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How and why has Redeemer changed its Sunday school? Everyone's habits changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for many, that includes the weekly ritual of attending church, said Kelsey Johnson, associate pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Hinsdale. Church services have long since returned to in-person gatherings that closely resemble those held pre-pandemic, but attendance at Redeemer's THOSE services and Sunday school have not, Johnson said. "It's the story...
The publication of "The Inspiring Story of Café La Fortuna" was intended to coincide with the Hinsdale coffee shop's 10-year anniversary in 2022. The process, however, was a bit more time-consuming than anticipated. "It took us a little longer," owner Angela Lavelli said with a laugh. Lavelli and her co-writer - and daughter - Alejandra Franco will hold a release party for the book from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16, at the Hinsdale Public Library (see Page 24 for details)....
When Jarrar Salam transferred to Hinsdale Central High School from a boarding school in Connecticut, he had never attended a public school before. Compared to his school of 200-some students, his Central seemed huge and overwhelming, Salam said. It was the Ambassadors Club that helped him navigate his new surroundings and to become comfortable as a member of the Red Devil community. Club sponsor Donna Wheeler said about 50 to 60 ambassadors help 60 to 80 new students...
What is the Adult Inter-Faith Fellowship? Ron Hilt felt unwelcome as a boy when his pursuit of childhood pleasures clashed with church dogma. Experiencing ostracism following a divorce also left a bad taste in his mouth. Now retired, the Union Church of Hinsdale member is drawing on those episodes to foster a community where all have a seat at the table. Hilt is among a group that has recast the church's longstanding Men's Club into the monthly Adult Inter-Faith Fellowship, wi...
His years spent growing up in Hinsdale gave Anik Zampini an up-close knowledge of life in the village. His years spent in places around the world showed him that his hometown is a great place to be, to live and to raise a family. Born in Hong Kong and after living in Italy, Nigeria, Thailand, Colombia and Venezuela, Zampini calls Hinsdale home. As a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Realty, his job is to make it home for others, too. "It's a dream come true," Zampini...
What is the Global Climate Strike? Hinsdale Central's Natasha Bhatia watched a biology class documentary sophomore year on ocean acidification, caused by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from human activity. It prompted her own sea change. "That made me realize how severe this problem is, how urgent it is and how little work was being done to resolve it," she said. Two years later, the Red Devil senior is co-head of Fridays For Future Chicago, the local...
There are nearly as many reasons to work out as there are ways to work out. As owner of Spark Fitness in Hinsdale, Ted Dres makes it his job to match up the two for everyone who walks through his doors. After a decade or more offering personal training at clients' homes, Dres purchased Spark Fitness 10 years ago and celebrated the business' 10th anniversary in August. His experience in helping people get fit and stay that way measures more than 20 years. Even before earning hi...
What's important to know about senior living? "Most of us don't want to admit that we need help," said Mary Ferguson, community outreach director for The Birches assisted living and memory care in Clarendon Hills. And the subject of moving into senior living can be a fraught one for adult children to broach with their parents. But better to address it earlier than too late, Ferguson advised. "You do not want to start looking at senior living when you have a crisis," she said....
The Swanson Group of Compass Real Estate was a team long before they sold their first house. "We started dating in high school," said Sarah, who along with husband Michael make up the Swanson Group real estate team. She was Sarah Buddig before marrying fellow Hinsdale Central grad and lifelong Hinsdalean Michael after college. The son of two real estate agents, Michael got his real estate license right after college, while Sarah headed to law school. As Michael's downtown...
What does aviation mean to you? As a boy, Hinsdale's Bob Boutin went on fishing excursions with his father, flying in sea planes to remote sites around the world. Their trip mates would lobby for Bob to sit in the cockpit. "At a very young age, I got involved in seeing the planes and flying, and it kind of caught my interest," Boutin said. This Saturday is Aviation Day, an annual observance on the Aug. 19 birthdate of pioneering pilot Orville Wright. This December will mark...
How can parents help kids get ready for school? The items on a child's classroom supply list often aren't the only things they're carrying back to school. Worries and uncertainties, said psychotherapist Sarah Stukas, can add to a student's back-to-school load, whether they're a kindergartner or a student headed to college. Stukas said a little preparation and a few simple tools and tricks can ease the mental load that can come with a new school year. Stukas is a licensed...
How can people support those who are grieving? Supporting someone who has suffered the loss of a loved one doesn't require grand gestures or eloquent words of condolence. Simply being present for that person can make all the difference, said Linnea Wilson of Hinsdale, a retired Lutheran pastor. "The ministry of presence I think is really important, Wilson said. "Just going and sitting, being there. (Asking) 'Would you like to take a walk? Could we spend some time together?'...
What does a harness horsemen's association do? For 40 years Hinsdale has been home to a nonprofit organization that supports an activity enjoyed around the world - harness racing. Headquartered in an office at 15 Spinning Wheel Road, the Illinois Harness Horsemen's Association works to preserve, promote and maintain harness racing in Illinois. Led by Executive Director Tony Somone, the organization represents 2,500 to 3,000 members of the industry, including owners, breeders,...
What are the keys to high jumping? Failing to qualify for the high jump finals in May's IHSA state track and field meet left Hinsdale Central's Michael Prieto understandably low. "I wanted to definitely do better," said the rising senior. "So that's really when I decided to jump in the summer." Suddenly Prieto was elevating his performance. On June 24 he placed first at the USATF Junior Olympic state championship for ages 17-18 at the University of Illinois-Champaign with a...
Before Jestine Lenckus became a Realtor, she was a homeowner. While navigating the sale and purchase of several homes, Lenckus said she was left wanting to know more about the numbers behind her real estate decisions. Now a real estate agent herself, Lenckus said she provides clients with the data and statistics she wanted as a buyer, along with a keen knowledge of the market and an eye for any property's potential. "That's something I like to do for my clients," said...
How do you create encaustic art? Maja Bosen's paintings look taken right out of nature - probably because most of the materials have been. Bosen blends pigment and organic elements with heated beeswax, a discipline called encaustic art, resulting in provocative tableaus depicting the natural world. Her exhibit, Clinging to Fire, is on currently display at in Hinsdale Public Library's Quiet Reading Room. "I make them just a little bit more layered so they break the plain of...
Why did you start LoMo Juice Co.? As high school students at Hinsdale Central, Lauren (Kneupfer) Rozum and Melissa (Gamauf) Abraham had big dreams, one of which was to one day be partners in a business of their own. "We didn't know what we were going to do," Abraham said, but the answer became evident soon after she moved back to her hometown from Chicago. Abraham asked Rozum, who was already living in Hinsdale, to recommend a local juice spot. Abraham said she was surprised...
What's rewarding about performing in 'Footloose'? A year ago Miette Morris was recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. Tonight she'll "kick off the Sunday shoes" as she cuts "Footloose" in BAMtheatre's production of the classic 1984 dance-heavy film. The double-cast musical runs tonight through Sunday at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park (see Page 20 for details). "This is one of the very first shows I'm back actually really dancing," Morris said, exclaiming, "I do not...
What was your journey to become a recording artist? Since he began leading his first choir as a middle schooler, Stephen Edwards has curated a long musical resume. But it wasn't until 2023, at age 47, that the director of music and worship at Union Church of Hinsdale added solo recording artist to his list of musical accomplishments. "I've always wanted to make a CD," Edwards said. But instead of the collection of Broadway hits or standards that he once contemplated, the...
Who are the Senior Jammers? Superstar songstress Taylor Swift regularly tops today's Billboard charts. Her hit-making predecessors a century ago had names like Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin and Cole Porter, similarly transcendent talents that helped compose the soundtrack of an era. The Great American Songbook, as it's known, will serve as the playlist for the Hinsdale-based Senior Jammers as they take listeners on a musical journey back to the early 20th century...
Families who choose to live in Hinsdale stay because of the schools, the walkability and what @ Properties real estate agent Gary Lee calls "an almost 1950s charm." But there's something else far less visible that's keeping homeowners not only in the village, but in their current homes. "Currently 86 percent of residential mortgages are under 5 percent," he said, with about half of those at 3.5 percent or less. But new mortgages come with rates higher than 7 percent, which is...
What does being a nurse mean to you? Rose Mannina worked one year as a certified nursing assistant at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale Hospital before her first day as registered nurse - in March of 2020. "I had a patient bleeding out in one room, and I had a patient in hospice," Mannina recalled, as the COVID-19 outbreak was threatening to overrun health systems. "I just remember feeling extremely overwhelmed. I was sitting there wondering, 'Why did I do this to...
How has your job changed over the past 30 years? The school day at Hinsdale Middle School begins at 8:25 a.m., but Gail Vescovi typically arrives hours earlier to walk the halls, get a little exercise and take in the quiet before 700 children and dozens of teachers and staff fill the building at Garfield Avenue and First Street. Vescovi will walk the halls for the last time when school ends this year. After 30 years in District 181, she has chosen to retire. Vescovi began...
What has your teaching career taught you? Growing up in Willowbrook, Barbara Dawes was familiar with many of the schools in neighboring Hinsdale. But her childhood bike rides never reached The Lane School, so getting there for a job interview in the pre-GPS era proved a challenging assignment. "I almost passed it by," Dawes confessed. That was 34 years ago. On June 2, Dawes will dismiss her first-grade class for the final time, thankful for her "hidden gem" of a workplace and...
How does the need to achieve affect teens? Being a teenager can be tough. Being a teenager in Hinsdale can be especially challenging, said Megan Cannon, licensed clinical social worker and owner of Back to Balance Counseling. "There's been a steady shift into this idea of perfectionism" said Cannon, one of five counselors offering help at the Hinsdale clinic. Cannon said she and her fellow therapists too often see young people who believe they need to take every Advanced...
