Riverside resident and Landmark columnist JoAnne Kosey soon will be honored with a 2014 Person of Impact Award by the League of Women Voters of the LaGrange Area and the LaGrange/Chicago Business Women’s Club.
Kosey, along with Community Nurse Health Association CEO Angela Curran and Westchester Village President Sam Pulia, will be honored at an event held Sept. 18 at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook.
The Person of Impact Award is given to local people who have demonstrated leadership and significant action in advancing citizen awareness of public issues and for encouragement of citizen participation in the democratic process.
Kosey is being recognized for her efforts to resurrect the Riverside-Brookfield Education Foundation in 2000 (she is a trustee on the foundation’s board) and for her dedicated service as a member of the Riverside-Brookfield Alumni Achievement Awards board of directors.
As a an elected member of the Riverside-Brookfield High School Board of Education, Kosey advocated and encouraged students to register to vote and become election judges. Kosey is a longtime election judge in Riverside.
Anyone who would like to attend the Sept. 18 event should register by Sept. 12. Tickets are $40 per person. Registration using PayPal can be done by logging on to lagrangearealwv.org and clicking the “pay now” button. Or make checks payable to LWVLGA, P.O. Box 542, LaGrange, Illinois, 60525.
All funds raised will benefit individual education funds of the LaGrange Area League and the LaGrange/Chicago Business Women’s Club.
Raising awareness
Riverside resident Jim Schraidt, a prostate cancer survivor, is encouraging people to participate in the upcoming 10th Annual SEA Blue Prostate Cancer Chicago Walk and Run in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood on Sept. 14.
Money raised from the event will help fund prostate cancer education and support services provided at no charge by Us TOO International and Wellness Place, a pair of nonprofit organizations focused on cancer education and support services.
In the past decade the event has raised nearly $3 million to help thousands of people across the nation in their battles against prostate cancer. Activities at the SEA Blue event include educational sessions with physicians, free PSA testing and more. For more information about the event visit online at www.seablueprostatewalk.org.
Schraidt has taken over the group leader role for an Us TOO International support group in Chicago, helping men from around the area find resources and information to help them deal with their prostate cancer diagnoses.
For more information about Us TOO International visit www.ustoo.org.
On stage
Scott Stratton, of Brookfield, plays the role of the detective in the Chicago-area premiere of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at the Theater at the center, 1040 Ridge Road in Munster, Indiana on Sept. 14.
The musical comedy tells the story of a group of women whose relationships with men lead to a whirlwind of emotions. It features a Latin-infused score by Tony Award-nominated David Yazbek, with such songs as “Model Behavior,” “Love Sick” and “Madrid.”
The play runs through Oct. 12. For ticket information visit online at www.theatreatthecenter.com.
I’d be honored
Riverside police officers Sgt. Leo Kotor and Brian Greenenwald were honored last month by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) for their outstanding DUI enforcement. Both officers were awarded the organization’s Certificate of Appreciation for their efforts.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel to the
state’s Juvenile Justice Commission. The appointment was made July 25.
The commission’s goals are to ensure that the state maintains full compliance with the core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, both to ensure continued access to federal funding and to ensure application of humane and effective practices with youths in contact with the juvenile justice system.
Twenty-five members, who serve on a voluntary basis, make up the commission. Weitzel is the only police chief on the commission. His term expires Feb. 1, 2015.
Return from the wild
Last fall when others were heading classrooms at campuses across the country, 26-year-old Kyle Wright, of Riverside, was heading off to the Chilean wilderness for a 135-day expedition with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
Students participating in the program in the Patagonia region of Chile had the opportunity to earn up to 27 college credits in subjects like biology and environmental studies.
The program began Oct. 14, 2013 and students traversed Patagonia, from the coastal fjords to the Andes. The fall semester began with backpacking and mountaineering, often in hazardous conditions. The spring semester saw students navigating Chile’s rugged coastline in kayaks and ended with the challenge of rock climbing. The course ended on March 19, 2014.
On campus
The following local students were among the 6,500 students who received degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May:
North Riverside resident David Maes, received his Juris Doctor degree in law. Riverside resident Stephanie F. Sauer graduated with distinction in earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian studies, environmental studies and international studies. Riverside resident Katherine S. Wade received her Bachelor of Science degree in community and nonprofit leadership.
Galen Ryan, of Riverside, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Carleton College during the school’s 140th commencement ceremony in June. He is the son of Charles Ryan and Cheryl Berdelle.
Celia Skavril, of Riverside, was named to the DePaul University College of Communications dean’s list for the spring 2014 quarter.
