May is bursting with things to do

By Laura Ortega

Your correspondent in Greater Ashburn

4214 W. 82nd Place •  (773) 627-6679

First, I want to wish a most special birthday to my son, Ivan, who will be an official teenager on May 2. I will have three teens under one roof. Oy vey!

Second, I want to congratulate my daughter, Lucia, who will graduate from Mother McAuley on May 15. She will be attending the College of Engineering at UIC this fall. I’m so very proud of her and her academic accomplishments.

Move out of the way, April! The month of May wants the limelight now. With the Easter holiday behind us, we look forward to May Crowning where the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, is honored and crowned with a garland or crown of flowers. One way to celebrate May Crowning is to pray the Hail Mary, the Hail, Holy Queen, or the Memorare.

Laura Ortega

As I’ve mentioned before, I love this time of year, especially when I select my annuals/perennials to plant. I stopped by Lowe’s recently just to “see what they have” but ended up with a shopping cart full of flowers. I do the same thing, year after year, expecting different results.

I should not be left unattended where flowers are for sale. Some would say I spend too much on flowers, but you know what? If I spread the cost over the six months they live, then it’s a small price to pay for beauty that I can gaze on day after day – not to mention for the neighbors walking or driving by. I just find it so calming to plant, sit back and let the flowers do what they do best.

Let’s keep our communities safe. Participate in your local CAPS meeting. The next meeting for Beat 834 is on Thursday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at Scottsdale Park, 4637 W. 83rd St. Police need community involvement to help keep our streets safe. Thank you, CPD, for all you do.

Bring your family, chairs, and blankets to Scottsdale Park, where the Scottsdale Neighborhood Watch will present their first movie night of 2022 on May 20 at 7:15 p.m. Admission is free, and snacks will be sold. Event is weather dependent.

Do you have a teen or young adult between the ages of 14 and 24? Having too much idle time in the summer can lead to poor decisions and getting into trouble. Look into the One Summer Chicago initiative that provides youth with employment. Most programs are between 20 and 25 hours per week. Complete the application at onesummerchicago.org. The application closes June 10.

Eighteenth Ward Ald. Derrick Curtis has partnered with the City Clerk to bring “Mobile City Hall” to Scottsdale Park on Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You’ll be able to purchase dog licenses, city stickers, residential parking permits and apply for a CityKey.

The alderman is also seeking a summer college intern. Candidates must have completed one semester or quarter of college during the spring of 2022 and live in Chicago. The pay rate is $15 an hour for 10 weeks. Call their office for additional details at (773) 284-5057.

Looking for ways to spend your time? Participate in programs offered by the Chicago Park District. Online registration begins

Monday, May 9 at 9 a.m. for in-person programs at parks located west of California Aveue and Tuesday, May 10 at 9 a.m. for in-person programs at parks located east of California. I’ve included a few programs below offered by the parks but note the list is not comprehensive. Contact your local district for additional information or go to chicagoparkdistrict.com/programs-memberships.

• Dooley Park, 3402 W. 77^th St., offers Bitty Basketball, Flag Football Skills and Park Kids.
• Durkin Park, 8445 S. Kolin, offers Circuit Training, Dance, Park Kids, Recreational Tumbling, T-Ball and Tiny Tot Tumbling.
• Hayes Park, 2936 W. 85^th St., offers programs such as Senior Citizens Club, Learn to Swim, Step Aerobics, Tiny Tot Tumbling, Boot Camp and Dance Hip Hop.
• Rainey Park, 4350 W. 79^th St., offers Softball, Basketball, Dodgeball, Floor Hockey, Kiddie College, Nature Fun, Park Kids, Soccer, T-Ball and Teen Club.
• Scottsdale Park offers Arts & Crafts, Softball, Basketball, Bitty Basketball, Bingo, Boxing, Dodgeball, Floor Hockey, Music, Play School, Senior Citizens Club, Soccer, Strength & Conditioning, T-Ball, Tiny Tot Sports, Volleyball, Walking Club and Yoga.

The following events are for 18th Ward residents only. For more information, please call (773) 284-5057 or visit derrickgcurtis.com/events.

• A paper shredding and electronics recycling event is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at the parking lot of Oak Street Health, 3348 W. 87th St.
• A pet health-fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 25 in the north parking lot at 8359 S. Pulaski. Staff from Chicago Animal Care & Control will be on hand with 100 free vaccines (rabies, FVRP, DA2PPL). There also will be free microchipping, ID tags, pet food & supplies. Sign up to receive a “curb your dog” lawn sign.

If you have any news you’d like to see in this column, please call me or send an email to editor@swnewsherald.com.

As some of you may noticed, I do not contribute to the Greater Ashburn column on a weekly basis. My apologies that it’s not more often but I know you’ll understand that I have family and work full-time (I just finished surviving my 17^th tax season!). Thanks for reading and until next time, folks.