Issues
Raising Kind Kids: How family volunteering inspires lifelong giving
By Katie Bolinger As mimics, children often mirror the behavior of their elders, so parents play a crucial role in fostering a child’s desire to give back. Children who see their parents actively volunteering are more likely to follow suit. Leading by example helps kids grow into compassionate, engaged adults who continue contributing to their…
Read MoreYear-End Giving: Charitable contributions during the holiday season
By Dave McGowan In the last issue, I reported that more than $557 billion was estimated to be contributed to charitable organizations in 2023. Do you know that much of that giving was contributed in the last quarter of the year? Why do people give then? Well, the December 31 deadline to record gifts for…
Read MoreA New Dock: Chicago Boat Show finds new location in Rosemont
By Anna Hughes Chicago’s biggest boat show is moving out of Chicago. Luckily for boaters and loyal show attendees, it’s not moving far. The 93rd Discover Boating Chicago Boat Show will return on January 8-12, 2025, in its debut at Donald E. Stephens Convention & Conference Center in Rosemont. For almost a century, this show…
Read MoreWhen the Person in the Mirror is No Longer You
Claudine was 49 when she started working in the public eye as a community service officer. Years of sun exposure, gravity, diet, and various other factors started to show in her appearance. One day, she glanced into her squad car mirror and realized that the person she saw on the outside no longer reflected who…
Read MoreThe Fairmount Ave. Soap Box Derby
It’s all downhill for this Randall Park neighborhood tradition By Maureen Callahan It’s kind of a slice of Americana,” laughed Chris Mac-Kenna when he described Fairmount Avenue’s annual Soap Box Derby. It’s almost like a throwback in time. Picture a neighborhood in 1955. Neighbors socialize up and down the street while kids race down the…
Read MoreKidpreneur: A goal becomes a reality for Henry Casson
By Chuck Fieldman Henry Casson may only be a 9-year-old fourth-grader. But that hasn’t prevented the Downers Grove resident from already being able to add “entrepreneur” to his life experiences. Henry’s mother, Kelly Casson, said her son’s interest in running a business goes back to late 2022 when he became very interested in vending machine…
Read MoreBringing Hollywood Home
The Martin brothers returned to Downers Grove to share their film with local viewers By Valerie Hardy Three brothers who grew up in Downers Grove before heading to Hollywood were recently back in town for a special screening of their feature film, Bolt from the Blue. The Martin brothers attended the Chicago premiere of the…
Read More65 & Still Serving
The Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club celebrates a milestone anniversary and its founder By Valerie Hardy | Photography by Carolina Menapace On Sept. 24, Emmett’s private party space – aptly named the Founder’s Room – was packed with women who were pretty in pink. None more so than Shirley Tolbert, however. Tolbert was the guest of…
Read MoreDr. Dieter Gruen: Manhattan Project Scientist
Manhattan Project Scientist stresses the importance of always moving forward By Maureen Callahan When people ask Dr. Dieter Gruen, famed Manhattan Project scientist and Downers Grove resident, the secret of living to the age of 101 years, the answer is simple – “a sense of wonder,” he knows. In more than ten decades of life,…
Read MoreHope After Heartache
The EM5 Fly High Foundation spreads kindness and joy in memory of Evan Melau By Valerie Hardy When Evan Melau was fatally struck by a vehicle while riding his bike, his family, friends, family friends, friends’ families, classmates, teammates, and many others were grief-stricken. The loss of such a vibrant 15-year-old devastated the community, a…
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