Holy Family schedules benefit dinner

Holy Family parish will continue its 150th anniversary celebration with a holiday dinner dance on Saturday, Dec. 8, in its newly restored Damen Hall, 1080 W. Roosevelt Rd. A parish committee headed by Jane Justic of the Near South Side, Jerry Hossli of the Taylor St. community, and Nancy Candice of Dearborn Park is organizing the event.

The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a liturgy in Holy Family Church followed by a reception at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and dancing with the band Sway Chicago begins at 8 p.m.

During the liturgy, the church will present its Founders’ Award to Mary Jo and Richard Barry, who played critical roles in the Holy Family Preservation Society’s success in saving the church from demolition and restoring it to service, and to Betty and Sam Parker, who have worked with the Holy Family Gospel Choir for more than three decades. Sam Parker directs the choir, and Betty works with him; Mary Jo and Richard Barry have volunteered as media relations coordinators since the late 1980s.

            “We’re pleased to honor two wonderful families whose energy and enthusiasm have contributed much to the life of Holy Family Parish," said the Rev. Jerry J. Boland, parish administrator. "Thanks to the efforts of the Barry and Parker families, together with so many others who have responded with time, talent, and treasure, we’re enjoying a wonderful new beginning in this historic parish."

            Proceeds from the ball will support the parish’s community outreach and service programs, especially the food pantry, which serves many needy people on the West Side.

            Tickets cost $100 per person; tables of ten cost $800. Reservations can be made at Holy Family Parish, 1080 West Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL 60608. For more information visit www.holyfamilychurchchicago.info or call (773) 445-2213. 

Design students get scholarships

The American Society of Interior Designers-Illinois Chapter (ASIDIL) announced three winners of the Richard R. Smith Memorial Scholarship. Full-time design students Jennifer Jimenez and Megan Lopez from Harrington College of Design and Tyson Schrock from the Illinois Institute of Art Chicago each received $1,000 to offset fees for tuition, books, and supplies for the current school year.

“The judges were impressed with the skill level Jennifer, Megan, and Tyson demonstrated in their applications and are very excited to welcome them as professional interior designers in the near future,” said James Landa, ASID-IL chapter president.

ASID-IL offers Find A Designer, a free online service that lets consumers and business professionals search for interior designers. Available at www.FindADesigner-IL.com  , the site allows visitors to preview profiles of ASID-IL designers before contacting them for a project interview. For more information about ASID-IL, visit www.asidillinois.com
or call (312) 467-5080.

 

Healthy trees inexplicably cut down

A case of deciduous disappearance has a South Loop resident trying to detect a reason for the malfeasance.

            Three trees were chopped down at the southeast corner of 18th Street and Michigan Avenue in late October, Alejandro Clavier said.

            “I am upset that this happened,” Clavier said. “It is just completely incorrect.” He said the trees were perfectly healthy. He enjoyed viewing them from his balcony—until the day they disappeared.

            He called Ald. Bob Fioretti’s (2nd Ward) office, and an aide to the Alderman told him new trees would be planted. “They did not give me a reason why they were cut,” Clavier said.

            A Fioretti aide told the Gazette the office knew nothing about the trees being cut down and referred the call to the City Bureau of Forestry. A forestry spokesperson found no records of any trees being chopped down at that location.

            --Susan S. Stevens

 

Fosco Park event draws 600 youths

About 600 young people recently attended a Stop the Violence rally that included a peaceful hip-hop dance competition at Fosco Park, 1312 S. Racine Ave.

            “We had not one single incident of violence,” said Br. Byron Dickens, CEO of Acknowledged Youth of the Future, one of the organizations sponsoring the Nov. 3 event. A previous dance competition at the park ended with a fight, so Dickens and the other organizers were pleased this one went off without a hitch.

            The dance contest was a citywide event, but sponsors want to provide additional constructive activities specifically for Near West Side youths, Dickens said. They plan to form a committee to work on youth issues, including finding summer jobs.

            Operation Good Grades, a basketball program at the park; Fade 2 Black, a local dance group; 100 Men Standing from the Cabrini-Green neighborhood; Lil’ Days Productions; Alderman Bob Fioretti of the 2nd Ward; and ABLA Homes Local Advisory Council President Deverra Beverly were among the event’s other participants.

            -- Susan S. Stevens

 

New location, hours for Sen. Raoul

State Senator Kwame Raoul (13th) has opened a new district office at 5210 S. Harper Ave., Suite D, Chicago, IL 60615, (773) 363-1996, raouldistrictstaff@sbcglobal.net.

            The office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

            "Because my schedule changes quickly due to legislative demands, the times that I will personally be in the Chicago office will vary," Raoul said, noting he hopes to be in the office Monday mornings and the second Saturday of each month. To reserve time with him, call Olive Waugh in Raoul's district office.

            In conjunction with County Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr., Raoul recently opened a separate political and community office across the court from his district office.

            "My vision is to share this space with the community in order to make it an active and open setting for community meetings," Raoul said, adding that several organizations already have reserved his community room for meetings. "If your endeavor can positively impact the greater community, I hope you will consider this space as a possible venue," he said.

 

Roosevelt elects five new trustees

Roosevelt University has elected five new members to its board of trustees. Steven H. Abbey was elected as a public trustee, Sharon H. Grant and Samuel Rosenberg were elected as faculty trustees, and Candice M. Norris and Brian A. Bellows were elected as student trustees.

"Each of our new trustees is dedicated to the mission and strategic goals of Roosevelt University," Board Chair James J. Mitchell III said. "I look forward to their active participation in university activities."

Abbey is senior vice president and group sales manager of JP Morgan Chase.

Grant is associate professor and chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning in Roosevelt University's College of Education. She holds a PhD from the University of Illinois at
Chicago.

Rosenberg is professor of economics and director of the Roosevelt Scholars Program.

Bellows is studying political science at Roosevelt. He is a member of Roosevelt's Scholars Program and is the public relations officer for Roosevelt's Student Government Association.

Norris is a second year graduate student at Roosevelt in the Clinical Professional Psychology Program, with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. She received a BS degree in psychology from Roosevelt in 2005.

For more information, visit www.roosevelt.edu or call (312) 341-3500. The campus is located at 430 S. Michigan Ave.