By Vivian Malli
SPACE ESSAY CONTEST
The Adler Planetarium and ComEd have announced the
second annual Shoot for the Moon essay contest for eighth graders.
Essays must be no more than 200 words and should explain how students’
lessons in science classes and everyday life will help them with a career in
space exploration. The grand prize winner will receive a one-week trip to
Space Camp in Alabama, and the top essay writers will win family memberships
to the Adler Planetarium. Students can sign up for the contest at
www.ComEd.com/moon. Entries must be postmarked by Saturday, March 15.
CAF EXHIBIT
The Chicago Architecture Foundation,
224 S. Michigan Ave., features a new, free
exhibit on historic preservation.
Do We Dare Squander Chicago’s Great
Architectural Heritage? runs through Friday, May 9. Call (312)
922-3432.
CITY COUNCIL TO
MEET
Come see all 50 of Chicago's aldermen as they debate and vote on issues
facing the city on Wednesday, Mar. 12, at 10 a.m. The Chicago City
Council meets in the council chambers on the 2nd floor of City
Hall, located at 121 N. LaSalle St. For more information, log on to
www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/calendar.html.
CHM ROUND-UP
The Chicago History Museum (CHM), 1601 N. Clark St., opens
the exhibit Catholic Chicago on Saturday, Mar. 8, to explore the city from
the Catholic community’s perspective, including how being Catholic in
Chicago has transformed over time and how it has shaped the city’s urban
landscape. Call (312) 642-4600.
The film Inquiring Nuns will be shown Sunday, Mar. 9, at 1:30 p.m., immediately followed by a discussion with the film’s directors. The film is free with museum admission.
CHM explores the American presidency on the Tuesdays of Mar. 11, 18, and 25 at 7 p.m. Cost is $10, $8 for members, per program.
50% OFF COM ED
Until Tuesday, April 15, Chicago Housing Authority (CHA)
residents who owe Com Ed $500 or less on their December bills can have their
account cleared by paying half of what they owe. Com Ed and the CHA will pay
the other half, and all finance charges will be forgiven. CHA residents can
use their own money to pay the bill; they also can use money from other
utility help programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
funded by the federal and state governments, which provides a limited amount
of money on a first-come, first-served basis. Call (800)
571-CEDA.
BLIND SUPPORT
The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired,1850
W. Roosevelt Rd., won a $480,000 grant from the
McCormick Tribune Foundation for its Birth to Three program and its
adaptive technology service programs for youth who are blind or visually
impaired. Call (312) 666-1331.
PARK ROUND-UP
The Chicago Park District celebrates Easter at local
parks.
Skinner Park, 1331 W. Adams St., will host a free Easter egg hunt for children ages three to 12 on Saturday, Mar. 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Photos cost $1. Call (312) 746-5560.
Armour Square Park, 3309 S. Shields Ave., will hold an Easter egg hunt open to all ages on Saturday, Mar. 8, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $8. Call (312) 747-6012. Sheridan Park, 910 S. Aberdeen St., will host a free Easter Egg hunt for all ages on Saturday, Mar. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (312) 746-5369.
Children ages six to 12 can join a free Easter egg hunt on Friday, Mar. 21, at Wentworth Gardens, 3770 S. Wentworth Ave., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (312) 747-6996. Taylor-Lauridsen Park, 647 W. Root St., will host a free Easter egg hunt for children ages six to ten on Friday, Mar. 21, from 4 to 6 p.m. Call (312) 747-6729.
The 5th Annual Spring Egg-Stravaganza will be held at Soldier Field Stadium, 1410 S. Museum Campus Dr., on Saturday, Mar. 15. Have brunch and photos with the Easter Bunny at Soldier Field’s Cadillac Club from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Cost for the brunch is $15 for adults, $10 for children younger than ten, and free for children younger than three with a paying adult. Brunch reservations are mandatory and must be made by Friday, Mar. 14, by calling (312) 235-7669. The first 3,000 children who participate in the 10 a.m. to noon candy grab will receive a commemorative wooden egg. Park in the Waldron Garage for $10 and enter the stadium on the south end at Gate O. Call (312) 235-7000.
LIBRARY ROUND-UP
The Chicago Public Library Harold Washington Library
Center, 400 S. State St., will present a free Law at the Library
lecture, Buying and Selling a Home, on Monday, Mar. 24, at 12:15 p.m.
A teen book discussion will be held Thursday, Mar. 27, at 4:30 p.m. in Room
7N-5. Call (312) 747-4300.
CPS ROUNDUP
Parents or community representatives interested in running for
their local Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Local School
Councils must submit their candidate nomination forms by Wednesday, Mar. 12,
to their schools of interest. To run, parents must have a child attending
the school of interest, and community residents must live within the
school's attendance area. Call (773) 553-1620 for more information.
CPS has converted the following existing schools into community centers in the hours before and after school: Jones College Prep, 606 S. State St; Overton Elementary, 221 E. 49th St.; Medill Elementary, 1301 W. 14th St.; and Tilden Career Community High School, 4747 S. Union Ave. These community schools now offer extended hours of normal school operation and social and academic programs held after-school, evenings, and weekends.
CHINESE AT PLAY
The Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St., is
preparing its next exhibition, Chinese at Play: Toys, Games, and Leisure
Activities, and is looking to the public to lend or donate toys and games
that they, their parents, or grandparents played with as children or adults.
Call (312) 949-1000 or e-mail office@ccamuseum.org.
St. Joseph Table & Mass
The Church of Santa Maria Addolorata,
528 N. Ada St, will hold a Mass in honor of St. Joseph on Sunday,
Mar. 9, at 10:30 a.m. followed by a blessing of St. Joseph’s Table in the
Church Hall from noon to 3 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are welcome.
Proceeds go toward the church’s food pantry.
Call (312) 421-3122.
CINEYOUTH FESTIVAL
The CineYouth 2008 Festival invites filmmakers age 20 or younger to submit their films and videos of any genre. Accepted filmmakers will be invited to attend the two-day June festival and watch their films with an audience. An awards ceremony will highlight the winners from each category and give more than $1,000 in prize money along with multiple non-cash prizes to films screened at the festival. Entries must be postmarked by Tuesday, Apr. 1. Visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com or call (312) 683-0121, x117.
CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE
A new City of Chicago ordinance will require motorists to pay a fine of up to $500 for endangering a cyclist. Violations include turning right or left in front of a bicyclist; passing a bicyclist with less than three feet of space; double parking in a marked shared lane, and opening a door into the path of a bicyclist. The ordinance also raises the fine for parking or driving in a bike lane from $100 to $150.
FORECLOSURE ASSISTANCE
The City of Chicago’s Home Ownership Preservation Initiative gives
homeowners more time to get help before foreclosure is initiated.
Chicago
residents having trouble paying their mortgages can speak to a financial
counselor by calling 311, the City’s non-emergency number.
DE LA SALLE ROUND-UP
De La Salle Institute freshman Mary De Bartolo was selected to participate in the 2008 Prep Hockey Jamboree held at the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois Center.
Student Megan Koester’s poetry is featured in the 2008 Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence calendar.
DPAC CHOOSES NEW
OFFICERS
The Dearborn Park Advisory Council chose new officers at its Feb.
20 meeting: Jill Jaworski, president; Enrique Perez, vice president; Larry
Young, treasurer; Valerie Antimuro, secretary; and Michael Hernandez, Bonnie
McGrath, and Charles Stevenson, board members.
NEW GRADUATE SCHOOL
DePaul University has launched the School of Public Service,
which offers a master’s/juris doctoral degree in
public service management and graduate degrees in international public
service and health law and policy. Call
(312) 362-5565.
ADDICTION WORKSHOP
The Haymarket Center, 932 W. Washington
Blvd., begins its Saturday series workshops for addiction counselors
with Changing Men’s Narratives in
Early Recovery And Re-Entry on Mar. 8, DUI: Update 2008 on
Mar. 29, and The Intersect of Sexual Trauma and Substance Abuse on Apr. 5.
Workshops run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and participants earn five
continuing education credits per day. Cost is $95 per workshop ($60 for
students and seniors), with lunch and parking included. Group and volume
discounts available. Call (312) 226-7984,
x314.
HELLENIC GRANT
The Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center recently won a
significant grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to support its
programs and activities. The museum breaks ground this spring for a 40,000
square foot facility to house permanent and temporary exhibit spaces, a
library and archival area, a performance theater, an educational center, and
administrative offices. Call (312) 655-1234.
SPRING DINNER
Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3116 S. Racine Ave., will hold a
spring dinner buffet catered by Polonia Catering and Banquets that features
door prizes, a raffle, crafts, and the Easter Bunny on Sunday, Mar. 16,
beginning at 11:45 a.m. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for
children six to 12; children five and younger admitted free. Tickets at the
door cost $2 more. Call (773) 523-3838.
HYDE
PARK ART CENTER ROUND-UP
Families can drop in for free to enjoy art activities and performances for
all ages at the Hyde
Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave.,
Muller Meeting Room, on the second Sunday of every month. This
month’s drop-in date is Mar. 9, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Call
(773) 324-5520.
Children ages 4 and older can explore diverse art media, theater arts, and outdoor play during Spring Break Creativity Camp, Monday through Friday, March 17 to 21 or March 24 to 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All art supplies are included. Cost is $350, $375 non-members. Aftercare from 3 to 5 p.m. is available for $125 per week.
LOW-INTEREST MORTGAGES
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office recently allocated an
additional $280,000 to ShoreBank to provide loans to new and existing
homeowners through the state’s Our Own Home program, which provides
loans to families who do not qualify for conventional mortgages as well as
foreclosure assistance via new, competitive fixed-rate loans to homeowners
in financial distress who are slightly behind on payments. ShoreBank is
located at 3401 S. King Drive. Call (800)
905-7725.
ECONOMICS LECTURE
The Italian American Chamber of Commerce will feature a talk by senior economist Adolfo L. Laurenti of Mesirow Financial entitled Skating on Thin Ice: The Economic Outlook for 2008 on Thursday, Mar. 13, at Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse, 1028 N. Rush St., east room. Cocktails start at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner and the program. Cost is $55 for members, $65 for non-members. Call (312) 553-9137, x11.
ice rink’s
Last Day
The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink remains open through
Sunday, March 16, weather permitting.
MERCY HOSPITAL ROUNDUP
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center's Center for Weight Management will
offer a free seminar on a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to
weight loss on Wednesday, Mar. 12, at 5 p.m. at 2525 S. Michigan Ave., Room
261. Call (312) 567-5555.
Female cancer patients can learn beauty techniques to help cope with skin changes and hair loss by using cosmetics, skin care products, and wigs at Mercy's Look Good, Feel Better workshop on Friday, Mar. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon at 2525 S. Michigan Ave, Family Health Canter Conference Room, 1st floor. Participants will use and take home complimentary cosmetic kits in their appropriate skin tones with helpful instruction booklets. Admission is free, but space is limited. Call (312) 567-7685.
Learn about breastfeeding in a class led by Susan Wilhelm, RN, and Reeva Shulruff, MD, on Wednesday, Mar. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Mercy Medical in Bridgeport building at 3700 S. Wallace Ave. Refreshments will be served. Call (773) 247-1900.
VENTURE SUMMIT
The 2008 Midwest Venture Summit will be held Monday and Tuesday, Mar. 17 and 18, to allow entrepreneurs to meet approximately 100 investors and venture capital firms from 13 states. On Mar. 17, the summit will be held at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center, 450 N. Cityfront Plaza Dr., and on Mar. 18 at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, 301 E. North Water St. Cost is $499 per person. Call (312) 201-2886 or www.midwestventuresummit.com.
NEWBERRY ROUND-UP
The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., will host the 16th annual Mystery and More Book Fair on Friday, Mar. 14, from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Mar. 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. Call (312) 255-3510.
The annual exhibition of Newberry’s recent acquisitions runs Saturday, Mar. 15, through Saturday, May 3, and will display pieces spanning 800 years that include medieval liturgical manuscripts, printed books from the Renaissance, colonial Americana, and contemporary calligraphic pieces.
QUEEN ATHLETES
Queen of Peace High School
students will be honored at the 33rd Girls Catholic Athletic Conference as
2008 Hall of Fame inductees on Sunday, Mar. 16, at Monastero's Ristorante &
Banquets,
3935 W. Devon
Ave. Doors
open at 3 p.m. with a cash bar until 4 p.m., followed by dinner. Cost is $30
per person. Contact Rosaria Cicchetti at (708)
771-8383
or
rcicchetti@Trinityhs.org.
NEW PLAYSPACE
Room2Play, 2255 S. Michigan Avenue, a new children’s play space,
offers an outdoors-in layout, imaginative play stations, and creative
classes for infants to seven-year-olds. Other services are curbside
drop-off, free parking one block away, Parents’ Night Out and Mom’s Night
Out babysitting services, and three birthday party packages. After-school,
school holiday, and summer camp programs are available with sibling
discounts. Ask about Free First Fridays. Call (312) 225-9000.
ROOSEVELT ROUND-UP
Roosevelt University will welcome high school students for a campus
visit day on Saturday, Mar. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the University’s
Chicago campus, 430 S. Michigan Ave. Students and their parents can tour the
university, meet faculty members and admissions representatives, hear from
current students, and enjoy lunch. Call (877)
277-5978.
The annual Mansfield Institute for Social Justice lecture will be presented by Alex Kotlowitz, author of the national bestseller There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America, on Thursday, Mar. 13, at 4:30 p.m. in the university’s 2nd floor Congress Lounge, 430 S. Michigan Ave. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public. Call (312)341-3692.
Lynn Weiner, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been elected to a two-year term as a board member of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences.
University president Chuck Middleton was elected to the American Council on Education (ACE) board of directors, and J. Michael Durnil, vice president for governmental affairs and university outreach and assistant secretary to the board of trustees, was elected to the executive board of the ACE Council of Fellows.
Roosevelt University and its Center for New Deal Studies will mark the 75th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal with a free exhibit of banners about the FDR presidency this month at 430 S. Michigan Ave. Call (312) 341-3724.
NEW RUSH HOSPITAL
Rush University Medical Center will build a $617 million inpatient care facility and advanced emergency response center. To be completed by 2012, the 806,000 square foot east tower will give Rush its first major new hospital facility in more than 25 years. The hospital will be attached to Rush's existing Atrium building at 1650 W. Harrison St. and will occupy vacant land on the west side of Ashland Ave. between Harrison and Congress Pkwy.
Wii/I-POD RAFFLE
Win a Wii or an iPod Nano at one of the many raffles at St. Gabriel
Catholic School’s Breakfast with the Easter
Bunny at 4500 S. Wallace St. on
Sunday, Mar.16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for kids and
seniors. Get four 4x6 pictures for $10 when you pose with the Easter Bunny.
Call (773) 268-6636.
ST. JOSEPH'S AT ST. MARY'S
St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church will
sponsor a St. Joseph Table with homemade Italian delicacies cooked by
parishioners on Sunday, Mar. 9, beginning at noon in the school building,
1040 W. 32nd Pl. Proceeds go toward medical costs for a teenage parishioner
who has leukemia. Tickets are $10 each. Call (773) 927-6646.
UIC ROUND UP
Learn how guerilla marketing can boost your business at Marketing Your Business on a Shoestring Budget, a workshop hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Center for Urban Business on Wednesday, Mar. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. at University Hall, 601 S. Morgan St., 23rd floor, conference room 2350. Cost is $35 before Monday, Mar. 10, or $45 at the door. Call (312) 996-4057.
UIC Soccer and John Trask Total Soccer will join forces for a third consecutive year to offer four weeks of UIC Soccer Day Camp for boys and girls four through 14 at all levels of interest and playing ability and three weeks of UIC Soccer Camp (residential and commuter) for boys 12 through 18 who are serious about perfecting their game through advanced training in a professional/collegiate learning environment. Register online at www.johntrasktotalsoccer.com or call (312) 996-6755.
Peter Doran, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, led his research team on an under-ice test of the NASA-funded robotic probe ENDURANCE (Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer) at Lake Mendota in Wisconsin to determine if the probe can operate in similar icy conditions of Jupiter's moon Europa.
UIC received a $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the impact of anti-smoking television advertising on youth, young adult, and adult smoking behaviors.
Surgeons Enrico Benedetti and Jose Oberholzer removed an 11-pound desmoid tumor from the abdominal cavity of a man and performed a transplant using a segment of his own small intestine rescued during surgery, preserving his ability to eat and digest food.
USA Today honored UIC senior Farah Shareef as one of the top 20 undergraduate academic all-stars by naming her to its All-USA College Academic First Team. Junior Ying (Amy) Ye was named to the Third Team.
WCA VOLUNTEERS
The West Central Association needs volunteers to help with advertising, the program directory, reservations, decorations, and historical profiles and photos for its 90th anniversary celebration in September as the West Loop’s chamber of commerce. Call (312) 902-4922.
WHOLE FOODS ROUNDUP
The South Loop Whole Foods Market, 1101 S. Canal St., presents two free programs on Tuesday, Mar. 11, at 7 p.m. Changing of the Seasons—Changes in our Lives presents integrative holistic therapist and kinesiologist Liat Ben Yakov, who will explain how guided imagery can create change in our lives. Help Heal Mother Earth with Your Thoughts features wellness coach and certified hypnotherapist Gina Orlando, who will teach self-hypnosis techniques. Call (312) 435-4600.
Whole Foods Market and I-Go Car Sharing will host a free wine tasting every Friday in March from 5 to 7 p.m. Besides sampling wines, attendees can sign up for discounted I-Go memberships and win free memberships. Complimentary rides to public transportation and to the University of Illinois at Chicago will be available. Call (773) 269-4018 or log on to www.igocars.org.
PEOPLE
Printers Row resident Rahnee Patrick was one of two recipients of
the 2008 Paul Hearne Award, a national honor presented to leaders in the
disability rights community by the American Association of People with
Disabilities.
Send news of events to be held “around the neighborhood” by the 15th of the month before the month they are to occur to Vivian Malli, Around the Neighborhood,Gazette, 1335 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607-3318, fax (312) 243-4270, or e-mail to pr@nearwestgazette.com.
