Human relations commission honors locals

The Near West Side’s University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry and Rev. Stan J. Sloan of West Town’s Chicago House were chosen to receive 2006 Human Relations Awards from the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations.

The awards were presented Oct. 31 at the commission’s 60th annual luncheon at the Chicago Hilton & Towers.
The College of Dentistry was honored for bringing critical dental care to the poor, racial and ethnic minorities, and people who lack dental insurance; the award also recognized its efforts to increase enrollment of minority students.

“The UIC College of Dentistry is committed to helping the underserved, and our focus is not only to prepare a dental healthcare workforce more focused and trained to provide oral care to minorities but to ensure an increase in minority dentists,” said Bruce Graham, DDS, the college’s dean. “We are extremely pleased and humbled to win this award.”

Rev. Sloan serves as chief executive officer of Chicago House, which provides housing and support services to Chicagoans affected by HIV/AIDS. He is an Episcopal priest and formerly worked at Cathedral Shelter of Chicago. Rev. Sloan also is chair of the board of the Partnership to End Homelessness and chaplain of St. Gregory’s Episcopal School on the West Side.

The City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations was established to eradicate discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice in the City of Chicago. The awards recognize individuals, organizations, and institutions in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors that have improved understanding and cooperation among people of different races, religions, and abilities in Chicago.

 

Boat slips installed at Fay's Point

Fay's Point, a planned development in Blue Island, IL, has installed 88 boat slips on the Little Calumet River at Fay's Point Peninsula.

The floating 35- and 40-foot slips will be able to accommodate boats of up to 42 feet in the spring. The marina sits beside a 100-space parking lot and is near the Marina Club at Fay's Point, which includes a community room, fitness center, and restaurant.

The project also added wetlands to the area to enhance the water, plant, and animal habitat and support storm water management.

Fay's Point LLC is developing a living and recreational community on approximately 30 acres of land between the Little Calumet River and Cal-Sag Channel. The project includes 74 townhouses, 304 condominiums, a 90-unit senior living building, and amenities mentioned above.

"This portion of our project demonstrates the highest and best uses for our cleaner waterways and is stimulating additional growth along the Calumet River corridor," said Arvydal Laucius, managing partner.

For information, call (708) 371-7200, e-mail arv@fayspoint.com or heather@fayspoint.com, or log on to www.fayspoint.com.

 

Juarez wins art contest 

Benito Juarez Community Academy, 2150 S. Laflin St., recently won the Art in Your Community competition sponsored by TCF Bank. The high school beat two other competing schools and received $2,000 in prize money for an immigration-themed art installation commemorating the Day of the Dead, Mexico’s ancient celebration of ancestry.

The winners from Benito Juarez are Lucila Avitia, Carlos Barcenas, Rodolfo Barcenas, Carolina Bernal, Natalia Brambila, Alberto Carmeno, David Cavado, Yvonne Fernandez, Edson Garcia, Isai Gaytan, Martha Osornio, Alberto Paz, Juliet Ramirez, Ruben Sanchez, Carolina Rubio, Francisco Rubio, Guadalupe Rubio, and Steve Vidal.

The school’s art department will use the funds to buy badly needed art supplies, repair aging school murals, and create new art projects on campus according to Steve Vidal, art teacher and Local School Council secretary at Benito Juarez.

A local TCF Bank branch hosted the awards ceremony, which featured Mexican folkloric and traditional dancing, Aztec dancing, and a mariachi band.

--Vivian Malli

Jones gets Blue Ribbon

Jones College Prep received a 2006 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools award on Nov. 9 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in Washington, DC.

“Highly effective schools are the result of top-notch teachers, support staff, parents, and community members,” said Principal Donald Fraynd, who traveled to Washington to receive the award. “We truly care about our students and press them to be the very best through a rigorous program that focuses on educating the whole person.”

Over the past several years, 283 schools have received the award. The schools are honored for making significant progress in “closing the achievement gap,” according to Spellings, or for producing students who achieve at very high levels. Schools are selected on the basis of students from disadvantaged backgrounds showing dramatic improvement or for students from any background achieving in the top ten percent of state tests.

Jones, located at 606 S. State St., has 740 students, 80% of whom are people of color, 60% of whom are low income, and ten percent of whom are special education students. For more information call (773) 534-8600.