Township News

Thornton Township will celebrate its annual Martin Luther King Jr. program at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15. Thornton Township Supervisor President Frank M. Zuccarelli, Thornton Township Board of Trustees, Thornton Township Human Relations Commission (HRC), South Suburban College (SSC), and Thornton Township High School District 205 have coordinated for the celebration. The guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith Jr. and there will be performances by students from District #205 along with Coolidge Middle School Jazz Band. For any questions, call 708-596-6040. Ext. 3168._

REFLECTIONS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR:
Frank M. Zuccarelli, Thornton Township President said, “Love and unity overpowers division and anger. Dr. King said human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle.”

State Senator Donne Trotter (IL 17th Senatorial District) commented, “Martin Luther King was a great man that represent justice and equality for all.”

State Senator Kwame Raoul (IL 13th Senatorial District) stated, “Martin Luther King said our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. This Martin Luther King Day, I’m asking that we all speak out against the injustices that are taking place in our communities and across the state. We must speak a little bit louder against hate. We must speak a little bit louder against fear. We must speak a little bit louder against those who seek to divide us. And we must speak a little bit louder against the inequities in our society. If King has taught us anything, it’s that human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.”

Loretta Wells, MLK Event Chairperson and Member of Thornton Township Human Relations Commission stated, “I have been chairing the program for about 6 years. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was dynamic. Celebrating him brings our youth together. It’s a phenomenal program that we celebrate yearly – MLK Day.”

John Arrington, MLK Program Chairperson and HSD205 Director of College and Career Programs, which is a Partnership between HSD205, SSC and Thornton Township said, “Martin Luther King Jr Celebration is a constant reminder of his legacy and what it meant, what he stood for and sacrifice. King stood for nonviolence and forgave his enemies. That is phenomenal and unforgettable.”

Thornton Township Trustee Joyce M. Washington, Chairman of the township’s Human Relations Commission said, “Dr. King gave his life fighting for equality. This celebration reminds us of the struggle to make things better in America.”

Thornton Township Trustee Stafford C. Owens commented, “Martin Luther King Jr stood for equality, diversity, and justice for all.” Thornton Township Trustee Norbert Cipowski said, “We should celebrate Martin Luther King Day. I will be there for the celebration!”

Thornton Township Clerk Jacqueline E. Davis-Rivera commented, “Martin Luther King Jr has been a role model and inspiration to me. He broke a lot barriers being nonviolent. It was not popular to be nonviolent at that time and he received the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Alderman Joseph Whittington Jr, 2nd Ward, City of Harvey, IL said, “Martin Luther King is a man who gave his life in the fight to bring equality for all people, and this celebration means that he will never be forgotten.”

Alderman Christopher J. Clark, 3rd Ward, City of Harvey, IL stated, “Martin Luther King’s birthday is a great celebration. This is a constant reminder that we can always do better. Reminds us that we made strides and we have a way to go. Golden Rule is: do onto others, as you want them to do onto you.”
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Thornton Township, the largest township in Illinois, is giving away more than 4,500 toys to community residents as well as 7,000 free holiday food baskets during its annual Christmas Care program. The program has been going on for more than a decade. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at one of our Thornton Township Building, 16910 Westview St. in South Holland.
Quotes
“This is one of my favorite programs all year,” said Frank M. Zuccarelli, Thornton Township supervisor. “It’s a great feeling when you see the excitement in a child’s eyes when they see all the wrapped presents, and then you see the parents so thankful that they can provide a good Christmas for their children.”

“The township enjoys helping families. That is what local government is supposed to do,” said Jill Manning, director of special projects and coordinator of the Christmas Care program. “The community really comes out for this program and we are going to continue having this event for our residents.”

In addition, we wrap presents from Dec. 5 to Dec. 13 at the same building in case television stations want B-roll of that before they come.

Thornton Township held its annual Holiday Dinner at South Suburban College with more than 1,500 people served.

Thornton Township President Frank M. Zuccarelli, its Board of Trustees along with Township Clerk Jacqueline E. Davis-Rivera hosted its holiday dinner to residents. According to Clerk Rivera, “I am so grateful that we have made it another year and this is our 17th year doing this.” Rivera continues, “We gave away hundreds of turkeys because we are here to serve the community.” Zuccarelli said, “We enjoy any opportunity that we have to bring the community together for fellowship and to serve them in any way that they need. This annual holiday dinner is something that people look forward to every year and it will continue to grow. We appreciate our residents and want to show them support in every way.” Zuccarelli walked the fieldhouse shaking hands as people lined up to receive holiday dinners.

The Human Relations Commission volunteered and helped serve dinner. Trustee Joyce Washington is the Chairperson of the Human Relations Commission. “We are very thankful this holiday season to give to those that have given so much to the township,” said Washington. The dinner also included live entertainment.
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Thornton Township was awarded two prestigious media awards at the annual Township Officials of Illinois honors. The township won best Illinois Township Website and best Illinois Township Social media.

“Thornton Township underwent a complete Website overall this year. The purpose was to create a more informative, interactive, and visually appealing site that would be useful to all our residents regardless of age,” said Ernst Lamothe Jr., community relations manager for Thornton Township. “We consider a Website the front door to the township. When people want to know about your government body, the first thing they do is search your Website. The expectation is that they should be able to find the information quickly and clearly.”

“We have never won an award for our communications before and I am proud of our department that they are doing such great work to educate the community about our services,” said Frank M. Zuccarelli.

Some of the changes included:

• Department pages: Created a detailed department site for each of our 11 departments: Assessor, Clerk, Community Relations, Food and General Assistance, Other Services, Senior Services Special Services, Transportation, Youth and Family Services, ZAP. Each page has a blue header that describes in a few short sentences the department’s goal along with a photo of the head of the department and a phone number to reach them. It also has a short video of the director of that department explaining the highlights of their program.
• Jobs page: Even with the economy doing better, people are still either looking for work or are underemployed. We believed it was important to also host a job pages on our Website. Any company from within or outside the township can give us a flyer and we will post available jobs for the community. Thornton Township looks to be a resource for our residents who are both in general assistance and those who are not. We want to be a one-stop shop for many of their needs.
• Social Media: At the top of the page are all our social media icons that people can click directly to log onto. Also, we made it easier to always get back to the homepage by clicking on the Thornton Township icon.
• Community Page: We believe in the importance of local government connected to schools. They are the future leaders and we wanted to highlight their achievements. We have a separate page within our Website that focuses the public high schools within the township and various students doing incredible things.

“We have never won an award for our communications before and I am proud of our department that they are doing such great work to educate the community about our services,” said Frank M. Zuccarelli, Thornton Township supervisor.

In addition, Zuccarelli received the Friends of the Youth Award for his diligent work of expanding services and programs for the youth and adult services department.

Thornton Township Supervisor Frank M. Zuccarelli understands first-hand the importance of veterans. As an Air Force man, he served his country and admires the determination and integrity of the men and women who have served our country. The township hosted a Veterans Day event attended by more than 100 people.
“The strength of America has always been its people. We have men and women of all cultures and religions who volunteer to go into service,” said Zuccarelli. “We understand it’s a great responsibility and honor to serve a country that has done so much for us. People even today risk their lives trying to come to America.”

Each veteran who came to the event received a personal pin that was placed on their jacket by Zuccarelli.
Keynote Speaker Commander Marvin Gardner for the Veterans Strike Force organization addressed the Veterans Day audience.

“I’m proud to be among a group of men and women who have shown determination and integrity,” said Gardner. “In the military, they teach you to work together as one team. Even though we live in times that are sometimes divided, we must have that same attitude that we learned in the military of respecting each other, fighting for each other and loving each other. It is the only way we can truly be stronger together.”

This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country’s service, and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. However, in 1954, the holiday was changed to “Veterans Day” to account for all veterans in all wars.

Chicago, IL – In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Thornton Township Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli and the Board of Trustees along with Thornton Fractional School District 215 present the Pink Out Football and Volleyball event. The games featured a Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign featuring Thornton Fractional North High School, 755 Pulaski Road, Calumet City, IL.

Thornton Fractional North High School will battle the number 1 team in their conference – Lemont High School.

According to Athletic Director Omari Garrett for Thornton Fractional North High School, “Football and volleyball players and coaches will participate by wearing pink paraphernalia like shoes, arm bands and socks. Students who wore pink got into the game free. We definitely want to continue to bring awareness. We had have a moment of reflection prior to the National Anthem for anyone who has loss a love one to breast cancer, know someone who is currently battling it, or survived it.”

Ernst Lamothe Jr, Thornton Township Public and Community Relations Manager said, “This is the second year we are partnering with a school district to bring a Pink Out event to the area. Last year, we worked with several high schools. We are excited to be teaming up with District #215 and TF North.” Lamothe further stated, “We understand that breast cancer is an important issue and we want to keep it in the forefront.”

What is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins on October 1st and ends on October 31st.

Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point.

The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early. A mammogram – the screening test for breast cancer – can help find breast cancer early when it’s easier to treat.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a chance to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. Make a difference! Spread the word about mammograms and encourage communities, organizations, families, and individuals to get involved.

The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.
If you are a woman age 40 to 49, talk with your doctor about when to start getting mammograms and how often to get them.
If you are a woman age 50 to 74, be sure to get a mammogram every 2 years. You may also choose to get them more often.

Talk to a doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if a close family member of yours had breast or ovarian cancer. Your doctor can help you decide when and how often to get mammograms.

Living by their motto of People Working With People, Thornton Township employees went down to Houston to deliver supplies to the devastated areas in the 5th ward. Once township officials saw the images of people affected, Thornton Township Supervisor Frank M. Zuccarelli soon organized an areawide donation campaign throughout September. Volunteer drivers delivered supplies in trucks donated by Blue Island-based W & W Towing. Along with various other organizations and municipalities such as Lansing, Riverdale, Phoenix and South Holland, they provided to provide supplies in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which included water, diapers, baby formula, blankets and hygiene care products. A few years ago, Thornton Township also helped during the Flint, Michigan water crisis.

“With the sheer devastation of the storm, we wanted to do something to help the thousands of people in need,” said Frank M. Zuccarelli. “Our hearts and prayers are with the family. We are asking our Thornton Township residents to donate needed supplies to our four township locations.”

The donation was for Restoration Square Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral in northeast Houston. Inside the cavernous worship hall, co-pastor Tracy Glenn helped sort the necessities onto long tables. Of the 150 or so people in Restoration Square, about 10 percent had lost their homes, Glenn said. For the sixth time in less than a month, she was using her church to hand out supplies.

“It’s definitely appreciated,” said Glenn, co-pastor of the Restoration Square Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral. “The donations and love they brought with them, helping us unload, getting items to the people in the community — we’re grateful.”

Six township employees went on the trip including Thornton Township communication manager Ernst Lamothe Jr. Troy O’Quin, Josh Owen, Marshun Tolbert and Julian Wilson.

“We saw some blocks where the homes were completely devastated,” Lamothe Jr. said. “The water line was halfway up the houses and there was a lot of debris out front. Then two or three blocks over, everything was OK.”

Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented and catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas. In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches of rain as the system went over eastern Texas and adjacent waters. Harvey is the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States. The resulting floods inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, displaced more than 30,000 people, and prompted more than 13,000 rescues.

With people being skeptical of whether their entire Red Cross Donations are going to the cause or if FEMA is reacting quickly enough, Thornton Township wanted to make sure the money and donations went directly to residents.

“All the money donated by individuals for the hurricane relief went 100 percent to the relief and people appreciate that,” said Lamothe Jr.

Thornton Township celebrated its 13th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month with native music, food and speakers talking about the importance of fostering and educating people about the Latino culture. Entertainers included the Thornton Township Mexican Folklore Dancers, Magician Ken Mate, and the Holy Cross Immaculate Heart of Mary Marimba Ensemble.

“We have to celebrate the many cultures we have in this country. We have to
appreciate the variety of cultures that make our community great. Thornton
Township strives to give our residents a variety of fun and educational programs
throughout the year,” said Frank M. Zuccarelli, Thornton Township supervisor.

The event took place at the township, 333 E. 162nd St. in South Holland. The honoree was Dr. Richard Rucoba. A World War II veteran in the Marine Corp., he treated the wounded and cared for sick Marines. After the war, Dr. Rucoba studied and graduated from Illinois College of Optometry. But understanding that life is more than just your career, he always believed in volunteering his time. He tutored high school students in math, English and other classes and joined the Lions Club which focuses on helping the visually and hearing impaired. He has been a Lions member for 55 years, where he went on various Eye Glass Missions to Mexico to examine the poor and prescribe glasses without charge. During one of his 15 Eye Glass mission trips, he drove an hour north of Mexico City and examined 6,280 people in one week.

“Richard gives you so much inspiration and good advice about making sure you live a worthwhile and involved life. He is an example to all of us,” said Oscar Canales, who helped coordinate the event.
In addition, because Rucoba believes in staying in shape, he turned his passion of running into the art of dominating the Senior Olympics. He has a wall full of medals and that includes the national games this year where he competed in four events bringing home three gold medals and one silver. He is an incredible man with an incredible story.

“I was amazed at the number of people who wanted to bring about peace and innovation and start to know each other,” said Joyce Washington, Thornton Township trustee.

Thornton Township hosts float in parade

The group’s President Carmela Vargas said, “The parade was a success and we would like to thank Thornton Township for its participation and support.” Mexican Patriotic Club celebrated its 78th Annual Mexican Independence Day Parade of South Chicago

Grand Marshal Melissa Perez, Producer at WCIU (The U) Television Station waved to the crowd as they marched down the parade route.

Vargas, President of the organization said, “The parade was well attended and had lots of volunteers.” She also said, “She liked to thank State Senator Donne Trotter (IL 17th Senatorial District), State Representative Marcus C. Evans Jr. (IL 33rd Representative District), Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL 2nd Congressional District), and several aldermen for their support.” According to Vargas, State Senator Trotter handed out candy to the children along the parade route.

Vargas further stated, “The parade exceeded her expectation and she is looking forward to next year’s parade.”
The parade was on Sunday, September 10, 2017, some of the outstanding members of the Mexican Patriotic Club are honorary members Martin R. Castro, former U. S. Commission on Civil Rights; John Garcia WLS-TV; Stacy Baca WLS-TV; Judge David Cerda; Emma Lozano; Laura Cruz; Dr. Juan Andrade; and former Chicago Police Superintendent Matt Rodriguez.

What is Hispanic Heritage Month?
National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15th through October 15th of each year recognizing the contributions made and the important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States by celebrating their heritage and culture. This is the anniversary of independence for 5 countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16th, Chile’s Independence Day is September 18th. October 12th is “El Dia de la Raza” or “The Day of the Race” a day celebrating the many nationalities present in the history of Mexico, Central America, and South America including Native Americans such as the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas; and European nationalities such as Spanish, Portuguese, and French.