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Chicago Tribune
12 hours ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Around the Southland: Smith Village goes to the dogs, Metra station projects begin, more
Special education students at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and Smith Village in Chicago recently teamed up for an event made for dogs. Four independent living residents brought their dogs for a tasting event at Smith Village to showcase that its store is the first to sell dog treats made by the ag students. The treats, available in different shapes, include eggs and honey collected at the school's farm. Residents Theresa Boone and Barb Graber, Smith Village sous chef IsaGani Alma and 19th Ward Alderman Matt O'Shea judged the contest, with the dogs earning blue ribbons. Residents Beth O'Grady and Dave Degnan gave each student a Special Olympics-style medal and their teacher, Anne Brown, a trophy for the class. O'Grady and Degnan began selling the dog treats at the store after visiting a class. Metra has broken ground on two commuter train station projects in the area: 95th Street/Chicago State University Station on the Metra Electric Line and the 115th Street/Morgan Park Station on the Rock Island line. The $8.69 million project to improve the 115th Street/Morgan Park Station will create a new plaza and widewalks, replace existing platform shelters and work to resolve stormwater issues, as well as resurfacing two parking areas and adding lighting. 'An overall $10 million investment in this project from Gov. Pritzker's Rebuild Illinois capital program will improve transit access and quality of life in one of Chicago's great neighborhoods as well as strengthen transportation across the region,' Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi shared in a news release. The 95th Street/Chicago State University Station project includes building a new street-level entrance on 95th Street with a new storefront, elevator and enclosed entrance area, replacing the existing platform and stairs and headhouse, building a new CSU campus headhouse, and creating a walkway and bike lane that connects a new community parking lot and tunnel entrance. Work is expected to be completed in late 2027. 'No matter their zip code, all Chicagoans deserve reliable and accessible public transit to get to school, get to work and more easily move throughout Chicagoland,' Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who co-sponsored the federal All Stations Accessibility Program that is helping to fund the rehabilitation, noted in a news release. The annual street fair in Hickory Hills marks its 45th year this summer. The event takes place 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 29 on Roberts Road between 95th and 91st streets. The family-friendly event includes a car show, food trucks, crafters, bingo from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., karaoke from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and inflatable rides. The Hickory Hills Park District sponsored the bounce house and outdoor games and activities. A live concert in the beer garden the night before kicks off the event, with music from the Ranger Band from 7 to 10 p.m. June 28. On the day of the festival, Rock 'n Roll Ray performs from 4 to 7 p.m. June 29 in the beer garden. Information is at City Hall at 708-598-4800. Legacy Ranch recently received a $9.750 check from members of 100+ Women Who Care of Will County, a philanthropic group founded by local women interested in supporting their communities by donating to charities as a group to boost the impact of a donation. The nonprofit organization provides equine-assisted services to people facing developmental, emotional or physical challenges, aiming to offer an inclusive environment for individuals to build confidence, improve their well-being and overcome challenges with the help of the healing power of horses. 'The donation will allow us to further our mission of supporting anyone who reaches out to us and to expand our programs to serve even more individuals in our community,' Executive Director Kate Rasmussen shared in a news release. The women meet quarterly and pitch charities to support, with members writing a $100 check on the spot to the winning organization. The group's next meeting is 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at Coom's Corner in Lockport. Information is at Students at area Catholic schools recently banded together to help children and families served by Franciscan Health Olympia Fields. Infant Jesus of Prague School in Flossmoor students raised money via a penny drive, bringing in jars of pennies and sabotaging other groups by adding silver change to their jars. The $350 raised helped buy supplies such as toys to outfit a pediatric sensory room at the new Franciscan Health Outpatient Therapy Homewood. Interim Principal Charlotte Kelly is a member of the Franciscan Health Foundation Board of Directors and the Circle of 1875, an organization of women who support Franciscan's programs and missions in the community. The circle chose to support the therapy site as its first project in 2004 but funds fell short. Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights also contributed to that site, with student council members selling cookies and raising $1,000 to buy toys. Students at St. Agnes School in Chicago Heights raised $1,400 with help from their families and friends for babies and new mothers in need served by the hospital. The Franciscan Health Foundation accepts contributions online at or by calling 708-852-2430. Tickets are on sale now for the annual Southside Summer Festival presented by Marist High School from 4 to 10 p.m. July 19 at the stadium, 4030 W. 115th St., Chicago. Poi Dog Pondering will headline the event, and Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root will be the opening act. Red Pop Fury also will perform. Attendees may bring blankets to sit on the floor. No outside food or beverages allowed. Tickets for the event, open to those 21 and older, cost $35 before July 18 or $40 at the door. Limited VIP tickets cost $150 and include beverages and light food. Buy tickets at or via the 'GoFan' app. The festival will be a cashless event; credit cards, debit cards and Venmo will be accepted. All money raised supports scholarships and financial aid for current and future Marist students.
Chicago Tribune
11-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
‘All mothers sacrifice': Despite hardship, my mom made sure I had the things that really matter
The other day, my mom asked me to look over a letter from Social Security. She will be 61 soon and has to decide when she'll retire. The document they sent contained her estimated benefits at various ages and a summary of her past wages. I knew our financial circumstances were tough when I was growing up. We were a frijoles and rice family, never owned a home and couldn't afford vacations. But the Social Security letter laid it out so clearly it hit me like a tariff. From 1991 to 2000, my mom earned $43,083. Not per year, total. From 2001 to 2005, she made $37,292 total. We didn't have a lot of money and I often wanted more than what we had. But somehow, she made it work. My mother, Alicia, was born in San Jose de Gracia, Michoacan, a small town near the center of Mexico. She was the fifth of nine children and one of only two who graduated from high school. Her father was a bricklayer, farmer and laborer. Her mother raised the children. Mom's three older brothers left Mexico for work in the United States and she followed them to South Chicago, where the family settled. One brother worked as a butcher. The others went to factories. Over time, the brothers started a landscaping business but went their separate ways. Mom and Dad met at a local corner store, married and divorced. Dad had substance abuse issues and moved away before I started school, leaving Mom to raise me. My uncles helped support us. But she had to get a job to help herself. She waited tables at several Mexican restaurants. She also worked heavier jobs, including a stint packing disposable cups on an assembly line. Sometimes she would collect cans to turn in to an aluminum recycler for change, which they would pay by the pound. She would put a little dirt inside the cans before she crushed them to eke out an extra penny or two. My mom turned down evening and overnight jobs because she wanted to be home before it got dark, to make sure I wasn't getting into trouble with gangs. She didn't complain much, but I knew work was a constant struggle. I recall one hard day after she had lost a job: She was crying. Bills don't stop coming because a factory skipped town. I offered to drop out from high school to get a job. A lot of Mexican American children leave school to get jobs and help their families. She didn't entertain the idea and wouldn't even let me get a part-time job for fear I would lose focus on my education. That was always top of mind. To her, the best investment she could make was keeping me in school. That is the most important gift anyone has given me, even if it's something other families may take for granted. When we moved to the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village, she wanted me to attend Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy, a magnet school with a lottery system. Years later, the principal told me how impressed she was by my mom, who came in to tell her how important it was for me to go there. Mom later enrolled me at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood, a unique and excellent school where I worked with farm animals in my electives. I loved the Far Southwest Side school, but it was tough. I would take a bus, train and then another bus to get there, making it difficult to spend too much time with friends and socialize. I remember hanging with a group of kids at the local McDonald's but pretending not to be hungry because I didn't have cash. Mom tried her best to provide entertainment. We had a Toys R Us store nearby and on the weekend we would walk over to check out the action figures. She would take the little remaining money she had and buy me Stone Cold Steve Austin or Mick Foley wrestling toys to stage pretend fights like a little promoter. They weren't super expensive, but I know now it was a financial pressure that she didn't need. Sitting at the kitchen table the other day, eating chicharrones in green salsa, I asked her about being poor. 'We come into this world without clothes, so everything after is a win,' she said. Unlike me, she doesn't love attention, so she demurred when I told her how much I appreciate everything she's done for me. 'All mothers sacrifice,' she said. Her simple approach to life is a good reminder of what matters. I do adequate financially. (Editors might read this column and think I'm overpaid.) I like to have a good night out. But I've internalized some financial lessons too. My favorite sweater is 20 years old. I'm happy to wear sneakers until small holes become big holes. I think it keeps me grounded. My mom does a little better today than she did when I was a child. She's worked at the same factory for nearly 20 years, by far the longest stint in her life. The women at the factory love each other but they also fight like hell, sometimes over nonsense. (That happens in journalism too.) All of that is good. Her hands hurt and she's tired after all those years of hard labor. That part is bad. Life gives and takes, always. She's generous with the little money she makes, giving weekly to her church and donating to cancer hospitals or animal welfare organizations. As an only child, I help support her. We go to church on Sundays, share meals and talk. Last year, she told me she wanted to go to Rome for her first trip anywhere aside from Mexico. She's sad about Pope Francis' death but excited to visit the Vatican on this church trip. I'm excited to be able to help her see more of the world and I view it as a chance to also celebrate her. Our former pastor, Walter Yepes, gives a yearly sermon about Mother's Day in which he says, 'Every day should be the day of the mother.' I agree.
