BAM EXCELS AT COMPETITIONS
The BAM Conservatory Ensemble won several awards recently.
At the Junior Theater West Feb. 9-11, Sacramento, Calif., the ensemble received the Freddie G. All-Festival Award for Excellence in Ensemble for its 15-minute excerpt from “Seussical Jr.”
Ava Turek, who played the role of Cat in the Hat, earned the outstanding individual performance by an actor award. Actors Liam Smith (Horton) and Stella Horner (Jojo) were named All-Star performers.
Additionally, the Junior Company unveiled a performance of “Alice in Wonderland Jr” at the prestigious New Works Showcase, a rare honor reserved for the festival’s top-performing groups.
In another recent triumph, the High School BAM Conservatory Ensemble took center stage in Atlanta, Ga., where they presented a 15-minute cut of “Legally Blonde Jr.” Outshining 125 musical theater organizations from across the globe, the ensemble received the Freddie G. All-Festival Award for Excellence in Music, under the tutelage of music director Peter Bromann.
Adding to the accolades, actor Ryan Coglianese, who portrayed the role of Kiki, earned the title of outstanding individual performance by an actor. Actors Miette Morris (Brooke Wyndham) and Ryan Coglianese (Kiki) were named All-Star performers.
HINSDALE doctor TO LEAD BOARD
Dr. Sreenivas Reddy of Hinsdale has been reelected to serve as chairman of the Illinois State Medical Board.
Reddy is a vascular interventional radiologist and founder/president of Vein and Vascular Centers in Hinsdale. He completed a residency in diagnostic radiology followed by fellowship training in vascular interventional radiology at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. He is board-certified in diagnostic and vascular interventional radiology by the American Board of Radiology.
He has been affiliated with Northwestern Medicine — Delnor Hospital and served as adjunct assistant professor in the radiology department at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He has extensive training in arterial and venous interventions and uterine fibroid embolizations. A member of the Chicago Medical Society Board and the Independent Physicians and Providers of Illinois Board, Reddy is the immediate past president of the American Association of Radiologists of Indian Origin and the Indian American Medical Association.
He received the outstanding leadership award in 2018 from U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and was the distinguished physician of the year in 2017 at Delnor Hospital.
FOUNDATION HELPS MIGRANTS
Stuffed animals, fleece blankets and Matchbox cars arranged on beds gave migrant children a warm welcome as they moved to an Oak Park shelter in February.
The gifts came from Kristine and Brian Richards, who created the Love Like Sean Foundation to honor their 14-year-old son, Sean, who was killed last July.
“I thought the migrant children, coming here with literally nothing, could use something to hug,” Kristine Richards said. “We wanted to serve children because Sean was still a child at heart.”
The items were given to Venezuelan children served by the Catholic Parishes of Oak Park Migrant Ministry.
“Sean’s warm and generous spirit is certainly felt in the coats, clothes and blankets donated to the migrant children, but it is in the donated stuffed animals that they clutch that Sean’s love is palpable,” said Celine Woznica, a leader of the Migrant Ministry.
The Richards learned of the ministry through news reports, and a friend created a wish list on Amazon. Donations also were left in cardboard bins in the family’s front yard. In addition, TY Corp. donated 200 stuffed animals.
“We filled five SUVs with donated items to deliver to the Migrant Ministry,” Richards said. “We don’t even know all the people who donated. We want to thank them all for helping us honor Sean by spreading his message of love.”
The Richards also marked Sean’s birthday last month by bringing stuffed animals to UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale’s emergency department and to kindergartners at St. Isaac Jogues School.
“We continue to look for other opportunities to spread Sean’s love,” his mother said. “We hope it will encourage others to be kind to all and to love like Sean.”
