Donate teddy bears to our local police

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Peggy Zabicki

Your correspondent in West Lawn

3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327

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Have you ever seen the 1955 movie The Night of the Hunter?  The children in this movie show such bravery and acceptance in what life has thrown at them.  They have to deal with unimaginable events and sadness.  At one point the children are in danger and have to run for their lives.  The children just keep going.  They don’t give up.  I think that’s the way children are.

In our own neighborhood children are often caught in the crossfire of warring gang members. If they survive their wounds, they somehow keep going because that is the nature of children. I ask you – why should the lives of innocent children be ones of silent suffering because of the ignorant choices made by adults?

Here is a quote from The Night of the Hunter:  “…when you’re little, you have more endurance than God is ever to grant you again. Children are man at his strongest. They abide.”

Peggy Zabicki

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. The Chicago Lawn (8^th) District police must deal with child abuse situations when they respond to calls, tips and reports of abuse and domestic violence. Some of the police have been bringing teddy bears for the children to hug while they deal with the immediate situation.

The police are collecting teddy bears through the month of April. If you would like to donate new teddy bears, please bring them to the Eighth District police station, 3420 W. 63rd St.

West Lawn Little League has some openings for 4- to 6-year-olds in their T-Ball division. Their playing field is located at 4233 W. 65th St.  For registration information, call Juan at (773) 499-6808.

The LOS Youth Center, 3919 W. 63rd St., now has free family exercise classes on Saturdays. They point out that in addition to being healthy for our bodies, exercise benefits our brains. When we exercise, endorphins are released into our brains, which then help to reduce stress and anxiety. Call LOS Youth at (773) 424-5294 to get started on your family’s fitness journey.

Lawn Lanes, 6750 S. Pulaski, is now taking registrations for their 29th Annual No-Tap Tournament. This will take place from May 8-25. Visit them or call (773) 582-2525 for more information and to register your team.

As you might remember from some of my past columns, I have been wondering about the empty property at the northwest corner of 63^rd and Lawndale for a long time. It has been sitting empty for more than 10 years. As all of us learned from reading the April 12 edition of the Greater Southwest News-Herald, it might be purchased with state funds and tax increment financing money and then developed to expand nearby Hubbard High School.

Twenty-third Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares has given a lot of time and attention to this space and said that it could be used as a “facility to bring career and technical education to Hubbard students.”

Some neighbors I’ve talked to agree with the idea of the land being used to improve Hubbard High School, but many are disappointed that the space won’t be used for something that all people could use.  In any case, it will be good to see something at 63^rd and Lawndale besides an empty eyesore.

The West Lawn Conservation Club recently cleaned up the West Lawn Branch Library’s shade garden, 4020 W. 63rd St. The club will be taking over the maintenance of the garden over the summer months. I bet this space is going to look beautiful very soon!

Thank you to the group of volunteers that worked hard to clean up West Lawn Park on Saturday, April 13. A special thanks goes to Boy Scout Troop 1441 and also to the West Lawn Neighborhood Watch. Your efforts made our neighborhood park look nice and clean.