When Jaime Moran and Pam Lawrence opened a pre-school inside the senior retirement community the Oak Park Arms in late August, they knew they’d found the perfect place. It was accessible for wheelchair-bound children, and it also had rooms accessible to everyone, among other attributes they were seeking.
“Our whole program is basically based on empathy with a big push on getting a child ready for kindergarten and the world, and of being accepting of everyone,” said Moran, a lifelong Oak Park resident.
“We had a vision and we thought we knew what we were doing,” said Moran. “It’s more amazing than we thought.”
The pair created the Kindness Creators Intergenerational Program, a nonprofit, intergenerational program that brings the young and old together to interact and build meaningful relationships through purposeful activities.
“We decided to open this program after personal experiences with family members and seeing a documentary on a similar program in Washington (State),” said Moran. “We thought Oak Park would be the perfect community to open this unique, intergenerational program.’
More Top Picks Irlen Syndrome After A Concussion Or Tbi What To Know
Since opening its doors, Kindness Creators, “has gone far beyond our expectations,” said Moran.
“To see the joy on the residents’ faces when we walk in the halls warms our hearts,” she said. “And the children look forward to seeing all of the grandmas and grandpas every day.”
After being nominated by a member of the public, Moran, and Lawrence, a River Forest resident, were recently awarded the Village’s Disability Access Award. Additionally, their venture became the first organization to win multiple Stewardship Awards when they took home the brand new Aging in Place Award, which recognizes businesses, organizations and individuals that provide extraordinary accessibility for older residents and their families. (Just an FYI, many of the preschool parents adopted an Oak Park Arms resident for the holidays and will be providing them with a gift. This was organized by preschool mom Katie Brennan).
Moran and Lawrence were just two of the more than 60 individuals, organizations and businesses who were nominated by the public and recognized at Oak Park’s annual community awards ceremony, held Dec. 11 at village hall.
In addition to Kindness Creators, also being awarded a Disability Access Award was AgeOptions, a local agency on aging.
“AgeOptions has deliberately partnered with disability groups to ensure people with disabilities don’t fall through the cracks,” said Steven Cutaia, ADA coordinator and chief building official for Oak Park. “The Disability Access Commission considers the disabled equal to those with abilities. We feel everybody should be treated fair and it comes down to having the public realize they’re people too.”
In addition to the Disability Access Awards, numerous other accolades were given out. There were six Green Award winners this year, nominated in recognition of their efforts to advocate for a more sustainable and resilient future, said Mindy Agnew, sustainability coordinator for the village.
“A sustainable community doesn’t just happen – it is the result of extraordinary effort,” said Agnew. “The Oak Park Environment & Energy Commission presented Green Awards in recognition and appreciation of specific deeds or actions that embody and advance the mission of the Village of Oak Park to work toward a sustainable and secure future.”
Besides the above honors, the Village’s Community Design Commission recognized 17 Cavalcade of Pride Award winners—property owners who have done an exceptional job of maintaining and improving the exteriors of their homes and businesses. Additionally, seven Preservation Awards were handed out by the Historic Preservation Commission.
For a full list of winners go to https://www.oak-park.us/news/2019-community-awards-celebrate-stewardship.
Garden party… there was an “incredible turnout,” at the recent Garden Club of Oak Park and River Forest’s annual Holiday Boutique and Program, which displayed the largest amount of homemade items ever, said the club’s publicity chair, Linda Tibensky.
Andrew Carvano, of Andrew’s Garden in downtown Wheaton, created four unique centerpieces, Tibensky said. After introducing the beautiful Absurda rose, Carvano demonstrated how to properly twist and open the rose before placing it in a centerpiece.
The key to a beautiful centerpiece is a good base. Limit colors and types of flowers to three in each case. Look for visual balance and turn an arrangement as you work on it, for a good view, said Tibensky.
Upon taking questions from the audience, Carvano was asked about Poinsettias. He said to put them in the sunniest spot possible, which surprised everyone, Tibensky said, acknowledging that most people think they belong in a shady area.