Letter: Help Me Restore a Level of Faith in Our Democracy

A Bolingbrook resident wants your help to interview local elected officials in a partnership with Bolingbrook Community Television.

I have been a registered voter for 30 years and cannot remember such levels of political animosity as evidenced in recent election cycles.  Extreme ideologies appear to overrule any efforts for civil debate. Compromise has become a forgotten word. Hypocrisy seems to be the norm and as a result our democratic system is suffering. I believe in the statement, "Citizens have the power to set this country’s course straight" because change not only happens from the top down, but from the bottom up.  Throughout our country's history nothing has proven a more effective change agent than the collective voices and actions of citizens in every community in this great country. During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama spoke about …

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Toni Greathouse

Community Support Helps Power Connection Weather a Bad Economy

In 2011, the support of residents, public officials, businesses and organizations helped feed 32,000 under-resourced individuals.

Instead of worrying about the weight of the recession in 2011, volunteers of the Bolingbrook-based P.O.W.E.R. Connection, one of Will County’s largest food pantries, focused their efforts on garnering the support of residents, public officials, businesses and organizations. The net result of these efforts allowed the non-profit organization to feed 32,000 under-resourced individuals last year, in addition to helping countless others receive the training and certification required to gain employment. These monumental accomplishments were recognized Saturday evening at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, as revelers gathered to raise funds, rally the troops and tap into remaining resources that can allow the organization to continually restock and …

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Resolutions 2012: How to Keep your Goals in Sight This Year

The journey to become a better you begins by squelching out all the unhealthy and unwanted background noise that simply serves to block the path that leads forward.

Stepping outside your comfort zone is downright scary. This, combined with the fear of the unknown, contributes to our inability to adhere to the New Year’s resolutions. The sad reality is that the vast majority of us unconsciously set ourselves up for failure. Why? Because reaching a goal pushes us out of our comfort zone and forces us to ask ourselves, “Now what?”  We focus too much on how we have or may fail. Then, we allow those thoughts to poison our minds and alter our behavior in ways that contradict whatever we’ve resolved to achieve.  The result? An invisible barrier that traps our minds in a mental loop that bars us from moving forward, which coincidentally is a requirement for reaching any goal. If these statements sound …

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Photo Gallery: DuPage Township's Family Fun Fest

Scenes from the township's first annual Family Fun Fest, which took place Sunday at the DuPage Township administration building.

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Parkie’s 5K Gives Residents A Reason to Run

3.1-mile race will be held Aug. 27; park district running club gearing up for the event.

One of the hardest parts of any fitness regime is adhering to a regular workout schedule. This summer, the Bolingbrook Park District is making it easier for residents to "fit in fitness," with the extension of its running club. "The goal is to provide a group training environment to get ready for Parkie’s 5K," said Andy Guise, the group co-leader and certified trainer. "The social aspect and accountability are great motivators." For the past three weeks, a small group of residents have met in the lobby of the Bolingbrook Recreation and Aquatic Complex at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays to get ready for the park district’s annual 3.1-mile run. The running club is offered as a perk to anyone who pays the $15 race registration fee. It …

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Summer Bridge Program in Bolingbrook Working Hard to Keep Kids Healthy

The Summer Bridge Program meets for two hours once a week at Bulldog Park near Brooks Middle School to participate in a variety of healthy activities.

Editor's Note: The following is a release from the Valley View School District. Dozens of Valley View School District 365U elementary school students are “on the move” this summer, learning how to be fit and stay fit courtesy of a unique community partnership led by DuPage Township and the Community Care Consortium. Called the Summer Bridge Program, the youths meet for two hours once a week at Bulldog Park near Brooks Middle School to participate in a variety of healthy activities under the supervision of program staff and volunteers from  Bolingbrook High School’s National Honor Society and Cellular One. Township intern Jackie Smith, a college sophomore and a BHS grad, oversees the free activities. “We just want our kids to be out here …

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Bolingbrook Product Serving as Presidential Fellow

Reformed "bad boy" now embarking on a presidential journey.

Sure it's cheesy, but LaVon Thomas has literally and figuratively picked himself up by the bootstraps. Now a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) for the U.S. Department of Energy, where he could ultimately land amongst the president’s senior staff, Thomas was once a troubled young man. And Thomas can trace his life-changing moment to a few days in Kansas in 1995. While on the base of Fort Riley as a private in the Army, Thomas despondently crawled atop his bunk with a Bible firmly tucked under one arm and the autobiography of Malcom X in the other. Thomas, a Bolingbrook resident, took turns reading from the two texts for the next two days, absorbing passages that were equal parts cautionary and inspirational. "One bad decision led to …

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Toni Greathouse

Remembering Those Who Have Gone Before Us

Appreciating those who are still in our lives.

This Memorial Day my heart is full.  I’ve spent much of the holiday “road tripping” on the way to a family reunion to in Dallas. Along the way, we stopped for the night in Norman, Okla., where we only planned to spend the night before continuing on the last leg of the trip.  But thanks to an animated breakfast attendant, our trip took a detour to Oklahoma City, where we visited the site of the federal building that was bombed 16 years ago. It's hard to find the words to describe the looming sadness. Right after the tragedy, a fence was erected in tribute to the victims. To this day family, friends and strangers continue to leave items to keep their memory alive. To this day the fence is still sparsely sprinkled with intensely personal …

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Toni Greathouse

The Kids Are Back from College: Are Your Ready For Them?

Addressing a shift in the family dynamic when your adult child comes home.

If you’re the parent of a college student returning home for the summer, you're both elated and maybe a little apprehensive about having them back. The reality is college students generally forsake all boundaries. And although they are thrust into the midst of an intellectually stimulating and intensely academic environment, for your adult child, returning to propriety can be understandably jarring. Therefore an effort is required, on both sides, to make adjustments. I speak from experience on this subject, after just having this conversation with my daughter. Be forewarned that broaching this subject might be touchy as the intended receiver is immediately poised to protect their newly established lifestyle. For even the most well-behaved …

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Bolingbrook's Wall Street Women: S.O.S. Financial Club

Womens S.O.S. Financial Club stays ahead of the curve with a tried and true method.

Investment clubs were all the rage in the ‘80s and ‘90s when a quaint and friendly group of gals known as the “Beardstown Ladies” captured headlines racking up stock returns that routinely averaged 25 percent. And as the turn of the century loomed, a contingent of smart and savvy Bolingbrook women formed the S.O.S. Financial Club and have since enjoyed market success utilizing those same common sense strategies. Kathy Thigpen, a founding member of the group, said despite the conception that now may be a poor time to enter the stock market, it may actually be one of the best. If you’re in the envious position of having money to invest, she said, the club extends an open invitation to utilize its experience and expertise to grow your money…

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