymour after the team’s emotional post-game talk.

“I think just everything [was special this season], from the guys to the coaching staff. When Shannon came, we were all very uncertain about how it was going to go. He said our goal is to make a long run in the playoffs and be plus-.500. That’s a very ballsy statement to be making (after 2024), except he held it up. We bought into his plan completely. And we were willing to make that sacrifice every single time we went to training. We followed his vision and that’s why we were successful.”

seven advancing teams

In the boys race, OPRF senior Yonny Rafter (11th, 15:08.0) also ran a personal best in advancing to state individually.

T he state meet is Saturday, Nov. 8, at Peoria’s Detweiller Park

“I was just hoping to state qualify so (17:38) was really exciting. It’s been all I had hoped for and more,” said Schnizlein,

Team captains were seniors Nathaniel Sabatino, Ballarin and Truman Sabatino, who was added during the postseason. Top scorers were Nathanial Sabatino (15 goals, 3 assists), junior Luke Menacho (9 goals, 2 assists), who had both goals Saturday, and seniors Gabe Wasson-Farran (6 goals, 3 assists) and Matt Simon (5 goals, assist).

“I couldn’t ask for a better group. [My coaching staff and players] showed me what the standard of this school was and I just found a way to match my standard with theirs,” Seymour said.

“We created a good culture. We’ve now become a name to fear when we step onto this field.”

De La Salle (23-3-1) led 11-4 in shots on goal and 9-1 in corner kicks but Fenwick continued pressuring until the Meteors scored again with 3:25 left. The first goal came just 20 seconds before halftime on a header from the 8-yard line of f a 52-yard free kick

Sectional hear tbreak for OPRF

When Joaquin Carlstrom-Arteaga scored for Oak Park and River Forest in the first half of the Class 3A Taft Sectional final against Lane Tech, Oct. 31, the program’s first sectional title in four years seemed to be imminent given how stout the Huskies have been defensively.

“I felt we had a pretty strong presence on the field with good possession and defensive pressure in the first half,” said OPRF interim coach Dave Bernthal.

However, the Champions stunned OPRF

who built upon the momentum from breaking 18:00 for the first time at re gionals (17:52.1).

On the same sectional course in 2024, Schnizlein was 33rd in 18:23.5.

“She’s a senior, she’s been incredibly consistent and [this season has] been a result of everything she’s been able to do,” OPRF coach Laura Turk said. “Violet does a great job of wanting to compete, having that awareness, that capacity to want to be in the hard sectional.”

Fenw ick’s Nathaniel Sabatino (9) controls the ball against De La Salle during the Class 2A Lyons Supersectional Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 in Western Spring

(19-3-2) with two goals in the final 20 minutes of the match to prevail 2-1.

“I felt we played a really strong game,” Bernthal said. “Credit to Lane Tech; they ke pt us from getting in front of their goal. For as much as we possessed the ball, we didn’t get a lot of clean looks; [Lane] played good defense and capitalized on their chances.”

While Bernthal thought the Huskies had a very good season, he also believed they had a good chance of playing during the final week of the season [supersectional and state finals].

“I felt we had the team to be able to do

points) to just miss advancing as a team after a progr am-best three consecutive state meets T he OPRF girls were 11th (252).

Rafter beat his previous best from 2024 state (127th, 15:22.9) as the Huskies’ No. 4 finisher behind three seniors. Saturday’s 4:51.5 final mile was his f astest ever in a competitive cross country race

“Obviously a little bittersweet at the end,” Rafter said.

that,” Bernthal said. “But at the end of the day, I’m really proud of the guys and what they accomplished. They won the West Suburban Silver outright, which we’re most proud of. They gave me and [assistant] coach [Jon] Cummings everything they had; they were enjoyable to coach and I’m really going to miss this group.

“For me as an interim coach,” he added, “I felt I was given a gift in these guys. With the quality and style of play, I thought they played a good brand of soccer; we played with our heart and soul out there. They were enjoyable to be with and they played for each other.”

T he OPRF boys were 20 points behind seventh-place Huntley. Had the teams tied, both would have advanced Junior Nick Houghton (35th, 15:27.7) was the 11th individual state candidate by .1.

At 2.0 miles, the Huskies led Huntley 215-231 for seventh.

T he OPRF boys finished eighth (228

“I was thinking how bad I wanted the team [to advance]. Was it enough? I was trying to push myself even more.”

“Before the race, I was thinking there were eight teams for the [last] four spots and we were in that mix,” OPRF coach Chris Baldwin said. “We probably ran our two best races at the conference meet and re gional meet. This is probably similar to some of our other races. Yonny closed it down really, really well.”

STEVE JOHNSTON

VIOLET SCHNIZLEIN

Y ONNY RAFTER

STATE OF WISCONSIN CIRCUIT COURT PORTAGE COUNTY

JOHN M. NOEL AND PATRICIA

D. NOEL AS TRUSTEES OF THE

JOHN M. NOEL AND PATRICIA D. NOEL JOINT

REVOCABLE TRUST DATED

JANUARY 4, 1996, AS AMENDED 4501 State Highway 66 Stevens Point, WI 54482

Plaintiff, v.

EUGENE STAPLES 7222 Cermak Road Suite 403 North Riverside, IL 60546 Defendant.

Case No.: 2025CV000208

Case Code: 30303

SUMMONS FOR PUBLICATION

THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, to each person named above as a defendant:

You are hereby notified that the Plaintiff named above has filed a lawsuit or other legal action against you.

Within forty (40) days after October 22, 2025, you must respond with a written demand for a copy of the Complaint. The demand must be sent or delivered to the Court, whose address is Portage County Courthouse, 1516 Church Street, 2nd Floor –Courthouse, Stevens Point, WI, 54481 and to Plaintiffs attorney whose address is Krekeler Law, S.C., 26 Schroeder Court, Suite 300, Madison, WI 53711. You may have an attorney help or represent you.

If you do not demand a copy of the Complaint within forty (40) days, the Court may grant judgment against you for the award of money or other legal action requested in the Complaint, and you may lose your right to object to anything that is or may be incorrect in the Complaint. A judgment may be enforced as provided by law. A judgment awarding money may become a lien against any real estate you own now or in the future and may also be enforced by garnishment or seizure of property. A copy of the Summons and Complaint has been mailed to you at the address above.

Dated this 6th day of October, 2025.

KREKELER LAW, S.C.

Attorneys for Plaintiff

By:/s/ Noah T. Rusch

Noah Rusch State Bar No. 1113201

ADDRESS 26 Schroeder Ct., Ste. 300 Madison, WI 53711 (608) 258-8555 (608) 663-0287

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 8�30 a.m. to 4�00 p.m. local time until 2�00 p.m. on Friday, December 5, 2025 for the following:

Village of Oak Park 2026

Village of Oak Park Emergency Street Lighting & Traffic Control Repair Work

Bid Number: 25�127

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at �708� 358�5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 5, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park— Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60302—will receive PDF proposals via email, at ben.goretzke@oak-park.us , until 4�00 P.M. on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, for the following: Pavement Core Analysis. The Village is in need of services to take cores of existing roadways to evaluate existing conditions prior to resurfacing and water/sewer work in 2026. The Village retains the right to renew the initial agreement under the same terms and conditions upon mutual agreement with the consultant.

The Request for Proposals may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www. oak-park.us/bid starting on Wednesday November 5, 2025. For questions, please email Ben Goretzke, Civil Engineer, at ben.goretzke@oak-park.us.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Bill McKenna Village Engineer

Published in Wednesday Journal November 5, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 TENTATIVE ANNUAL BUDGET OF THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

A public hearing of the President and Board of Trustees (“Board”) of the Village of Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois, regarding the Village of Oak Park tentative annual budget for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2026 and ending December 31, 2026 will take place on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 7�00 p.m., in the Council Chambers in room 201 of the Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois.

The public hearing also will be streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/boardtv, as well as cablecast on VOP�TV, which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT U-verse subscribers on channel 99.

Public comment must be given

in person or by virtual means. If public comment is given virtually, the individual providing such comment must be on camera. If you want to join the meeting via Zoom, please email publiccomment@oak-park.us.

The tentative annual budget is available for public inspection prior to the public hearing at the Office of the Village Clerk, Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, during regular business hours from 8�30 a.m. to 5�00 p.m. The hearing may be continued by the Board to another date at the public hearing by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof. The tentative annual budget may be revised and adopted by the Board without further notice or hearing.

Published in Wednesday Journal, November 5, 2025

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302 Mon thru Fri, 8�30 am to 4�00 pm local time until 2�00 pm on Friday, December 5, 2025 for the following:

Village of Oak Park Village Hall Audio-Visual Equipment

Replacement

Bid Number: 25�126

Issuance Date: November 5, 2025

There will be a mandatory pre-bid meeting at the Oak Park Village Hall Room 101, 123 Madison, Oak Park, IL on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 10�30 a.m. Bid documents may be obtained from the Village website at http://www. oak-park.us/bid. For questions please call Public Works at �708� 358�5700.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 5, 2025

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-6699777.

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

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Growing Community Media Year End Fundraiser 2025

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A Special Advertising Section

Season of Giving

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

Inside Stronger together

Ethe organizations tha strengthen and sustai our communities

And r mar of Fo and Chicago’ organizations mak connected, cared fo r, and supported. Their missions dif fer, but their purpose is shared: to make life here better for everyone. Whether addressing hunger, housing, mental health, or education, they approach their work with compassion and collaboration, building

ether than any one -

light this incredible netnonprofits and own . As a commuve e of connecting neighbors to these ve .

as the connector for a community this strong, this generous, and this

Our deep thanks also goes out to the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation and the West Cook YMCA for the generous sponsorship of this section.

Max Reinsdorf Interim Executi ve Director

■ Friends of the Children brings long-term mentorship Page B4

■ Volunteers supporting migrants in Oak Park Page B8

■ Loc al nonpro ts fear looming federal cuts Page B15

■ Public-private par tnerships provide possibilities for philanthropy Page B23

Because the West Cook YMCA is more than a gym

It’s a community. It’s a purpose. It’s a place to belong

Dear Community,

As the seasons shi , we are reminded that each new beginning brings opportunity. A chance to rekindle connections, renew our purpose, and grow together. At your local YMCA, this is a season of growth, healing, and hope for all, for individuals, families, and our entire community.

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Emma Cullnan

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Development Manager

Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

e Y has always been more than a gym. It is a welcoming home for all. Where every person is seen, supported, and empowered to thrive in spirit, mind, and body. Whether you are taking your rst step toward wellness, reconnecting a er time away, been coming to your Y for years or decades, or facing new challenges, you belong here.

We are also growing in new ways, o ering expanded programs, services, classes, and hours designed to meet evolving needs and goals. From creative arts to health support groups, from youth development to wellness classes, we are planting seeds of joy, connection, and possibility.

Come to the Y to showcase your talents, meet new friends, reconnect with longtime ones, and discover new abilities you did not know you had. Whether you are here to re ect, to move, to create, or simply to belong, this is your place.

To our neighbors, local businesses, and families, thank you. We are better together, and this new season is just the beginning of a bright, hopeful future together.

Here is to growing and caring for each other, together. For a better us.

With care and gratitude, Your Local YMCA

Friends of the Children brings long-term mentorship to West Side youth

Mentoring over many years o ers stability and oppor tunity for at-risk children to thrive

By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

Friends of the Children–Chicago is taking a long-term approach to breaking cycles of poverty, trauma, and violence on the city’s West and South Sides by pairing children with full-time, professional mentors for more than a decade.

Executive Director Taal Hasak-Lowy emphasizes that the program goes beyond traditional volunteering, providing consistent, personalized support that helps children build life skills, succeed academically, and stay on a positive path into adulthood

“We expanded to the South Side about three years ago. What we’ve seen is that many of the families we work with tend to be transient, they move around a lot because of interpersonal or community violence,” Hasak-Lowy said.

She said while families often move between neighborhoods, the challenges they face remain largely the same in both communities. Both areas are deeply under-resourced, with families contending with food and housing insecurity, interpersonal violence, limited transportation, and underfunded schools

The program does not allow families to enroll on their own; staff instead proactively identify children facing challenging circumstances. Referrals come from schools, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and community partners, focusing on youth as young as four to six. A central part of the approach is building trust with caregivers, which can take several months. This ensures that parents feel confident enrolling their children, knowing the program offers long-term, consistent support

The organization does not receive federal funding directly, which has provided some insulation from current budget cuts, though COVID-related funds from the state and county have already been spent.

“We had hoped to qualify for out-of-school grants, but as

Illinois faces reductions in federal support, the overall pool of grant funding is shrinking. That’s concerning. I deeply believe in what we do. No one serves children and families the way we do and while Chicago is a wealthy city overall, when public funding declines, we hope corporations and individual donors will step up to help fill that gap,” Hasak-Lowy said.

Sustainability is a top priority, with efforts focused on diversifying funding through partnerships with corporate

sponsors, foundations, and individual donors. Leadership emphasizes sharing the program’s impact more broadly to show how early investment in children produces lasting results. By demonstrating the effectiveness of the model, they aim to inspire continued support and ensure long-term stability for mentors and youth.

FILE PHOTO

Taal Hasak-Lowy, exec utive director for Fr iends of the Children’s Chicago Chapter.

FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN

Moving towards safety, empowerment, and a future

Elena came to Sarah’s Inn seeking counseling to begin healing from the lasting e ects of domestic violence. Even a er ending her abusive relationship, Elena realized she had internalized her abuser’s voice. Her inner self-talk was critical and demanding, leaving her feeling that she must comply with others’ wishes and stay silent to avoid upsetting them. is pattern was a ecting her personal relationships and her professional life, limiting her con dence and sense of self-worth.

At Sarah’s Inn, Elena received individualized counseling that helped her recognize these patterns and begin shi ing them. She participated in safety planning and support groups, where she could share her experiences, hear from others who had faced similar

challenges, and practice setting boundaries in a supportive environment. Counselors guided her in developing assertive communication skills—learning to say “no,” voice her needs, and con dently share her ideas at work. She began by taking small, manageable steps and gradually worked up to more challenging situations, gaining con dence with each success.

Over time, the support she received at Sarah’s Inn helped Elena reclaim her voice and sense of agency. She found the strength to hold her expartner accountable for his behaviors that were harming their daughter and to leave the relationship that had become verbally abusive. With the tools, guidance, and community provided by Sarah’s Inn, Elena moved toward safety, empowerment, and a future in which her voice and choices truly mattered.

Sarah’s Inn • sarahsinn.org

The Neighborhood Bridge Provides Mother with Support and Advocacy

This year, The Neighborhood Bridge made a life-changing difference for a mother from one of our partner schools. She was facing a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) case that threatened her family’s stability. Overwhelmed and unsure where to turn, she was introduced to The Neighborhood Bridge by her school’s social worker.

Our Advocate Program quickly connected her with a trusted family law attorney who provided the guidance and representation she needed. Through coordinated support and advocacy, the misunderstanding that led to the DCFS case was resolved and ultimately dismissed.

The mother described the experience as “a lifeline during one of the hardest moments of my life.”

Stories like hers reflect the mission of The Neighborhood Bridge—to ensure that no family faces crisis alone. By bringing together schools, service providers, and volunteers, we help families access resources ranging from legal aid and mental health counseling to housing support and essential household items.

Every gift to The Neighborhood Bridge helps strengthen the safety net for local families, transforming moments of crisis into stories of hope and resilience.

Byline Bank Fosters Growth and Unity in Oak Park Community

As a nancial institution, Byline Bank is well-versed in the art of investing. But as a community bank, Byline understands that its role extends beyond just accepting investments; it also actively invests back into its community.

In the last year, Byline Bank gave over $30,000 in grants, over $35,000 in sponsorships, and Byline employees volunteered over 200 hours with organizations that serve Oak Park and River Forest.

“Our involvement in the community is organically driven,” said Susie Goldschmidt, Byline’s Oak Park and River Forest Market President. “We’re here; we get to know local organizations who are on the ground and problem-solving, and we get to know local people who ask us to get engaged—we try to answer those calls.”

In answering the call, Byline has helped advance a number of Oak Park and River Forest initiatives including those related to animal welfare; the arts; diversity, equity and inclusion; education; nancial literacy; food

security; mental health; and family support. Some highlights include the following:

• e arts. Byline sponsors Music & Potlucks, the Oak Park Festival eatre, the Ballet Legere, Forest eatre Company, Momenta Dance Company, Madison Street eatre, Heritage Chorale, the Michael Teolis Singers, and One Voice for Arts. ese sponsorships enhance access to locally driven entertainment and provide the community with an opportunity to come together and unite behind its shared love of the arts.

• Diversity, equity and inclusion. Byline supports organizations such as Way Back Inn, Oak Park and River Forest Infant Welfare Society, the Oak Park Area Lesbian & Gay Association, Oak Leyden, rive Counseling Center and the West Suburban Special Recreation Association. ese e orts contribute to fostering a more inclusive and equitable community—a place where success is attainable for all.

• Food security. Byline Bank is deeply committed to Beyond Hunger, a charitable organization dedicated to combating hunger through various programs and services. Byline provides essential community development grants for operational needs and sponsors the nonpro t’s annual fall bene t concerts. Goldschmidt also sits on the Beyond Hunger Resource Development Committee.

Byline’s community involvement is not limited to traditional philanthropy within nonpro ts. “We of course give where there’s a pressing need,” Goldschmidt said, “but we nd it’s meaningful to invest in the economic ecosystem and the community as a whole.” For example, during lunch meetings at its Oak Park and River Forest branches, Byline arranges for catering from nearby eateries—a small yet meaningful way of supporting the local economy, Goldschmidt notes.

Consistent with its status as the top Small Business Administration lender in Illinois,

Byline advocates for local businesses as a member of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce and a sponsor of Takeout 25. Goldschmidt also serves as president of Downtown Oak Park Business Alliance and as a member of the Village of Oak Park Business Association Council.

In addition, Byline has a presence at most Oak Park and River Forest community events, including the Memorial Day parade, Oaktoberfest and Downtown Oak Park ursday Night Out.

“We want Oak Park and River Forest to thrive,” Goldschmidt said. “Well-functioning charities, well-supported businesses and a tight-knit community equates to more opportunities for our customers, their families and our employees who live and work here. We’re giving back and pitching in because it’s what neighbors do.”

e Women Empowered By Byline Employee Resource Group had all hands-on deck at Sarah’s Inn, with a contribution of items on their wish list, organizing the donation intake and tying Purple Ribbons around town in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Beyond Hunger team members and board members came together and attended the 5th annual Healthy Chef Challenge to increase the impact the organization makes in the community.

Members of Byline’s Oak Park and River Forest branches—along with their families—marched in the River Forest Memorial Day Parade.

Byline Banks Asian Employee Resource Group for the 4th year participated in e Dragon Boat Race for Literacy. It carries over the spirit of Chicago, promotes Asian culture, and aims to help the neighborhood literacy programs.

MENTORING

Connections

built year by year

from page B4

Many of the board members and supporters, including board president Jeannie Affelder, come from Oak Park and River Forest, communities where residents move freely between neighborhoods and care deeply about the safety and well-being of their neighbors. This strong local involvement helps guide and support the organization’s work in Chicago by fostering a network of engaged and committed community members.

“They understand that if communities like Austin, right next door, don’t have their basic humanitarian needs met, there will be negative outcomes that affect everyone. Our supporters recognize that to create a thriving city, you have to start early by supporting children so they stay on a positive trajectory,” said HasakLowy.

The program relies on full-time, paid mentors rather than volunteers, emphasizing that they are trained professionals rather than babysitters. Before working with youth, mentors complete a month of training focused on understanding how trauma affects the brain and behavior and on helping children regulate emotions and develop essential life skills

“Each mentor works full time with a roster of eight children and spends about four hours a week one-onone with each of them. That consistency and longterm commitment, staying with a child for 12 and a half years, is what transforms lives. They may not have the same mentor the entire time, but the program stays with them through graduation,” HasakLowy said.

Being a champion, as defined by the organization, means that mentors greet each child with genuine enthusiasm and care, ensuring every young person feels seen, valued, and understood as an individual. Mentors celebrate successes while providing consistent support and love when children face challenges or make mistakes. The role emphasizes showing children their inherent worth and helping them feel supported and encouraged at every step.

“Across our network, 92% of our youth go on to postsecondary education, full-time employment, or military service. I often say we’re not just a mentoring program; we’re a human rights organization. No child is destined to be involved in violence,” Hasak-Lowy said. “If a family doesn’t have support, it’s no surprise that negative outcomes follow. But when you consistently love children, support them, and help them build skills, great things happen. It’s not a complicated equation, children on the South and West Sides of Chicago deserve the same level of support as any other child.”

The Three Pillars: Where Philanthropy Becomes Who Our Youth Are

“Icannot put into words the impact FPP has had on my life”. These words from Phyllis, a 2024 Future Philanthropists Program graduate currently attending Ohio State University, are far from rare. We hear sentiments like that from hundreds of young people and adult community mentors, like Chris, who said he’s “never seen a program so comprehensive and exciting – one that will truly change our community for the better”.

philanthropists in the truest sense of the word – lovers of humankind. With mentor support, rigorous learning, and hands-on experience, students gain the skills and confidence to lead meaningful community impact for life.

Launched in Oak Park in 2010, the Future Philanthropists Program inspired what is now the Three Pillars Initiative (TPI), a growing national movement currently in 13 communities cultivating the next generation of benevolent changemakers.

At TPI, we believe forming a more perfect union begins with people who care, give, believe in the future of their community, and empower others to do the same. That’s what we create: youth

High school juniors learn the art, science, and business of philanthropy by analyzing community needs, interviewing nonprofits, and allocating real grants. As seniors, they lead full fundraising campaigns, creating a sustainable impact cycle.

A recent study conducted by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that every program participant reported becoming a better leader and community member. The stories are unique, but the message is the same: TPI changes local lives to change national communities.

Learn more at threepi.org.

Three Pillars Initiative • threepi.org

Hope in action: Volunteers suppor ting migrants in Oak Park

How volunteers meet migrants’ diverse needs

By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

The Migrant Ministry is a volunteerdriven ef fort, made up of several local parishes and others to support asylum seekers in Oak Park and in the Chicago area.

Since its founding in June 2023, the ministry has provided essentials like food, clothing, and toiletries, along with access to social services, ESL classes, and immigration support Operating out of the St. Edmund Center on Oak Park Avenue, the Migrant Ministry has also helped resettle migrant families, guiding them as they adjust to life in the United States.

The Migrant Ministry is led by Celine

oversee its operations and support services for migrants. Rev. Carl Morello, pastor of the Catholic Communities of Oak Park and Neighbors, actively supports the Migrant Ministry.

“It’s been a beautiful ministry. But what’s happening now across the country is affecting us. People are no longer arriving as they once did. Migrants are afraid, and immigration overall has slowed. Our ministry is now in a period of transition. While we still offer English classes and maintain the clothing closet for those who need shoes or children’s clothing, our volunteers are adjusting to this new reality,” Morello said.

The Migrant Ministry focuses on three key areas: providing essentials through

such as ESL classes; and accompanying families through a mentorship program that pairs volunteers with migrant families for guidance and support.

“The level of support we get is beyond belief; people donations simply because they want to znica said.

e serves on the for Iskali in Maywood and has been olunteer with the ministry. Iskali, founded in cente Del Real, seeks to create a space for young people to encounter God and celebrate their cul-

create a sense of trust and solidarity,” Crowe said. Crowe is also an occasional opinion columnist for Wednesday Journal.

Morello said the ef fort began about two and a half years ago when Texas started sending busloads of migrants to Chicago and the community responded by providing blankets, tents, food and showers.

“It’s been a beautiful ministry. But what’s happening now across the country is a ecting us. Migrants are afraid and immigration overall has slowed.”

“I think the Migrant Ministry, especially in the early build a lot of trust. When new arrivals living in the Austin PoPark residents and others distributed around 6,000 winter coats in the middle of January. That immediate response to need really helped

RE V. C ARL MORELLO Pastor of Oak Park Catholic churches

“We see that many migrants are afraid to come out. That’s the situation now. At one point, we served 300 to 500 or more migrants every Tuesday and Thursday when the center was open. But now, because of space limitations and fewer people arriving, things have changed,”

The Migrant Ministry is preparing to move to a new location, though a lease ag reement has not yet been finalized.

“The stories that the immigrants share about their lives are interesting. It’s not

TODD BANNOR

A migrant with a volunteer points to the her home countr y of Cuba on a map at the Saint Edmund Migrant Center on February 1, 2024.

TODD BANNOR

Migrants eat breakfast at the Saint Edmund Migrant Center in 2024.

A migrant picks out sweaters at the Saint Edmund Migrant Center last year.

Celine Woznica, the director of program development, v iews a binder with information about ICE and the ministry’s response protocols at the Centro San Edmundo at 200 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park, Feb. 20. Woznica said the Migrant Ministry is “dug in”, a er recent immigration actions by the Trump administration, and is currently taking precautions to continue their support to local migrants.

only about giving donations, but also about having someone walk with a family and accompany them when needed. We have volunteers assigned to individual families, with two to three mentors per family,” Rudnik said.

One of the most striking aspects of the ministry for Morello has been its ability to bring the community together. He often tells volunteers that while migrants have

traveled thousands of miles to reach Chicago, the community is also crossing borders — of denomination and faith, to support one another. In turn, the migrants have inspired a renewed sense of community and compassion among those who help them.

“Except for the Native Americans, we are all immigrants. We are constantly pivoting and changing with the needs of immigrants in our community,” Wo znica said.

A Unique Community Filled with Genuine Compassion

On a sunny summer day, a new volunteer, Helen, took on the brave task of learning how to drive manually.

Tim, a L’Arche Chicago core member, was even braver for agreeing to sit in the back seat as Helen practiced driving around the neighborhood.

Learning to drive manually can be a scary task, but Tim made a point to keep Helen’s mind distracted from any anxiety.

Tim took the ride as an opportunity to get to know Helen. He asked her all sorts of questions about her interests, hometown, and favorite local food spots. Before they knew it, Helen had mastered the new skill, and Tim found a new friend. Now, over a decade later, the pair remain close friends, enjoying trips to local restaurants and spending afternoons lost in conversation.

Our mission extends beyond providing holistic, around-the-clock support for core members (adults

with intellectual/developmental disabilities). Since opening our first home 25 years ago, L’Arche Chicago has become home to dozens of decade-long friendships, like the one between Tim and Helen. Throughout the years, we’ve consistently found value in the importance of sharing everyday moments of life together. Sitting around a table sharing a meal, taking a walk to the local park, playing Uno, or even learning how to drive manually are such simple but treasured moments for our community. It is in these moments that mutual relationships develop, and we take time to celebrate the gifts of every individual. As our community continues to grow and new friendships begin to blossom, we’ve continued to find joy in the simple moments our community spends together. Helen shares that L’Arche Chicago is a “unique community filled with genuine compassion.”

TODD BANNOR

Kick off the holiday season by exploring all the ways you can participate in programs at the West Cook YMCA that fit your needs and your schedule::

• In-Person at the Y

• Zumba • Nutrition Seminars

• Water Fitness

• Lap Swim

• Cycle

• Meditation & Yoga

• Live-streaming at the Y

• Live-streaming on YMCA360

• Lunch & Learn Sessions

• On-demand on YMCA360 TAKE A TOUR TODAY.

• Book Clubs

• Game Nights

• Walking Clubs

Stop in for a tour and we will show you all that the Y has to offer to meet your needs. Tour guides are available by reservation.

JOIN ONLINE

Receive $0 Joiner Fee and 50% off first month when you join online.

LEARN MORE

FIND COMMUNITY & CONNECTION AT YOUR WEST COOK YMCA

AQUATICS

Something for Every Season of Life For All

PERSONAL TRAINING

$0 JOINER FEE & 50% OFF FIRST MONTH IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER TO JOIN THE WEST COOK

At the West Cook YMCA, we believe wellness is a lifelong journey and we’re here for every step. Whether you’re young or young at heart, navigating a diagnosis or simply looking for connection, you belong here.

For Youth

Build confidence, character, and friendships through:

• School’s Out Specials

• Family Workouts

• Youth Sports Leagues

Swimming is a life skill as well as great exercise and a challenging sport. All year, the Y offers drowning prevention and swim lessons for all ages, a swim team for the more competitive swimmer, and lifeguard and additional certification courses for those who want to lead the community in being safe.

For Life After Retirement

Stay active, social, and inspired with:

LEARN MORE

• Summer Day Camp Adventures

For Families

Create healthy routines and lasting memories with:

• Wellness & Fitness Classes

• A Cozy Reading Nook

• Nutrition Seminars for Smart Meal Planning

WHAT’S NEW AT THE Y?

We’re expanding to meet your needs:

• New Classes & Programs

• New weight and cardio equipment

• Extended Gym, Pool, & Facility Hours

• Extended Kids Zone Days & Hours

For the Individual

MEMBERSHIP FOR ALL

• Water Fitness Classes

• Walking Clubs

Whether you need a check-up here and there or regular motivation and structure, our personal trainers are here to help you. Each package contains an initial Fitness Consultation to determine your goals and what each session will include. Sessions are 30 or 60 minutes in length.

KICK OFF THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Fuel your personal growth and well-being with:

• Meditation & Mindfulness Classes

TAKE A TOUR TODAY.

prevent and manage chronic diseases. We offer programs throughout the year to address arthritis support, cancer wellness, childhood weight management, diabetes prevention, hypertension management, and weight loss.

• Strength & Weight Training Programs

LEARN MORE

• Game Tables for Cards, Chess & More

For Those Recently Diagnosed

Find strength, support, and guidance through:

• Chronic Disease Management Programs

Kick off the holiday season by exploring all the ways you can participate in programs at the West Cook YMCA that fit your needs and your schedule::

• Diabetes Prevention & Support

• In-Person at the Y

• Parkinson’s Wellness

LEARN MORE

Find Your Place. Fuel Your Potential.

Stop in for a tour and we will show you all that the Y has to offer to meet your needs. Tour guides are available by reservation.

JOIN ONLINE

Receive $0 Joiner Fee and 50% off first month when you join online.

At the West Cook YMCA, discover connection, purpose, and a stronger spirit, mind, and body— in every season of life.

WE ALSO OFFER FITNESS, SPORTS, TRAINING & CERTIFICATIONS, AND SO MUCH MORE.

• Live-streaming at the Y

• Cancer Recovery Support

• Live-streaming on YMCA360

• On-demand on YMCA360

LEARN MORE

PROGRAMS FOR ALL

AQUATICS

LEARN MORE

PERSONAL TRAINING

CHRONIC DISEASE RISK

LEARN MORE

MANAGEMENT

Providing evidence-based programs prevent and manage chronic

We offer programs throughout address arthritis support, cancer childhood weight management, prevention, hypertension management, weight loss.

LEARN MORE

$100

$250

(Diabetes,

Donate now at westcookymca.org/give or contact us at 708 383 5200 to learn more about legacy giving opportunities.

We All Have a Y Story! What’s Yours?

Come share your Y story and help others create theirs.

When you give, you’re strengthening the spirits, minds, bodies, and communities of tomorrow.

LetyourlegacyliveonatyourWestCookYMCA.

Give today. Grow tomorrow. Leave a legacy forever.

Finding Belonging and Wellness at the West Cook YMCA

At the West Cook YMCA, healthy aging is more than just tness, it is about fostering a vibrant, connected community where older adults rediscover purpose, joy, and friendship. For many, the Y has become a lifeline, a place where isolation is replaced with inclusion, anxiety fades into laughter, and every visit reinforces that you are not alone.

Take Joan, for example. A er retiring and losing her husband within the same year, she found herself struggling with loneliness and a lack of direction. Days felt long and quiet, and she missed the simple rhythm of connection. A friend encouraged her to try a group exercise class at the West Cook YMCA, and from the moment she stepped through the doors, everything began to change.

Joan was welcomed warmly, not just

by sta , but by a community of people navigating a new season of life. She began attending Yoga and Aqua Fitness classes, which helped her strengthen her body, but the most powerful transformation happened internally. She found friends to talk with over co ee a er workouts. She laughed again. She felt seen and valued.

e West Cook YMCA is intentional about creating programs that support the whole person: spirit, mind, and body. For healthy aging adults like Joan, these programs are

Because the West Cook YMCA is more than a gym. It’s a community. It’s a purpose. It’s a place to belong.

more than workouts; they are lifelines. Whether it is a meditation workshop, a low-impact tness class, or simply a shared conversation in the member lounge, members experience daily reminders that they belong.

As stress, anxiety, and loneliness continue to rise among everyone, the Y stands as a beacon of hope. Members report feeling more energized, connected, and emotionally balanced. Many say their blood pressure has improved, their sleep is better, and they feel a renewed sense of purpose.

“It’s not just the exercise,” Joan shares. “It’s knowing that someone is happy to see me. at I matter. at I still have something to o er.”

e West Cook YMCA isn’t just a gym. It is a community built on the belief that everyone deserves to feel strong, included, and hopeful.

- Linda L

Because the instructor reminds class members to do each exercise with good form, these reminders have become an everyday lifestyle: to feel good in my skin, to meet my goals, and to age gracefully.

- Susie S

I joined because as I have aged, I understand the importance of staying active to be able to continue to do the things I have looked forward to in retirement. I had a goal to hike the Alps and in September of 2024 accomplished that goal! A trip I will never forget!

- Patti F

Being a member of the YMCA and participating in the classes is about more than just tness—it’s also about being part of a supportive community that keeps me motivated to take care of myself, both physically and mentally.

- Janis S

St Angela School

- we are all family

St. Angela School has proudly served the Austin community for over a hundred years. Our hallways, our stairwells, our classrooms—all of them echo with the voices of generations of children who have lived in the tidy bungalows of this neighborhood. An anchor for the neighborhood and a safe haven for the children, St. Angela has a rich history and a determined belief in the future.

Everything we do at St. Angela School is part of one continuing story. Many things have changed over the decades, but we have retained essential elements that keep our past with us. The statue of St. Angela that adorned the church facade now stands in

our gardens. The cornerstone of the church is part of the beautiful mural on our south wall. The bricks engraved with memories and expressions of gratitude now welcome children and visitors alike to the Menard Street entrance to the school. This means that when the children enter the building after lunch or recess, they are learning more about their history, and about the strong tradition of community that is its hallmark.

During this Season of Giving, we invite you— whether you have direct ties to St. Angela or not—to invest in these children. It will be their story that determines the future of Austin, of Chicago, and beyond. They are part of our extended neighborhood—we are all family.

Sponsored Content

St. Angela School • saintangela.org

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Inspiring the Next Generation Through Books and Belief

t Our Future

Reads, our mission goes beyond donating books. It’s all about unlocking potential. Since 2021, we’ve provided free books to over 12,000 individuals across Chicagoland. We help families, classrooms, shelters, and after-school programs access stories that inspire and empower.

One of our most significant partnerships this year has been with Youth Crossroads. Through regular volunteer visits to Mission Curiosity, our Oak Park bookstore, students explore, organize, and choose free books to take home, often for the first time. More than that, they’ve discovered something deeper: the belief that their ideas matter.

During a recent workshop, our executive director, Franklin Taylor, talked about starting a

mission-driven business.

By the end, students were full of ideas, from launching a baked goods business to auto detailing and even inventing mop-sole sneakers. These were plans, not daydreams, sparked by encouragement and fueled by imagination. Moments like these show why we do what we do. Books are just the beginning. What we’re really sharing is the permission to dream bigger. If your organization wants to help people discover their voice, passions, and potential, we’d love to partner with you. Visit ourfuturereads. com to see the growing list of partners making an impact with us.

Find us at 319 Madison St. Oak Park, IL • Info@OurFutureReads.com | (773) 969-9676 • ourfuturereads.com

Our Future Reads • 773-969-9676 • ourfuturereads.com

Your Generosity Fuels Possibility

by Carrie Summy, president and CEO of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation

As we close out the year, one truth is unmistakable: strong communities don’t happen by accident. ey are built with intention, care, trust, and shared responsibility. In a time when the needs of our neighbors continue to grow, and local organizations nd themselves needing to do more with less, we must get creative. We must work together. And we must be generous with our time, our compassion, and our support.

At the Oak Park–River Forest Community Foundation, we witness every day how philanthropy fuels possibility. A scholarship keeps a student moving toward a dream. A trusted volunteer helps a family secure housing. A multi-year grant gives a small organization the strength to grow instead of just survive. Whether the spark is a $150 gi or a brand new initiative to honor a loved one, each act of generosity strengthens our collective resilience. Our nonpro t partners are facing incredible pressures. e Foundation

is committed to meeting this moment, by investing in organizational strength, by supporting collaboration and innovation, and by bringing people together to solve our most pressing local challenges. When residents, funders, business, civic and community leaders all row in the same direction, lasting impact follows.

As you consider your year-end giving, we encourage you to focus locally, this year in particular. Be generous. Support the organizations that make this region

Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation • 708-848-1560

Sponsored Content

Avibrant, a place of belonging, and full of joy and possibility. And if you want to deepen that impact, we are here to help.

To learn more or to make a year-end gi , visit oprfcf.org

e Foundation is committed to meeting this moment, by investing in organizational strength, by supporting collaboration and innovation, and by bringing people together to solve our most pressing local challenges.

Community Foundation O ers Professional Development to Local Nonpro t Leaders

s part of its goal to strengthen the local nonpro t sector’s impact on the overall quality of life in our communities, the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation has launched the Nonpro t Excellence program, a training series focused on professional development and leadership for community-based organizations serving the greater West Side.

“We are out and about, actively listening to our community leaders. e message is crystal clear: they are facing a wide array of signi cant challenges, across many di erent issue areas. ey need funding. ey also need peer-to-peer support,” said Carrie Summy, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “ e Foundation is in a unique position to serve as a collaborative bridge between organizations that may be doing similar work in di erent geographies or elds, and to create

opportunities for nonpro t leaders to learn from and be resources for each other.”

e Nonpro t Excellence program grows out of Impact Excellence, a longrunning Foundation initiative for local leaders.

Nonpro t Excellence will provide multiple opportunities for learning and exchange, including workshops, seminars, executive roundtables and other events. ese programs address core elements of capacity building and sustainability, such as an organization’s mission and vision, human resources issues, board governance and infrastructure, technology, marketing and

fundraising strategy.

e program will launch o cially in January 2026, although the Foundation recently o ered a workshop on contingency planning in light of recent budget cuts and signi cant changes occurring at federal and state level, which was well attended and received. “ e information was super current and all extremely actionable” said one attendee.

“Nonpro t Excellence is key to our commitment to serve as a local resource and a trusted, valued partner for our social sector,” Summy said. “We are here to serve those helping our most vulnerable

community members, and we’re going to do that in as many creative ways as we can.” Programming is o ered free of charge, and events will soon be posted on the Nonpro t Excellence page of the Foundation website, oprfcf.org. Local nonpro t executives and sta interested in participating in the program are encouraged to contact Program Director Elizabeth Chadri at 708-848-1560 or by email at echadri@oprfcf.org for more information.

With federal cuts looming, local nonpro ts are ‘living in a state [of ] absolute fear’

Community support more critical than ever

By LEAH SCHROEDER Contributing Reporter

Lynda Schueler has worked at Housing Forward for nearly 27 years. Never before has she seen attacks like the ones her nonprofit, and others across the nation, are currently facing, the housing agency’s CEO said.

“The whole industry right now is feeling under attack,” said Schueler.

With Trump administration executive orders, budget freezes and funding cuts looming, local nonprofits have been forced confront what the changes in policy could mean for their org anizations – and for the people they serve.

not yet experienced funding cuts, a number of immediate changes stemming from executive orders or budget freezes have left the nonprofit feeling rattled.

Currently, the largest challenge Housing Forward is facing is the threat to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding that was promised to the nonprofit.

While Schueler’s Housing Forward, an organization designed to prevent homelessness and respond to housing crises, has

HUD funding has historically been the most stable form of funding for Housing Forward and makes up a large portion of the funding they receive. HUD funding can also be accessed immediately to fund services, according to Schueler, a contrast to other public funding streams which nonprofits have to wait to be reimbursed for.

Any change to this funding would impact Housing Forward’s 2026 budget significantly, Schueler said, and would “mean a loss of housing for those that [they] serve.”

“Threats to that particular component of the continuum of housing that we offer would be devastating, and those individuals would absolutely return to homelessness because there are no other alternative types of housing,” Schueler said. “All housing right now is being threatened… and this is at a time when homelessness is increasing.”

The political turmoil has put Housing Forward in a “defensive tion,” Schueler said. The or nization is working to dev contingency plan, a task that has proven difficult, with a high de gree of uncertainty defining the current political moment.

Housing Forward is now waiting to hear directly from HUD and will use the inform they receive to determine ho they can sustain the housing they currently offer. Wi federal funding though, the from the state and county will not be enough to sustain the nonprofit.

er said. “This is a time for communities to really step up and make an impact on the neighbors that are in greatest need

John McIlwain, executive director at The Children’s Clinic in Oak Park, said his organization is experiencing similar difficulties. For The Children’s Clinic, which provides pediatric health care regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, changes to Medicaid will likely have the largest impact on how they can serve their patients e all, McIlwain said, the uncertainty of what threats will materialize is causing the most

“It’s traumatizing for those on the front lines who are hearing what’s happening at the federal level and seeing what’s happening on TV…” Schueler said. “We’re feeling under attack at all levels and not being able to have the resources to support the need that is out there.”

For concerned community members, Schueler said Housing Forward is in need of support now more than ever “There is no doubt there will be cuts to the services and housing that we offer,” Schuel-

“There’s a lot of fear, and I myself, but I don’t know ccurate or real some of it cIlwain said. “That kind just living in a state everyone is in absolute ear… is terrifying and difficult.”

For now, The Children’s Clinic, and nonprofits across the country, are biding their time, waiting to see if, or more likely, when, federal budget cuts will begin to affect the work that they do. In the meantime, McIlwain encourages people to remain hopeful about the future.

“We have to really wait and see,” McIlwain said. “I think everybody has to keep pushing and keep advocating, keep resisting and keep protesting, doing it peacefully… because this nastiness in the human condition in America right now is going to change.”

FILE

Ly nda Schueler, chief executive o cer at Housing For ward, speaks at a ribbon cutting ceremony for Broadview Legacy Apartments on April 25, 2024.

PROVIDED

Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society medical director, Dr. Diane Butter eld, works with a child at the IWS Children’s Clinic.

LYNDA SCHUELER

JOHN MCILWAIN

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OPRF Museum Tells Your Community’s Stories—Large or Small

Over a decade and a half, One Earth Collective has reached diverse communities with impactful programs centered around environmental sustainability and justice, inspiring individual and systemic change. Programs include One Earth Youth Voices, One Earth Local, and the One Earth Film Festival, the Midwest’s premier environmental lm festival – which will again provide solutions-based knowledge and inspiration to local, national, and global audiences from April 22-28, 2026. Let’s go farther, faster – together –on building a resilient, just future. e world can’t wait, and neither should you!

Visit our website to sign up for our eNews. Get lm festival alerts and other green news –and a chance to win:

• 2 tickets to the milestone 15th annual One Earth Film Fest launch party on Earth Day, April 22, 2026.

• Breakfast and a tour of our o ce space, facilities and youth farm at BUILD Chicago in Austin, where we help lead programming

Ready to donate in support of this needed, vibrant work? Visit oneearth lmfest.org/ donate-now or scan our QR code to get eNews alerts and win the prizes above.

One Earth Collective • oneearthfilmfest.org

ood things often come in small packages. That’s why the Illinois Association of Museums named Oak Park River Forest Museum the state’s Small Museum of the Year soon after it opened its doors in 2017. The museum is in an 1898 firehouse that underwent a $1 million renovation, transforming a vacant building into a welcoming Oak Park Landmark next to Stevenson Park.

It’s also why last summer the museum developed a family-friendly Hometown Legends Scavenger Hunt that challenges visitors to find 2-inch-high LEGO versions of famous residents hidden around the museum, earning prizes and learning some local history.

be rented for private events. OPRF Museum, at 129 Lake St., Oak Park, is operated by The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest. The featured exhibit on the museum’s first floor tells the 150-year history of OPRF High School. Whether you’re interested in sports, the arts or building additions, this exhibit has it all.

The museum’s second floor contains a “Wall of Fame” highlighting famous residents, a children’s play area, and an award-winning exhibit about Fair Housing.

Not only the keeper of local history and storyteller, your hometown museum offers a variety of programs for the community, and can

Visit our Fields Research Center, open by appointment, to research almost everything related to the villages including homes, community groups and businesses. Membership has many benefits. For information, visit oprfmuseum.org or call 708848-6755 and follow The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest on Facebook.

this community--and the wider world.

Dignity is not o the table

Our food pantry is facing an unexpected challenge this holiday season. e food bank that supplies the majority of our food has put us on notice: We will not receive the usual volume of holiday food supplies this year, due to federal cuts in funding.

is time of year, we all look forward to sharing holiday meals. is is perhaps especially true for the many thousands of our regional neighbors who are food insecure. Our food pantry’s mission is to help end regional food insecurity and the causes of that insecurity. Our approach is to connect the four corners of community: Our neighbors in need, volunteers, donors, and community leaders. Together, we are setting the table for change in our area.

Our food pantry o ers “choice” based food sharing. Meaning, visiting neighbors are free to choose the food they need in a familiar grocery store setting. ey are free to plan and make their traditional holiday meals. As our organization’s administrative director said recently, “We’re going to make it happen for them one way or another. We are not going to take that away from them.”

Any time of year, “putting food on the table” is an expression that has deep meaning for all of us. Putting food on the table means taking a break from everyday worries to feel the comforts of mealtime, togetherness, and nutritional well-being. is time of year, putting food on the table is most especially an act of sharing and love.

Share Food Share Love • 630-347-5390 • sharefoodsharelove.org

Inclusion Isn’t a Place, It’s a Culture

At a recent inclusive playdate, Dili grinned as he bounced on the trampoline beside a new friend, completely at ease. The moment felt effortless, but for his mom, Sulani, it represented a vision realized: belonging without barriers.

“Everyone needs communities where we can be truly ourselves,” Sulani says. “That’s where we find safety, connection, and self-acceptance.” Most spaces are built around the “typical” way of thinking and being, and neurodivergent people (Autistic, ADHD, OCD, etc.) are expected to adapt.

But when people step into spaces that are designed with all brains and bodies in mind, something powerful happens: inclusion becomes a shared experience, not an accommodation. That’s why Sulani volunteers with CAYR Connections, helping build a neuro-affirming community where every brain belongs. The Oak Park nonprofit creates environments

where neurodivergent people and their families experience genuine inclusion. Through partnerships with the PlayLab Foundation, the Oak Park Public Library, and the Chicago Public Library, CAYR hosts sensory-friendly playdates, family events, and learning opportunities that embrace every kind of brain. The Chicago Neurodiverse Social Club extends that vision by hosting community events led by neurodivergent adults, for neurodivergent adults. Sulani now serves as chair of CAYR’s School Advisory Board, helping launch a neuro-inclusive summer program and K–5 microschool designed around children’s strengths, interests, and natural curiosity.

Your donations support more programs where kids can be themselves, more spaces where adults find connection, and more families who finally feel seen. Visit www.cayrconnections.org to help build belonging—one connection at a time.

“Cookies

and Cocoa” Festive Activities for Children at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association.

The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association shares its building with the community with a variety of activities. You can go there to vote, see Free Readers Theatre, have fun at the OPRF High School Jazz Band event or watch our Monday afternoon Humanities Enrichment Series.

One of the fun events for children is our “Cookies and Cocoa” Saturday December 13 where families come for festive activities. Surrounded by holiday decorations they can take family pictures by

lovely decorated trees and meet and talk to Santa. The Model Railroad Club brings their trains to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It is fun to make holiday crafts and paint ornaments while eating our chef’s homemade cookies and drinking cocoa with marshmallows floating it in it. Sing Holiday Songs accompanies by our piano. Our members enjoy seeing happy engaged children as they pour their cocoa and refill the cookie plates.

Bring your family to the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association’s “Cookies and Cocoa” event this December. Share the love with us.

The Nineteenth Century Club • 708.386.2729 • nineteenthcentury.org

The World Can’t Wait. Let’s

go Farther, Faster - Together.

future. e world can’t wait, and neither should you! Visit our website to sign up for our eNews. Get lm festival alerts and other green news – and a chance to win:

• 2 tickets to the milestone 15th annual One Earth Film Fest launch party on Earth Day, April 22, 2026.

• Breakfast and a tour of our o ce space, facilities and youth farm at BUILD Chicago in Austin, where we help lead programming Ready to donate in support of this needed, vibrant work? oneearth lmfest.org/donate-now

One Earth Collective • oneearthfilmfest.org

Joyful Giving

Local Philanthropy Boosts Impact Through New State Tax Credit

In 2024, the state passed the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Act, granting a sizable tax credit to donors contributing to endowed funds at quali ed charitable community foundations with national accreditation. e Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is proudly eligible for the tax credit program, which took e ect January 1, 2025.

Donors who make gi s to eligible permanent endowment funds with the Foundation receive a 25% state income tax credit. Funds that qualify include permanently endowed scholarships, nonpro t agency funds, designated funds, and eld of interest funds; gi s to donor advised funds are not eligible.

“Permanent endowment funds at community foundations are an important layer of nancial stability for our nonpro t sector; they o er a vital and reliable source of funding for operational needs, capital

funding, and ongoing programs,” said Carrie Summy, president and CEO of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. “ is is an excellent time for donors to deeply consider the causes they care about and join the Foundation in advancing important work in our communities.”

e program allows a maximum annual credit of $100,000 per taxpayer and $200,000 per couple, and can be carried

forward up to ve years to apply against future tax liabilities.

Any individual or organization can contribute to existing endowment funds, or create a new one.

A limited number of tax credits are available statewide, and are awarded on a rst come, rst served basis. To learn how to contribute to or establish an endowed fund, speak with your nancial advisor or contact Foundation Development Director Brian Biederman at brianb@ oprfcf.org, or call 708-848-1560.

- Carrie Summy, president and CEO of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation.

Beyond Hunger: Nourishing Neighbors This Holiday Season

In times of uncertainty, Beyond Hunger makes sure no one has to go through hunger alone. With rising costs and limited access to support, more of our neighbors are turning to us for help— o en for the very rst time. anks to the generosity of our community, they’re met not just with food, but with care and dignity.

One shopper recently shared what that experience meant to them:

“Life gets hard sometimes, and this was my rst time coming to a food pantry. I work really hard to provide for myself, and I’ve always said pantries are for the ones who need it. But today, I was one of the ones who needed it—and everyone made me feel so welcome. ey greeted me with

a smile and loaded me up really good. ey gave me everything I was thinking I needed for a peaceful dinner. God is all over this place.”

at welcoming spirit— and the variety of fresh produce, grains, and other nutritious foods they received—o ered both comfort and strength to keep moving forward.

is holiday season, your generosity ensures that nourishing food and compassionate support are within reach for everyone who comes to us. Together, we can ll more than plates. We can ll hearts with hope, connection, and the assurance that no one in our community is ever alone.

Donate or learn more at gobeyondhunger.org.

Finding Home Again: Stan’s Journey with Housing Forward

Stan took early retirement to return to his childhood home and care for his aging mother. The house, bought by his grandparents in the 1970s, had long been the family’s anchor. After his mother passed, Stan’s sister inherited the home, and he stayed to help maintain it. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t keep up with maintenance or expenses. When his sister died unexpectedly in 2022, Stan had to leave the home. Living on a fixed retirement income, he struggled to qualify for housing. Senior options had long waitlists, and traditional apartments were unaffordable.

in a really bad spot,” he recalls. “I didn’t know what was in store for me.”

He stayed at the shelter for nearly four months. Each morning after leaving at 6:30 a.m., he would wait in his storage unit or have coffee at McDonald’s until the library opened. The library became his sanctuary during the harsh winter.

By November 2024, Stan sold his car, put his belongings in storage, and turned to Housing Forward’s Emergency Overnight Shelter. “I was

In spring, Stan was able to find an apartment he could afford. Housing Forward helped with the first month’s rent and deposit. “I consider the Housing Forward staff friends for life,” he says.

Now settled, Stan is saving money, rebuilding his credit, and making plans for the future, including rejoining the over-50 basketball league he once played in.

“It really couldn’t be going any better,” he says.

Public-private partnerships provide powerful possib

At OPRF, major capital pr

OBy LEAH SCHROEDER Contributing Reporter

ak Park and River Forest High School’s Project 2 is currently underway. The project involves building a new physical education wing on the southeast corner of the Scoville Avenue campus

According to OPRF Superintendent Greg Johnson, the construction would not be possible without the support of The Imagine Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to raise money for facilities improvements at OPRF.

OPRF is “indebted to them in all sorts of ways” because “this is not something that a high school district would be without such strong community support,”

eally because of their generosity, their hard work, their neting, their conversations with those in the community and beond, their tireless efforts, that this possible,” Johnson said. doesn’t happen without s.”

oundation represents a ing trend in the world of funpublic-private partnerhese partnerships use the resources and experiences of different sectors to share financing responsibilities for new projects

In regards to the partnership between OPRF and The Imagine Foundation specifically, Johnson said the benefit lies in the fact that the foundation spreads awareness for those who want to help with public school needs but may not know how.

“The foundation opens that door, allowing people to realize there are ways to contribute to students in our community beyond simply focusing on individual activities or the success of just their own students,” Johnson said. “The foundation has really opened that door for a lot of people in our community.”

Launched in 2019 by OPRF alumni, the foundation is a private entity and receives donations from either individuals or corporate sponsors, as well as some grant money, Heidi Ruehle, executive director of the foundation, said. Many larger donors also have made multi-year gift ag reements, allowing them to make their donation over several years. Currently, all proceeds go directly to reimbursing OPRF for expenses related to Project 2. The Imagine Foundation

District 200 Board of Education members Tim Brandhorst, Audrey Williams-Lee, Fred Arkin, former board members Tom Cofsky and Sara Dixon Spivy, Representative Camille Lilly, former board member Jackie Moore and Superintendent Greg Johnson at the Project 2 groundbreaking at OPRF High School on June 4, 2024.

receives invoices related to expenses associated with the project, and funds are used to reimburse these expenses in what Ruehle calls a “transparent process.”

“Oak Park and River Forest are such close-knit communities and rely heavily on the success of our school systems,” Ruehle said. “We feel it’s important for anyone who is willing and able to donate… With a successful high school, you have better real estate values, more ability to support small businesses and hopefully bring people back to the community once they are adults.”

Ruehle said that public-private partnerships can be very effective. However, there are several factors to consider first, including whether the community is able to support that strateg y, whether there is a good working relationship between the two entities and whether the entity receiving the funds can accomplish their goals while the money comes in over time.

Luckily, Ruehle said the strateg y works very well for Oak Park and River Forest. For this reason, Ruehle said the foundation hopes to be a lasting staple of the OPRF community.

“Our goal is to be a long-term, sustainable organization that continues to support all of the different projects in the pipeline for OPRF and whatever their facilities needs are beyond that,” Ruehle said.

So far, the school has completed Project 1, which created a “welcoming and safe” hub in the middle of the building, and the Track & Fields Project, which worked with the Park District of Oak Park to create a new 400-meter outdoor track.

Looking ahead, OPRF’s Projects 3, 4 and 5 will focus on creating a performing arts center, improving academics and administrative offices and creating a field house, respectively

The foundation has committed to raising $12.5 million for OPRF’s Project 2, with a goal of $15 million. Johnson said it feels “wonderful” to have the support of the community as OPRF continues to look for ways to improve in the future.

“It feels both humbling and empowering to know that there are those in the community who are as committed as they are to public education, to this institution in particular, and to the plans we have in place to help make this facility one that is prepared to meet students’ educational needs for the next 100 years,” Johnson said.

TODD BANNOR

GREG JOHNSON

HEIDI RUEHLE

ADVANCING INCLUSIVE EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES

Support Us and Help Promote Housing Opportunities

for those In Need

Since 1972, The Oak Park Regional Housing Center (OPRHC), an organization regarded as a leader for fair housing rights, expansion of housing options, and economic opportunity, has been providing services to residents of the Village of Oak Park and the surrounding West Cook County communities including Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

I waslivinginWisconsinandwantedtomoveintoChicagolandarea. IwentouttovisitapartmentsthroughtheOPRHCGUIDEservice,withGretchen,tofindanewHome. Iwantedtomovehereforanewjobandtobeclosetomygirlfriend.

Whilewewereout, Ifellinlovewithagreatapartmentinanowneroccupied2 FlatintheAustinCommunity.

For many years, OPRHC spent much time creating the residential integration you see in the Village of Oak Park today. This work, intentional in nature, allowed people of all races to learn about fair housing and their opportunities to live where they choose to live. Fast forward to a new century, as we celebrate 53 years of service to the community, we are beginning to pivot our work to strengthen community ties and residential relationships while continuing to help people with their housing needs. We are still here… for you!

Give the gift of housing. Give to us, we give to others:

IneededtobeclosetotheCTAGreenlineforhisnewemployment.

Oak Park Regional Housing Center provides Housing Stability • Expanded Housing Choices Fair Housing Education and Advocacy • Homeownership Opportunities • Credit Debt Management

Itwasanaffordable,spacious,two bedroomapartmentwithayardandaparkingspotavailable. Imovedinon11/3/2023and lovewiththeChicagoneighborhoodjusteastoftheVillageofOakPark!

TheteamatOPRHCprovidedgreatservice,knowsthecommunitieswell,andhowtoworkwiththelandlord!

While we were out,

Karl

ADVANCING INCLUSIVE

Main Ofﬁce: 1041 South Boulevard Oak Park, IL 60302

708-848-7150 info@oprhc.org

EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES

City of Chicago Ofﬁce: West Cook Homeownership Center 5934 W. Lake St. Chicago, IL 60644

773-887-5187

info@westcookhomeownership.org

I went out to visit apartments through the OPRHC GUIDE service, with Gretchen, to find a new Home. I wanted to move here for a new job and to be close to my girlfriend.

It was an affordable, spacious, two I moved in on 11/3/2023 and love with the Chicago neighborhood just east of the Village of Oak Park! The team at OPRHC provided great service, knows the communities well, and how to work with the landlord!

Introducing the Greater West Side Community Land Trust

The “American Dream” of homeownership is increasingly out of reach on the Greater West Side. Take Austin for example: between 2019 and 2024 the median sale price of a 1-4 unit building grew from $178,000 to $277,500. In that same period, the median household income grew from just $32,843 to $40,085. In other words, home prices went up by 56%, but incomes by only 22%. Not only is homeownership una ordable, but local conditions are not sustainable.

e Oak Park Regional Housing Center and our West Cook Homeownership Program are addressing this critical issue by building a Community Land Trust (CLT). With support from one of our nancial institution partners, the Greater West Side CLT will preserve a ordable housing, prevent displacement of legacy residents, build community wealth, and keep homes a ordable for generations to come.

So how does it work?

A CLT buys or builds homes using subsidies from the government and philanthropy. ey are repaired or updated, and then sold to incomequali ed buyers at belowmarket prices. In return, homeowners agree to resell their homes at a capped price, ensuring another family can bene t from that a ordability in the future. is model creates an accessible pathway for rst-time buyers and can be a steppingstone to traditional homeownership. It also provides stability for seniors who want to age in place with dignity, and o ers a more secure and a ordable alternative to renting.

property taxes.

e Cook County Assessor categorizes CLT properties as permanently a ordable because of the resale price cap written into the ground lease between the CLT and each homeowner. As a result, the property is taxed at its a ordable rate, not the market rate – they call this “fair cash value”. Not only are lower property taxes helpful for everyday families, but they’re critical for our seniors and families on xed incomes who are susceptible to displacement when their neighborhood gets more expensive.

the Civil Rights Era in Albany, Georgia as a tool for Black farmers and their families to gain security through access to land. Today, some of the most respected and longstanding CLTs are founded, led by, and serve communities of color in places like Harlem, Oakland, Boston, and Houston.

CLTs are not a one-size- ts-all solution, but are an impactful tool for communities to stay rooted. Our agency works diligently and collaboratively to provide many entry points into homeownership: from our HUDcerti ed homeownership counseling to our industry partnerships and 78 units of rental housing at the Laramie State Redevelopment Project, we are ensuring that every family on the Greater West Side has an opportunity to build their legacy. Stay tuned as we kick o the pilot program in Spring 2026!

Not only do CLT homeowners build modest wealth, but they also pay lower

It is also important to note that Community Land Trusts are a Black innovation. e CLT movement began in the U.S. during

Oak Park Regional Housing Center • oprhc.org

PING: So All Can Participate in Music

PING (Providing instruments for the Next Generation) believes all public school students should have access to instrumental music. With instrument rentals averaging $50 per month, many students miss out. PING has been supplying band and orchestra instruments to Oak Park and River Forest public school students for more than 25 years, but that is not all. “To offer true equity to young musicians, we have mentoring programs and access to lessons, music camps, performances, and trips for PING members,” said executive director Michelle Dybal. The NextNote Program, which is celebrating 20 years, supports middle school musicians. PING Partners supports new musicians in grades 4 and 5. In both programs, PING students are paired with mentors from Oak Park and River Forest High School who

play the same instruments. PING pays for students to take private lessons and to attend summer music camps. These experiences improve confidence and have academic, social, and mental health benefits. Instruments remain important to PING’s mission. “The instrument inventory is primarily built from generous, incoming donations of used instruments received from the community, but there is a need for more, better-grade and different-sized instruments, along with accessories such as bows and cases,” Dybal said. PING’s largest revenue source is individual donors, and does not receive any monetary assistance from the three school districts it serves, D97, D90, and D200. Donations are needed now more than ever: pingoprf.org/donate. Questions/volunteer/ donate an instrument, email: info@pingoprf.org PING! • pingoprf.org

The Joyful 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

Everything you need for a better world:

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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

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.

EProfessional Mentors Change Lives

very child deserves a champion— someone who celebrates their victories, guides their choices, and helps them build essential skills. For many, that champion is a parent or caregiver. But for children growing up amid poverty and violence, families often need extra support.

At Friends of the Children–Chicago, we fill that gap with Professional Mentors—full-time, highly trained specialists dedicated to nurturing a child’s social, emotional, and academic growth.

What makes our work unique is our unwavering commitment: we walk beside every child and family for 12.5 years, from kindergarten through high school. No matter what.

Vanessa joined Friends-Chicago in kindergarten. Now a confident, kind, and

determined seventh grader, she has overcome tremendous challenges.

When Vanessa was in third grade, her father was killed. The first call her mother made after hearing the news was to Friends of the Children-Chicago. Mentors picked up Vanessa and her siblings from school, offering comfort and stability during an unthinkable time.

Despite ongoing hardships Friends-Chicago remains their steady anchor. Vanessa and her family receive therapy through our on-site Wellness Room and Vanessa works with Professional Mentor Kianna to build the relationships, skills, and goals that will enable her to overcome trauma and thrive.

Vanessa dreams of a future in real estate or cosmetology and pursues her goals with determination. As Kianna says, “We’re Vanessa’s chill place—her second family. She knows we’ll always be by her side, no matter what.”

Friends of The Children • friendschicago.org/learn-more

With your partnership, children facing the toughest challenges receive the long-term support of a Professional Mentor to guide them in building the relationships, skills, and goals to thrive.

Together, we make an extraordinary promise: to walk beside every child in our program for 12.5 years. No matter what.

How OPRF IWS Extends Care Beyond the Clinic Walls

For five years, Gabriela (name changed for privacy) a single mother had been bringing her two children to the IWS Children’s Clinic for medical and dental care. But the Clinic has been more than a destination for annual exams, dental visits, fevers, and sore throats. When Gabriela lost her housing, she turned to the IWS Children’s Clinic team.

The Gift of Community Journalism

Gabriela was facing a crisis. Working side jobs was not covering daily costs. Local shelters were full, and her limited income could only cover short hotel stays. The Clinic showed up for her. After countless calls to community partners, the Clinic’s social worker helped Gabriela secure placement in a group home for women and children. There, the kids and

her found not just shelter but food, counseling, case management, and a supportive environment to begin rebuilding their lives.

Today, Gabriela is in a more stable place. She has found full-time employment, saved enough to rent a small house, and is taking online education classes. The Clinic team is still there for hercontinuing to check in, ensuring her children receive therapy and the high-quality medical and dental care they deserve.

Gabriela said “you go beyond your work. It did not go unseen. We will never forget.” This connection demonstrates the Clinic’s dedication to providing compassionate care delivered with respect and dignity. It also reflects the heart of the OPRF IWS mission: advancing the health and well-being of children in need across Chicagoland.

few months ago, one of our longtime readers called us with a remarkable idea. He told us how much he valued the work our newsroom does, from stories about new businesses opening and closing to local elections and the everyday goings on that knit a community together. He said that each week, our reporting helped him feel more rooted, more aware, and more connected to his neighbors. And then he asked a simple question: “How can I share this with the people on my block?”

That question turned into one of our favorite stories of the year. He purchased gift subscriptions for every household on his street, a full block of new readers who now have access to the same indispensable coverage he relies on. It was a generous act, but it was also a testament to what community journalism does best: it brings people together through shared knowledge, accountability, and pride in where we live.

Our newsroom thrives because of people like our longtime reader and because of the talented team of staff and volunteers who make it all possible. Our staff reports tirelessly on the issues that matter most, from what is happening at city hall to the stories unfolding in our schools and neighborhoods. And our volunteers, many of them working professionals with full schedules, give their time and energy to help strengthen this vital public service.

Every story we publish, every election guide we produce, and every question we answer is made possible by the people who believe and invest in our mission. To our staff, our board, our volunteers, our readers, subscribers, and donors, thank you. We do this work for you and with you–we truly could not do it without you. Together, we are not just preserving local journalism. We are ensuring that our community continues to have a voice, a heartbeat, and a trusted source of truth.

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.

To learn more or to join, visit fopcon.org.

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

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

L’Arche Chicago

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

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

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

Grant Holiday Wishes for BUILD’s West Side Kids

Every holiday season, BUILD brings together a community of hope, generosity, and joy through our Holiday Giving Village — a special tradition that ensures every young person we serve feels seen, valued, and celebrated.

Our dedicated BUILD mentors spend time collecting heartfelt wish lists from the youth they work with every day — kids and teens from Chicago’s West Side who dream of simple gifts that bring them happiness, comfort, or inspiration. From art supplies to cozy winter gear, sports equipment to favorite toys, each wish represents a moment of care and connection.

That’s where you come in. As a donor, volunteer, or group sponsor, you have the power to make these wishes come true. Sign up as an individual, family, workplace team, or community group, and help fill our “Holiday Giving Village” with love and generosity. Together, we can turn wish lists into wrapped presents and transform the season into something truly magical.

Every gift, no matter how small, tells our youth that their dreams matter — that their community believes in them. Join us this holiday season to spread cheer, share kindness, and light up the lives of BUILD’s West Side kids.

Wonder Works Children’s Museum Expands Museum Programming

Wonder Works Executive Director Rachel Weber says, “Wonder Works Children’s Museum offers unique learning opportunities for children. We have nine permanent exhibits and unique play materials. We welcome musicians, dancers, yogis, scientists, authors, and countless guests to enrich opportunities to learn through play in our small yet mighty museum.”

At Wonder Works, children and their families can do yoga, build a robot dog out of Legos, sing with Miss Molly and her ukulele, meet a “living mermaid”, touch a snake, or dance with a ballerina. Programming visits are possible thanks to a grant from the Oak Park and River Forest Townships Youth Services Committees. In 2026, Wonder Works plans to expand programming with more gross motor, STEM activities, and a programming block in the afternoon.

Each month, Wonder Works resets the museum to explore a different early childhood topic. During Dino Works, the museum becomes prehistoric, including a full size T-Rex skull on loan from the Field Museum, real fossils, and “baby dinosaur” puppet shows. Visitors explore space with astronaut costumes, cosmic painting, and develop pre-literacy skills while reading stories about the moon. Wonder Bubbles invites children to experience the joy of bubbles. Other themes include: Ocean Wonders, Winter Wonderland, Bugapalooza, and the Wonderween Pumpkin Fall Festival. In 2026, Wonder Works will be introducing two additional programs: Superheroes and Wonder Animals.

Wonder Works Children’s Museum is a 501c3 non-profit organization and relies on donations to grow museum programming. Make a gift to Wonder Works today at www.wonder-works. org/give .

Wonder Works Children’s Museum • wonder-works.org/give

Planting Seeds of Curiosity in Young Volunteers

Step inside the Oak Park Conservatory and you’ll see more than plants in bloom — you’ll see friendships blossoming, curiosity taking root, and neighbors connecting. For nearly 40 years, The Friends have nurtured this special place, creating moments of joy and discovery for people of all ages.

This summer, Sophia Fernandez, a 10-year-old “volunteer in training” with the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory, volunteered with our free early childhood program, Discovery Garden Exploration Time. Sophia visited on our first day of our hands-on naturethemed learning program during the summer and saw some young volunteers helping their docent grandmother set up the program.

help the kids.” Sophia’s mom, Yennifer, was beaming with pride. “We are very proud of her. I feel like she surprises me every single day with her ideas and motivation to be part of the community and help others. Sophia is always willing to make a difference.”

Every season, our volunteers guide schoolchildren through discovery and exploration, lead adults in learning something new, and create nature-inspired educational events that bring the whole community together.

The Friends are approaching our 40th Anniversary next year, and for four decades have offered an opportunity for volunteers of all ages to support our programs, do hands-on work in the Conservatory, and connect with others who share the same passion and interests.

This sparked an idea for Sophia that led to her volunteering every Thursday this summer. “I always enjoy playing with tiny children, and I am hoping one day to be a preschool teacher,” Sophia said. “I feel joyful and grateful that I get to

Please help sustain The Friends and the historic Conservatory. If you are interested in volunteering or supporting our efforts to continue offering free nature-based education programs to the community, visit our website at fopcon.org.

Conservatory • fopcon.org

Sponsored Content

Learning Edge

For over 30 years, Learning Edge has been a part of the Oak Park and Austin communities. Our mission is to strive for more equity in education by providing Chicago-area students who live in underserved communities free one-to-one tutoring and academic enrichment opportunities enhanced by caring, mentoring relationships. We help students improve their foundational math and reading skills, complete their homework, and foster their love of learning. Your support helps us provide school-year tutoring to over 100 students in grades K through 12 each year. To donate or volunteer, please visit our website learningedgetutoring.org.

Maywood Youth Mentoring Program

Organized in 1993 as a 501c3, the Maywood Youth Mentoring Program

Mission Curiosity by Our Future Reads

Since 2021, Our Future Reads has worked to close the literacy gap by providing free books to over 12,000 individuals across Chicagoland. This impact is made possible through Mission Curiosity, our community bookstore in Oak Park, where every $5 purchase helps fund book donations for those who need them most.

This season, you can help too. Donate. Volunteer. Visit the store.

Your support ensures families, shelters, and classrooms continue to receive books that inspire, educate, and empower.

For more information, visit ourfuturereads. com.

The Neighborhood Bridge

The Neighborhood Bridge connects families in the

down barriers and nurture every mom’s unique strength. By combining proven strategies, research, and real-life wisdom, we empower young families to dream bigger, achieve their goals, and build strong foundations for generations to come. Join us to make dreams a reality! Go to newmoms.org/donate.

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

Join the Foundation and help ful ll our vision of a racially just society in which all members of our community thrive and prosper. Donate today at oprfcf.org.

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 nonpro 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,

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

OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation

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) PING is a community

Progress Center for Independent Living

Founded in 1988, Progress Center for Independent Living is a cross-disability organization governed and sta ed by a majority of people with disabilities. Progress Center serves people with all types of disabilities in Suburban Cook County. We assist individuals in pursuit of their selfdetermined goals. Progress Center recognizes the innate rights, needs and diversity of the disabled, works toward their integration into community life, and serves as an agent of social change. Progress Center is dedicated to building a society in which people with disabilities exercise the same freedoms, rights, and civil liberties as everyone else. Donate today and learn more at progresscil.org.

Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest

The Rotary Club

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.

Inn

Sarah’s

Sarah’s Inn takes a

A Kinship Care Success Story

“Keeping our family together and caring for Jaicion has meant everything to me.” After raising two biological children, adopting two foster children, and pitching in to help parent two nieces and a nephew after her sister succumbed to breast cancer, single mother Cindy Cash had been caring for children for nearly half a century. In 2019, Cindy’s grandson Jaicion was born with Trisomy 21, a form of Down syndrome, along with a host of related medical issues. Cindy’s son, Aaron (the baby’s father), and the birth mother were no longer together, and during the pandemic, all communication from Jaicion’s mom ceased. By the time he was seen by a pediatrician for a lingering lung infection, the medically vulnerable

toddler was so sick that he went into respiratory arrest in the exam room. Over 52 days of recovery, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) assumed temporary guardianship and began the search for a foster home. “It was a lot to take on, especially at my age. But Hephzibah made sure we had everything we needed to care for Jaicion, from medical equipment and supplies to a visiting nurse.” As soon as DCFS cleared Cindy as a kinship caregiver, she made a request to transfer Jaicion’s case to Hephzibah. Since those early days, Jaicion has gained so much weight that Cindy can’t pick him up anymore—and she can’t remember the last time he was sick. Cindy, Aaron, and Jaicion became a forever family through adoption in May 2025.

Hephzibah Children’s Association • 708-649-7100 • hephzibahhome.org

Building Futures together

or more than a century, the OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation has represented the core values of our community— generosity, opportunity, and belief in the potential of every student.

This year, 98 scholarships totaling $287,900 were awarded to OPRFHS graduates pursuing studies at universities, colleges, and trade schools. Each award is a personal story of support, reflecting the shared values of Oak Park and River Forest—commitment to hard work, education, and compassion for others.

What sets the Foundation apart is its extraordinary connection to Oak Park and River Forest. Every scholarship, whether inspired by a love of math, art, science, or service, honors someone’s story and supports the next generation’s ambitions. These awards don’t just help students pay for college—they remind them that their community stands behind them.

As one recipient shared, “These scholarships remind me to stay engaged with my community and to embrace new opportunities, both academically and personally.” Another reflected, “ This scholarship will go a long way in helping

me achieve my academic and career goals and reinforce my belief in the power of education and the kindness of those who make it more accessible to students like me.”

Their words capture what makes the Foundation unique: every gift echoes far beyond graduation day. As we look to the future, we invite you to help sustain this proud legacy—because belief, when shared, becomes opportunity. Visit scholarships4oprfhs.org to learn more.

Generations of Generosity

In 1968, Carleton of Oak Park owners Ron and Cathy Fox hosted a festive Christmas bash at their hotel to cheer up 50 young survivors of neglect and abuse from Hephzibah Home. Over the next five decades, their compassionate acts became a Fox family tradition spanning three generations. From his first Santa gig in the 1960s bursting into the Carleton’s banquet room after landing his reindeer-powered sleigh to his most recent appearance as in 2024, Ron Fox has brought comfort and joy to thousands of children at Hephzibah Home. Now in his eighties, Ron isn’t planning to hang up his Santa suit anytime soon. “I’d never miss a chance to make the holiday season a happy one for these kids,” he confides. “Everyone in our family pitches

in to make it a great day for the kids, from our daughter, Katie, and our son, Mike, to our grandchildren” adds Cathy. Their granddaughter Kaily has spread the word to her employer, KBC Advisors, who have since made generous donations to cover the cost of Christmas presents for hundreds of children in our residential, foster care, and intact family services programs and dispatched teams of volunteers to wrap those gifts. “My experiences at Hephzibah have opened my eyes to the resilience of children and the power of compassion,” says Kaily. “I carry those lessons with me, and I feel a strong responsibility to use my voice and my position to continue to support Hephzibah’s mission in the years to come.”

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.

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 longterm 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 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

In the last few months, your West Cook YMCA has transformed, expanding our reach to serve youth, families, young professionals, and healthy aging

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

West Cook YMCA

Growing Community Media Year End Fundraiser 2025

Growing Community Media is supported by its readers. We need you now more than ever. Invest in your community newsroom.

Check Us Out. Attend a Program. All Are Welcome!

“It Changed My Life”: How a Young Mom Found Support, Stability and Self-Confidence at New Moms

178 Forest Ave., Oak Park | 708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org | info@nineteenthcentury.org

A 501 (c) 3 and Illinois Non-Profit Organization

When Janiece found New Moms, she said it felt like a breath of fresh air.

Before then, the young mom – raising her baby and toddler alone – had been moving from house to house, without support or a clear plan for the future.

At New Moms, she found a new path toward a brighter tomorrow. The nonprofit organization gave her a place to live and job training – as well as a network of care and a belief in herself she had never had before.

children. A therapist supported her mental wellness and how to express herself, and other moms in the parent support group showed her she’s not alone. Meanwhile, her coaches helped her develop goals and build the confidence she needed to achieve them.

“Before I felt like I didn’t have that motherly support, but my coaches believed in me and they pushed me, and I feel like that really helped,” she said.

“I would say it changed my life, because I never received so much support,” she said.

Janiece quickly developed relationships throughout New Moms, which was created specifically to support young moms and their

Poverty and homelessness weigh heavily on young families—but brighter futures are possible. For 40 years, New Moms has empowered young moms to thrive. You can be part of the change this holiday season.

DONATE

Support young moms through one-time, recurring, or in-kind donations.

VOLUNTEER

A variety of opportunities are available for both individuals and groups.

SUPPORT

Shop our social enterprise, brightendeavors.org, for candles and home fragrance products handcrafted by young moms.

Scan to learn more and get involved

After a year in the program, Janiece has a new future to look forward to. She has her own stable housing and a job at a university. And, she has big dreams for what’s next, including opening her own food truck.

“It was a great experience,” she said of her time at New Moms. “Those coaches really help you.”

New Moms • 773-252-3253 • newmoms.org

newmoms.org/donate

Sponsored Content

Since eighth grade, Alyssa has been a powerful force for positive change in the Austin community. Introduced to Austin Coming Together (ACT) through her grandmother, Alyssa quickly found herself immersed in community work and youth events — experiences that would shape not only her connections, but her future.

“ e rst thing I did with ACT was join the Restorative Justice Circles every ursday,” she recalls. “ at space helped me grow as a person. It gave me the chance to listen, to lead, and to connect.”

During the pandemic, ACT partnered with Taproots to expand Restorative Justice training for youth. rough this collaboration, Alyssa helped coordinate RJ Circle trainings that empowered young people to become Circle Keepers, including herself. e experience deepened her understanding of healing justice and connected her to the broader work of organizations like BUILD, where she saw the power of restorative practices in action.

From Youth to Leader: Alyssa’s Austin Story

Today, Alyssa is a fully trained Circle Keeper, facilitating safe and healing spaces for dialogue. is role has allowed her to bridge generations and connect with people from all walks of life, while also deepening her own roots in the community.

“I see familiar faces at events now. It feels like home — like we’re building something together.”

rough ACT, Alyssa was also introduced

to Territory, a youth-led design nonpro t working to reimagine public spaces. Her work with Territory’s “Creating Spaces in the Community” initiative helped her see how a vacant lot could become a vibrant, shared place — built with and for the people who live there. It was a hands-on lesson in community development and the power of collaborative design.

Now with a degree in Sociology from Illinois State University, Alyssa says ACT didn’t just shape her local involvement, it helped guide her career path. Her time with ACT sparked a strong interest in urban planning, especially as it relates to equity and community development.

“It showed me how important it is to invest in where you live. ACT taught me that I have a voice — and that I can use it to shape my environment.”

She also participated in programs through Chicago Austin Youth and Travel Adventures and MyChiMyFuture, which expanded her

Austin Coming Together • 773-417-8601 • austincomingtogether.org

Rotary brings people together to take action and make lasting change.

Learn more about your local chapter at oprfrotary.org

view of what’s possible for young people in Austin and across the city.

Alyssa strongly believes in the importance of getting youth involved early.

“ ere are so many good tools through ACT to help kids connect with their communities. Even when the world tries to devalue where we live, ACT reminds us that our neighborhood matters. And we matter.”

Her message to other young people in Austin?

“Treat Austin like somewhere you would want to move to.”

“Ask yourself — what do I want Austin to look like?”

For Alyssa, the answer is clear: a place where young people are heard, neighbors are connected, and community isn’t just a word — it’s a way of life.

Rotary: An International Organization’s Local Impact

In Bolivia, a profound health crisis is met with hope and action, thanks to the dedicated efforts of individuals like Iris Saavedra-Zaldivar and the Rotary Club of Oak ParkRiver Forest. Their mission addresses one of the most pressing public health challenges in the region: combating the human papillomavirus (HPV) through education and vaccination. Bolivia has the highest rate of cervical cancer in all of South America. HPV, a common virus, is a primary cause of this cancer, as well as several other cancers affecting both women and men. Despite the availability of life-saving vaccines, the nation faces significant hurdles in its immunization efforts. This is largely due to a critical lack of healthcare resources and infrastructure, which leaves vulnerable of all ages and genders exposed.

goes beyond simply administering vaccines; it involves a comprehensive campaign of community education to inform families about the critical importance of the HPV vaccine in preventing future cancers.

Saavedra-Zaldivar and the Rotary Club directly confronts these barriers. Their work

This campaign is part of Rotary International’s broader mission of disease prevention and treatment. While Rotary is renowned for its decades-long fight to eradicate polio worldwide, its efforts extend to combating a wide range of conditions, including malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. A core tenet of this work is the emphasis on prevention, achieved through health education and by bringing basic health care services like routine hearing, vision, and dental care to underserved populations around the globe. Visit oprfrotary.org to learn more and get involved in this local service organization.

Rotary of Oak Park River Forest • oprfrotary.org

Season of Giving presented by

Index of Organizations and Sponsors

Season of Giving

Animal Care League

B13, B26

A Celebration of Kindness

Arts Alliance Forest Park B26

Austin Coming Together ............................. B14, B15, B24

Beyond Hunger B21, B26

Build, Inc.................................................................. B26, B30

Byline Bank B6, Back cover

Cayr Connections .................................................. B19, B26

e Collaboration for Early Childhood B26

Friends of the Children ......................................... B26, B27

Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory B27, B29

Growing Community Media ...................... B16, B28, B29

Habitat for Humanity Chicago B29

Hephzibah Children’s Assn ......................... B29, B34, B35

Holiday Food and Gi Basket B29

Housing Forward ................................................... B22, B29

L’Arche Chicago B9, B29

League of Women Voters of Oak Park-River Forest .............................................................................................B29

presented by

Learning Edge Tutoring ................................................. B32

Maywood Youth Mentoring Program, Inc B32

Mission Curiosity by Our Future Reads..................... B32

New Moms B32, B39

e Neighborhood Bridge ..................................... B5, B32

Nineteenth Century Club B19, B32, B39

Oak Park Regional Housing Center .......... B24, B25, B32

Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation

.................................................................... B2, B14, B20, B32

Oak Park River Forest Museum B17, B32

OPRF Infant Welfare Society ............................... B28, B33

OPRF Scholarship Foundation B33, B35

One Earth Collective .................................... B17, B20, B33 PING! B25, B33

e Progress Center

B33

Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest B33, B40

St. Angela School.................................................... B12, B33

Sarah’s Inn B5, B33

Senator Don Harmon .................................................... B43

Share Food Share Love Food Pantry

........................................................................... B18, B19, B37

State Rep. Camille Lilly B43

ree Pillars Initiative ............................................. B7, B37

Way Back Inn B37

West Cook YMCA ........................B3, B10, B11, B12, B37

WSSRA B37

Wonder Works........................................................ B31, B37

Whether you’re seeing a movie at the Lake Theatre or strolling through Austin Gardens, 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, and we are proud to have contributed more than $35,000 in sponsorships and support in 2025 to local nonprofits like Beyond Hunger, the Oak Park Festival Theatre, Thrive Counseling Center, and several others.

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