Christmas wish comes true at St. Coletta’s of Illinois
A wish has come true at St. Coletta’s of Illinois as the Rotary Club of Orland Park delivered dozens of Christmas presents this week containing art supplies for participants in St. Coletta’s Community Day Services program.
Art supplies are a hot commodity at St. Coletta’s. They’re used daily to help developmentally disabled people open up during therapy sessions and to improve their cognitive, emotional, social and leisure well-being.
“It’s a blessing to receive such a gift,” said recreational therapist Stephanie Wingo, who leads many of the art activities at Tinley Park-based St. Coletta’s. “It’s like therapy in disguise,” she said. “We work on their social skills, color recognition, number recognition and cooperative play. They don’t see it (as therapy), but we know.”
The Rotary Club of Orland Park has been a good community partner through the years St. Coletta’s officials said in a news release, providing supplies including children’s books.
Rotarian Sue Linn, a member of St. Coletta’s Foundation Board of Directors, said the Rotary Club of Orland Park decided to donate art supplies this year after seeing a few paintings created by St. Coletta’s participants.
Among the art supplies they delivered to St. Coletta’s the week before Christmas were watercolor crayons, markers, paint brushes, oil pastels, colored pencil kits, stamp kits, cardstock paper, gel pens, adult coloring books and aprons.
District 230 students become holiday helpers
Students at Sandburg, Stagg and Andrew high schools have been out in their communities volunteering their time and talents this holiday season.
Delaney Dillon a student at Andrew in Tinley Park, and her sister Kathleen Dillon created and built a wood tree and characters for the annual Tinley Park Holiday Market, which is on display at the Oak Park Avenue Metra Station.
Over a dozen students from Andrew and Sandburg, in Orland Park, helped with Santa Comes to Town for the village of Orland Hills, assisting with crowd control as Santa landed in a helicopter and serving hot chocolate.
Four members of the Sandburg Symphony Orchestra spread musical joy through a performance at the Veterans’ Home at Manteno.
And National Honor Society members from Stagg High School in Palos Hills donated essentials to the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn.
Since July 1, District 230 students have logged more than 50,000 hours of volunteer service across over 225 sites, according to a release from the district.
Evergreen Park ‘Book Buddies’ help spread literacy
Seniors at Evergreen Park Community High School delivered wrapped children’s books to first graders at all four Evergreen Park School District 124 elementary schools this month.
EPCHS Service Club students Jonatthan Whiteside and Taylor Evans delivered wrapped children’s books to the students at all four schools and read one of the books to each class.
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The annual Book Buddies project is the brainchild of EPCHS media specialist Tina Ward and library assistant Karen Hewitt, who started the program in 2018 because “we wanted every kid to have a new book to open on Christmas,” Ward said.
Seniors graduate from police academy in Phoenix
More than two dozen older people who completed the Cook County sheriff’s office Senior Law Enforcement Academy courses graduated Wednesday in ceremonies at the Phoenix Community Cafe in Phoenix.
Final courses were completed and Certificates of Completion awarded to the seniors, who learned about protecting themselves from crime and how to prevent crime.
Library’s seeks name for new 3D printer
The Evergreen Park Public Library has a new 3D printer for public use thanks to a donation from OSF Little Company of Mary and OSF Innovation, but now that printer needs a name.
Printy McPrintface and Sir Prints-a-Lot are among the names that already have been submitted in a contest the library is sponsoring so they will finally know what to call their new device. People can submit names for consideration at evergreenparklibrary.org or tinyurl.com/3Dnamecontest.
The contest is open through Jan. 11, and the winning name will be announced at a 3D Printer Launch Party from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 14 at the library, 9400 S. Troy Ave. The person who submits the winning name will receive a customized item made on the printer. The event will also feature the printer in action.
Orientations sessions for those who would like to use the library’s 3D printer will begin in the early spring. More information is with Jenna Harte-Wisniewski at [email protected].
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