Program volunteer and Hilti representative, Aimee Head, shows Bridge student, Martha Sikora, how to use a circular saw during a power tool program at The Bridge Teen Center. Supplied photos
Teen Center announces 120-plus new free programs
A group of teens work on a Thanksgiving craft in The Bridge Teen Center Art Studio during a Friday Night event.
The Bridge Teen Center is starting 2023 off right with a new semester of free holistically-designed programs for teens. All afterschool programs are free to teens in seventh- to 12th-grade and can be found in their Winter/Spring Program Magazine at www.thebridgeteencenter.org.
Some exciting programs include Woodworking: Plant Stands, Yoga & Smoothies, Behind the scenes at Old Navy, Abstract Painting, Rockets & Gliders, Fire Science and more. Many local community businesses and organizations are partnering with The Bridge to lead student programs including: Robison Engineering, Sentient Soul Yoga Therapy, Taproot Farms, Civil Air Patrol, and Moraine Valley Community College.
Students can also sign-up to join the “Thriftastic” job readiness program, which is offered in partnership with The Bridge Teen Center’s sister organization, The Bridge Thrift Store. This unique program gives students the opportunity to interview for committed volunteer roles that give them hands-on experience in a creative and thriving retail setting. Shorter-term group and individual community service opportunities also are available to students by visiting www.thebridgeteencenter.org/volunteer.
Thriftastic Job Readiness student, Jack Parsons, shelves donated books at The Bridge Teen Center’s sister organization, The Bridge Thrift Store.
Student programs take place after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at The Bridge Teen Center, 15555 S. 71st Court in Orland Park.
Programs are holistically designed around the interests and needs of suburban teens. Advance sign up is required. Students can sign up at www.thebridgeteencenter.org.
In addition to afterschool programs, The Bridge Teen Center hosts events every other Friday from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Some themes will include: Disney Extravaganza & Trivia, Super Mario Madness, Sham-Rockin’ Shindig, Battle of the Bands and more. Friday Nights also typically include karaoke, open art studio, games, live music, and free food samples donated by local restaurants. Advance sign up is not required for Friday nights, but students and their friends must have a Bridge student membership.
“Even though we have been open over 12 years, we continue to work hard at offering new and relevant free programs students can both benefit from AND enjoy,” said Priscilla Steinmetz, Founder and Executive Director of The Bridge. “Our intentional approach to designing our program calendar each semester provides students with a balance of what they need at this age – but also what they desire to experience.”
All programs and events at The Bridge Teen Center are offered free of charge and are open to teens with an approved student membership. Parents or guardians of students that are not members can apply for a free student membership at www.thebridgeteencenter.org.
Local News
Archer Avenue may go green
Spread the loveSt. Patrick’s Day parade planned By Tim Hadac Organizers of Garfield Ridge’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade are hoping the Lightfoot Administration will give a green thumbs-up to the small but festive celebration of all things Irish. For each of the last two years, City Hall withdrew its support and denied permits based…
No injuries in basement fire in Orland Park apartment
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A basement fire damaged a four-unit apartment building early Sunday morning in Orland Park. The fire was extinguished quickly and damage was kept to a small area of the basement, although smoke filled the building. Officials of the Orland Fire Protection District said there were no injuries and the cause…
Worth hires new management for Water’s Edge Golf Course
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Even an impending snowstorm could not damper the mood of Worth Trustee Laura Packwood regarding plans for the village’s Water’s Edge Golf Course. Packwood, who is the head of the golf committee, said that Orion, a company based out of Kansas City, Mo., became the official managers of Water’s Edge…
Cook County residents eligible for spay/neuter discounts in February
Spread the lovePet owners can bring their dogs and cats to participating veterinarians throughout Cook County to receive a $40 discount on spay or neuter services in February. The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control are offering the spay and neuter program during February – Spay and Neuter Awareness Month. More than 200…
Teen driver charged in crash that killed Alsip girl
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong A juvenile was charged by Palos Heights police Monday with reckless homicide and reckless driving in the December 27 crash that killed a 14-year-old girl from Alsip and injured six other people. Palos Heights police did not identify the juvenile because of the driver’s age. The driver was charged with…
Let us grow, let us grow, let us grow
Spread the love The weather outside may be frightful, but the learning at St. Sym’s is delightful, is the message implied in a bulletin board designed by third grader Olivia Hernandez. School officials said Olivia was given the opportunity to design the bulletin board as a reward for the kindness she shows at school. Catholic…
Cold weather, warm hearts
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Hi everyone. Welcome to February, the shortest month of the year, jam-packed with holidays like Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday–which are usually bundled together into Presidents Day–Groundhog Day, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday and Super Bowl Sunday. (Some of us just check…
‘Once in a lifetime’ funding coming
Spread the loveGov’t. invites biz owners, non-profits to apply From staff reports Local business owners and community-based non-profit leaders are invited to attend an online meeting designed to raise awareness of the American Rescue Plan Act and other economic recovery funding opportunities, and better understand what they need to do to be eligible for these opportunities. Dubbed…
Crime fighters will meet
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Residents of Police Beat 812 (Clearing, west of Central Avenue) are invited to attend their next CAPS meeting, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9. The meeting will be held via Zoom in a webinar format. To obtain instructions and passcodes, call the Chicago Lawn (8th) District CAPS Office at…
Neighbors
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
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?
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
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
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…
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety,…
“No Schoolers”: How Illinois’ hands-off approach to homeschooling leaves children at risk
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided…
Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget
By ANDREW ADAMS JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the…
Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938…