DG In Every Issue
DuPagePads Interim Housing Center A Pioneering Model to End Homelessness
The first in Illinois, and one of the first in the United States, Downers Grove is home to an innovative solution to end homelessness. For 40 years, DuPagePads has sought to end homelessness by utilizing the support of the surrounding communities. Now, DuPagePads has centralized services at the Interim Housing Center, known affectionately as the…
Read MoreKendall Gretsch at the Paris Games
Hometown Paralympian brings home the silver medal By Maureen Callahan Downers Grove native Kendall Gretsch has a strength few possess. This Team USA member has medaled in both the summer and winter Paralympic Games. As a biathlete (winter games – Nordic skiing and shooting) as well as a triathlete (summer games – swimming, cycling and…
Read MoreStopping Traffic and Starting the Day
Crossing guard Maureen Brdlik has been crossing families for 31 years and counting By Marty Blader For kids, the morning rush is the period from when your alarm goes off to the first chimes of the school bell. On a good day, you have enough time to drink the remnants of cereal and milk from…
Read MoreDuPagePads Drive for 55
A race to end homelessness puts the ‘fun’ in fundraising By Maureen Callahan For more than three decades, DuPagePads has been bringing people in from outside to assist unsheltered persons on a path out of homelessness. The organization makes clients feel wanted and welcome while they work to create a change in their circumstances. Each…
Read MoreRiding Into the Wind
Rest In Peace, George the Cyclist By Maureen Callahan Every life is validated by purpose. For avid cyclist George Christensen – writer, movie buff, and afficionado of Carnegie Libraries across the country – what mattered most in life happened on a bike. Tragically, Christensen passed away in April as a truck fatally struck him at…
Read MoreSuperintendent’s Path to Leading District 99
Looking back on how Dr. Hank Thiele’s past has prepared him to lead By Marty Blader Boy and Girl Scouts of America are equipped with the motto “Be Prepared,” which encourages the idea of readiness in both the mind and body. Little did Superintendent Dr. Hank Thiele know, as an Eagle Scout, that this phrase…
Read MoreDiving For Dreams
Oak Brook resident builds career, pursues dreams at Brookfield Zoo Chicago By Anna Hughes | Photos courtesy of the Brookfield Zoo Chicago For most people, the dolphin show at Brookfield Zoo Chicago is entertaining. Captivating. Majestic. For Tim Sullivan, it was life-changing. Sullivan was 17 years old the first time he saw the show. He…
Read MoreSplash from the past: 70 years in the community.
A reflection of the Downers Grove Swim and Racquet Club as it celebrates By Marty Blader In 1954, the first Burger King opened in Miami building the foundation for one of America’s most beloved fast-food chains. This same year, on the opposite coast, the towers of the Sleeping Beauty Castle were being built to soon…
Read MoreA Full Plate: Bales Metal Surface Solutions celebrates four and a half decades
By Maureen Callahan We kind of live in an episode of How It’s Made,” jokes Stacey Bales, President of Bales Metal Surface Solutions, when she describes her family business. The Downers Grove based metal finishing company has been a fixture in the Belmont Avenue industrial corridor since Stacey’s father, Steve Bales, started it in 1978,…
Read MoreDanny Mucciolo completed a rare feat: running all six World Marathon Majors
By Valerie Hardy For Danny Mucciolo, becoming a marathon runner happened by accident. He literally took a couple wrong turns. Mucciolo, a seven-year Downers Grove resident, formerly lived in Arizona. One day he went running and lost track of his whereabouts. Upon regaining his sense of direction and finding his way home, he realized he…
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