OB In Every Issue
Blazing Courage: Oak Brook Fire Department’s Adam Eboli
Like many people, Adam Eboli chose to work in his hometown. It’s where his family is. It’s where his roots were planted. But unlike other people, Eboli has a unique job: he’s a firefighter and a paramedic. So, it’s his responsibility to help keep his hometown safe. And that’s quite the ask of any kid…
Read MorePolar Plunge in Oak Brook raises money for Special Olympics Illinois
By Anna Hughes | Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Illinois Mike McLaughlin is a multi-sport athlete. In 35 years with Special Olympics Illinois (SOILL), he’s participated in volleyball, basketball, softball, bocce ball, and bowling. His sister, Kathy McLaughlin, is his biggest supporter, on the sidelines, cheering him on whenever her schedule allows. It’s been a…
Read MoreGirls Just Want to Give Funds: The Western Suburbs Giving Circle
By Anna Hughes Women supporting women: that’s the core of the Western Suburbs Giving Circle (WSGC). The WSGC is a subset of the Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW), an organization focused on bringing health, safety, and economic prosperity to women, girls, transgender, and nonbinary individuals across the Chicagoland area. Since 1985, they’ve invested over $50…
Read MoreAfter the Ashes: Holocaust survivor Eric Blaustein
By Maureen Callahan The Holocaust was among the darkest hours in history. How survivors carry their memories is as varied as the individual stories themselves. In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day – January 27 – local resident Eric Blaustein reflected on the five months he was imprisoned at Buchenwald Concentration Camp near Weimar, Germany as…
Read MoreTrailblazers: The inspiration behind the Women of Oak Brook
Local women’s group brings Oak Brook together through connection, friendship, and service By Anna Hughes | Photos by Victor Hilitski Lara Suleiman and her family moved to Oak Brook over ten years ago for its great schools and diverse community. When describing the village they’d be calling home to family and friends, Suleiman often referred…
Read MoreVillage agency recruits volunteers for community service, response, and recovery
By Anna Hughes You can never be too prepared. That’s the foundation of Oak Brook’s Emergency Services Disaster Agency (ESDA). ESDA members are trained to support the village in case of emergency by helping prepare residents, support responders, and aid in recovery efforts in cooperation with local, state, and federal governmental entities, as well as…
Read MoreSomeone You Should Know: Veteran Ron Nelson
Veteran Ron Nelson still pays it forward By Bill Esbrook Always giving back. Consistently paying it forward. Devoting himself to Faith, family, and country. Those phrases might be the perfect way to describe the life of Oak Brook resident and Navy veteran Ron Nelson, who is definitely, as the saying goes, someone you should know.…
Read MoreLet’s Go!: Every ride’s a quarter, five for a dollar, at Dispensa’s Kiddie Kingdom
By Maureen Callahan Locals with very long memories remember that sometimes, rides were actually six for a dollar, depending on the weekly Tribune ads. Chicagoland area kids sang along with the catchy ads for Kiddie Kingdom on the radio while riding around town in their parents’ station wagons. The clean, reasonably priced amusement park was…
Read MoreButler School District helps shape the next generation of Girl Scouts
By Anna Hughes For over a century, Girl Scouts have been making a positive impact on their communities and in the world. The organization has produced generations of leaders, fiercely passionate women, philanthropists, and lifelong friendships. There are troops in over 92 countries, and over 50 million women have been a Girl Scout at one…
Read MoreWriter’s Workshop: Oak Brook resident to tell her life story in upcoming book
By Anna Hughes Sitting on the couch of her Oak Brook home, Joan Salvato gestures to a large black photo album on a chair across the room. She jokes that, at 88 years old, it’s too heavy for her these days and asks me to bring it over to her. Despite our 64-year age difference,…
Read More