All the Right Ingredients at Men Who Cook

At the fifth annual Men Who Cook fundraiser for the Will County Children's Advocacy, Will County Auditor Duffy Blackburn took 1st Place in the entrée category, Sun-Times Media reports.

The fifth annual Men Who Cook culinary competition March 23 at Mokena's Pipefitters Local Union 597, 10850 W. 187th St., turned out to be an appetizing fundraiser on behalf of the Will County Children's Advocacy Center. About 50 cooks stirred up a pot of fundraising ingredients and set a table for appetizers, entrees,  side dishes and desserts.    Will County Auditor Duffy Blackburn came up with the winning entrée, Jack Tacos,  and Jay Healy of Hoff Law firm, Burr Ridge, came up with the wining dessert, caramel-banana pudding. Sue Bloch, executive director for the advocacy center, told Sun-Times Media that the cooking competition is this non-profit organization's biggest fundraiser of the year.  For recipe tidbits and insights into the …

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Locally Owned

Wines for Humanity: Pairs Best With Charity

New Lenox resident Rosie Badalamente was the first adviser for Wines for Humanity, which donates as much as 12 percent of its earnings to charity.

New Lenox resident Rosie Badalamente didn’t know much about wine when she signed on to market the product, but over five years she’s become a local expert on the subject while doing good for the community. Badalamente became Wines for Humanity’s first adviser five years ago after an interest of her's led to a part-time career. She was invited to visit a tasting but had no interest in getting involved until seeing how much fun the couples had there. “This is a product that couples can enjoy together,” she said. “It’s funny to see the guys bring a case of beer or a six-pack, but by the end of the night they say the wine is unbelievable. I’ve converted another one!” Wines for Humanity was started in Elk Grove Village by Anton Steinhart, who …

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Locals Walk and Ride to End Breast Cancer

There's still time to donate to four local women who are raising funds for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer June 4-5.

It could be your mother, or your sister. It might be your daughter or your cousin. Breast cancer does not discriminate when it attacks women and sometimes men. That's why four local women have decided to raise money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Karen Boseo, her sister Kathy McCollum, and their friends Kathy Walsh and Kazia Skorek will walk 39.3 miles in Chicago on June 4-5.  “Our mom had breast cancer,” Boseo said, after rattling off a long list of friends who have had it. To help raise funds for their walk, they joined at least 40 other people Sunday on a benefit bike ride. Departing Fritz’s Saloon in Manhattan, the group rode the Wauponsee Glacial Trail. About 7 miles later, they arrived in a small town, Symerton, which is half …

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South Suburban Community Comes Together to Experience Gift of Giving

The Emmaus Community church in Chicago Heights served as a PADS facility on Christmas, offering meals, haircuts and a warm respite from the winter.

Carol Marshall stood in the middle of a dozen volunteers who in a moment became food servers. Prepared food had just arrived for the Christmas dinner on Saturday at The Emmaus Community in Chicago Heights. The church served as a facility for South Suburban PADS, or Public Action to Deliver Shelter, on Christmas, offering hot meals, a comfortable environment and haircuts for the homeless. A buffet line of homemade turkey, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and pies was set up, ready for service. But with so many people who decided to spend their Christmas helping out at Emmaus, Marshall needed to find more tasks for them. Then it hit her. Those volunteers would literally serve Christmas dinner plates to the 65 guests seated at tables within …

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Treasure Chest Chock Full of Gifts for Kids

The Orland Park-based foundation collects toys for children suffering from cancer and recently saw a 20 percent increase in donations.

Kristine Bulian knew what her family had to do. About two and a half years ago, her daughter Hannah was admitted to Advocate Hope Children's Hospital for intense chemotherapy to treat leukemia. It was her 12th birthday. When the doctors found out it was Hannah's birthday, she immediately got to pick a present from the "treasure chest," a selection of toys donated to hospitals across the country from the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. During 16 hospital stays that followed after her birthday, the staff would bring her toys to choose from on days when she needed rest, especially after a difficult procedure. "It was significant. She always smiled," Kristine Bulian said.  "The hospital staff would always look for the perfect …

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Helping Hands

With Holidays Nearing, Local Food Pantries Seek Help

Food pantries in New Lenox have seen an increase in people needing help this year.

Although the New Lenox Township has had to cut some items from bags of food it gives to residents in need, family services manager Kathie Johnson has remained optimistic. The number of those coming in for assistance has steadily risen, but Johnson and her staff of volunteers have continued to fill sacks with groceries. In July alone, 823 people benefited from the services. "This is an awesome community and they take care of their neighbors," Johnson said. "Some people can afford what they give and a lot of people can't, but they give it." The New Lenox Township food pantry is one of three in town, with the other two at St. Jude's Catholic Church and the New Life Church. All three operate entirely on donations of food items and financial …

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