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Thursday, March 28, 2024

GREETINGS TO PN / DECEMBER 2015 / VOLUME 15 #4

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Above / Sounds ring out from Moser Tower celebrate every season from New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve. In the foreground, the Martin Mitchell Mansion stands as the historic centerpiece at Naper Settlement where the city’s rich history is being saved for perpetuity. (PN Photo, Nov. 22, 2015)

Find the most recent greeting  posted at the top of this selection as the page is updated throughout the month.

grinch-peace-webOccasionally, Greetings to PN also are linked to other online PN stories that are saved in our archive. Many greetings, edited for space for the printed publication, will appear in the next issue.

Thank you for keeping greetings as brief as possible. Feedback always is appreciated.

As we celebrate this wondrous month when we wrap up the year and our giving ways, we are forever grateful to everyone who makes this publication possible in order to try to bring you the bright side of the news.

As always, thanks for sending your thoughts about this community with your signature, first and last name.

We welcome them!

To PN: Thank you so much for publishing such a wonderful paper and for including 360 Youth Services in it. We are very grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our youth through the “Circling Back” column. Thank you also for all the many ways you support 360.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!

—Nancy Wiersum, Chief Advancement Officer, 360 Youth Services

To PN:  We have added a page on our website to archive all of the Circling Back articles published in Positively Naperville.  Each story links back directly to the Positively Naperville website. Below is the link to the webpage.

http://www.360youthservices.org/circling-back-where-is-shaq-now/

We will also include each monthly story in our spotlight section and the scrolling stories on the homepage.  www.360youthservices.org

We can’t thank you enough for helping to share our clients’ stories and bring awareness of 360 programs to the Naperville community.

Wishing you a very happy new year!

—Lisa Schwarz-Barry, Marketing & Events Specialist, 360 Youth Services

To PN & Friends of Little Friends: As we bid farewell to 2015 and prepare to ring in a new year, I wonder if you, like me, take an accounting of the past 12 months – not only in reviewing our successes – but also in reflecting on the welfare of others.  If one of your 2015 resolutions includes helping the less fortunate in our community and you haven’t yet fulfilled that intention, I ask you to consider donating to Little Friends today.

  • 90 cents of every dollar you donate to Little Friends goes to direct services for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities in our community.
  • Making a gift to Little Friends now will ensure that the more than 800 individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities that we serve every year will continue to benefit from our innovative research, groundbreaking programs and dedicated staff.
  • The need for autism services continues to grow: about 1 in 68 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) according to estimates from the CDC.
  • Your donation will help to empower children and adults with special challenges to live, learn, work and participate in their community.
  • And, last but not least, another one of your 2015 resolutions will be fulfilled!

Without the support of our community – and you – Little Friends could not continue to help our neighbors through its schools, vocational training programs, community-based residential services and the Little Friends Center for Autism.

If you have already made a donation to Little Friends, I thank you for your support! If you have not yet made your year-end contributions to the causes that are dear to you, I respectfully ask that you consider making a meaningful gift to Little Friends today.  For your convenience, you can easily donate by calling our Development Department at (630) 281-1816 or by visiting our website at littlefriendsinc.org.

With all Good Wishes for a Joyous New Year.

—Kristi Athas Landorf, President & CEO, Little Friends, Inc.

To PN:  Thanks for your lovely coverage of Chesterbrook Academy’s recent visit to Operation Support Our Troops! The students continue to stay busy giving back to the community this holiday season so I thought you might be interested in Chesterbrook Academy Elementary school’s recent donation of nearly 600 non-perishable food items  that benefited Loaves and Fishes. To celebrate the many donations they received, they even assembled the items into a sailboat sculpture during the food drive. … Thanks!

—Kimberly Short, Public Relations Account Executive

To PN: I just want to tell you how much we enjoy your paper and online articles.  As part-time residents, we use your website daily to keep up.  Positively Naperville has filled a void of local news and highlights that were created as other publications ceased covering Naperville.  So much happens in our town that goes unnoticed.  I particularly seek out your column on City News.  You and your staff can be very proud of what you created and are delivering to all that want information.

—Jim Boyajian, Part-time Naperville Resident

To PN & Friends: We would politely ask that you add Senator.Michael.Connelly@Connelly.IllinoisSenateRepublicans.com to your contact lists, as we update our e-mail system. We are making the upgrades to better, more effectively deliver the news from Springfield that matters to our communities. Thanks for all your input that you provide to help make the 21st Senate District a better place to live. Thanks and have a great Holiday Season.

—Michael Connelly, Illinois State Senator, 21st District

Naper-Lights-P2

To Our NaperLights Sponsors: The attendance at this year’s event has thus far exceeded all our wildest expectations. We don’t have the ability to count heads but judging by the waves of people, hundreds of cups of hot chocolate and boxes of cookies we have given away, it is easy to say that this is a huge success. Seems the 70,000 lights, music, great venue at Naper Settlement and terrific visibility have really come together in this, our third year of existence.

Unlike other lights programs we offer ours for free. We do ask for donations on the site and at our web address from attendees but the income from it is still small. The ability to offer this holiday gift to our community is in great part made possible by your generous donation of money, time or resources. We have done our best to give each of you recognition in our materials and on the site.

This email is just a note to say, if we have not already done so…… Thank You. Your contribution has created lasting memories for many families and at least one wedding party we know of!

Happy Holidays.

—From all of us at Naperville Sunrise Rotary and the Executive Committee of NaperLights, John Colucci, Geoff Roehll, John Nania, Deb Newman, Mary Ann Junkroski

Editor’s Note: Positively Naperville was pleased to help spotlight Naper Lights at Naper Settlement in our December issue.  The light show continues from 5-9PM through Christmas week. We also appreciate everyone’s contributions to make this season bright and especially members of the Rotary Club of Naperville / Sunrise.

pass-christmas-treeDear Naperville: Here’s a Christmas tree made of crab traps that (Mayor) Chipper McDermott and some city workers put up yesterday.

We’d like to say again how much all the time and money that you guys put into Pass Christian is appreciated.

I still see your signs (Naperville Responds) around town. Thanks. 

—Ron Daley, Pass Christian, Mississippi

Editor’s Note: Since 2005, photographer Ron Daley has provided PN and the Daily Herald with numerous images of Pass Christian during a decade of rebuilding in the aftermath of the near-total destruction by Hurricane Katrina.

To PN and all Members of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce: 2015 has been an incredible year, and it’s hard to believe it is coming to a close.  I have been honored to serve as your Chairman this year, and wanted to share my thanks with you for making 2015 a year on which I will look fondly back.  I am most grateful for the service of you, our members, to which the successes of 2015 are attributed, and I hope you’ll spare me a few minutes to recap some of my favorite happenings this year.

rosemarie-santa-girls
In true spirit of support for Chamber members, Rosemarie Breske Garvey, front left, again visited Quigley’s Irish Pub for 2015 Pictures with Santa.

Women In Business saw a tremendous resurgence this year, and is poised for even greater success next year as they move to a quarterly program.  The WIB leadership team continues to be a force to be reckoned with not just in the Chamber, but in this community, and we are so fortunate to have had them at the helm this year.

The Chamber also introduced a new event this year – Toast to Our Members – that brought together over 450 attendees at Noah’s event venue.  That night was so memorable, not only because of the great company, but because so many of you, our members, came to support each other and toast to what the Chamber has meant to your relationships and your businesses.  As I looked around the room that night and saw faces I hadn’t seen in a long time, I was reminded of why the Chamber has meant so much to me over the years, and I was excited to see that same enthusiasm in that room.

Most fondly, I love that 2015 saw the resurgence of the Young Professionals of the Naperville Chamber (YPN) and the introduction of the Legacy Circle, which is the Chamber’s new dual-mentorship program.  I came to the Chamber by way of YPN back in 2008, and I am so fortunate to count its members among my dearest friends and business associates.  I am most excited for the Legacy Circle because it brings all of the best things of this Chamber and this community together, and the leadership team that has put the program together comprises some of the best people I have had the pleasure of knowing.

The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce has been a integral part of my life for so many years, and as I pass the Chairman’s gavel to Adam Russo next year, I know I leave it in very good hands.  Adam begins his role as Chairman  in January, and will see  that term through for two years, which begins a new chapter of leadership for this Chamber.

Members, thank you for allowing me to serve you in this capacity this year.  It has been a honor, and I remain humbled by the opportunity this has been.

I wish you the happiest of holidays, and my best for a truly prosperous New Year.

—Rosemarie Breske Garvey, Chairman, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce

To PN & the Community: Happy Holidays from Mayor Steve Chirico and the 2015 Naperville City Council was distributed electronically to the community on Dec. 4, 2015.city greeting card

Editor’s Note: ‘Tis the season of wonder and giving.  And with that comes a chance to give thanks to elected public officials and all volunteers who serve this remarkable community.

We’re mindful that sometimes the caring citizens eager to offer advice and solutions may seem hyper critical when they enter the doors to Council Chambers to provide public comment. We value freedom of expression and opinions that make us think. With that, we recognize that positions as public servants can seem thankless.

So here are some simple words of gratitude.

While a small sampling of the voting public was the majority that elected Naperville’s current City Council, seated with a broad set of skills, we especially appreciate our public officials with open minds who take time to seek thoughtful opinions, knowing the importance of listening and deliberation before casting important votes.

What’s more, we wish to extend sincere gratitude to members City staff who are responsive to our requests as well as all the members of the Naperville Fire and Police Departments who are standing watch around the clock to keep our community safe.

Beyond City Hall

And beyond City Hall, we appreciate public office holders on local school boards in District 203 and District 204, Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners as well as individuals who fill the seats that serve Naperville in DuPage County, Will County, local townships, Springfield and Washington, D.C.

From now on, we want to have faith that our elected officials will be working together with strong local intergovernmental relationships to enhance the economic vitality of Naperville, always aiming to sustain its much-desired quality of life that continually attracts new residents and new businesses to establish homes here.

Local transparency for all

Our attention recently has realized that not all elected officials on all public governing bodies are aware of what the others are planning for taxpayer dollars.  That’s why, in our opinion, video coverage of every public meeting, streaming on demand, has great value for folks who seek information, but are unable to attend meetings that sometimes conflict with family commitments and busy schedules. We are grateful to the City of Naperville and School District 204 for recording every public meeting and making them easily accessible to all, all the time.

When we put it all together, we especially appreciate fiscally responsible officials who spend volunteer time looking at public policies and budgets in the light of transparency that best allocate resources for unmet needs.

Thanks, too, for thoughtful policies that keep our children safe, promote individual liberty, protect the rights of law-abiding citizens and support peaceful relations all around.

Peace on Earth to all individuals of goodwill. Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading and for paying attention.

Most every day, the print version of the Daily Herald also is a good example of why the page-by-page presentation you won’t find online is more informative and memorable than what appears online. Please look for a copy. Please pay attention and become the voting public in the Primary Election on March 15, 2016. Thanks for reading.

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.

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