Even with the sometimes grueling recovery period, which included being on a ventilator right after surgery, intense rehabilitation and taking 25 pills daily to ward off rejection and infection, Knight, 64, is upbeat about the entire experience.

“I’m grateful, I’m blessed, ” Knight said as she sat in a clinic room at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital waiting to see her lung transplant pulmonologist. “I don’t think it was a problem at all, I feel good.”

Part of that outlook comes from having a firm grasp of the big picture.

“I was able to get two new lungs,” Knight said.

Dr. Mrinalini Venkata Subramani, her pulmonologist, said she was doing great. She had end-stage COPD and was on oxygen, plus during her transplant three months ago, lung cancer was found. She also had major abdominal surgery last year, followed by weeks of rehabilitation.

“I knew Michelle prior to the transplant,” Subramani said. “I’ve seen the change she’s undergone from being very, very sick … to now being independent.

“Her breath is completely normal and she’s able to do everything she wants to do.”

The Lung Transplant Clinic at Palos, which opened in January, has been a big help. She and her family and caregivers had been going downtown to Northwestern for appointments and testing. The trips to and from Chicago just added to the exhaustion she felt in an already weakened state.

Subramani said when Francesca Agostinelli, Knight’s 25-year-old daughter and primary caregiver, was told about the clinic opening, she was almost in tears, “she was so relieved she didn’t have to drive (her mother) downtown to appointments.”

“For patients who live in this area, that can be hours,” said Anne O’Boye, manager of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute Lung Transplant Program. “It’s making a big impact on patients.”

Subramani said it typically took patients four to 12 weeks after surgery to fully recover, depending on their strength going into the transplant and recovery immediately after.

Northwestern Medicine performed the first double-lung transplant for a COVID-19 patient in 2020, but the lung transplant program has been around for nearly 10 years, transplanting more than 400 patients, hospital officials said. The DREAM program, which was formally launched in 2023 to provide lung transplants for certain lung cancer patients, has performed lung transplants on more than 40 patients.

“Our double lung transplant program is a life-saving program for end-stage lung disease and the lung disease could be from various causes,” Subramani explained.

Knight’s family has helped her through the many visits, pain and recovery, which was evident to the health care staff who helped her.

“The family was an enormous support,” Subramani said.

Knight’s daughter said she and her sisters had rallied around their mom to help. But Agostinelli has been on-call for her mom the most because they live together, while her three sisters reside out of state.

Though Knight needs to be seen only once a month at this point, after the transplant it was three to four times weekly for testing and appointments.

“It is a lot of work,” said Agostinelli. “They trained us on how to give medications, what to look for (in terms of infection or rejection).

“They’re like a family. The Northwestern team has been so incredibly helpful about explaining everything.”

Knight, too, praised the doctors, nurses and other health care workers, who continue to help her.

“The staff has all been very kind,” she said.

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. 

The exhibit also casts a wider look at outside events large and small that have shaped the community.

“It just brings back memories — you forget certain things,” said retired nurse Phyllis Tucker, 85, who has lived at Smith Village with her husband, Roosevelt Tucker Jr., for over three years. “It really made an impression. … I think it’s really good for the young folks to see that.”

Titled “20/20: One Hundred Years in Focus—Smith Communities in a Changing World,” the exhibit, open for viewing until June 29 at Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W 111th St., traces the retirement community’s roots to 1924 when it started out as Oakhaven. The name was changed to Washington and Jane Smith’s Home in 1929 as a way to honor benefactor Emilie Smith, and later was renamed Smith Village.

It provided homes for older people and jobs during the Depression, offered a “safe haven” for them during World War II and the Korean War, when many residents had children in the Armed Forces, the exhibit states. And Smith Village met a key need in the 1960s when the number of older people “surged.” In 1991 a new wing was installed for continuing care.

Around Smith, the world was changing. There was the prohibition in 1920-33, the World’s Fair in Chicago 1933-34 and the first nuclear reaction unveiled at the University of Chicago as part of the Manhattan Project in 1942.

“You just saw how time passed and everything was changing,” Tucker said. “It shows you the radio age — I remember sitting on the floor listening to the radio with my family.”

Sandra Morrison, Tucker’s sister, has lived at Smith Village for 12 years, and, like her sister, was already a longtime resident of the neighborhood. She said several of her neighbors and friends have also moved there.

“Smith is like a community, everyone knows one another and we’re all so close, which seniors need,” said Morrison, who is in her early 80s and worked as a teacher, social worker and several other jobs before retiring.

Morrison said she recognized some of the changes in the facility as a resident.

“One of the things that really impressed me is how Smith had to make adjustments according to the population of the world, even with communication,” said Morrison, who participates in computer classes there. “When I first came here, they stuck things on the elevator. Now you go online.

“We’ve had to learn to adapt and push ourselves, too, which is a good thing.”

She also noted that a road was built when Smith opened, “so it advanced the community right away.”

Mary Ellen Lavoie, who has lived at Smith for several years, was impressed with the exhibit.

“It covered a lot of history of the area and how they’ve grown with the area,” said Lavoie, who taught scripture at Mother McAuley High School before retiring. “It was easy to go around and see.”

Kevin McGee, president and CEO of Smith Senior Living, who has worked there for more than 25 years, said family, staff, current and former trustees had spent the past 18 months mulling over ways to celebrate the 100 year milestone, and how “we as an organization have changed with the times as well.”

Among those who contributed to the exhibit were Linda Lamberty of Ridge Historical Society, Elizabeth Paulson, who supervises Orland Park’s heritage sites, and Orland Park history researcher Mike Duffy. Photography is from archives of the Chicago History Museum, Ridge Historical Society, John H. Vanderpoel Art Association, village of Orland Park, and photographers Mark Ballogg, Robert Bonicoro, Greg Lochow, Mati Maldre, Marc Monaghan and Waldemar Reichert.

McGee said his grandmother was a resident of Washington and Jane Smith Home, and now his parents live at Smith.

“We’re just excited about this milestone,” said McGee. “It’s a yearlong celebration for both our residents and staff and hopefully the community at large.”

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. 

Piros, a graduating senior at Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School, had plenty of practice, having been on the school’s Scholastic Bowl team for four years. It also helped that he is a news junkie.

“I’m lucky because it’s something I just look at in my spare time, reading about ongoing news,” Piros said.

He’s also been participating in debate competitions for several years and has gotten good at preparing beforehand and anticipating discussion topics.

“Maybe I’ve just gotten better at stuff like that,” said Piros, who lives in Homewood. “I think it just felt like the questions fit more.”

Piros finished first in a field of 47 Varsity Division students after five buzzer-based quiz bowl-style competition rounds at the event, which was contested at the same time as National History Bowl, National History Bee, National Geography Bee, National Science Bee, U.S. Geography Championships, United States History Bee, National Academic Bee and other events for high school and junior high students.

The questions at the Political Science Bee were broad, challenging and included material on American and international politics, systems of government, current events, political theory and international relations. One question asked who described congressional districts as being composed of “concentric circles” in a study of legislative campaigns. Answer: Richard Fenno.

Piros won by getting 6 or 7 right out of a total of 35.

“It was just fun,” he said. “I like answering trivia.”

But Michael Sacks, a Homewood-Flossmoor geometry teacher, head Scholastic Bowl coach and head Mathletes coach, who has guided Jack for the past four years and known him since his brother was a student there, said Piros’ inherent curiosity is a key to his success.

“Jack is just one of these students who is really smart, but also really interested in the world around him,” said Sacks. “He’s really knowledgeable about history, but what sets him apart is, he spends a lot of time on his own learning about the world and different situations.”

In preparing for the Political Science Bee, Sacks said students practiced live with him weekly and reviewed past questions.

“There’s a lot of this where you have no idea what might come up, but there are patterns,” he said.

Last year, Piros did great in a similar competition, Sacks said, but this year he “exceeded our expectations.”

“The more experience you get, the better off you are,” he said.

Eight other Homewood-Flossmoor students also competed in the National Political Science Bee and a few others in different events at the tournament.

The school also has done well at numerous Scholastic Bowl competitions.

The team was IHSA Regional Champion, Sectional Champion, and State Qualifier in the final eight in state during the 2023-2024 school year. In History Bowl competitions, the team was the Northern Illinois Winter Regional semifinalist and the 27th at Nationals.

Piros has won All-Conference, All-Sectional and All-State recognition. He also took fourth place in the Northern Illinois Winter Regional History Bee, second place in the Chicagoland Championships History Bee, in addition to other wins.

“Jack’s performance as a National Champion in the National Political Science Bee is an outstanding achievement. This year’s questions were particularly challenging, and I extend my congratulations to Jack on rising to the occasion to seize the National Championship,” said David Madden, executive director of International Academic Competitions, which organizes the annual contest in Virginia.

Piros, who is also in the National Honor Society and Mathletes, said his teacher Sacks deserves some of the credit. At one of the yearly award ceremonies for Scholastic Bowl, Piros remembered Mike Woolley, a volunteer coach from Sandburg High School at the time, mentioning that Sacks was an “organizational genius because he runs so many tournaments in the area.” But Jack said it was “also just choosing which tournament we need to go to do the best and get the practice to qualify for the National.”

“He’s amazing,” Piros said. “He’s just a nice guy, too.”

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. 

The poster she designed about the dangers of drugs and alcohol ended up winning the Computer Graphic Design prize in the Alcohol/Drug Prevention Poster Contest sponsored by Illinois Churches in Action, a nonprofit group based in Springfield. The prize was an Amazon Fire 11 tablet.

“I found it kind of interesting because my family has had a history of different kinds of drug abuses, so doing a poster about it was nice,” O’Neill said. “It hit a little bit closer to home.”

The 8.5 x 11 inch poster, shows a girl smoking and mulling drug sales on her phone with the caption, “DRUGS: The leading cause of depression and death.” She and classmates in Graphic Design 2, an elective at OLCHS, created posters for the contest, which included a graphic design category for the first time this year.

O’Neill already was accustomed to turning her passions into artwork. She began drawing in the fifth grade but incorporating graphic design elements was a new experience for her.

“The fact that I got to use a lot more of my artwork than usual for a poster was pretty nice,” she said.

Among the perks of the elective class are the T-shirts, keychains and other trinkets with logos they create as part of their assignments. But O’Neill and her classmates also just enjoy the graphic design and computer elements of the elective class.

Several dozen students participated in the project and spent about a week and a half creating the posters — sketching and coming up with designs and revising. Teacher Jacqueline Hartmann and her colleagues in the Career and Technical Education department at Oak Lawn Community voted on five of the projects to enter into the state contest.

Along with O’Neill’s poster, the OLCHS entries included the work of students Aljay Cuntapay, Daniel Mallo, Alex Merchan and Heather Sterling.

There were many great posters, but O’Neill’s stood out, Hartmann said, in part because she incorporates her original illustrations into the design.

“Eileen is a super creative and talented student,” the teacher said. “She’s a very talented artist in general but to be able to carry that into the graphic world is impressive.”

Combining creative talent with technical skill is a valuable lesson, Hartmann said, noting her graphic design students get dual credit from MVCC.

“It’s a form of art but it’s all on the computer,” she said. “Most of the students are so savvy on the computer that they’re super creative.”

Hartmann, who runs her own graphic design company, said she is always looking for competitions for the students to enter. But she said this one was special because of its message.

“It’s a really nice organization, where they do a lot to gear it towards students and adults to help them be aware of the dangers of addiction,” said Hartmann. “I thought it would be a great project.”

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. 

She competed against 483 high school entrants in the contest, which is sponsored by the Secretary of State’s Office and Office of the State Librarian. Amira was presented a plaque and $200 by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias after she read her essay at a May 1 ceremony in Springfield. Tinley Park High School, where she is a sophomore, received $100 to purchase books for the school library.

Amira wrote a letter from her heart about the challenges of addiction to David Sheff, author of “Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through his Son’s Addiction.” The book is a memoir by a dad who tries to help his son through a methamphetamine addiction.

The book inspired her to write to the author because she also witnessed people close to her struggle with addiction.

“She really poured her heart and soul into the letter and it talked about her experience, strength and hope,” said Kathleen O’Connor, who teaches Amira in her Honors British Literature class. “Through her experience she became stronger and more empathetic.”

The assignment that led to the award was to write a letter to an author of a book about it or the impact it had on the student’s life. O’Connor said some authors even responded to the letters.

“It resonated with me because I had a lot of people like that in my life,” Amira said. “I tried to convey although addiction is a very public topic, it’s much deeper than just meets the eye. It’s not like a one size fits all disease. But there is hope out there, we aren’t doomed.”

Amira had plenty of writing practice even before the class. For years she has written in her journal about significant things events in her life along with observations as simple as an outdoor scene.

“I try to ascribe meaning to everything in my life,” she said.

Though this topic was a personal one, Amira said she had help from O’Connor.

“I think I had a very good support system,” Amira said. “I felt comfortable having my writing be out there.”

While Amira is considering studying medicine in college and becoming an anesthesiologist, writing will always be a part of her life. She said the award ceremony and reading her piece in front of a large audience was nerve-wracking but also gave her a boost.

“It was a very nice experience,” she said “I felt like I had made it.”

O’Connor said she noticed Amira’s talent for writing early on.

“Her letter was so well written, I was like, is this AI?” she said.

But after a few assignments, she realized it was the real deal.

“It’s really not every day that I feel so inspired by a student,” the teacher said.

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

So when Barnachea, a nutritional aide at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, heard about the Basic Nursing Assistant Training Program, she applied and got in.

The program at Northwestern Medicine started in 2022 and is free to employees. It recently opened up to outside candidates as well, and offers a payment plan.

Once Barnachea completes her coursework, she will still need to take the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Certificate Exam.

“The process of seeing someone go back to full health is nice,” said Barnachea about her father going from being in recovery to having a full recovery.

Barnachea said the classes were also a way to “get my toes wet.” But she already knows she enjoys working with patients and is considering a career as a labor and delivery nurse.

“I like the interactions with my patients,” Barnachea said. “I like that just a simple thing like, ‘Here’s a juice,’ can make a person happy.”

The program also addresses a nursing shortage, because patient care technicians, as the nursing assistants are called, help carry the load. Their duties can include tending to patients’ personal hygiene, transportation, taking vital signs and answering call buttons.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates from 2022-2032 jobs for registered nurses are expected to grow by 6%. The Illinois Nursing Workforce Center projects the state will face a shortage of nearly 15,000 registered nurses by 2025.

Classes meet Fridays for 16 weeks at Northwestern in Chicago, and include simulation labs and clinical components. The curriculum covers anatomy and patient care skills, including taking blood pressure, grooming, dressing and more.

During a recent class, Johana Hernandez, program coordinator of Clinical Assistant Training Programs at Northwestern Medicine, asked students to identify various body parts from an anatomical chart and then discussed grooming and dressing techniques that should be followed in the hospital.

“What can you tell me about grooming?” she asked the students, then repeated some of their responses. “It helps with self-esteem. It feels good.”

There was also a sense of camaraderie in the class, both among students and between them and their teacher. But mostly there was an interest in patients and helping them get through hospital stays.

“I really like helping people,” said Daniel Sullivan, of Palos Heights, a dietary aide who also works in the call center taking dietary orders at Palos Hospital. “I love just the human interaction — hearing their stories, how they ended up there, letting them air out their feelings.

“It’s a stressful time being in the hospital.”

Sullivan said a recent clinical stint Northwestern downtown helped him and his fellow students learn charting and how to feed a patient.

Fellow student Brianna Stennis, of Blue Island, who also works at Palos Hospital as a nutrition and food service aid, said she was looking forward to one day being a labor and delivery nurse.

“I like being around people,” Stennis said. “I like seeing the smiles on their faces when I give them their food.”

Tacora Love, a Northwestern program director and nurse educator who helped create the program, said patient care technicians are essential in the operation of the hospital.

“They make all the difference in patient care,” Love said. “They’re with the patients the majority of time and are able to make observations and alert the staff right away if there are changes in our patients.

“They also build a relationship with the patients and the patients actually tell them more than they may tell the rest of the health care team.”

Love said once graduates pass the state exam, human resources works with them to help place them in jobs there. There have been 27 students who have graduated so far and half have gone on to nursing programs, she said.

The current students “are doing phenomenal,” she said, adding they are also learning time management, organization, emotional intelligence and computer skills.

Mark Mueller, who works in recovery at Palos Hospital, said he’s glad he went through the training. He used to work in food service and then transport at the hospital.

“What I liked the most was I felt like I always had someone to talk to…we had a really close bond with our teacher and between us as classmates,” Mueller said. “She (Tacora) helped me with my resume … and when I felt overwhelmed (in the recovery department), she talked me out of leaving.”

“I am glad I listened to her, she was right and I really like my job.”

Mueller also said he liked the close-knit atmosphere of the Palos Heights hospital.

“The nursing staff, they’ve treated me like one of their own from the beginning,” he said.

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. 

The eighth graders—three of Lithuanian descent and one of Japanese/Mexican–are gearing up for the school’s first culture night May 14. The event at the Palos Park school will feature information tables hosted by district families showcasing their cultural backgrounds, as well as dance performances, ethnic foods and craft making.

The idea came out of the school’s Capstone Program, a voluntary endeavor in which the four students gathered at school before class once or twice a week to brainstorm ways they could help improve their community.

They decided an opportunity for people to share about themselves would be a good way to bring people together.

“Everyone should have a chance to educate others about their own culture, but do it in a fun way so they remember it,” said Indre Luksys, who, like two of her peers in the project, has parents from Lithuania and speaks Lithuanian with them at home. “If they appreciate the different foods they’re going to try, they’re going to remember it.”

Indre, who attends a Lithuanian school on Saturdays, has been planning her presentation.

“We’ll have a chance to do some cultural performances, so they’ll be impressed by the beauty of what they see,” she said.

By sharing their cultures, the students hope to foster a wider sense of community at Palos South.

“The thing I like best is I knew we were going to be helping people come together with all their cultures and have a chance to share the different things their cultures have to bring, because every culture is special,” Indre said.

Renata Stapcinskaite, Indre’s mom, said her daughter had worked hard and put “lots of passion” into the project.

“She wanted to solve the problem of cultural discrimination and embrace an open mind with other cultures,” Stapcinskaite said. “I’m most proud that Indre had a very great understanding of her culture from the very early years of her childhood. It is wonderful that she has made such an effort to encourage others to appreciate their own culture.”

Ann Marie Ruprecht, who facilitates the Capstone Program at Palos South and teaches sixth grade language arts, said the girls spent lots of time researching their idea. They met with Palos Park Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters and her staff and interviewed Palos South principal Stuart Wrzesinski and Huwaida Hamed, who oversees English language learning programs at the school.

“Our two major things are acceptance for all and to have fun,” Ruprecht said. “It just gives them a great opportunity for everyone to learn about different cultures. With everything going on in the world, we’re one in the same.”

Kamile Juzenas, whose parents also are from Lithuania, learned 34 languages are spoken in her school district.

“I’m excited this is happening and hope everyone enjoys it,” she said.

Student Meda Kameza, also of Lithuanian descent, said she and her fellow project students were “passionate about different cultures.”

“I wanted everybody to learn that everybody is one person,” Meda said.

Meda’s family was planning to bring cepelinai (potato dumplings) and Tinginys (Lithuanian cookies), as well as souvenirs and books.

Mileta Kameza, Meda’s mom, said her daughter has done presentations before.

“She is open minded and understands that people from different cultures can act and think differently, and you should accept people as they are with no judgment,” Kameza said. “It’s important to be mindful and understand other people from different cultures. It will help other students to understand and accept friends from different cultural backgrounds.

“That will make school culture more positive, less bullying and everyone will be happier.”

Penny Ocampo, whose parents are of Japanese and Mexican descent, said the effort is a great way to learn about their classmates and others in the community.

“It was fun for all of us to learn about different cultures,” said Penny. “The project is a good idea because it’s going to help children learn diversity.” She and her sister will likely wear Kimonos to the event.

Franco Ocampo, her dad, said the students worked hard and the school staff “did an amazing job of facilitating the students and making something they imagined into a reality.”

“Cultural acceptance and appreciation is something we need now more than ever,” he said.

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

“She would just snuggle with them, pull them in,” said Dawn Isenhart-Copp, Gray’s friend and colleague. “She was so excited when she’d come in that door.”

Gray, who died in February, was a relentless advocate for the dogs and cats at the Oak Forest facility, Isenhart-Copp said. The two animal lovers started Friends of Oak Forest Animal Control to help the critters at Animal Control find foster and permanent homes. It became a city commission in 2016. Gray also persuaded the City Council to fund the animals’ health needs when necessary.

“She could take the animals who needed extra socialization — she was very knowledgeable in medical cases, too,” said Isenhart-Copp, a former Oak Forest resident who now lives in Frankfort. “She would never give up on an animal.”

Gray, a former alderwoman in Oak Forest for 16 years, died from cancer at age 62 on Feb. 14. Less than two months later, Oak Forest officials dedicated the renamed Laura Gray Animal Control & Care Center in her honor, during an April 9 City Council meeting.

The community where she left her mark is still mourning her loss. Gray also worked with Isenhart-Copp to start Bremen Dog Park at Harlem Avenue and 159th Street, making the calls and filing paperwork to acquire the land and raising money to erect fencing. Gray volunteered and fostered cats at Lulu’s Locker Rescue, a Frankfort-based foster organization that Isenhart-Copp started and manages. Gray also volunteered at PAWS Tinley Park, NAWS in Mokena and Feline Fine Cat Rescue, a foster organization with an adoption center in Homer Glen.

She and her husband, Terrence Gray, also an active volunteer in the community, had three Shih Tzus, and she looked after a colony of feral cats with the help of TripleRPets.

“Laura was my partner in animal rescue,” said Melissa Drozd, Oak Forest Animal Control officer. “She was my biggest advocate and I was always able to go to her with any questions, concerns or just to talk about anything in life.”

Drozd, who worked previously as a naturalist at Sagawau Environmental Learning Center in Lemont and in wildlife rehabilitation, said it could be hard getting the cats and dogs at Animal Control to trust people after they were abandoned, but Gray and other volunteers had a knack for it.

“She was fantastic with the animals,” Drozd said. “I can’t say enough good stuff about her.”

She said Gray regularly helped her evaluate animals, and then contacted rescue organizations to place them.

Isenhart-Copp said that compassion extended to the human residents of Oak Forest as well. As alderwoman, Gray was a source of support for residents, always ready to take their calls or texts, she said.

“She had a great personality, she was extremely persuasive, very kind,” Isenhart-Copp said. “She was a natural born leader.”

When the Oak Forest City Council unveiled the renamed Laura Gray Animal Control & Care Center plaque, the room was packed, according to Mayor Hank Kuspa.

“She had a huge heart,” said Kuspa, who teared up as he talked about her. “Yes it was animals, but she was concerned about just about everything. “She was the driving force behind beautification of the city and streetscape. She spent countless hours planting flowers.”

Kuspa said her compassion extended to children, schools and the whole neighborhood. But, he said, Gray could be a stickler for change she felt was needed.

“Back when I was elected (in 2009), she was a little critical of the new guy, which was me and which is okay,” said Kuspa. “I knew I had to prove myself to her.”

Early on, Gray persuaded Kuspa to meet with her and other residents to discuss how to bring GiGi’s Playhouse, a nonprofit for people with Down syndrome, to the city. They found a temporary site at a local church until money was raised for a permanent building in Tinley Park.

“That was Laura—that was her bringing people together,” said Kuspa, who’s late brother-in-law had Down syndrome.

Isenhart-Copp said the loss of her friend still smarts. Even in the throes of cancer, Gray was there for her, continuing her volunteer work helpikng animals and meeting with Isenhart-Copp monthly to go to restaurants, museums and other events.

“Towards the end, she was getting tired, but it didn’t stop her,” Isenhart-Copp said. “She knew how to seize the day like no other person.

“It’s a major loss to animal welfare and the city.”

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

So Smith, of Chicago Heights, started Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. in 2017, a mobile center that traveled to various locations including schools offering free hygiene kits as well as reproductive education.

She hired Dolton resident Venisha Bonds — one of her best volunteers — to help run the operation, which has grown to include a shelter, grocery pantry and programs such as Birds, Bees and Beyond for girls ages 9 to 11 and Degrees B4 Diapers for ages 12 to 21.

And they always offer emotional support.

Smith said the range of programs are a way to combat the “negative health outcomes” she saw too often at Fantus Clinic, which closed in 2018. She decided to focus on women and girls because she saw a disparity in gender perceptions.

“In the community, when girls become sexually active or are learning about their bodies, they’re often judged, as opposed to when boys start having sex,” she said. “It’s a huge double standard and it made me just want to do something about it.”

The latest venture from Smith and Bonds, a free program to train women to work in the phlebotomy field, caught the attention of the American Red Cross, which named them Blood Services Heroes. They will be honored at the 22nd Annual Heroes Breakfast May 14 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S Michigan Ave.

“Chez and Venisha’s dedication to training young women as phlebotomists not only uplifts the individuals but strengthens the community by preparing them to excel in the critical healthcare field of blood collection,” said Celena Roldan Sarillo, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Illinois, in a statement.

Smith said the program, which teaches people how to safely draw blood in medical settings, had over 65 applicants but they could afford to fund education for only six. The program provided everything for free, including tuition, books, medical scrubs and the state boards for certification. Three women completed the rigorous program from PulseFinders Healthcare Institute and scored high on the certification test, she said.

“We found out a lot of people were working, but just underemployed,” Smith said. “Their wages just weren’t matching the current cost of living.”

The nonprofit, which opened a storefront last year in Grand Crossing at 605 E. 71st St., is a safe haven for many girls and women.

Tempest Robinson, 18, was attending Chatham Academy High School in Chicago when Smith and Bonds visited with hygiene kits. She was so impressed, she wanted to be part of their mission and has volunteered with the group for about a year, putting together more kits, sorting donations and helping people who come in for diapers.

“I just thought this was my way of helping them and giving back to them for helping us,” said Tempest, who lives in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood. “They give really good advice. I love coming here. They’re like my two moms.”

Bonds also was an enthusiastic volunteer before she was hired at Gyrls in the H.O.O.D.

“I was a teen mom myself, so I understood what a struggle these girls were having,” Bonds said. “I think the biggest thing was supporting her and the mission. I saw her vision.”

Bonds had worked at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, UChicago Medicine and other healthcare venues, but “I felt it was time for me to really follow my heart,” she said.

It’s a role that makes her feel like she’s making a difference.

“These young girls come in feeling broken,” Bonds said. “We give them hugs, talk to them — not at them, allow them to decompress, talk, cry and then we’re able to talk about the next steps and how we can assist them.

“I love to see the transformation. Instead of their heads down, their heads are up.”

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. 

The combatants were members of the school’s Polish Culture Club, which started meeting this year. Students at Oak Lawn over the years have established clubs for Muslim, Arab, international, Black and Hispanic students, but it was the first time a group at the school came together to celebrate Polish heritage.

The recent soaking the students engaged in was a way to mark Smigus-Dyngus, which translates to “Wet Day” in English. The festivity, which represents spring and new beginnings, is traditionally celebrated in Poland and other European countries the day after Easter. In Oak Lawn, the event was delayed until the club’s next meeting.

Besides being fun, the Smigus-Dyngus water war also was a chance to learn more about ancestral traditions, said Chris Kuchyt, a history teacher who co-sponsors the club.

Another co-sponsor, English and world languages teacher Jesenia Kolimas, whose father is from Poland and mother is from Mexico, said Polish language isn’t typically taught at public high schools, and many club members get exposed to the language and culture of their ancestors at Polish schools. She agreed to support the club as an extension of those efforts.

“I wanted to help the Polish community flourish,” Kolimas said. “I really wanted them to be seen as supported.”

The club was started by sophomores Klaudia Latocha, Kasia Bienas and Klaudia Turza. The three all were born in the United States, though their parents emigrated from Poland and taught them to speak Polish at home. It’s a way to share Polish traditions and heritage with friends who either grew up with the culture or joined the club because they wanted to learn more about it, the founders said.

For Latocha, the club is a way to share that sense of community.

“I like it because we get to gather around with (people of the) same nationality but also who aren’t,” she said. “In Polish school, I liked learning about my culture and my friends and I just thought of doing a Polish club so everyone can be invited to learn.”

“Anyone in the school would be able to come here and learn,” Turza added.

The group gathered to paint Easter eggs and celebrated Three Kings Day in January by decorating white paper crowns, and the best-decorated crown earned one member a basket of goodies. They’ve created buttons stamped with “I love Poland” and sold paczki on Fat Tuesday.

“We have so much more than our history behind us,” said club member Amelia Wiski . “People use history against us to make fun of us. This shows we have a beautiful culture and are more than just our history.”

Among those who joined to learn more about Polish culture was Savannah Saldana, whose parents are from Mexico. She said many of her friends are Polish.

“I like the food a lot,” Saldana said, adding she’s visited with many of her friends’ families. “They’re always open to teaching you things.”

Kuchyt, who has taught at Oak Lawn Community for 23 years, said the Polish club was long overdue.

“These three ladies took it upon themselves to approach me and asked if I would sponsor it,” he said. “They were so gung-ho about it. I said absolutely, but you’re going to need to organize everything.”

Kuchyt, who joined in the Smigus-Dyngus activities, knows firsthand what it’s like to grow up in a Polish household. He said his parents emigrated from Poland, and he saw their struggles with the language and new culture. Kuchyt decided to become a history teacher partly because of an appreciation for his heritage.

That also factored into his club sponsorship.

“I think it’s important for the students to have a sense of belonging in the school — somebody they can connect with who shares a common heritage, and to learn more about their history and culture,” he said.

Kuchyt also recently led a discussion about Polish Constitution Day on May 3. Many club members, he said, participate in Chicago’s Polish Constitution Day Parade, which takes place this year at 11 a.m. May 4 starting at Columbus and Balbo Drives and marching north to Monroe Street.

The event celebrates the ratification of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, and the Chicago event “the largest Polish parade outside of Poland,” according to a news release from Loyola University-based Lira Ensemble. Among events planned around the Chicago area is a Lira Ensemble Polish & Proud Concert at 5 p.m. May 5 at SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish, 608 Sobieski St., Lemont. Tickets and information are at liraensemble.org.

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.