Group donates school supplies to Matteson students
Matteson school administrators steered shopping carts overflowing with school supplies around a south suburban Walmart Saturday morning thanks to a donation from the south suburban community group Making Disciples Boys Mentoring Program.
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The group partnered with Matteson School District 162 and Elementary School District 159 for a third year. On Saturday, each school district purchased up to $3,000 in supplies to help families that may not be able to afford all of the items on the back-to-school list. The need is even greater this year as inflation has raised the cost of school supplies, school officials said. The National Retail Federation estimates that families with school children will spend an average of $864 on school clothes and supplies this year, $15 more than last year.
“It helps our students because they don’t have to worry about coming to school and not having. This removes any barriers from their learning,” said Vincent Payne, principal of Woodgate Elementary School. “They can come to school and focus on what’s important.”
“This donation makes a big difference in helping our students start the school year with what they need,” said Rebecca Dixon, Matteson 162’s assistant director of special education, who was one of the administrators shopping on Saturday. Dixon estimated about 50 district families will benefit from the donation.
Making Disciples, founded in 2015 by Eric and Annette Bassette, also donated 100 books with Afrocentric themes to Matteson School District 162 that will be distributed among the libraries of the district’s schools.
Richards JROTC students complete Basic Leadership Training
While their friends went to the beach, enjoyed vacations and the outdoors or relaxed with a good book, students enrolled in the Navy JROTC program at Richards High School in Oak Lawn chose basic training instead.
Hosted by the National Guard training base in Marseilles, Basic Leadership Training introduced the Richards students to life as a Navy officer. They trained physically, learned first aid, completed uniform inspections, ate MREs (meals ready to eat), and participated in a range of team-building activities.
The group from Bulldog Company comprised part of the nearly 150 U.S. Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps students from the Chicago area at BLT.
Beatles photo exhibit coming to Tinley
Tinley Park-Park District is hosting 4EVER4, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Beatles, who played together for the first time Aug. 18., 1962.
The exhibit has nearly 100 photographs of the Beatles in concert, their antics offstage, record albums, their movies, concert posters, ticket stubs, contracts, touring schedules and other historical photos. It will be displayed from Sept. 8 to 22, at Tony Bettenhausen Recreation Center and Tinley Fitness, 8125 171st St. The facility is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Several events will take place coinciding with the exhibit. A kickoff concert by the Beatelles will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 at The Band Shell. On Sept. 15, John F. Lyons will present untold stories of the Beatles’ visit to Chicago during the “Tea, Scones and The Beatles” reception. More information and registration for the events are at tinleyparkdistrict.org.
District 230 schools welcome freshmen
Consolidated High School District 230 schools recently hosted a day of fun for incoming freshmen. Stagg, Sandburg and Andrew high schools each provided an opportunity for the members of the Class of 2026 to get to know their school and their fellow classmates.
Scavenger hunts, team building activities, learning the fight song, and fun in the form of inflatables, food trucks and a DJ were all part of their school events.
TNR program helps stray cat populations
A free program about Trap-Neuter-Return to help control stray cat populations will be offered from 10:30 a.m. to noon Aug. 20 at the Matteson Area Public Library, 801 School Ave.
The program teaches the tricks of baiting and setting humane traps and includes a list of low-cost clinics and instruction on how to transport cats safely. Traps are on loan with a $60 deposit that is fully refundable upon their return.
Information will also be presented about your right to feed and shelter a colony in Cook County. Caretakers who attend a workshop receive priority for TNR assistance. More information is at www.TtipleRPets.com or by emailing [email protected].
Run with the Nuns 5K set in Lemont
The School Sisters of St. Francis of Christ the King are hosting their annual Run with the Nuns 5K at 9 a.m. Oct. 16 at the Mount Assisi Campus in Lemont.
Runners and walkers will experience the picturesque scenery through the natural hills and wooded areas of an all-terrain course and receive a medal and long sleeve dry fit shirt.
Cost is $40 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under who walk or run with a parent.
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Organizers are looking for runners or walkers, sponsors, donors to the swag bags, volunteers and businesses to host a vendor table.
This event includes a DJ, split the pot raffle, vendor tables and, of course, running nuns. Proceeds support the ministries of the School Sisters of St. Francis of Christ the King. More information is at www.runwiththenuns.org or with Carrie Peters at 630-257-7844 ext. 223 or [email protected].
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