Big Shoulders Fund, Brother Rice High School are honorees for South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade
The annual Irish heritage celebratory parade, which will step off at noon on March 16 at103rd and Western in Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood, chose the Big Shoulders Fund as grand marshal and the Mount Sion Program as honoree for 2025.
'This year, both the grand marshal and honoree organizations align with our longstanding focus of faith, family and community,' said Marianne Rowan Leslie, chair of the South Side Irish St Patrick's Day Parade Committee.
Both honorees work to provide additional support for Catholic school students in the Chicago area.
The South Side Irish Parade is the largest community based St. Patrick's Day Parade outside of Ireland, according to organizers. The Ronald McDonald House was grand marshal of the 2024 Irish parade that also honored Chicago senior living facility Smith Village.
Wednesday's ceremony in the Brother Rice High School gymnasium kicked off with a procession including students from Chicago area Catholic schools supported by the Big Shoulders Fund, which provides scholarships and other educational resources to students in underserved communities.
A bagpipe musician from the Chicago Stockyard Kilty Band led the students as they marched to the front of the gym, holding banners from Walter St. Benedict School, St. Margaret of Scotland School, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Annunciata School.
The ceremony's student-focused theme continued with a choir performance from St. Francis de Sales High School students, proud parents looking on from rows of metal folding chairs.
The Big Shoulders Fund, which was honored first with its green and gold commemorative banner, serves more than 20,000 students and 72 schools in the Chicago region and in recent years expanded to northwest Indiana, serving about 20 schools and 6,000 students there, according to the organization's website.
A major goal of the nonprofit is to help inner-city Catholic schools stay open, believing that when a Catholic school closes, the surrounding area experiences more violence and less social cohesion.
While the Big Shoulders Fund has been supporting students and schools since 1986, Brother Rice High School only recently launched its Mount Sion Program aimed at providing personalized attention to students with moderate cognitive disabilities or significant learning disabilities.
Mount Sion students are taught in small groups for core subjects such as English and math, but join other students for elective, theology and social studies classes, according to the Brother Rice High School website. In those classes, they are supported academically and socially included by peer mentors.
Peer mentors and high school seniors Colin Dickman and JD Maloney said their participation in the program has been fulfilling as they work to promote inclusion and acceptance among the larger student body.
'Kind of just pushing them to get involved with the other guys in their class, helping them interact and do their best,' Dickman said about the four students he's mentored since the program started during his junior year.
'They never fail to put a smile on my face,' Dickman said.
The parade queen will be announced at a fundraising event that runs from 3 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 22 at 115 Bourbon St., Chicago, with tickets costing $50 at the door. More information is available on the parade's website, www.SouthsideIrishParade.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Press
a day ago
- American Press
William 'Billy Bob' Robert Clifton
William Robert Clifton, 'Billy Bob' to most, was called home on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. In his 74 years, he held many titles, son, brother (or Bubba), cousin, husband, dad, Poppa, Great Poppa, uncle, Godfather, and last but certainly not least, friend. Born and raised, almost exclusively in DeQuincy, La., he carried on the family tradition in the railroad industry as a locomotive engineer for the KCS Railroad. He enjoyed sports, good food, and travel, all things made better by the company of loved ones and friends. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Robert and Lena Clifton, in addition to numerous other family members and friends. His beaming smile and blue eyes will be fond memories of those who knew and loved him. In keeping with Catholic tradition, a Requiem Mass will be held at Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic Church in DeQuincy, La. on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, at 11 a.m., with Father Luis Tigga officiating. Visitation will be at the church beginning at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday until the Rosary at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Mass at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Perkins Cemetery in DeQuincy, La. 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.' -2 Timothy 4:7-8 Services entrusted to Jordan and Amanda Mothershed with Hixson-Snider Funeral Home. Words of comfort may be shared with the family at
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Man Opens Whiskey Saved 17 Years—Instantly Learns Hard Lesson
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. A man who saved a bottle of whiskey for 17 years was left disappointed when he finally opened it, only to discover the cork had completely disintegrated. The Reddit user, u/Prestigious_Owl_549, shared the story of what happened when they decided to open a long-forgotten bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old. His post quickly gained attention on Reddit, where it resonated with other whiskey lovers. "Important lesson that I learned—the value of things changes over time. What was once very precious or hard to get, may have held a special place in our hearts/minds, may not really be that great once we go on and explore more or as we grow older," he told Newsweek. The poster said that the whiskey had originally been a gift from a colleague in 2008, when he was managing a team of engineers during a demanding project at a major IT company. After years of working long hours together, one of their team members gave them the bottle as a gesture of gratitude and friendship. At the time, it was one of the most-premium whiskeys he owned, so he chose to save it for a special occasion. A new bottle retails at around $74, but the value increases as it ages. As the years went by, the poster's financial situation improved, and their taste in whiskey evolved, with their collection expanding to include single malts, Irish whiskeys, bourbons, and bottles such as Dalwhinnie 15, Bruichladdich Classic Laddie, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, and Blue Label. The once-cherished Green Label ended up pushed to the back of their bar. Recently, as he reflected on middle age and the habit of saving things for later, the poster decided that "later" had finally arrived. He took the Green Label out, but when he tried to open it, the cork crumbled in their hands. Half of it lodged in the bottle neck, and attempts to remove it only made matters worse, leaving bits of cork floating in the whiskey. In the end, he had to strain the entire bottle through a sieve and transfer it into an empty Glenfiddich bottle. Despite the ordeal, the poster admitted the whiskey itself was still nice, though he weren't sure it had been worth saving for nearly two decades. Reflecting on the experience, he said he learned some important lessons: bottles should be rotated or stored on their side occasionally to keep corks hydrated; and people shouldn't wait for special occasions to enjoy what he has. A split image of the corked whiskey bottle standing on a counter top. A split image of the corked whiskey bottle standing on a counter top. Prestigious_Owl_549/Prestigious_Owl_549 Other Reddit users were quick to weigh in with advice and reassurance. "I see no problem, you fixed it already," one commenter said. Another posted: "Simply rotating the bottle vertically to soak the cork for a few seconds every few weeks is enough to preserve the cork." Some offered practical solutions for next time. "This happens frequently with old wine bottles (and just the random bad luck). If you don't already have one get an Ah-So wine opener … Always keep some coffee filters on hand, and then decant the wine/whiskey into a new bottle to filter out any cork bits that fall down into the bottle," one user advised. Another added: "A wine bottle corkscrew pops these right out. If a piece breaks off it's not a big deal." Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@ and they could appear on our site.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Gathering of Marmion Class of 1965 grads makes memories come alive
Three years ago, I took a walk down memory lane in this space, and invited about three generations of men to travel with me to remember the old Marmion Academy Lake Street Campus in Aurora. The all-boys Catholic high school, then known as Marmion Military Academy, operated on the corner of North Lake Street and West Illinois Avenue from 1933 until 1971, when it merged with the residential campus on Butterfield Road. Vivid memories of the old location live on for many grads of the campus that today is the home of the Prisco Community Center of the Fox Valley Park District. Many of those memories came alive again recently when nine members of the Class of 1965 attended their 60th class reunion at the academy. I was fortunate to join my classmates Tony Johnson, Bill Loftus, Tom Huberty, Bob Weber, Bob Woodrick, Gael Brewbaker, Dan Fox and Marty Cavato for an evening of renewed friendships and storytelling. Although there were many fun remembrances of the Lake Street Campus days and it was still very nice to see old friends, the 60th reunion seemed to be different from reunions of previous decades. We lost three of our classmates soon after graduation as a result of the war in Vietnam, and have lost many others along the way. It was, after all, a gathering of 78-year-old men who could not quite believe that 60 years had gone by so quickly. Our group of nine attendees represented a class of 168 young men. We remembered our living classmates who could not attend, but tried not to forget our friends who have passed away. They were an important part of our lives, and we had spent 12 years together in Catholic schools with some of them. Conversations became more about careers, retirement, spouses, kids and grandkids, and less about the fun times of 60-plus years ago. Short discussions of various medical issues were of course included but, thankfully, none about politics. This reunion was different, but in a good way in my opinion. The great Chicago columnist, Mike Royko, would frequently write about 'complaints and great thoughts from readers.' In that spirit, I asked several of my classmates for some of their 'great thoughts' about the six decades of our lives since we parted in 1965. These are samples of some of their reflections: 'The greatest change over the last 60 years has certainly been technological, but societal change has been most dramatic.' 'Sadly, we are seeing Catholic schools that were built to serve growing enrollments in the 1960s now sitting empty and shuttered.' 'I'm much less optimistic about the future of our society than I'm sure my parents were at a similar age.' 'When I drive past the playgrounds where we played endless summers of ball games, they are abandoned and lonely looking.' 'I see too much egoism and greed these days, and not sufficient concern for the common good.' 'My kids experienced more world travel before they reached age 30 than I have in my entire life. Not because they were wealthy, but because of their expertise and talents.' One classmate listed 'things a suburban 1965 grad could never imagine he would see 60 years later': 'More women than men would be graduating from college.' 'Smoking would be banned inside buildings, airplanes and even outdoor venues.' 'The Catholic Church would elect Polish, German and American popes.' 'Middle-income American families would typically have a car that cost over $50,000, and often two such cars.' 'There would be five presidential elections in a row, and the winners would have no military service.' 'West Point would begin accepting female cadets in 1976, and Marmion Academy would do the same a brief 50 years later.' A 'reality check' happened for me in the days following the recent class reunion when the concept of 60 years really began to hit home. The guys who live in my memory as strong, young teenagers (many of whom were star athletes and seemingly indestructible) are now much older men. Many of them have grandchildren, and some have great- grandchildren. Many have had difficult lives, and almost one-fourth of them have passed away according to the published alumni guide. Our elementary and high school friends, living and deceased, were and are important to our lives. Away from the classroom, we learned important life lessons from one another without actually realizing it. We learned to get along, and as much as some of us disliked it at the time, the military environment of Marmion Academy probably helped us with some of those life lessons. Reminisce with some of your oldest friends and make an effort to reunite with others while you and they are still able. You were important to one another, and you may find that those relationships are still rewarding.
