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Community Briefs
Updated: August 20, 2012 6:09AM
Daycare expanding; open house July 20
Picket Fence Daycare and Learning Center, at 36 Conti Parkway, in Elmwood Park, is expanding to River Grove. An open house will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday (July 20) at its new location, 2624 Oak St., (formerly Bethlehem Lutheran School).
Picket Fence is a nationally-accredited program established in 1993. The National Association for the Education of Young Children, is the nation’s leading professional organization for those working with and on behalf of young children through age 8.
The Elmwood Park location is at full capacity at all times and in order to meet the needs of the community and reduce the number of families on the waiting list, more space was needed. The River Grove location is in the school building of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 2624 Oak St. Until recently Bethlehem had operated an elementary school for many years. The church is now making its school building available to continue to serve the families of the community through an Early Care and Education Program.
Picket Fence will serve children age 2 through 5 and has the potential to expand to more ages. As in Elmwood Park, high quality early care and education will be offered to all families between 6:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
For more information call Toni Chakchay at (708) 452-4544 or e-mail picketfence36@sbcglobal.net.
Free health fair July 21 at OLR
Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, 5645 W. Addison St., Chicago, will sponsor a free health fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday (July 21), at the hospital. Registration is required by calling (877) 737-4636 or register online at www.olr.reshealth.org/fair.
Physicians and clinical staff will offer a variety of free screenings and will answer health-related questions. Screenings include: balance, blood pressure, body mass index, foot, glucose, lung disease, liver disease, osteoporosis and vision.
Participants will be able to talk to the experts and get free health information about advance medical directives assistance, breast cancer, diabetes, dry mouth, drug and alcohol medical stabilization, heart and vascular disease, nutrition counseling, obstetrics and gynecological conditions, plastic surgery and laser treatments, poison prevention, proper hand washing, smoking cessation, weight loss surgery and wound care. Physician and clinical staff experts in these specialty areas will be present.
The first 100 attendees will receive a free gift and all participants can enter raffles for the following free offerings: a diabetes overview for a group of five; a six-month membership for one to the hospital’s fitness center; cholesterol screenings for 25 people; and a “goodie basket” of health offerings and information. Face painting and balloon creations will be special attractions for children. Refreshments will be served.
Medical staff members and associates who will participate in the health fair are: surgeon Rabia Bhatti; internist Ramon Castro; Eye Specialists of Chicago; critical care specialist and physician Ilja Faibussowitsch; cardiologist Khachig Ishkhan; cardiologist Emmanuel Loutrianakis; obstetrics/gynecologist Alvaro Mercado; dentist Atheefur Papa; pulmonologist Neil Rosenberg; podiatrist Steven Rosenberg; ophthalmologist Kathleen Scarpulla; cardiologist Shirish Shah; plastic surgeon Sam Speron; and surgeon Frederick Tiesenga.
Free parking is available in the hospital’s parking facility on Addison Street.
Summer Jazz Fest cont’s July 23 in OP
The Oak Park Arms Summer Jazz Festival features acclaimed pianist Jeremy Kahn at 7 p.m. Monday (July 23), at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. Kahn will play the songs of Mitchell Parish. Parish’s best known works include the lyrics to songs such as “Star Dust,“ “Sweet Lorraine,“ “Deep Purple,“ “Stars Fell on Alabama,“ “Sophisticated Lady,“ “Volare,“ “Moonlight Serenade,“ “Mr. Ghost Goes to Town,” “One Morning in May,“ and “Louisiana Fairy Tale,” which was the first theme song used in the PBS production of “This Old House.”
Parish’s grandnephew is former Grateful Dead roadie Steve Parish, who described Mitchell’s meeting with Jerry Garcia in his autobiography, “Home Before Day Light.”
Kahn holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Boston’s New England Conservatory. For 12 years, he lived in New York City, but today, he and his family reside in Oak Park.
Kahn has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Joni Mitchell, Phil Woods, Teramasu Hino, Charlie Haden, Aretha Franklin, Barbara Cook and Alvin and the Chipmunks.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at (708) 386-4040 or visit www.oakparkarms.com.
