Around the Southland: Bunny delivers for Christmas Without Cancer …

The Easter Bunny joined forces last weekend with Christmas Without Cancer to bring holiday cheer to 16 area families by delivering baskets of goodies.

Created and donated by Orland Park resident and Christmas Without Cancer volunteer Maria Stefanos, each custom Easter basket contained candy, gift cards and treats. It’s the fourth year Stefanos has purchased items and created baskets for Christmas Without Cancer, which also hosted an egg hunt at each of the family’s homes. Advertisement

Since 2003, Christmas Without Cancer has helped thousands of people by providing holiday gifts and basic necessities to families dealing with cancer.

Founded in 2003 by an oncology nurse, the organization quietly identifies and adopts multiple families throughout the year and supplies them with gift cards for groceries, medications, gas, and other items, as well as help with mortgage payments, rent, tuition and travel related expenses for treatment.

Providence Catholic sophomore Sophia Leverett won the 2023 August Wilson New Voices regional competition. (Providence Catholic)

Sophia Leverett, a sophomore at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, won the 2023 August Wilson New Voices Regional Competition on Monday at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Advertisement

The contest pitted Leverett against 400 high school and college aged students and is named for Wilson, whose “Century Cycle” is a “singular achievement” in American theater, according to Goodman officials.

Leverett chose a monologue from one of Wilson’s plays and was one of 20 finalists to compete Monday. She said having the chance to participate was as inspiring as winning.

“I think it is important for other young Black actors to realize our voices matter,” she said in a release from Providence Catholic. “August Wilson writes about the Black struggle in most of his work and it’s inspiring to see young Black individuals get their chance to shine.

I was able to be part of a community; something that is bigger than myself. I felt love, creativity, and hope.”

Team and trust building exercises at the recent District 218 Operation Snowball mini-retreat included students leading blindfolded peers on a walk. (School District 218)

The pandemic took away many experiences from District 218 students, including the beloved Operation Snowball retreat. Focused on boosting self-esteem, leadership development, goal setting, and healthy life choices, Snowball returned this year with a mini-retreat.

“The initial goal was to help give our students an abbreviated version of our full retreat in hopes that we can continue to build next year, but I learned that after the last few years, these kids really just needed to relax, get silly, step out of their comfort-zone and have fun,” said counselor Ali Foley, who helped develop the curriculum.

Snowball featured team-building experiences, activities that inspired reflection on life goals, group discussions exploring a range of topics and guest speakers

Students felt Snowball offered new and thought-provoking experiences.

“I liked the mini retreat, I was able to get to know other people and get a little bit out of my comfort zone.

My favorite part of the retreat was the trust game we played. It was fun and it made others connect. It was an awesome experience overall,” said Jasmine Vaszquez.

“What I liked is that we split into groups to get to know different people. I also liked how it was a positive environment where if the teachers saw something that wasn’t positive they would correct the student’s behavior instead of just watching,” added Melissa Marquez.

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Faculty advisors saved perhaps the best activity for last.

“The retreat finished up with a final small group session writing positive notes to their group mates. The students are excited to bring the Snowball retreat experience back next year!” teacher Melissa Krenkel said.

The Southland Business Experience Expo is set to take place April 14 and 15 at the Holiday Inn Chicago — Matteson Conference Center.

This event is designed to provide insight to business professionals on government contracting, health and wellness and financial opportunities.

The expo will feature expert speakers James Dentley, Bill Walsh, Bonita Parker, and AC Green addressing topics such as marketing, branding, public relations strategies and more.

The event also will have panel discussions and business spotlights highlighting various business development and growth topics, as well as networking opportunities and a chance to build relationships with potential customers, partners and investors.

Tickets and information are at www.chamber57.org.

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