![1 Orland Township kicked off Older Americans Month with its annual Salute to the Troops Dinner Dance on May 5 at the Orland Township building, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. (Supplied photos)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1-1-1024x683.jpg)
Orland Township kicked off Older Americans Month with its annual Salute to the Troops Dinner Dance on May 5 at the Orland Township building, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. (Supplied photos)
Orland Township celebrates seniors for Older Americans Month
By Kelly White
Orland Township cares about its residents and looks for ways to recognize them and their commitments.
For the month of May, the township is honoring its senior citizen residents by inviting them take part in the celebration of Older Americans Month.
Older Americans Month is a month-long observance in the U.S. devoted to celebrating older Americans and their contributions and raising awareness about issues related to age and aging. The term older Americans generally refers to Americans aged 65 and over.
![Orland Township celebrates seniors for Older Americans Month 1 6](https://www.southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/6-300x200.jpg)
Orland Township kicked off Older Americans Month with its annual Salute To The Troops Dinner Dance on Thursday, May 5 at the Orland Township building, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park.
“Orland Township is always proud to celebrate Older Americans Month, as it’s vital we continue to do everything we can to support our senior residents,” Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady said. “After all, we wouldn’t be where we are without their involvement and long-term dedication to our community.”
Older Americans Month is an annual event that dates back to 1963, when President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month. It was later renamed Older Americans Month, honoring older Americans, and celebrating their contributions to local communities and our nation as a whole.
Orland Township has been celebrating Older Americans Month since its enactment. The theme for Older Americans Month 2022 is Age My Way.
“We do so to celebrate and ensure that older adults remain involved and included in our communities for as long as possible,” Alexandria Shipyor, Public Relations Coordinator for Orland Township, said. “I personally feel it is important to celebrate Older Americans because of the vital role they play in our lives. Whether they are family, friends, mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, or colleagues; they have helped each and every one of us grow as human beings. Our futures would not be possible without the dedication and care of previous generations who have paved the way for us.”
The township kicked off Older Americans Month with its annual Salute to the Troops Dinner Dance on May 5 at the Orland Township building, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park.
The dance was dedicated to the veterans who have risked their lives for their country. After enjoying dinner and honoring our veterans in attendance, The Flat Cats entertained guests with songs from the golden age of jazz and the great American songbook, along with some patriotic music to honor the veterans. The evening also included door prizes and split-the-pot.
“While May is celebrated as Older Americans Month, it’s important to also recognize that it is marked officially as Military Appreciation Month, especially for both those in and out of the military,” Shipyor said. “We are proud to gather around our Orland Township veterans (and current servicemen) to honor, remember, recognize, and appreciate their service and to know the history behind it all. Without them, we would not have the lives we graciously do today.”
O’Grady agreed.
“Since part of this year’s Older Americans Month is to celebrate the many ways older adults can remain in and be involved with their communities, we’re excited to offer something this for our crowd to engage in,” O’Grady said.
Along with the Salute to the Troops Dinner Dance, throughout the month of May, older Americans are also able to look forward to specially themed drop-in days, a health fair, luncheons, and dinner dances at the township to continue the celebration.
Local News
![school district 118 logo - Copy school district 118 logo - Copy](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/school-district-118-logo-Copy.png)
Palos 118 hosting Community Feedback Forums Monday, Tuesday
Spread the lovePalos School District 118 will host a series of community forums for the public on Monday and Tuesday, January 10 and 11, as part of its first phase of strategic planning. The Palos 118 school board is engaging the entire school community in discussions that will lead to identifying the attributes and skills…
![BobbyRush U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BobbyRush-819x1024.jpg)
Bobby Rush to retire after 15 terms
Spread the loveFrom staff reports U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, the state’s longest serving member of Congress, announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election this year, stepping down after almost 30 years of representing Chicago’s South Side and southwest suburbs. Rush, 75, formally announced that he will not run for a 16th term in Congress, but…
![BLUE RIBBON Stagg’s health team poses with the District 230 board at it was honored for winning its fourth straight Blue Ribbon award. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BLUE-RIBBON-1024x768.jpg)
Stagg health team earns fourth straight Blue Ribbon award
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva District 230 Supt. Robert Nolting likened the Stagg Health Education department to the New England Patriots. For the fourth straight year, Stagg won the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Education from the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Staff members said Stagg was the first school…
![STRAZ Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz said it will be up to businesses in his city to comply with new mandate set by Cook County. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/STRAZ-1024x678.jpg)
Palos Heights: Business owners must choose whether to comply with mandates
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Palos Heights is not cracking down on businesses that violate Cook County COVID-19 mandates regarding proof of vaccinations. But the city will help if asked. Among the mandates, which started Monday, businesses including restaurants and gyms must have patrons show proof of vaccinations, which is a controversial topic for some.…
![HEARD Former Argo star Tadriana Heard, now playing for Morton College, looks for an open teammate against Moraine Valley on Thursday. Photo by Jeff Vorva](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/HEARD-1024x703.jpg)
College Report: Division I schools listening to Heard
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Tadriana Heard is ready for a second round of Division I basketball. The former Argo star is playing her second season for Morton College, and heading into this week’s action was first in the nation among National Junior College Athletic Association players with 64 3-pointers. She was also…
![PEKAU EMAIL Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau reads part of a scathing email that wished bad things on him and his family on Tuesday night. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/PEKAU-EMAIL-1024x678.jpg)
Mayor reads hate mail before diving into COVID and crime issues
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Before Tuesday’s village board meeting, Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau said he received a disturbing email. The mayor, who shoots from the hip when it comes to his beliefs is a controversial public figure and figures to get hate mail. This one was especially nasty. “I figured that since I…
![reporter brandon kizer mugshot (2) Brandon Kizer](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/reporter-brandon-kizer-mugshot-2-1.bmp)
Stepson charged in Evergreen Park murder
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong A 24-year-old Chicago man has been charged with first-degree murder in the New Year’s Eve shooting of his stepfather in Evergreen Park. Brandon K. Kizer, 24, of the 8100 block of South Loomis in Chicago, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder in the death of Anthony Young, 52, on the…
![SANDBURG 12 Sandburg’s Claire Callaghan dribbles during the opening round of the Eagles own holiday tournament on Dec. 27. The Eagles finished second in the tournament. Photo by Jeff Vorva](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SANDBURG-12-848x1024.jpg)
Girls Basketball: Sandburg falls to LW Central in champ game of Holiday Tournament
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Two years ago, a group of promising freshmen were bumped up to the varsity at Sandburg, joining an already stellar sophomore in Erin O’Connell. The team went through some growing pains in 2019-20 but flirted with 20 wins, finishing 19-12. Then there were some pains of playing an abbreviated…
![SRP-IMAGE-Logo SRP-IMAGE-Logo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SRP-IMAGE-Logo-1024x560.png)
St. Rita takes 5th at Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent St. Rita’s youth was evident in some mistakes the Mustangs made down the stretch in the fifth-place game of the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. But the Mustangs’ talent won out in the end. Sophomore guard Jaedin Reyna went coast-to-coast and scored on a drive to the basket with 2.5…
Neighbors
![State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’ State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/FLASHING-LIGHTS-SQUAD-POLICE-00971-ilpWzw-1024x682.jpeg)
State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death. But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than…
![Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRACY-06741-bRYaAc-1024x682.jpeg)
Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Halfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party. Tracy, who’d held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in…
![As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Wetlands-Prairie-scaled1-3WD1bu-1024x683.jpeg)
As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails
by JENNIFER BAMBERG Investigate Midwest jennifer.bamberg@investigatemidwest.org In 2006, 19-year-old Jessica Whinston inherited 20 acres of land that her grandparents once farmed in Quincy, Illinois. The land had sat dormant since the 1980s and was overgrown, but Whinston and her husband Bradley worked to turn it into a productive farm. The couple were eventually able to…
![Elections board dismisses illegal campaign coordination complaint, declines to clarify law Elections board dismisses illegal campaign coordination complaint, declines to clarify law](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/240618-PIC-Board-of-Elections1-1aDJ4Z-1024x658.jpeg)
Elections board dismisses illegal campaign coordination complaint, declines to clarify law
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – State elections officials on Tuesday indicated they were unlikely to step in to clarify what constitutes illegal campaign coordination after voting to dismiss a complaint alleging such coordination in the 2022 campaign for governor. At their monthly meeting in Chicago, Illinois State Board of Elections members…
![Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/240614-PRITZKER-AA1-ViOzVJ-1024x682.jpeg)
Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” and other devices that increase the firing power of semiautomatic weapons remains in place, at least for now, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday striking down a federal ban on such items. “Illinois law…
![Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/240614-COGFA-PRISONS-11-wddchv-1024x682.jpeg)
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
![‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan ‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/240614-Logan-Prison-yard-signs-DoZFBM-1024x768.jpeg)
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
![Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it? Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ctc-calcArtboard-1-4x-1001-t2mth2-1024x682.jpeg)
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
![Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BURDEN-02851-bBqubx-1024x682.jpeg)
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
![Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240429-BAILEY-PROFT1-yRwYCt-1024x624.jpeg)
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…