Living on LemonAid Place

700 block of Bonnie Brae Place to get honorary designation.

The 700 block of Bonnie Brae Place soon will also be known as Honorary LemonAid Place. At a recent River Forest Village Board meeting, trustees unanimously approved the designation of the intersection of Bonnie Brae Place at Chicago Avenue as Honorary LemonAid Place to show their appreciation for the work that has been done to aid children.   The charity lemonade stand was set up in 2002 in memory of the attacks on Sept. 11.  Related: The Sweetness of Charity What started as a feel-good fundraiser — the stand collected $400 in its 2002 debut — has turned into a small-scale powerhouse. In 2009, Lemon-Aid raised $8,500 for the Children's Clinic in Oak Park, which provides affordable health care to disadvantaged children. In 2010, the stand …

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Nonprofit to Host Inaugural Golf Outing, Dinner Party

Opportunity Knock features 18 holes of golf, contests, live music and an open bar.

Local golfers might want to polish their clubs this weekend. Opportunity Knocks is hosting its inaugural “Tee It Up” golf outing and after-party on Friday, July 29. Registration ended July 22, but Board President Phil Carmody said entries would likely be received into next week. They’re hoping to get as many as 144 golfers for the first-time event. The River Forest nonprofit offers support and programs for the developmentally disabled community, including recreation, fitness, hobby development and self-advocacy training. The price for a single golfer is $150, or $600 for a group of four, which includes a lunch buffet by Buona Beef from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 18 holes of golf at the Willow Crest Golf Club, an open bar and silent auction, as …

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Viewfinder: The Opportunity Knocks Gala

A look back at local nonprofit's "Night for Opportunities"

Phil Carmody, co-founder of Opportunity Knocks, sent along these pictures from the agency's recent annual fundraising gala, a packed-house affair at the Carleton of Oak Park Hotel which featured a live auction and live music from How Far to Austin.  If you've got pictures you'd like to contribute to Patch's weekly Viewfinder series, email me at casey@patch.com

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Oak Park Renters Turn Silver to Gold

OakParkApartments.com celebrates 25 years with donations to local charities.

Celebrating a silver anniversary usually means getting presents, but OakParkApartments.com is giving them. For the next six months, OakParkApartments.com, the largest private renter of apartments in Oak Park, will donate $2,025 a month to a local charity. Internet voters will decide which charities get the gifts. “We wanted to do something special for our 25th anniversary. We liked the idea of giving back to the community. We have our favorite charities, but we thought we’d do a contest and let the community decide what charities we’ll support,” said Bob Planek, co-owner with his brother Bill Planek of OakParkApartments.com and its holding company, Greenplan Management. They came up with a list of 22 charities. “It was easy for us because …

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Casey Cora

8:08 am on Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Wendy Planek just shared this on our Facebook page, so I thought I'd share it here as well: "Just wanted to give an update on our charity contest - over 2,000 votes have been cast in just over a week! Go to www.OakParkApartments.com and vote for your favorite charity and that charity could win $2,025 in honor of Oak Park Apartments celebrating its' 25th year in business!"   more ›

Get Out: Gala, Live Music and a Prayers For World Peace

Another weekend, another chance to get out and explore our amazing area.

COMMUNITY CAFE NIGHT AT BLUE MAX When/Where: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at Blue Max Coffee, 96 Lathrop Ave. in Forest Park. Why Go: On the first Fridays of the month, the kindly folks behind the pastries and house-roasted beans at the popular coffee shop are hosting live music, local art and coffee. Price: Free to attend; see menu for drink prices  KINECT AT THE OAK PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY When/Where: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at the Oak Park Public Library Main Branch, 834 Lake St.  Why Go: The library purchased a new Kinect system for Xbox, and teens are invited to give it a go. Price: Free  A NIGHT FOR OPPORTUNITIES When/Where: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Carleton of Oak Park.  Why Go: The River Forest-based Opportunity Knocks relies …

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Week in Review

Rounding up the best in local news.

We can't be everywhere and neither can you. Our new "Week in Review" is designed to bring you up to speed on local news in Oak Park and River Forest. Here goes:  Apple Product: Percy Julian Middle School sixth-grade teacher Jen Galant is a nominee for the prestigious Golden Apple Awards, which highlight the hard work of Chicagoland teachers. (via Wednesday Journal) Full-Day Kindergarten? Not So Fast: River Forest District 90 teachers, administrators and school board gathered on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of bringing a full-day kindergarten program to the villlage. Despite a groundswell of support from teachers, the school board is hesitating, citing the proposed program's costly price tag as a reason to hold back.  TIF Tiff: A Cook…

Get Your Bears On

Where you will be watching the game?

Tickets for Sunday's Bears game against that team from up north are reaching prices well beyond what the average fan can grasp.  For the rest of us, we have house parties to attend, showcase appetizers to prepare and drinks to drink. But if you're going to head out with your fellow fans, establishments across the area are going all out for the once-in-a-generation game.   Here's a look at where to Bear down: Healy's Westside: The founders of the River Forest-based nonprofit Opportunity Knocks are throwing their 3rd Annual Chili Cookoff fundraiser at Healy's. Food and drink specials begin at noon; chili judging begins at 12:30 p.m. Raffle prizes include an Apple iPad and Chicago Blackhawks tickets. There is a $20 suggested donation for …

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Opportunity Knocks Hosts Halloween Party for Hephzibah

More than 60 gather for a bash at the River Forest Community Center.

Hephzibah Children's Association, an Oak Park fixture for more than a century, got a Halloween treat this year from one of the community's youngest organizations, Opportunity Knocks. "You can just feel the tenor in the room," said Mary Anne Brown, executive director of Hephzibah House. "The kids are so relaxed." Relaxed doesn't mean low on energy, however. Soda, candy, a DJ, games and bubbles provided more than enough stimulation for the costumed crowd. Michael Carmody, founder and executive director of Opportunity Knocks, saw the kid-friendly holiday as the perfect opportunity to give back to Hephzibah, the organization that guided Opportunity Knocks through its infancy. Michael and his brothers Phil, John, Chuck and Colin started …

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Softball Tournament Raises $40K

Proceeds from annual event will help fund Opportunity Knocks programming.

Organizers of the 4th Annual KG Classic softball tournament say this year's fundraiser brought in about $40,000. Money raised at the Sept. 25 event will be used to support the roster of programs at Opportunity Knocks, the River Forest-based resource agency for the developmentally disabled. "The tournament went off without a relative hitch," said Opportunity Knocks president and co-founder Phil Carmody. "We dodged the rain, avoided any serious injuries and once again were witness to how staunchly supportive the people in this community can be as they get behind the families and causes they hold as their own." Check out Patch's coverage and photo gallery from the Sept. 25 tournament.

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Live KG Classic Coverage

Hundreds gather at Forest Park ball diamonds for annual charity softball tournament.

Welcome to Patch's coverage of the 4th Annual KG Classic charity softball tournament, named after beloved Oak Parker Kathy Garrigan. 9:52 p.m. And the winner of the 4th Annual KG Classic, Sik-Wit-It. The blue bombers dominated both sides of the ball with an impressive 14-3 showing to take home the top prize. 9:42 p.m. The scoreboard is getting a workout tonight -- Sik-Wit-It has added to their lead, 12-2 over McGaffer's in the sixth inning. And like that, a champion waits to be crowned. 9:25 p.m. Sik-Wit-It is getting, um, sick with it, as they are shutting out McGaffer's 8-0 in the fourth, now 9-0. The umpire made a controversial call at home plate calling the Sik-Wit-It runner safe to tack another run on the board. 9:00 p.m. To amend a …

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